The Dark Side of the Moon: analog & digital comparison (CD, SACD, Vinyl, Tape)

Remember to download all these versions in high resolution (192Khz/24bit) in the video description!

Timestamps
2:37 1994 CD
5:08 2003 Super Audio CD
7:47 2003 Vinyl LP
10:00 1973 Vinyl LP
12:03 1988 Cassette Tape
14:40 Master Tape Copy

The SACD sounded so different than everything else like the instruments were remixed. The 2003 LP was pretty darn good. I gasped when you produced the master tape it sounds great.

Honestly folks, you could play Dark Side of the Moon on Edisons' phonograph and it would still sound Great! Awesome video Sir!

Unless you listen to them back to back I doubt any single version of this milestone album would be less enjoyable than the next... Thank you for all the work and energy that must have gone into creating this - especially that final assembly of the same track switching from version to version was insightful!

The bass and vocals were the only things that changed drastically each time. My favorite has to be the 2003 release of the LP

So, the master tape sounds the best to me, and I was impressed by how close the 2003 LP was. However, despite being lower quality, the cassette put a big smile on my face. I think this is a nostalgia thing. The tape effect on the sound is something I haven't heard in years, and it felt like meeting again an old friend.

I listened several times and I find the Master tape the absolute best, followed by the 2003 LP. Rock on!

I'm really impressed with the quality of the 2003 vinyl overall.

It is difficult to choose between 1973 and 2003 versions. It's probably due to my equipment. Master tape is very natural and definitely my favorite

I would like to thank Alan Parsons for the superb engineering on this and all the other music he has touched. A fan for LIFE

I bought the 30th anniversary CD soon after it came out and I am very happy with the way it sounds. Before that, I had bought a made in UK 1997 180gr vinyl re-issue, Ι was not happy with, because it was a lousy cut with visible flaws on the surface, which caused lots of annoying crackles especially on the more quiet parts. I returned it to the shop but the copy they changed it with, was just as flawed. Later I found out that the whole bunch of the 1997 Pink Floyd 180 gr re-issues had the same problem. I know next to nothing about frequencies and such. All I want is to listen without unwanted noises. So I will stick to listening to the CD. It's perfect as far as I am concerned.

Wonderful masterpiece.

I think an interesting experiment would be to offer the files in random order not labeled. Then we could listen to them blindly. Put up a poll with just the number. Then after a couple of weeks reveal the results. It would be interesting to see if the results were the same if people’s opinions weren’t colored by preconceived notions.

I think the SACD gives the best value.
If you have a player that handles it, for the low cost, and the outstanding no-loss-in-the-future format you get, the SACD will please almost everyone.
Remembering too of course that just about *any* version of this album sounds fantastic - so we really are splitting hairs. 😎💜

I'd go with the reel tape. I just purchased a quadraphonic reel to reel deck and I heard there was a quad version of Dark Side floating around. After some digging I found a four channel mix saved as an .ISO file to make a DVD-Audio disc. After decades of listening to this album in stereo it's like a new album now.

The master tape copy is absolutly the best. It sounds so rich and oppened. I think the 2003 and the 1973 LP's come in second and third. The worst of all is the cassete, wich is not as loud and sound a little muffled. Great video!

Fascinating, especially the final few minutes where the formats are crossfaded against each other !
Thank you for taking the time to do this.
Bill P.

