Van Halen – The Collection II

I don't want to come across like a audio snob but my background of listening to 10 hours of music a day for over 35 years and the ability to hear so many pressings gives me a unique take on this.

5150 - The original vs this box set version

Original has more treble to it, it is hotter, it is very 80's sounding production with a sharpness to all instruments. When you hear this version over and over again you accept that it is supposed to sound exactly this way.

Box Set Version on of the first listen I was thinking clearly the original wins. But after giving it another spin with no distractions it's my conclusion that this is the better version. There is a oh so slight instrument depth not on the original, Sammy's vocals are not as high pitch/shinny. There is better instrument separation though there is some bleeding which is obviously in the master tapes. You do have to RAISE THE VOLUME 20% louder than the original. It is a softer sounding record with zero background noise.

The winner is ths version for 5150.

If anyone is interested in my other takes on the remaining albums from the set I will give you my thoughts (I have heard the original pressings and cds many times so I have a great knowledge of them).

I originally bought the vinyl box and was disappointed with the weird distortion on the guitars and other issues. After that I decided to purchase the CD’s and these indeed sound great. As other reviews have said these don’t have much or any DRC added so turn it up and let them rip. You do lose the 3d soundstage compared to the vinyl but in my opinion this is the superior option between the two.

One of the most remarkable remastering jobs I've seen in a long time. F.U.C.K., Balance, and the studio rarities are finally freed from the loudness war here, and they're as dynamic as anything from the 80s was. I would've liked the Balance track listing to follow the original CD instead of the vinyl edition, since Baluchitherium is absent from it, but it's still on the bonus disc so there's no real loss. I hope future remasters for other artists' albums use this box set as an example to follow. "It's About Time" indeed!

How much I was looking forward to this box. All in all, very sobering after receiving it. The sound quality is consistently average for me, the original pressings sound much better to me. Someone who buys this box to own F.U.C.K. and Balance in his collection may have come to the right place. If someone expects better sound quality because of the remastered information, they could possibly be disappointed.