Herbie Hancock – Empyrean Isles

2nd copy without defects.. Good. 1st copy with MANY POPS & TICS both on A2 and B2. Optimal Media GmbH is a relal disaster as Pressing Plant. You must be lucky

What was said before about AP, MM, Tone Poet, is true and even more, all three are excellent pressings, however it is more musical to be able to listen to a 33 1/3, two-sided, instead of a 45, four-sided, to increase the value, and increase the profits of the Record company.

The only one I really liked was Cantaloup Island. The rest showed Hancock's expertise, but that kind of thing I only listen to once. I don't understand why this one does not have the expanded version with the two extra tracks.

Listening to this one again now. It's not just the ticks on B2. Freddie's trumpet is too hot and "cutting" at times. The jacket stinks. An album of this quality deserves better than this bargain-basement treatment.

This Kevin Gray/Steve Hoffman 180g "Classic" Blue Note reissue LP is incredible. This series definitely has the best sound quality of these stereo albums I've ever heard. Of course they'll be some who prefer mono versions of these sessions, but they are missing out on hearing what is sonically possible from this tape to vinyl transfer.
I'd love to give some specifics of this Herbie Hancock album, but every time I try to concentrate on its sound quality I get distracted by the incredible playing of Anthony (Tony) William's drums. Although, there is no way any other version is as free of background noise, making me able to hear Ron Carter's jaw dropping bass solo on "Oliloqui Valley" like never before. Wow. There's more. But I'm going to listen to side two again.

Flawless copy, sounds as good as may be expected with no tics or pops and good separation and definition of instruments.
Only remark that my copy has the Made in Germany sticker but lacks the Classic Vinyl Series one.

Compared to the 1985 Cadre Rouge Audiophile Edition I own, this reissue sounds very smooth and rich.
There is almost no noise and there are no manufacturing defects.
In fact, I wonder if there is an album with better sound than this.

It doesn’t get much better than this. Don’t hesitate to purchase this scarce record if you have the opportunity. Flawless pressing and recording.

I've picked up a couple of these McMaster CDs (this one and Speak No Evil) and they're good. They're cut quieter than the RVG CDs, but have a much more natural sound, much better stereo separation, and aren't harsh like the RVGs. Bass is pretty light, but that's not a big problem.

This pressing sounds amazing. This album is a great place to start for anyone getting into Herbie or Jazz in general.