The Beatles 2012 Stereo Vinyl Box And What's Wrong With It

What's wrong with the 2012 Stereo Vinyl Remasters?

[@mad4vinyl802]

Excellent video, Brian. I played the 2012 copy of "Beatles For Sale" and compared it with my blue box issue. I agree with your assessment. I have found that digitally remastered pressings have exaggerated bass. The sound doesn't feel like it is period correct. The negatives outweigh the positives. I do like some of the detail that can be found in some of the more recent Giles mixes. Great video

[@leonardoiglesias2394]

Blind test? Absolute blind test? After breakfast? On a boaring sunday?No alcohol…?

[@silversurfer493]

Well, i actually like the extended bass as previous pressings (not all) were rather bass shy. What is a problem for me is the lack of clarity, ambience and clean treble. The 70ies pressings sound much more natural. Compare the tracks on the 2014 AAA pressings of the red album the are from „Beatles for Sale“. They are so much better sounding, it is beyond me how nobody at Apple / Universal cared about it….

[@BeAGoodDoga]

Australian 1980’s reissues come highly recommended too.

[@matthewskipper2732]

I would argue that they sound better than 80-90% of digitally sourced reissues that are being pumped out today, and I've found that adjsuting EQ on my system can help a bit (by contrast, I usually listen to my BC-13 pressings line-in). Also, the fact that they're so affordable and can be acquired so easily makes them a great stepping stone into the irreversible disease known as Beatles vinyl collecting.

[@seno2349]

Hey there, Thank you for the video. However, the mono box was issued in 2014, not 2012. It was done all analogue because the fans (and Michael Fremer ;) ) were asking for it a lot. Furthermore, it is not about the source, it is about the mastering. And the 2009 remasters were not that great to begin with. So, what you get here, is the less compressed version of the 2009 remasters, cut really quiet. Nothing more and nothing less. That said, there are comparisons to be found (level-matched, blind tested) where they sometimes liked these most. Although I (owning all original pressings, 70s, 80s and so on) would not agree, it still does not have anything to do with analogue or digital (compare the opinions on the Stones mono set, cut “by digital” for complete opposite opinions), it all comes down to the mastering, not a digital or analogue source.

[@arminzink1925]

Hi Brian, thanks a lot for this video and your thoughts on the 2012 remasters. I do not have the box, but I have the German pressings of the 2012 remasters for most of the albums (at least for these, which are still available - the albums which received a re remixed are no longer available in the 2012 version here in Germany). In my opinion, at least the German pressings sounds absolut amazing. For sure, they sound different to my 70th German pressings and 80th UK pressings, but they do not sound worse. And it is so nice to have new, pristine sleeves and records. I am also quite sure that in a blind A-B-C listening test 99.9% of the fans would not hear whether these pressings are sourced from a digital source if that fact had not been known. In my opinion there is still an unnecessary hype about analog source. A digital source sounds equal in most cases and makes absolute sense in that way that the original master is preserved against damage and deterioration when played continuously. So, in this case I cannot fully agree to your view. Sorry.

[@twofromthetrunk9932]

Really enjoyed this video. I remember when rubber soul was released in 1965. I was at a family friends house and there daughter was in the living room listening to it. They had a huge Magnavox home stereo the size of an aircraft carrier. When she played that album I was blown away. I don’t know if it was stereo or mono. I just remember how great it sound. We must have played it 20 times.

[@felixlusash]

I had vinyl back in 70s and 80s. Late 80s went to cds and I’m not going back. For me, most mono box set cds are my favorite. And all of the remixes are good, some better. I’m sticking with cds. Love your videos. Thanks

[@fenderguy82]

It’s hard to find the 70s pressings. So far, I’ve acquired 4 of them for a great price. My ultimate goal is to acquire all the UK and US pressings. You’re videos have helped tremendously and you have not let me down. Thank you!

[@BrianBringelson]

Awesome! Good luck in your search.

