This release was part of the CBS Master Sound Audiophile series of recordings
There are "normal" pressings of vinyl and then there are the audiophile releases, where the record label/artist attempt to provide the best possible media and audio material to the listener.
To get the best from this type of recording, you need VERY GOOD equipment in your audio system, beginning at the styli, the cartridge, the turntable, the preamp, the amp, speaker cabling and finally the speakers and after all that, the audio system environment is also critical. It's of no benefit to have an absolutely fantastic audio system but placed in a small room with multiple sound reflections etc - your music will always sound bad, no matter how great the source material is.
That is not to say "normal" vinyl is no good, but these audiophile releases have the potential to take the listener up to the next level in musical enjoyment.
My current setup is all about Dual, NAD and VIFA loudspeakers and sometimes I use my Tannoys for nearfield work - nothing too special but I can tell you with all honesty, this audiophile album release sounds very different to a "standard" vinyl release - not only is the vinyl quieter but the musicality is significantly better.
CBS Master Sound was a process comprising two main "parts"
THE SOURCE:
The lacquer master is critical in the pressing process, and it is here that CBS focused their efforts. Instead of the master tape and master lacquer moving in real time, both machines were run at half speed. This is not an easy task and CBS made extensive modifications to their equipment to enable this process.
The intended result is that the power required for the cutting head is reduced by a factor of 4, reducing the load on the power amplifiers and allowing for a more linear transfer. The cutting stylus is able to trace the grooves more accurately which result in significant improvements in frequency response, distortion and transient response. Crosstalk between channels is also dramatically reduced and high energy passages of music can be cut without distortion being greatly increased,
THE PRESSING:
Secondly the pressing is different, actually the vinyl material used is different with a new vinyl composition being created by CBS.
The stamper cross-sectional contour was improved and the record weight increased.
Special, strict quality control tests were applied to the Master Sound series
In summary, CBS has attempted to create a vinyl release of the very highest quality audio possible and certainly far more advanced than standard vinyl pressings.
Sure, this vinyl is not cheap but it cost CBS a great deal to bring this audiophile series to the market and this album also cost me a great deal more than this asking price originally, it's still a bargain for this release - checkout references such as discogs to confirm this.
Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run
CBA Mastersound Records
Cat# CBSH 80959
1980 (Original release was 1975 - this is a special high quality reissue)
European release (cover indicates made in Holland, record label indicates made in Germany)
Gatefold cover is in very good condition, no front tears, edges have very light handling wear (normal), no writing and clean. Also includes the 4 page multi-language explanation of the processes used in producing a Mastersound release.
Quality original (clean) inner lined acid free paper sleeve
Vinyl is in excellent condition, inspected under a white halogen light source I can see NO scratches on each side. I then played both sides, and listened very, very carefully. My goodness, what a fantastic sounding album and it is so clean, so vibrant and real BUT in my honest personal opinion, I MUCH preferred to sound quality of the Steely Dan audiophile release, the latter just sounded "better" to my feeble ears!
I played both sides and all I heard was music, beautiful music - but there was just a couple of low level clicks/pops and very very low surface noise.
I just can't put my finger on why I didn't like this release, perhaps it was in the analog to digital remastering of the Steely Dan release. To me, and on my limited system here, this Springsteen seemed just a bit "muddy"
New outer protective plastic sleeve
TRACKS: Thunder Road, Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, Night, Backstreets, Born To Run, She's The One, Meeting Across The River, Jungleland
