Finally I got the chance to listen to this carefully created audiophile edition of this score.
Currently I only downloaded the 3rd disc to get an overview of the work done. The files I put on my Cowon S9, and plugged in my Sennheiser Headphones.
And then I listened.
Very carefully.
And I have to admit, that the restoration sounds great. It sounds a lot like analogue recordings, with much warmth and resonance.
The stereo effect and seperation of instruments is also much enhanced.
Most of the cuts are invisible, only one cut (at the end of Jedi Master, Mynock Cave) was a bit abrupt.
For comparison I used the Anthology versions and especially compared my favourite tracks "Hyperspace" and "Lukes first Crash". Both of them got a much clearer instrument seperation. Also some noticable volume changes were done, especially in "Lukes first Crash".
All the enhancements are very subtle, and the focus seemed to be to keep the music more natural sounding, to get a better volume mix of instruments. Sometimes the changes lead to a very different listening experience.
It would be very interesting to get to know what was the ideal ABC had in mind, to know how ABC decided what kind of sound is to be achieved and when to stop equalizing ... Any inputs on this, dear ABC?
Anyway, I will download the other 2 CDs very soon and only expect the best. Soon this set will shine in my soundtrack collection.
Thanks for everything you have done, ABC !
