LOL! “First soiled diaper” got a good chuckle on that one.

Agree many remasters seem to be just a money grab. I especially abhor remastering that compresses the dynamic range, just criminal.

But then there are others that put in the effort to improve on the original to make things right and those are worth getting. And when I say remaster, not just the re EQ, but also the expert disc cutting to take full advantage of tech we have now, so for example more of the original bass can be cut into the groove. We’re as before it was limited by choice or whatever to accommodate the masses or radio.

I don’t think any hard rules can be applied to this.

Steve Wilson’s 2011 remix of Jethro Tull - Aqualung is a vast improvement on the original mix. That album is a favourite of mine, but never sounded right to me. So I was very thankful for Mr Wilson’s work on it as it is a pure delight.

Another one is 2008 Shelby Lynne - Just A Little Lovin’. The original sounded pretty good. But then it was redone in 2014 by Analogue Productions and it COMPLETELY blows the original away. Just jaw dropping good. Makes the original sound dead and flat.

This indeed is correct.

Panning changes would need to be done in a remix, not remaster. So perhaps the OP is perceiving harder panning because of headphones.

The issue is also that Japanese pressing plants do a very good job of pressing the records and that is why they are sort after. BUT!

However the mastering etc used is often unknown and that is where it all falls down. Many use some really shit masters, but the the record pressing is immaculate. I know I own a few and agree, light on the bass end.

I have the 2012 remaster pressed at RTI. No surface noise, pressings are flat. Nice sound, nothing to complain about, but I don’t have any other pressings to compare it to.

Discogs listing of it

What a wonderful story. You changed someone’s life.

It is proof to me. Bite me. Go on living with your head suck in a hole in the ground.

Break in or run in for speakers is real. I have proved it.

Had a pair of Martin Logan electrostatic hybrid speakers on loan from shop for several months while the ones I ordered came in. I wanted a particular wood finish.

The dealer delivered the speakers brand new, unopened from factory. I first played a select track so we could hear how the old speakers sounded. Then set up the new ones in the same location and then played the same track.

Immediately we could both hear that the bass was not as full before and the mids sounded rough. After about 10 mins the roughness vanished. ML recommend a run in time of around 50 hours or so. To speed up the process I left them running all day for a few days.

Yeah, I know I’m going to get people say they do not believe me and demand measurements to prove it. Well bite me. I don’t care. I witnessed it, it was real. The dealer also heard it.

Haha. YouTube, audiophile, should not even be in the same sentence.

Bass travels through almost anything.

It is best to make contact first. You should speak to your neighbour and ask them to let you know if they can hear it and if it bothers them. This avoids a lot of drama.

I vote for Canare speaker wire and spade connectors. Crimp and solder spade connectors onto wire. I believe spade gives the best connection because more surface area makes contact and can be tightened down.

PJ Harvey - 1995 album To Bring You My Love.

Got it in 1995 on CD when it came out and liked it. But was not until I got the 2001 reissued record and played it on a very good system did I fully appreciate this album. Monster dynamics, earthy, raw, deep, emotional and dramatic.

PJ Harvey - 2000 album Stories From The City…

Fantastic songs but utterly ruined by the very compressed dynamic range. Flogged this to death on my car CD player and sounded nice, but playing the CD or record on a good system reveals just how awfully flat it sounds. Dead, no impact. Killed by DR compression.

I found the only way to hear Zeppelin at its best is on a very good vinyl rig playing the Classic Records pressings. They sound great.

Tried many others pressings and CDs, but if Jimmy Page has had anything to do with the remastering you can be guaranteed it will sound too bright and have very little bass.