I had the Gold CD recorded from the Master Tape and mfg'd by Windham Hill, around 1988. Not having heard the whole Tape recorded from the Master Tape, that you played the sample from, I was mighty impressed with the Windham Hill CD much more!
You could hear individual breaths of the performers(as carefull as they were in the studio, to avoid such "accidents" getting recorded,) ...they happen, along with the details of very faint page turnings, stools creaking.
I was amazed at the sonic clarity you wont hear from any other source. Gold lays down a more 'solid' base, with less gaps between molecules, therefore less gaps or 'Dropouts' to imprint to the CD's surface. Aluminum, being a smaleer molecule, leaves many gaps between molecules, ie. "Drop-outs' in the recorded surface. CD mfg quality, being what it was in the 80's, making millions of CDs at 'passable' quality, also contributed to the lack of detail inherent in recordings.
the Windham Hill process, used to catering to amazing artists of higher audiophile and musical quality, made sure to make available higher quality standards for premium listening experiences.
I paid $30-$35 for a Gold CD, that would have cost $10-$12 dollars if made with an Aluminum coating. I was pleasantly surprised how much more nuance and deeper the experience upon EVERY listen!!
Of course, a 'friend' made off with that disc and i miss having it. About time I get another!

Really appreciate the time and effort you take to put this video together with all the sound clips and analysis. You earned a sub! Keep up the great work!

I don't know about you guys, but the cassette quality was better sounding than all the others and I think it is because of the Dolby NR being turned off. A very close second would be the reel to reel recording. Thank you ! 👍

For an Album that was already recorded and brilliantly produced in 1973, i would say the reel to reel was the best with the 2003 LP as a close second. I’m glad I own the 2003 LP because i never bothered to buy any recent pressing.

Great comparison, thanks for doing it.
I felt the cassette was the worse of the group. The best of the group was the reel-to-reel followed closely by the two types of vinyl, and of those two vinyl recordings it was extremely close, but for some reason, I thought there were certain elements in the LP 1973 version that was a tad better. The problem with the reel-to-reel is that the sound level was higher which can make it seem like it's the better recording, had the sound level on all of them being at equal levels there might have been different versions selected by the listening audience. The other issue is that in order for us to get an adequate idea you should have taken a specific time in the song for about 15 seconds and kept repeating that same time frame over and over; the problem again is that as the song progresses different dynamics come into play so we cannot adequately get a true representation of each format.
I would love to get a reel-to-reel machine but the problem with doing that is these machines are now old and need rebuilding, and a lot of parts are no longer available; the other issue is buying a pre-recorded reel-to-reel tape is that it's very expensive, add on top of that expense is the fact tape wears out faster than vinyl does; the only way to preserve a reel-to-reel tape is to record the tape onto a high-quality cassette deck using high-quality tape.
There is a way of recording vinyl and tape to your computer but then you'll give up that analog feel. Currently, I record my vinyl to my HK cassette deck using Maxell XL II which is no longer in production, but I have a couple of bricks of this tape unused that I bought 20 or so years ago.

Great work, thank you. I preferred the master tape.
Edit: it appears I have a 73 copy of the Dark Side of The Moon. Better have a good listen. 👍

I do have this SACD&CD remastered.
To my ears, as result of this video (comparison was done during presentation, not at the final segment!) I find the master tape 14:42 and SACD 5:09 the best: details, dynamics, body and stage. A slightly difference of nuances, but both sound very good and pleasant.
CD 2:37 was very harsh for some reason, kinda low bitrate MP3. Cassette 12:04 was just decent (if used with Dolby no more hiss, no more highs too). First LP 7:48 very reserved in mids and highs, lacks details, sorry to say not engaging enough. Older LP 10:02 had some presence that I cannot explain, which it makes up for all shortcomings. After master tape and SACD, I was really enjoyed this one!
Note that I listening with average headphones (Marshall). I have some premium ones ordered, I will repeat when those will arrive. 😉
Thanks for this comparison!
I had to check the CD harshness on my devices, using same headphones: a cheap Sony boombox (terrible sound, moved on), out from a Technics CD, from amp, switching to another CD, a 25yrs. Panasonic combo and a Sony CD-walkman from mid '00s that still amazes me. Except the boombox, they gave the expected sound, that strange harshness being missing.
But... In the segment of 4-12sec. there is a hum like that from bad powered amplifiers. Noticable on the walkman too, which is on batteries. That must be the record itself, it is audible in all formats too, somehow hidden in older LP by the backhround white noise.