[@novangoghmusicofficial]

The packaging is awesome though. And the book is great. If they used analog sources it would be an amazing set.

[@kevinjones9685]

I'd recommend the 2014 verisions of the Red and Blue Album for beginners--the mixes are on point.

[@alvarosundfeld]

When I started getting into vinyl, and the Beatles as well (it all sort of happened around the same time), I bought my first two Beatles albums (Abbey Road and the White Album) in these pressings (the European pressed records, by the way). I never had any issues with their sound quality, but I didn’t know what I was missing. After my vinyl hobby was better established, and started getting really serious, I went digging for older analog pressings of these albums, and I must say, they absolutely DESTROY any of them. And the ones I got are not even the UK ones, but Brazilian 1970’s repressings (I live in Brazil), that are sourced from tapes (at least) one generation away from the UK masters. Unfortunately, I was never able to hear an original UK pressing (mono or stereo), but I am still really happy with my copies, as they all sound MILES better than the 2009 ones.

[@jake105]

I bought some individual CD's in 2009. Not the vinyl box set. Later on I bought the CD mono box set. I did buy Abbey Road on vinyl in 2017. To be nice, it didn't sound great. A few yrs go by when I realized, it's not the vinyl. It's my system. To get "really good" sound out of vinyl you need a decent Preamplifier and a decent needle (stylus/cartridge). My TT is modern with a built-in preamp. Everything else are pre-owned from the 1990's and early 2000's. Speakers, receiver, cd player ect. My advice is by-pass the installed preamp & stereo receiver (don't use the phono input, use Aux input) and get the best preamp and stylus you can afford. Or in my case, are willing to pay! It made a huge difference. Great video as always Brian.

[@R3TR0R4V3]

Early/mid 70's "2-box EMI" UK pressings are the best way to go for Stereo versions.. They blow the 2012 digital cuts out of the water. No contest. 👍 If you're patient and thorough in your search, you can pick up NM copies for fairly cheap, or at least reasonably. There are a couple exceptions though, as the German mid 70's HörZu/Apple Electrola pressings are recommended over the UK (or anything else for that matter), ie. Please Please Me & Magical Mystery Tour in particular.

[@Beatgeneration2010]

Critical overview as usual! Congrats!

[@AndyX]

i might disagree on a couple albums from this set I know the horzu is the holy grail of MMT,,,but this particular stereo version sounds really really good . i have a horzu but if i didnt ,,I would be totally happy with this remaster. also I really like the Beatles for sale in this set,,and its a favorite album of mine so i have several different pressings to compare

[@Dibbs6]

I'm an analogue person. A complete audiophile. I only listen to my Beatles in mono except the obvious ones. I invested in the original 60's pressings and took a year to collect them all, then the same with the UK singles. So, now I have the US mono releases and the UK. There's nothing like listening to Pepper in mono. John Lennon said "you haven't heard Sgt. Pepper unless you have heard it in mono". A splended time is a guaranteed for all when you listen to Pepper in mono. I at one point owned this set and got it when it came out, but later cashed in on it and sold it when I discovered vintage pressings. Vintage all the way. Long Live The Beatles and Long Live Rock n Roll!!

[@leonardoiglesias2394]

I think, great music does NEVER depend on digital, mono, analog, stereo, streaming, vinyl, anything. I like AND version of my favorite Beatles songs or my favorite Bach works…its the music what counts. I know some people who are listening to their audio equipment and microphones quality, and pressings and not to the music….

[@davidgangemi3314]

Just as long as they aren't vintage US pressings. Ugh!! I can't get rid of mine. Wish I knew more 20 yrs ago when they were worth more due to the age and condition of the covers and vinyl. I didn't have the system I do now either,which revealed quite a lot. And by that,I don't mean good qualities. I firmly believe that they will do a proper stereo cut of the Beatles catalogue in the near future by qualified master technicians because every 5 years they do that with big artists. The 2014 mono set was luxurious to say the least. You won't find mint U.K. originals anywhere. So hold on to your copies as long as you can!

