VOL. 8.8 VOL. 2014 WINTER ACOUSTICSOUNDS.COM ACOUSTIC SOUNDS, INC. VOLUME 8.8 The world’s largest selection of audiophile recordings Published 11/14 THE BEATLES IN MONO BOX SET AAPL 379916 • $336.98 The Beatles get back to mono in a limited edition 14 LP box set! 180-gram LPs pressed in Germany by Optimal Media. Newly remastered for vinyl from the analogue tapes by Sean Magee and Steve Berkowitz. The release includes all nine original mono mixed U.K. albums plus the original American- Cut to lacquer on a VMS80 lathe compiled mono Magical Mystery Tour and the Mono Masters, a three LP collection of Exclusive 12” 108-page hardbound book non-album tracks also compiled and mastered from the original analogue tapes. with rare studio photos! All individual albums available. See acousticsounds.com for details. FOUR MORE FROM THE FAB FOUR New LP Reissues - Including QRP Pressings! The below four Beatles LPs will be pressed in two separate runs. First up are 10,000 European-pressed copies. After those are sold through, the label will then release the Quality Record Pressings-pressed copies. All four albums are 180-gram double LPs! The Beatles 1967-1970 The Beatles 1962-1966 1 Love ACAP 48448 $35.98 ACAP 48455 $35.98 ACAP 60079 $35.98 ACAP 48509 $48.98 (QPR-pressed version; (QPR-pressed version; (QPR-pressed version; (QPR-pressed version; coming sometime in 2015) coming sometime in 2015) coming sometime in 2015) coming sometime in 2015) ACAP 484480 $35.98 ACAP 484550 $35.98 ACAP 600790 $35.98 ACAP ACAP 485090 $48.98 (European-pressed version; (European-pressed version; (European-pressed version; (European-pressed version; available December 9, 2014) available December 9, 2014) available December 9, 2014) available December 9, 2014) Mastered from the original tapes Mastered from the original tapes Mastered from the 2009 remasters Mastered from the 2007 remasters at Abbey Road by Sean Magee! at Abbey Road by Sean Magee! at Abbey Road by Sean Magee! at Abbey Road by Sean Magee! TABLE OF CONTENTS DEAR CUSTOMER, FEATURED STORIES The Beatles, the Beach Boys, Zeppelin, Reiner, Heifetz, Beck, Coltrane, SRV, Pink Floyd – it’s all here! 02 The Beach Boys And all of it in some form of ultimate – the best pressing to date, the highest-resolution download, as 04 Prestige Stereo from a multichannel SACD... Whatever you’re into, if you care about great music sounding great, we’ve got something (many things, actually) in this book for you. It is a wild time to be an audiophile. Between LP Analogue Productions pressing quality, high-resolution downloads, you name it... We’re living smack dab in the golden age of 06 RCA Living Stereo from our hobby. Thank you for letting me and my company help you to enjoy it. Analogue Productions 08 Super HiRez 1-year Anniversary This time last year I told you about our new venture, selling hi-res downloads through our Super HiRez site (www.superhirez.com). We just passed year one, and I’m very excited to tell you about all that we’ve accomplished. Please see page 8 for our year-one recap. Bottom line: Hi-res downloads are turning new MUSIC people onto the fact that music can and should sound great. And tried-and-true audiophiles are enjoying the convenience that downloads allow, finally without having to sacrifice the audio quality that they trea - 14 Analogue Productions sure. And that’s all happening as vinyl continues to grow. Great news on both ends of the spectrum. Take 23 Featured Labels a look at the recap and then the following pages where we show you some highlight titles and the huge 51 New & Featured Artists selection of equipment used to play them. 78 Featured Artists Box Sets Two more of our pursuits you’ll see a lot of in this catalog and in the pages of any of the hi-fi magazines are Quality Record Pressings (QRP) and Analogue Productions. QRP has become the undisputed best EQUIPMENT record pressing plant in the world. We’re pressing for all of the major labels, a bunch of independents and then of course for ourselves with our Analogue Productions reissues. Our problem now is satisfying 80 Turntables demand. We’ve gone to a second shift and we’re getting ready to introduce a third. When I go to hi-fi 85 Cartridges shows, I’m getting so much great feedback from customers who are so excited about the quality of our 90 Record Cleaning pressings and the titles that we’re reissuing. It really does feel great, but I have to in turn give credit to my employees, the ones doing so much work to make these great records. When you see the QRP logo in 92 Preamplifiers these pages, buy with confidence knowing that if you like the music, the pressing quality is going to give 93 Phono Preamplifiers you the best chance to enjoy it. And when you see all of the Analogue Productions titles, buy knowing 95 Integrated Amplifiers that we went to a lot of effort and expense to get the original analog masters, to create the highest-quali - 97 Power Amplifiers ty artwork and to go through the most painstaking quality control – all to make the best-sounding version of that title. I hope you’ll enjoy. 