The 1973 dynamics blow the remasters away, but the cassette is like hearing the song for the first time even in Clip-Share compressed audio. I love dynamics more than I like resolution. Then I hear the reels, and OMG.

Thank you for all this work! Very interesting comparisons. I think one of my ears is plugged up. I need to re-listen after I address the issue.

Fascinating. My opinions are based upon the downloads of the lossless files. I thought both the vinyl editions were closer to the master, especially in the "change" being handled at the start. (It actually sounds recessed compared to the digital versions where it's far more "in yer face"). I especially liked the definition of the bass line in the master & 1973 vinyl editions, the 2003 lacking any definition tending to "one note bass"? Clearly the digital versions have been remastered, interesting the 2003 vinyl doesn't sound like it has. I own all of these versions but never had the opportunity to compare them so quickly, one after the other. However, I have always disliked the 2003 vinyl version - it never sounded "right". Now I can be sure it's not just me imagining it. Thanks, very useful. Chris.

Would be interesting to compare the last tracks of each side of the album: The Great Gig on the Sky; Eclipse/Brain Damage. The grooves of the vinyl disc has less extension and because of this more analog distortion and less high frequencies.

I love the cassette sound!

I was actually surprised by how good the cassette sounded. The master tape was clearly the best, as I actually heard the lid/drawer of the cash register open - never noticed it before. I only have this year's pressing of Dark Side, but I think it sounds great! Good enough for me, anyways. Cheers!

SACD seemed to have a wider sound stage. I love a wide sound stage so that was my favorite but i guess it just depends on your taste. Everyone will pick the source that suites their taste. No matter how you listen just remember to enjoy one of the greatest albums of all time.

They all sound very good. If you force me to choose a favorite, for me it's the 1973 vinyl mainly because I remember walking into the record shops back then and buying the LP (more than once!). Plus, it does sound incredibly good to this very day and ANA[DIA]LOG is no doubt using a great analogue set up. Yes - it's the 1973 vinyl for me.

The Master Tape was the best in my opinion. This really stood out for me. I haven't even listened closely. The guitar really stood out.

Giving this A/B/C/D comp another listen, it really is a shame their wasn’t any normalization of output amongst mediums, since it can be hard to distinguish sheer volume from EQ hype sometimes.

I liked the 2003 remastered CD version the most of the ones he played. Sure, there was more "warmth" from the master master and vinyl but the 2003 version had a certain crispness to it. Apple music has a really good digital master which seemed even better overall.
Vinyl added a lot of noise and it felt like some dynamics were lost.
I used Bose headphones with ANC turned off to listen, so it's probably not the headphones altering the sound.

Thank you for still doing content even though it gets demonetized. Says a lot about what you stand for.

I listened to the samples, with Sony ZR1's headphones and a PHA3 the Master Tape and the LP2003 are in my opinion the best. Tremendous difference from all other formats. Thanks for sharing this experiment Cheers MZ.

Absolutely, the master tape is very dynamic. I listen to Pink Floyd many times and the best part that stands out is all what is played and the realism that goes with it. I feel that vinal has more in-depth of frequency and a smoother bass. I also grew up with vinal and hard a pretty good sound system. I didn't have the best sound speakers but the Advent was excellent for the price. The music I listened to, felt that I was at the performance.

por este video me suscribi y no me arrepiento tienes muy buen contenido.

SACD and Master Tape copy sound awesome, runner up is 2003 vinyl, but thank you for those moments from the original vinyl... 45 years ago for me!

An official 24/96 PCM version was released late in 2021. It would be interesting to see how it compares with these other releases.

Amazing comparison, mate! Definitely, the master tape is the sweetest... But I choose the sound of the vinyl first press (maybe because it's more plausible for me to buy it) the soundstage, the warmth and even the extension of the higher ground it's wonderful... Cheers!

