Rage Against The Machine – Renegades

If you love this album, get the MOV version. Here is my MOV version review:

It’s been a big struggle trying to get review of this MOV reissue of the record which uses the original European stampers.

I have owned the CD, the 2018 reissue on vinyl and regularly listen to this record on Qobuz. While this MOV version is far from an audiophile record, this is the best I have heard of this album.

Clipping and distortion is still inherent but much less compared to the 2018 reissue. The dynamic range is definitely higher. Soundstage is wider and deeper than 2018 reissue. Overall, not super fatiguing as the 2018 reissue. Also for the first time I am hearing some separation between the bass and the guitar even when they play the same notes.

There is ~ 25 mins of music per side. Without a good setup/stylus these differences would be hard to tell.

If you love this album get the MOV version.
Here is my MOV review:

It’s been a big struggle trying to get review of this MOV reissue of the record which uses the original European stampers.

I have owned the CD, the 2018 reissue on vinyl and regularly listen to this record on Qobuz. While this MOV version is far from an audiophile record, this is the best I have heard of this album.

Clipping and distortion is still inherent but much less compared to the 2018 reissue. The dynamic range is definitely higher. Soundstage is wider and deeper than 2018 reissue. Overall, not super fatiguing as the 2018 reissue. Also for the first time I am hearing some separation between the bass and the guitar even when they play the same notes.

There is ~ 25 mins of music per side. Without a good setup/stylus these differences would be hard to tell.

It’s been a big struggle trying to get review of this MOV reissue of the record which uses the original European stampers.

I have owned the CD, the 2018 reissue on vinyl and regularly listen to this record on Qobuz. While this MOV version is far from an audiophile record, this is the best I have heard of this album.

Clipping and distortion is still inherent but much less compared to the 2018 reissue. The dynamic range is definitely higher. Soundstage is wider and deeper than 2018 reissue. Overall, not super fatiguing as the 2018 reissue. Also for the first time I am hearing some separation between the bass and the guitar even when they play the same notes.

There is ~ 25 mins of music per side. Without a good setup/stylus these differences would be hard to tell.

What a beautiful album with so many great covers.

Sonically, it is not the worst sounding record I have heard (that would be almost all Linkin Park records) but the mastering left me desiring more.

The first issue, and I am quite sure this is true; the album was recorded in the reds (guitar volume recorded to a level it was distorting/peaking). Vocal sounds distorted even on Spotify. This is a production fault and I know Rick Rubin used to do this all the time as he loves loud music.

Secondly, on top of this distorted recording, the mastering was brickwalled. Dynamics squashed and some songs are squashed much more than others.

It is true the everything sounds loud and clear but at a heavy cost of losing the transients/dynamics.

Otherwise discs were flat and noise-free!

What a beautiful album with so many great covers.

Sonically, it is not the worst sounding record I have heard (that would be almost all Linkin Park records) but the mastering left me desiring more.

The first issue, and I am quite sure this is true; the album was recorded in the reds (guitar volume recorded to a level it was distorting/peaking). Vocal sounds distorted even on Spotify. This is a production fault and I know Rick Rubin used to do this all the time as he loves loud music.

Secondly, on top of this distorted recording, the mastering was brickwalled. Dynamics squashed and some songs are squashed much more than others.

It is true the everything sounds loud and clear but at a heavy cost of losing the transients/dynamics.

Otherwise discs were flat and noise-free!

What a beautiful album with so many great covers.

Sonically, it is not the worst sounding record I have heard (that would be almost all Linkin Park records) but the mastering left me desiring more.

The first issue, and I am quite sure this is true; the album was recorded in the reds (guitar volume recorded to a level it was distorting/peaking). Vocal sounds distorted even on Spotify. This is a production fault and I know Rick Rubin used to do this all the time as he loves loud music.

Secondly, on top of this distorted recording, the mastering was brickwalled. Dynamics squashed and some songs are squashed much more than others.

It is true the everything sounds loud and clear but at a heavy cost of losing the transients/dynamics.

Otherwise discs were flat and noise-free!

How is the sound quality on that pressing?
Thanks a lot !!!

I thought it sounded pretty good.......but on the quiet song I got steady pops all through a verse. I'm returning it for the pops. I've kept worse, but I don't wanna help enable low and mediocre quality record production.

Not a big fan of this pressing. Sounds thin/brittle and too quiet. I have to really crank it to get any volume and it sounds worse the louder you turn it up. I love this album but this version just doesn’t hit IMO.

The music itself is a little quiet, but there are hardly ANY pops at all. As I was typing this, there were 3 loud pops during the beginning of I’m Housin’.