98 Speakers 104 Headphones What huge news on the Beatles – finally records done right! This mono LP box is outstanding! Great 107 Headphone Amplifiers sound, and finally the correct sources. As I’m writing this, we’ve just recently learned we’ll be pressing 108 Line Conditioners four Beatles LPs at QRP – The Beatles 1962-1966, The Beatles 1967-1970, 1 and Love. The versions that 110 Accessories we’re pressing will not be made available until after an initial run of 10,000 European-pressed copies are sold through, so you’ll have to patient if you want the QRP version. As of this writing, I’ve not yet 111 Record Storage heard any of these reissues. But we have reason to be hopeful. For one, the later versions will be pressed at QRP. And for another, Universal tells us that the 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 are mastered from the *prices listed in this catalog are subject to change without notice. original tapes. Fingers crossed. Let’s hope these are as killer as that mono box. Well, those are some of the things that jump out to me. I’m sure you’ll find highlights of your own in the following pages. Happy shopping. FRIENDLY REMINDER! Thanks, as always, for your support and business. Formats such as HDCDs, XRCDs, K2 Our office hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays (CT). HD CDs, DVD Audio & Blu-ray will be Shop online anytime at www.acousticsounds.com. labeled as such. Sincerely, Here’s a helpful tip: Catalog numbers starting with “A” are vinyl. Catalog numbers starting Chad Kassem with “C” are Compact Discs. Acoustic Sounds, Inc. CEO ACOUSTICSOUNDS.COM | 800.716.3553 1 ANALOGUE PRODUCTIONS THE BEACH BOYS Available on 33-1/3 RPM & SACD A REISSUE SERIES to RIvAL ANY other. Finally, ONE OF THE most important bands IN HISTORY IS PRESENTED IN ultimate quality. “These are the best-sounding and best-looking versions of The Beach Boys records that have ever been produced. We’re reissuing this classic and historic album catalog in its most premium and high-fidelity vinyl format to date.” — Chad Kassem, owner and CEO, Acoustic Sounds and Analogue Productions The music juggernaut that is The Beach Boys has never some of the Beach Boys band members opened our sounded or looked better than this Acoustic Sounds/An- eyes. In truth, we were interested in the stereo because alogue Productions timeless reissue collection. Fourteen we weren’t familiar with the mono. As it was pointed out to of the most classic, best-sounding Beach Boys titles have us, the mono is actually where it’s at when you’re talking been mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, cut on early Beach Boys. The mono mixes are where Brian 200-gram vinyl, pressed by the renowned Quality Record Wilson paid all of his legendary attention to detail and Pressings and presented in “old style” Stoughton Printing creativity. The stereo mixes were an afterthought, created tip-on jackets. A treasured dream for Beach Boys aficio- by the engineers after Wilson had left the studio. At the nados! time, it was mono that was king - that’s what was played on the radio. The stereo was a newfangled deal not yet WHY M ono? popular with widespread audiences. So, why mono? Because that’s how this timeless music was intended to be heard. Reissuing both mono and stereo versions is not When Analogue Productions first obtained the rights to a decision that makes the most financial sense. It costs a the Beach Boys catalog there was almost no thought lot of money, and it’s not as if we’ll sell twice the number given to mono releases. We were interested in the stereo of records. But this was the decision that was most in - all of those beautiful harmonies panned across a wide keeping with the spirit of doing this catalog to the abso- sound stage. All of the texture and nuance... That is, until lute ultimate highest quality. 2 ACOUSTICSOUNDS.COM | 800.716.3553 THE BEACH BOYS ANALOGUE PRODUCTIONS Surfin’ Safari Surfin’ U.S.A. Surfer Girl Little Deuce Coupe Shut Down Vol.