The first time I listened to the Dark Side of the Moon it was on that exact cassette version. I still recognize that exact sound signature as being separate from the others and nostalgic. It's more than just tape hiss, it certainly has its own texture about it.

Great examples for us to hear and evaluate. Thanks for your time and knowledge sharing. It's greatly appreciated. I think the Master Tape is best for me followed closely to the 2003 LP.

The most amazing thing is no matter what your personal favourite is, they all sound absolutely stunning.
Take away the other versions and you have a smile on your face anyway.
I have 4 versions, 2 CD, 1 SACD and the new vinyl, all f-ing amazing.

No defined number can describe how many times i have listened to this album. Great video ;)

I still like the 2011/2016 remaster. I felt the same about pretty much all of the other albums. The very early Harvest versions are good too, but hard to get the right one and can be expensive. I sold my MFSL gold CDs when I heard the 2011s. Similar in tonality, but the 2011s didn't sound as 'congested' to me. For Animals, no comparison, the old disc is from a tape that was high frequency deficient.

Really cool comparison! I was amazed how much difference I could tell even just listening on Clip-Share (at the highest quality setting). One thing I might also suggest is looking at the stereo imaging as well. The SACD version is just amazing in this regard how it uses the full width of the stereo image when compared to the other versions on good headphones.
For me, even though I grew up with vinyl and tape, I'm not a big fan of the analog blanket effect (how it smooths out the detail and muffles everything a bit). I don't like pure digital either as clearly that can go way too harsh, but I personally loved the SACD version in this test! The really wide imaging, all of the detail was brought back to life, yet it wasn't harsh, and it just sounded like there was so much depth to it (front to back). For me that felt the most "in the room" with the music, like I was there.
Great stuff!

Your time and effort are much appreciated. Thank you!

The 94' release sure "sounds" like a 94' cd release! The amount of work done on the other (re)releases was substantial , not only to combat tape degrading elements(already in 94' it was 20 years old) but also to mix it and "package" it to modern standards(more bass,more this, that). But that has nothing to do anymore with the original recording. It is something "else".

Great comparison between the different formats. It would be interesting to compare the 1/2 speed master vinyl and the 24k 1/2 speed master CD with the master tape. I have this album in vinyl, CD, 1/2 speed vinyl and 1/2 speed CD.

Thank you for this comparison! You have great stuff. The copy of the master tape was a real revelation for me, I had never heard some things in the recording before, like the guitar echo when the bass comes in. Cheers!

Time travelling from 3 years in the future... what a treat. The "master" tape version was a delighter. I'd like to see the MP3 comparison. Because I understand the "horizontal" digital compression is a real killer.

Holy shit the master copies were amazing. BLEW ME AWAY. The Cassette is surprisingly good. I have that particular cassette. So sweet sounding.

I love how good the cassette sounds. Obviously it's the worst compared to the others but still very impressive.

As we proceeded through the various versions, I began to hear the hi-hat cymbals. On the master tape, there is a double stroke. Thank you for your efforts.

man that was really cool, the 2003 lp and master tape copy were awesome.

I remember buying the SACD and playing it through my old pioneer 5.1 system and it sounded totally amazing

I have the same 1973 vinyl copy as you have, but pressed here in NZ, by EMI NZ, it still sounds awesome. I also have CD and another LP version, the best copy I think is the Apple remastered version from 2011 from the iTunes store, with video.

Amazing video! The master tape was unbelievable!

Man, I may be getting old, but for the CDs, I think the first CD was cleaner and that newer vinyl sounded impressive and obviously that reel was the bomb! I kind of felt sorry for the cassette tape level wise with all its HX Pro! and that other XDR I think you said.lol. That was fun to listen and compare with the way your careful explanation of everything. Big thumbs up brother!

thanks for this! just getting into higher quality audio equipment this was a fun difference in how much audio source can effect and learning it's possible to obtain copies of the masters! next item on agenda, wish you were here master copy 😉

Master tape 2 is astonishing.Cd and Sacd copies have underlined highs to give some impresion of "higher quality" and 2003 vinyl also.

