4:52 CORRECTIONS: meant to say, “it wasn’t an audiophile pressing, in and of itself”. I incorrectly said “it wasn’t an analogue pressing, in and of itself.” Obviously, it WAS an analogue pressing but was not (initially) released on an audiophile label or as an audiophile LP. 9:03 Tom Scott played sax on Black Cow; Wayne Shorter only played on that title track Aja. Thanks Alex Dickie for catching this error.

Hands down the most comprehensive review of this release I've seen yet. Chapeau, sir...

Your best review so far. Entertaining and informative. Thank you a lot for the effort you put in.

Great Review David! Thanks for all you do 🙏🏼

Nice work David!!! Keep the great content coming.

My copy finally delivers tomorrow. Looking forward to it. Also been looking forward to this shootout.

Very interested in your detailed review and comparisons to other pressings. Glad you feel like you really got your moneys worth here!

Outstanding David. Very well done.

Amazing review

Great video * Thank you

Yes. I agree 100% with each point raised in this review. I too wanted the LP to keep playing longer.

Great thorough review. You (and others) have definitely convinced me to buy the SACD. The cost and fuss of the UHQR is still too much for me considering I rarely listen to this album (though it is a great album).

Great review. If I need to get a record for the sole purpose of testing my hifi equipment I know which one to get now.

I have the new 192khz 24bit flac. I think we're just starting to realize just how important this record is to everything after. Can't wait for "Katy Lied" 😎 First episode of your channel I've seen. Very impressed. Look forward to seeing your other vids. Most KZfaq reviewers would be great to hang out with as long as they zipped their lips. You seem like someone worth having a conversation with. 😎

Thanks David for your review! Lot’s of positive feedback coming out for this UHQR Aja. Glad to see they rebounded big time from Pretzel. Sounds like Aja UHQR may be a no brainer. In my opinion the old MFSL gold cds are an ignored alternative. Many of those are very tasty masterings that are unlike the early MFSL lps. Elton John’s MFSL gold cds for example. Still can find the gold cds cheap and many have dropped in price due to the vinyl resurgence. Thanks again for your hard work you also put in to try and give your impressions the best you are able to!

Thanks!

i just got the 2023 standard reissue on 1 lp and i can imagine anything else sounding better. it’s amazing!

I got my UHQR copy on order. I also have the AA 1006, Back to Black 1A remastered by Greg Moore, and the latest with the Geffen release. Without listening to UHQR, my personal favorite is the AA 1006. Thank you for your posting, and I'm looking forward to hearing the UHQR copy. 👍👍

In Britain, albums always used to be released on Mondays. Don't know when it changed to Fridays, but early in the week is better as you say.

Hello. And thank you for this review. I have Can’t Buy A Thrill on UHQR and I love it, and I have been on the fence about Aja. Now, I’m pretty certain I’m going to get one as soon as I can afford it. I’m just hopeful that I can still purchase one when that time comes. I have the Back 2 Black version that I have always been very pleased with. I looked closely at my deadwax and it says “Greg Moore masterpiece”… I did not see any 1A or 1B markings. There was something there that was really not even able to be made out. That could’ve been it. But I’ve always been pleased with it, but I do plan on purchasing the new UHQR of Aja if I am fortunate enough to get one. Thanks again!

Ok- I’m very excited for this one! But- for me the true thrill will be a worthy UHQR release of Royal Scam, if that can be achieved- and for a great SACD version of it as well, as the was slated to be released from Japan some years ago but got scrubbed, after great SACDs of CTE and (especially of) PL were issued.

Josh Norrid (who previously worked at Acoustic Sounds as a record collection buyer) says that his sources at AP are telling him that the Aja UHQR was cut from a one off EQ’d copy of the master that was made by Berie when he cut the original AB-1006. So basically, the UHQR is a copy of the original AB -1006 cut at 45 RPM. Also, the photo of the tapes used in the UHQR is a photo of the tape that Kevin Gray used for the Cisco cut and not of the tapes Benie used for the UHQR.....You can hear Josh's comments on Steve Westman's channel.

I didnt think theyd get me to spend $150 on Aja but here we are

Thanks for the review and I like your rough grading system. I got my copy today and only had time to sneak a listen to Black Cow which blew me away. So much detail, dynamics and rich tonal quality. I'm going to take issue with your description of the old Mofi recording. You're the second reviewer to say that the bass and top end are too boosted. But the UHQR at least on Black Cow has way more bass than the Mofi. I think they mostly boosted the top end rather than top and bottom. I will give you credit for grading the Mofi vinyl quiet. I only have the Mofi and the UHQR now but back in the day when we compared the Mofi to standard pressings the other vinyl was so noisy and full of pops and crackles. We all hands down preferred the Mofi. But back then we didn't know anything about original pressing etc. We knew there were ones from Japan and Europe that were sometimes better. But we sure as hell didn't even know the term "Dead Wax" so who knows what versions we listened to. So I've loved my Mofi Aja and listened to it for years. Now I have something better. I'm on the waiting list for the SACD. I'm anxious to hear what that sounds like. Ever since finding out how to direct stream the DSD signal directly out of my OPPO and into my PS audio via I2S I've become a big fan of SACD. If you haven't tried extracting the DSD stream this way then you haven't heard the full glory of DSD. Can't wait to compare them. Thanks again for a well written and thought out review.