[@davidkornblatt851]

I think the 1987 cds excluding RUBBER SOUL AND HELP sound great especially Sgt Pepper and Revolver.

[@silversurfer493]

One additional comment: The problem is not that a digital master was used. Listen to the many Steve Wilson remixes of prog artists. They all sound fabulous. It is the choice of digital transfer gear and the subsequent equalization and compression, possibly combined with noise reduction that makes the sound so bad. You can make so many mistakes when transfer to digital: tape alignment, ADC settings, equalization etc. etc. It is beyond me how people at Abbey road were not aware of the sound losses they produced during the transfers and mastering. It might be that the sound was intended as to sound more contemporary and sound good on modern equipment … which means mobile phones and earbuds 😮.

[@marcelbr815]

It's so weird with The Beatles... the worst items are the widely available and the best ones (mono) are gone. The same stereo mixes are on spotify. Monos are missing. I really don't get it.

[@kevinjones9685]

I just picked up a Mono copy of Ysterday and Today...I know it's a controversial album, but I love the flow and song selections on it

[@JeffPlaysChannel]

One of the earliest things I did in my Beatles collecting journey was to transition out of these 😂. Once I heard my UK first pressing of Abbey Road there was never any going back.. They aren’t the worst stop gap though!

[@dgross2009]

Excellent overview of digital vs analog pressings. I have this as well as the mono box and really don't find these as bad as some have. As you state it's better than listening to the cd's which I also have. Also not a fan of most of the Giles remixes. Worse experience is trying to listen to a beat up vintage pressing which would do damage to my needle that cost $400 last time it needed replacement.

[@WilG082]

All I have to say is that the 2012s are great for beginners

[@gman5218]

Might have been worth buying when released in 2012 but the stupid price it is now… no way.

[@sethallison5682]

Everyone hates on these remasters, it kinda makes me question my ears… I own a few of these and I think they sound pretty decent. I really like my 2014 monos best but the four stereo remasters I own are pretty decent IMO.

[@quinnspears3135]

Hey Brian, hope your doing well my friend, this was the first box set I got, and yes, I didn’t think at the time that they were bad, it was great to have a complete collection of all the core albums and brand new pressings as well, I have the US set like yours, and luckily no issues with the discs or sleeves, however, almost 10 years now, I’ve been collecting Original 60’s UK mono and Stereo pressings of these albums, and most definitely I do prefer those, and I wish I had the 2014 mono set or at least all the individual releases that way I could make those the work horses and not have to pull out the original copies. Lol. I started collecting the original pressings around the time the 2014 pressings came out, I regret not taking a little bit of time to accommodate for that set, I was hell bent on the OG’s, I DO NOT regret stopping the collecting of those, just wish I could’ve taken a little break and just got the set as it was MUCH cheaper at the time. I do prefer the mono albums in general for sure, I think AHDN through Let It Be, you have to have both mono and stereo, I think for the stereo work horse collection, I definitely would want maybe the famous blue collection box from the late 70’s and early 80’s, heard great things about those sets/pressings. I treasure my 60’s mono and stereo pressings and just want to preserve them at this point. I’m glad I have the 2012 set still, for the book alone and the cool box, and sometimes, it is nice to pull out a brand new copy then having to pull out one of the original copies.

[@quinnspears3135]

I will love the 2012 set for the simple fact, it was my first complete set of the core albums, it gave me, as you said, introduction to them, it was exciting at that time, and the set honest to god sparked the curiosity and interest of making the decision of hunting down the original 60’s pressings of both the mono and stereo mixes. They are definitely not the best sounding pressings, but they helped to kick start probably the biggest labor of love journey that my life has ever known up to this point. Great vid man.!

[@michaelharrington75]

Abbey Road and Let it be mono? I didn't think the Beatles made mono mixes after the White Album, except for fold downs of the stereo?

[@michaelharrington75]

​@@quinnspears3135Beatles music sounds good in any format. The magic of the music is the captivating thing about the Beatles.