The master tape copy is by far the most detailed I can hear the pick on the bass guitar and even the finger pull-offs of certain noted

Many thanks for great comparison! Really nice and interesting!
As to me the 2003 vinyl sounds best, more dynamics! Master tape is number 2 for me.

As usual, the original pressing sounds most organic and true to the expected timbre

1. Cd 2:38
2.SACD 5:09
3. LP 7:47 (Reissue)
4. LP 10:00 (Repressing)
5. Cassette XDR 12:05
6. Master Tape 14:41
In each case outstanding music and the first recording that really overwhelmed me as a 14 y old boy. In a humid dark cellar with gear that was far, far from hifi.
Summary: for me no need to buy sacd instead of cd. Tape hype is tape hype. Cassettes can be surprisingly good. No need to substitute my lps. Need a record cleaning machine.

This is a very good video. Thanks so much for taking the time. And my favorite album too. I must say that I prefer the 2003 remix remaster. The percussion is so much crisper and that goes for all formats. But the LPs sound to me a bit richer in mid bass. But i honestly prefer the SACD played on my own system. Maybe you can add in say Tidal or QOBUZ to this? I really like Tidal because it allows for a vast array of listening.

I have listened to a sacd and analog recording that was done in o3 they are both extremely good but to me the vynal sounded better ,not by much but it had a more natural presence,in sound you want to hear a realistic presentation,the problem today is not many people have the means to acquire really good playback equipment.I’m lucky that I bought high end audio and could listen to a 3 dimensional immersion.

Great video. I enjoyed listening to the comparisons. The master tape wins by a long shot to my ears. But I will say that the SACD down sampling from it's native DSD format 24bit/192khz did it a great disservice.

Outstanding presentation - thank you!

Thank You for allowing all of us to experience something of master recordings from this famous pop music. I haven't listened to the downloads on my DAP yet, but my laptop plays them all the same except for noise levels (surprises no one.)

I've heard a lot of different masterings of this album since the original vinyl, but the 24-bit/96k transfer on the Immersion Box is very well done. I highly recommend you have a listen to that one.

Nice presentation. I would have dropped the audio cassette and inserted the MFSL LP. Digitally, it would be interesting to hear the first edition CD as DSTM was one of the first albums to be put on to CD circa '82. In addition, I would compare the Capital (made in USA) with the Harvest (made in the UK) '80s CDs.

One thing to point out is the SACD multi-track, which I know you didn't cover; however, as an extra bonus I put that on and as is the case with other 5.1 or 7.1 mixes, Money feels like a completely different song with various nuances emphasized in different ways from the two-channel mix. The Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon Immersion box set is worth checking out.

Loved this video. I heard people say there was a huge quality difference in oldschool analogue and modern degital recordings. I could never really grasp that concept until now. Your comparison demonstrated clearly the difference in overall quality. The original reel to reel version is the best by far.

In my opinion, the second pressing was my pick.
The reverb tails on the bass stood out moreso than any of the other formats.
As far as the "master open reel tape" and the SACD, they vied for second place easily, and pretty much sounded exactly the same.

Hey man, I really enjoy your channel. Thanks for sharing your time with us

that master tape sounds INSANE!!!!!!

I have the 30th vinyl and SACD plus the gold Ultradisc. All sound fantastic but I'm partial to the SACD simply because the surround mix is much more immersive and I can hear details like "if you can hear this whisper your dying" on Great Gig easier probably cause the mix is more distinct ( and that part comes out surround left which is closer to where I'm sitting, lol)

Excellent video. The best are the open-reel tape and the 2003 vinyl, quite similar eachother. By the way, I listened to them with a Sennheiser HD-650

I like all of them. Strange is that in the SACD version the humm is much more audible than on the others.

