The Miles Davis Quintet – Steamin' With The Miles Davis Quintet

Wonderfull Audiophile Pressing with Melodic Tracks and a nice Miles Davis

Really great pressing! Every instrument is very well defined that I almost forgot it's a mono version. There is plenty of "depth" and great detail. Although I do not own a dedicated mono cartridge, this one sounds great!

I listen for the first time on this gem through my speakers and the overall impression is spacious and crispness. I mostly listen through earphones, but this is much better. I have a Rega planar 3, no mono set -up.

Absolute gem from early Miles, this swings so much it takes you away with him to the stage. An absolute must have for any Mile's fan and Jazz connoisseur in general.

Picked up the repress and it is fantastic!
Runout data is inaccurate here.

I don't pick up on any overly bright tones with my system

SL1210G w/ AT33MONO

Near perfect pressing, with rich and balanced mastering. Well worth the MSRP.

This is fantastic- just hear Coltrane launch out of the speakers on the first track when his solo begins! I don’t hear anything harsh here - just visceral, vital jazz played by a band at the top of their game.
I quite enjoy the raw clarity of the mono presentation of the music here. Vintage bop nigh on perfect.
As for the vinyl, it’s rare I’ve ever had anything but praise for AP pressings, and this is yet another one which is top notch - no undue surface noise or manufacturing issues.

Just like, cookin and relaxin, fantastic release. Sounds terrific on my system.
Great pressing, superb jacket!

This release disappointed me somewhat, but even so it is one of the best available versions on the market right now. I wouldn't say it is the best though, due to some mastering choices. It is a balancing act always but here I think Kevin Gray could have done much better.

The release I compared this one to was the standard OJC from 2014: https://discogs.descargarjuegos.org/release/7868073-The-Miles-Davis-Quintet-Steamin-With-The-Miles-Davis-Quintet

It is clear from the get go that Kevin's cut is more detailed, it lets you hear deeper into the soundstage and there are some obvious caveats due to that. The high frequencies can be too hot and 'bleached out' sounding at times, especially noticeable during Salt Peanuts. That particular song sounds so much better and more organic on the OJC. In fact this contrast is what persists throughout for both versions. OJC ends up sounding warmer and more rich while the AP favours clarity and to a point neutrality maybe. I think Kevin gave us exactly what is on the tape and all the imperfections that come with that. The OJC hides all those so much better and is the more pleasant experience overall. In of the piano and the drums the AP possibly sounds a bit more defined but then again not always. The bass guitar certainly sounds more full bodied on the OJC and possibly that is due to a slight boost but again I would expect the OG to actually sound more similar to the OJC than to the AP. Another interesting aspect is the groove spacing, it is very obvious that the OJC is a much wider cut running a lot closer to the label whereas the AP has much more narrow grooves. I guess Kevin decided to prioritise tracking error here. That is possibly the reason why the OJC sounds louder (very apparent right away) and maybe even a bit more open and easy flowing. Kind of like what you get with a good 2xLP 45rpm remaster where grooves are spaced to their maximum so the modulation isn't as restricted. With my shibata stylus on the OJC there is no IGD on A3 but since it does run much closer to the label than the AP I can imagine some lesser stylus cuts might struggle more here. All comparisons were made volume matched (important especially here where the two titles have a distinct volume difference) and also I would like to say that the AP is just not a comfortable listen when played very loud. No such problems on the OJC. My system is what I would describe as neutral to warm sounding so on particularly bright systems the AP might be even more bright sounding. It is interesting how this top-end harshness in the AP isn't always so obvious, for eg. on A3 (Something I Dreamed Last Night) it's almost not there.

Overall I don't regret purchasing this as it remains an important document and the tip-on jacket is fantastic. It's clear that the recording itself isn't the best thing ever and combined with the condition of the tape itself leads me to believe that this is just not an audiophile album and there's nothing wrong with that. The music itself is the star of the show here. Whatever version you have just don't expect the AP to be the jaw dropping improvement you might be expecting.

Can’t compare with other masters, but the presence sounds a bit harsh in the top end, taking away some clarity. Very good overall, but not amazing.