[@quinnspears3135]

@@michaelharrington75 Abbey Road and Let It Be only in stereo.!

[@quinnspears3135]

@@michaelharrington75 I agree.! I love the vinyl, I think it will always be the best way to hear the music. But I don’t have a problem with digital. But I would choose vinyl first

[@williamtyler9123]

Since the 2014 Red and Blue albums are AAA Stereo Pressings do you think they sound better, the same or worse compared to the 70s pressings? Better than the 2012 box?

[@BrianBringelson]

Those 2014 Red & Blue albums are amazing! So glad you mentioned them. In fact they are how the 2012 Stereo Box should have been made. They're definitely better than the 2012's, and I believe at least equal to the 70's UK and German pressings I have. That being said, I believe the best pressings for the Red and the Blue are the mid 70's German pressings.

[@R3TR0R4V3]

Don't sleep on the 2014 Red & Blue albums.. If you have a chance to snag a pair, do it! They sound _incredible!_

[@750drums]

Great video, Brian., very informative. One can't beat the Harry Moss work. I've been a major Beatle nut since 1964, and have just about everything, but have no interest in these. You and Andrew at Parlogram reinforced my decision not to buy these.

[@jamesmanon3000]

Good Info Thank you.

[@duff0120]

i have the german pressing of this box, i think it sounds great. wondering how the US version is

[@kevinericsongs]

me too,i think this box is under-rated..one beatles channel i respect even called it 'garbage' which is ridiculous

[@samirsoares14]

👏👏👏👏👏

[@Beatgeneration2010]

A detailed.account as.always

[@leonardoiglesias2394]

There is also the discussion about if it is correct to play Bachs harpsichord works on a Steinway because its not the way Bach wanted to hear what he wrote. What if John would come back and say: OH, I would have never left the Beatles if I would have heard this box!!!! And George would say: no!!! john! Dont dont do that to me!!! I like the Mono cd box 2009 better!

[@michaelharrington75]

Buy the box, sell the individual albums, keep the book, and fill the box with great sounding stereo pressings from the 60's and 70's. Problem solved.

[@MajorTom106]

I don't think it's correct to say these are bad because they are digitally sourced. I've heard digitally sourced vinyl that sounds great. I think these don't sound great because they used masters that were made with CD in mind in 2009, and only used them for vinyl as an afterthought. They should have made a new master for vinyl or mastered for vinyl from the start.

[@joedee9811]

Is there a easy way to tell if a sealed copy of these albums is a European or US pressing?

[@MisterBiscuitsOfficial]

Usually has a white sticker saying "Made In Holland" or "Made In USA" or "Made In Germany", etc.

[@jamesmanon3000]

I just saw this boxset priced at 600.Get a good stereo system Thank for the video.I have a copy of the Rolling Sstones boxset which includes their albums from the 60's.The box is red and black.Do you have opinions about this boxset?

[@jesmardepaula1141]

Show esse box dos Beatles❤❤❤❤

[@thomascars1]

I’ll say my problems: 1. Its lazily done 2. Its sourced from CDs 3. The jackets are not faithful to the originals like the 2014 mono box 4. Countless pressing flaws on domestic pressings- really, RAINBO?!!

[@leonardoiglesias2394]

I think there is a sentence which I think is great! When you say: this is absolute truth in my opinion. Some people think when I say its the truth, I take for granted that they know I mean MY absolute truth. I only have ONE truth, tell me yours, then we will see what happens to our truths when we discuss about it. We could be good debaters, haha!

[@wcwnumber1fan]

i prefer the Deagostini reissues.