Hi fellow audiophile! Sonic nerd is my preference, but it is what it is. I have not yet watched your shootout video because I'm still in the process of processing and do not want to spoil any of my copies of Aja... yet! I digress. My teenage son is a huge fan of Steely Dan (good job, dad) or (or oh, you built another cynic with a good sense of humor for us to deal with). Proud on both counts. Per his request, we skipped to the second disc and noticed an oddity. A sporadic pop kept appearing on side C. I immediately identified it as static due to its sound and inconsistent nature, which hurt Peg's feelings. I pulled the record off the platter, and my mat actually stuck to the disc strongly! I ran a brush over it and swapped sides. Same result. Repeated this several times before the static electricity finally subsided. I've played hundreds of records on my table and have never seen this happen on such a level. I've not gone back yet to re-listen to "C", but don't think there is any issue at all. Has this been an issue for anyone else?

I have a Canadian yellow version and have always found it lifeless and was wondering if it was my version or if the recording was over rated, I've finally got my answer. Much thanks!

Excellent review. Mr. Pete--------> aging hippie

I also have the MoFi Gold CD, but it can show its age, but is far better than any regular CD copy our there, then I got the Japanese Super Audio Cd a few years ago and it has some bizarre problems too long to go into here, so Analogue Productions ghouls ahem no problem outdoing it, especially if they give it the same treatment as their amazing 45rpm set. Thanks for yet another outstanding, key video on vinyl, music, quality and music history. You are doing great!!!

Tom Scott solos on Black Cow and arranged all the horns on the album. Wayne Shorter only solos on Aja track.

"Pre echo from the previous track" That is a defect from the original master tape (will never happen on other formats). And would not be there in the original pressing when the tape have not sit on the shelf for a long time. The pre echo is still there during the entire track but if you can't hear it. When it is a physical defect. But it could also be that the "previous" track on the tape recorder were recorded at a to high level then if the next track were recorded at apropiate level then it should be that the eco is still not there. That is also a possibility. 😅

I hope you had a good stay in Sweden. 👍 Do you know that it IS the lacker count and not counting something else ? Did you get that info or is it a guess. When it could be the number of son that came from the mother. But it will be easy to figure out. Because if the number come from the laqure then it will be the same on all pressings as a constant. If it is counting number of sons from the mother then the number will be different on different pressings. It is good to get a hint on where you are getting the information from in the review so it is known that it is not second guessing. 😅 Thanks for the review! 👏

Great job to you sir! I loved the surprise at the end with the comparison with the MoFi Gold CD. Will you be buying the SACD version of Aja when it comes out?

I've still got my AB 1006, and I'm certainly not going to pay $350 oz to find out !

Thank you David for this. Wonderful review. I figured that you would enjoy this pressing, having watched a few other reviews. I haven't heard a bad review yet on this album. One more thing. Did you get my email ? Thanks again man. Peace and love, Kev

I have all the various versions of the Aja vinyl and yes the clarity/background noise/micro detail etc of the UHQR is audibly superior. But what I find interesting is that I refuse to believe that Grundmans ears can possibly have anything like the audible acuity they had 46 years ago. So how much input could he have had on what to " change " in the mastering process if he simply cant hear anything above 8K , and thats being kind. Or was he not actually directly involved in that process.

You mentioned that you got #1803 wiithout the sticker on the outside? At what number do they stop placing the sticker on the outside?

100% agree on the Friday release dates. Really bad idea. I was more than annoyed that my copy sat on the A.S. dock for 3-4 days. Paid a premium shipping fee of $14 and got USPS Media Mail service. More of the same shipping/delivery B.S. with the Atlantic 75 releases?

Most (all?) 45rpm records have a louder (hotter) signal. You mentioned a pre-echo, is the overall output level high? They must have got it as hot as they could. That's what you want.

I’m curious how the drums in Aja (title track) come across in this version? From what I’ve heard, it had a sort of “processed” sound that was typical for the 70s. Not super realistic, but still quite nice. The toms had more of a deep “processed” vibe, and the high hat was too pronounced and again “Processed” sound for me that held it back. I’m also curious how this compares to the reel to reel version. Thanks for the video!!

I have an original (AA-1006) and the Cisco and the Cisco edges out the original by a small margin. I did not like the MoFi gold CD-I thought it had the smiley face EQ sound heard in those discs.

Mofi records sound great ...on mid-range gear. 😋

The outside serial # stickers are very inconsistent. I've had UHQR's under #1,000, with no outside sticker, so I don't know what the deal is there, but it's hit & miss it seems. 🤷🏻

Outstanding review as always. I have an OG in perfect condition so I think I’ll pass on this purchase only because it’s not one I would listen to that many more times. Love to hear it but I’ll pass.

Could you compare this UHQR to the new 33 rpm Non-UHQR version, also remastered by Bernie Grundman?

No SACD for Aja. 😕

Just skip to 20 mins for the recommendation

Funny you threw in the mfsl CD. I honestly don't think you ever heard the original standard 1984 CD pressing. IMO it destroys the mfsl. The mfsl did boost the B&T also on the CD but not as much as the LP. The CD did have a few secret remasters in the 80's so to be sure you find the right one look for the Japan for US. It was mastered for CD in 1982 by Donald Fagen and Roger Nichols when they did the whole SD back catalog. That's the one to compare to the UHQR and the OG ABC. You will be surprised.

steely dan..........................yawn................................................