Australian CD manufacture...

[PRYML]

Has anyone else noticed that the sound quality of CDs is highly dependent on where it's regionally manufactured, even though it's the same music?

And to my ears, Australian manufactured CDs tend to sound the worse; thin-sounding, "no meat on the bones"...

I suspect that the sound quality readily available to Australians (i.e. locally manufactured CDs) in the country may have also heavily influenced the way Australian Hi-Fi designers "voice" their products... or that Australian audiophiles would have a distinct preference for valve (over solid-state) amplification to compensate for the lean sound of AU manufactured CDs...

Perhaps our Australian forum members can share some of their insight?

[Batty]

The only Australian made componant I have is my Krix subwoofer. I no longer have a CD player thus do not buy CDs. In short I am in no way in a position to comment.

[PRYML]

Hi Steve...

I hope that you're well and that Adelaide's not experiencing extreme weather irregularities that my friends in Queensland are currently experiencing

[Si74]

Funnily enough I bought a couple of cd's of ebay that turned out were supposedly made in Oz and after a few tracks they went straight in the bin.
absymal quality.
On my second Supratek pre amp now and they do the biz!

[theophile]

I avoided the problem entirely.2000+ records,>20 CDs.

[PRYML]

I avoided the problem entirely.2000+ records,>20 CDs.

I guess that's why the HMV at Queens Street Mall had to close down

[theophile]

I guess that's why the HMV at Queens Street Mall had to close down

That should read '<20 Cds'.

At least JB Hi-Fi in the city has records.

[Audiocom AV]

Has anyone else noticed that the sound quality of CDs is highly dependent on where it's regionally manufactured, even though it's the same music?

Absolutely.

I have purchased the same CD from France, USA, UK, Japan. The Japanese pressings are generally the best, particularly the 'Black Triangle' label, 32XD, 35DP, etc.

Over the past couple of years the country of manufacture has been replaced with ‘Made in EU’ for all European pressings.

You can buy from Amazon Japan to get Japanese pressings, often with better quality Jewel case and inserts. Be careful on the import duty.

[DSJR]

I bought the first Mandingo release (especially done for the Oz market and shipped from there) and apart from the inevitable "EMI" no-noise being used, it sounded fine to me. Maybe it's the sh*t quality of CD drives these days magnifying differences in manufacture, but superior clocking and low-jitter operation should more than make up for this?

[Audiocom AV]

I bought the first Mandingo release (especially done for the Oz market and shipped from there) and apart from the inevitable "EMI" no-noise being used, it sounded fine to me. Maybe it's the sh*t quality of CD drives these days magnifying differences in manufacture, but superior clocking and low-jitter operation should more than make up for this?

Even with very low jitter clocks, internal or external, you can still hear the differences between the quality of CD's.