The SACD version has amazing surround mixing in 5.1...but as a 2 channel I love my 1973 vinyl version. Thanks for the comparison

I leaned more towards the SACD version in a blind test for some reason. In my opinion the original first edition reel to reel tape is the best. Only because of the equipment available for recording back then is what it sounds best on. Imagine if the artist were still alive today and used our studios to re record their music what it would sound like.

I just heard a dark side of the moon master tape played on the original reel to reel player that was used to master it, and it sounded amazing. The thing was huge - that reel to reel machine took up an entire closet space, but I guess if you are going for the ultimate extreme best sound quality that’s the sacrifice you need to make to get it. I am in the process of comparing streaming formats between Apple lossless (ALAC) vs. Tidal (MQA and FLAC). You can hear it here…clip-share.net/video/Ez9enUmeBYI/video.html

Just some things that may be under the radar for alot of people: Vinyl, cd and tape are not played on the same device. CD-players have dacs which can be better or worse and can influence the sound. The recordtabel has a preamp to fix the frequency response which will always have some influence on the sound.
Also recordtables generally add some harmonic distortion to the music which is verry likely the reason people often like voices on records more.

I really liked that you kept the levels as they were recorded, however at the end of the video I think it would've been much better if you could've level matched all the recordings as close to the same volume as possible to give all the formats a more level playing field. Unfortunately we automatically assume when something is louder, it must be better. Hence what started the volume wars in the record business. Please consider this in future videos. Aside from that, very well made video. Thank you

Great Video ! I really loved your analysis.
Based on your comparisons, I found the Master Tape to be the most Neutral of them all, followed by a close replica in sound on the 1973 LP. The 2003 Version is definitely remastered mainly to add some overall volume and exciting some high frequencies and some Low end. The SACD seems to be an overall remastered enhancement of the Master Tape.
The Cassette seems to have its own character in sound all together as I can hear extra brightness on the high frequencies. With cassette tapes there are so many variables such as the bias, the noise reduction and the HX PRO. If this Cassette version has Dolby B it should have been used [on] to have a better comparison. When it is off, the Dolby encoding sounds much brighter.
My personal preference of them all is the 2003 LP Issue. It seems to be the perfect balance of the SACD and the original master tape.
Excellent Video man

I love the 2003 vinyl, I must have consumed it by now, but I also was surprised from the cassette tape version, background noise aside.

Really nice to have all the hi-def versions to listen to. My favorite was the second press vinyl... "more listenable".. whatever that means... ;)

I got the 30th Anniversary Vinyl edition and I haven't played it yet as I can hear it's very bright, and my BOSE 501's are pretty bright overall so I'll be excited to see how everything makes out when I finally give it a spin.

The reel to reel tape sounds outstanding!

Drums and echo/reverb sound amazing on cassette. So much punch.

I would love to see you review the various releases of Queensryche's "Silent Lucidity". Insane mastering. I'd love to get my hands on a 15 ips master copy on Ampex 406 or 456.

You forgot the 8-track version...haha... Good job showing us. I am surprised by the cassette. I like them and kept my Harmon Kardon tape deck over all these years, but still like playing on my turntable.

I have always enjoyed vinyl more than digital reproductions even with all the noise and imperfections. For me has a warmer richer sound. Either way, the music is enjoyable in either format. I am an older guy and started my music collection with vinyl so guess I am a little nostalgic and biased towards the memories of those first albums I bought. Including this one.

I have Dark Side on the surround sound SACD and an earlier CD version. The one to avoid, like the other Floyds are the 2011 remasters where the sound is noticeably compressed compared to the earlier versions. Someone once described the difference with the 2011 version as being in a different room from the one the music was playing in!

I have several versions. The sacd dominates on my system. The 5.1 mix is no slouch. The bluray audio version on the immersion box set is fantastic as well.

I liked the analog cd best. I thought it was the most authentic to the studio recording sound. I could hear is fingers squeak on the base strings during the cord changes. Very Cool.