[@tiborosz1825]

Amalog source will also have a digital transfer😅😅😅😅😅

[@automatedelectronics6062]

Hold on there. The U.S. pressings are much better. The reason? Because in the U.S., we use use a much higher quality of vinyl. With the pressings made in Germany, they were pressed by Optimal Media. They DO NOT use as high quality vinyl as Rainbo used. Myself, because of the poorer quality of vinyl which Optimal Media uses, I can identify an Optimal Media pressing just from listening to it. Now, both pressing companies used the same master discs cut at Abbey Road, so they are equal at that point. Besides the poorer vinyl Optimal media uses and that their plant isn't as clean as Rainbo was, was another reason why the Rainbow pressings excelled. That brings us to the Beatles' Mono LP box. EMI wanted Rainbo Records to press the Mono LP box set for the world, as EMI was happy with the quality of the Stereo LP box, but Rainbo turned them down. Hearing it directly from Steve Sheldon, the main person at rainbo, pressing the Stereo LP box took up so much of their plant's capacity that they had to put their regular customers on the back burner. Rainbo was already running a double shift and was considering adding a 3rd. It didn't pencil out and Rainbo didn't want to get back into a 24-7 schedule like they did when Elvis died. Yes, Rainbo also pressed quite a few records for RCA and Capitol. Eventhough they still had pressing plants in So. Cal. they couldn't crank them out fast enough to meet demand, so they had to farm it out. Even with myself being hearing impaired, I can tell that the Optimal Media pressings are inferior. When I point out the differences to others, they can hear it too. If you compare the Rainbo, the Optimal Media pressings and the Optimal Media Mono LP box , yould should be able to hear the excessive background noise of the Optimal pressings. Oh, I see that you didn't realize that the Stereo LP box set is a little taller than it should be and you smashed the top! With my copy, I originally put it on top of my record shelves. I use the Kallax from Ikea. When I added side wings for the boxed sets, I raised the top slightly so that the boxed set would fit without crushing like your box is. Then, their are the prices for the "The Beatles Stereo LP Box". Originally, they retailed in the U.S. for $349., so the values you stated are not correct. I was able to buy one of my Stereo boxes for $263.49 when I pre-ordered it. The Stereo boxes can still be had at a bargain. The Mono LP box is what has escalated in value.

[@thomasdudley6514]

A lot of times I feel CD sounds worse some repros digital lp are great

[@leonardoiglesias2394]

I just bought it for 800 euros. I dont want to know why I am an idiot….

[@BrianBringelson]

Well at least you’re in good company

[@leonardoiglesias2394]

@@BrianBringelson haha!! Ok…

[@leonardoiglesias2394]

@@BrianBringelson I always think 2012 Stereo sounds beatifully. Its so transparent. I would say, they had great taste for the remastering. I grew up on 78 RPM….my first records were EMI Menuhin 1930s recordings on 78 RPM on terrible Winco Turntables…..

[@leonardoiglesias2394]

@@BrianBringelson because you answer me so kindly….can I ask you something because I am very stressed…! I bought days ago a 2014 Mono Box Vinyl. I payed 1600 euros for it. I just broke the paper sleeve protecting the box, you know, the one describing the content of the box etc… Do you have an idea what the value loss could be without that sleeve or cover?. Box, vinyls, covers, book are all 100% perfect, like new, thank god. Thank you very much!!!

[@BrianBringelson]

@@leonardoiglesias2394 I’m not the right person to ask about value. I love collecting and finding the best sounding pressings, but that’s really where my knowledge ends. That being said I wouldn’t worry too much about the value going down due to a rip in the slipcase. I’m sure that might deter some people if you were to sell it, but for most the slipcase is hardly of any importance. And if I were you I’d hold on to that box and enjoy the amazing sounding pressings.

[@Bojanmarsetic]

My cassettes made in Yugoslavia sounds much more better than any CD. The bass is deep and gentle, the highs are edgy but not razor blade, the middles are soft. The Cd are the biggest BS listeners had to bought.

[@felixlusash]

I had vinyl back in 70s and 80s. Late 80s went to cds and I’m not going back. For me, most mono box set cds are my favorite. And all of the remixes are good, some better. I’m sticking with cds. Love your videos. Thanks

[@BrianBringelson]

honestly I appreciate this comment. the beatles mono cds sound excellent.