The Studio Albums 1996-2007 Box Set

[grossi6330]

Hi all!

New here and this is my first post.  Please be gentle! lol I'm just about ready to take the plunge and purchase the vinyl version of The Studio Albums 1996-2007. Better late than never I suppose. However, I would like to know if there's an overwhelming consensus here as to which release is considered the best or ones to stay away from. 2021 or 2022? US or Europe? Mercury, Warner, etc? I am somewhat familiar with the sometimes disastrous results with the pressings from GZ Media, but I don't know if that's still an issue or concern. Anyway, I have an opportunity to purchase the 2021 European vinyl release at a relatively good price, but wanted to check with the experts here first. My apologies if this has been discussed ad nauseam already. If so, could someone kindly send me a link to the posts? Thanks again everyone. I look forward to hearing from you. 

Regards,
Greg

[dustyvalentino]

My European set was quite noisy unfortunately. Worth checking on Discogs, the US set May also been made at GZ.

[dustyvalentino]

US also GZ unfortunately.

https://www.discogs.com/release/22806779-Mark-Knopfler-The-Studio-Albums-1996-2007

[grossi6330]

wonderful

[stratmad]

Just a personal question, out of curiosity: those vinyl editions are quite expensive, of course, and I stopped listening to vinyl as soon as I could afford to buy cds, sometime back in the early nineties.
So my question is: there must be a good reason why people buy high-quality vinyl records, but do they really sound better?
That's quite apart from the delicate handling, dust&scratches, additional costs for a good record-player etc., and having to get up every 25 minutes to turn the thing around. 
So in other words, is the game really worth the candle, especially with MK records? I'm curious to hear about your experiences.

[dustyvalentino]

Just a personal question, out of curiosity: those vinyl editions are quite expensive, of course, and I stopped listening to vinyl as soon as I could afford to buy cds, sometime back in the early nineties.
So my question is: there must be a good reason why people buy high-quality vinyl records, but do they really sound better?
That's quite apart from the delicate handling, dust&scratches, additional costs for a good record-player etc., and having to get up every 25 minutes to turn the thing around. 
So in other words, is the game really worth the candle, especially with MK records? I'm curious to hear about your experiences.

I had things like Privateering and Tracker on vinyl and the sound is spectacular and the presentation is beautiful. Just a different experience to the CD.

But I was disappointed with noisy vinyl in the first box, so much so that I didn’t buy the second on vinyl, or the Live box, or the ODR box. So by going for a cheap manufacturer in GZ they have lost out on additional sales, at least from me.

[Love Expresso]

I am on a Bob Dylan run on vinyl these days and just got The Freewheelin' and other early albums of him, mainly re issues from the 1980's and they all sound spectacularly good, I get much more feeling for the music AND the lyrics when listening on vinyl (have it all on CD for decades, the early albums never got me back then).

You can spend thousands and thousands on equipment but in the end, it all depends on your ears. I know my hearing is slighly damaged at high frequencies so I am not in the right position to discuss with audiophiles as they all have perfect hearing obviously 

I like all early Dire Straits vinyl recordings much more than almost all solo stuff, soundwise. To me, The The Ragpicker's Dream and Tracker have the most beautiful sound. On everything after Tracker MK's voice is sounding too loud/dull to my ears. Again all Bob albums are a totally other thing here, much much better.

My second try pressing (after the crackling noisy babyblue edition) of On Deep River sounds very good, but I stay with my opinion about MK's vocals. The Live Box I got sounds perfect, so I would suggest to give it try.

About your initial question: Streaming made me lose interest in music almost completely, hate it, and going back to vinyl more seriously last summer made me listening and loving music again so much as I did not in the last 25 years, ALTHOUGH you have to do all that turning and dust stuff.  It inevitably makes you listen to it much more consciously. It is not so much the often called "vinyl experience" per se, but really a wholesome and consious thing to do. Would never miss it again.

Listening to Talk Talk, The Colour Of Spring on vinyl right now while typing this. 

LE