John Coltrane – Blue Train

I am always a bit hesitant to listen to records in Mono primarily because wide soundstage is very important to my listening experience. This reissue is an amazing expansive experience. Most of my Coltrane records are in stereo with hard panned instrument making the overall listening experience sometimes a bit unbalanced/fatiguing. But this mono is perfect.

As usual with Tone Poet releases - flat and noiseless discs and great packaging.

this is one of the proudest five stars i have ever given. there are very few instances in my years of record collection where i have bought a record that sounds as good as this one. to be completely honest, i was surprised i got this much quality for the asking price. dare i say i might have paid more. very rarely does the high hat have the same quality as the bass.

The best version of "Blue Train" I've ever heard, but with some weird nuances:

1. I have only three versions of this album: DOL 2012, Tone Poet 2022 and this one.
Of course it's the best, but strangely enough, the SAX is sounding unexpectedly thin on AP.

2. It's only my second audiophile record (I own Brubeck's Take Five from AP and find it perfect) so not to much to compare with, but this one has this issue that triggers my perfectionism and kills all the joy )

So, what I can say about this release (from general to particular):

- Huge dynamic range and frequency range (distinct attack, deep base etc.)
- Quiet vinyl and nice signal to noise ratio
- Amazing natural reverb, probably the best I've heard on vinyl in my life

Now coming to the mix: it's well made, without extreme panning yet with clearest distinction: you can literally switch between listening of different instruments without muting them )

- Trombone got me the most. I loved only track 1 for it, but here it sounds awesome everywhere: rich, harmonically saturated, yet smoothly noble.
- Trumpet is brilliant as well: loud, but more round on AP, not harsh and more dissipated, not as a "piercing beam of sound"
- Deep and clear bass (the same wow-effect on base was with my first 45rpm AP record)
- Drums are good, especially brushes, and cymbals are perfect: not artificially amplified, just clear and "airy"
- as for the piano its... great, realistic but too low ( Mixing school of that time... Only Brubeck's record was where piano sound flourished (the overtones and realism) because he's a pianist, but here sax is in the center of attention and piano is pulled to the back, sad.
- AND my main concern: Coltrane's tenor is sounding weak and thin for me... Loud, but really weird and lifeless... Had anyone noticed something similar? It's like not frequency-wise but spectrum-wise or over-compressed... I just can't believe that the main instrument is sounding here worse not just than on Tone Poet, but than on My DOL which is 10 times cheaper!

Heres my analysis of various Blue Trains.

I have the MMJ, Classic 33 and the new Stereo and Mono TPs. Starting off with the Monos which would be the MMJ and TP Single Disc I have to say theres virtually nothing in it. The MMJ is slightly louder from what I can tell which may be why some seem to prefer it but when level matched I cant tell them apart even when instantly switching over samples.
The only difference I could pick out is that there seems to be some specific EQ to Blue Train, Moment's Notice and Lazy Bird where the MMJ gives slightly more focus to the Sax on the intro track while the TP Mono highlights the drum cymbals more on the other two. If I had to pick one solely on sound I would actually go with the new TP Mono because I like those shimmering percussions. Lastly the MMJ runs a little slower. All in all they are both perfectly valid representations and both pressings are nigh flawless.

As for Stereos I thought there would be a much bigger difference between my Classic 33 and TP Stereo, but here too its quite close. The main difference is the stereo separation. As has been the same in other comparisons Ive made with Bernies and Kevins work, Grundman chooses to more often utilize the full panning of the tapes while Kevin reigns it in a little. This effect makes a small difference over speakers but is a major one for headphone listeners as a sound where instruments seem to solely reach one ear make for a fatiguing and unrealistic listen.
The Classic is also a smidge brighter in general while the TP Stereo is fuller. I wouldnt call it a landslide by any measure but especially given the contents beyond the music I think the TP Stereo is the clear choice here, unless you already have and enjoy the Classic.

Bonus round, I wondered how the TP Stereo and Mono compare when I fold the Stereo down so I tried doing that for fun.
Rather unsurprisingly given Van Gelders recording methods this produces a quite similar sound although the Stereo does have more cymbal energy and once again runs slower. I dont know if somethings up with Kevins tape deck or what but it seems hard to get consistent speeds out of his cuts. It could be that Rudys deck ran slower for the Stereo tape too, who knows, its probably impossible to hear anyway.

Equipment Used:
Technics SL-1210GR Turntable with ATVM540ML Cartridge
iFi Zen Phono
Yamaha A-S701 Amplifier
Revel F35 Tower Speakers

Heres my analysis of various Blue Trains.

I have the MMJ, Classic 33 and the new Stereo and Mono TPs. Starting off with the Monos which would be the MMJ and TP Single Disc I have to say theres virtually nothing in it. The MMJ is slightly louder from what I can tell which may be why some seem to prefer it but when level matched I cant tell them apart even when instantly switching over samples.
The only difference I could pick out is that there seems to be some specific EQ to Blue Train, Moment's Notice and Lazy Bird where the MMJ gives slightly more focus to the Sax on the intro track while the TP Mono highlights the drum cymbals more on the other two. If I had to pick one solely on sound I would actually go with the new TP Mono because I like those shimmering percussions. Lastly the MMJ runs a little slower. All in all they are both perfectly valid representations and both pressings are nigh flawless.

As for Stereos I thought there would be a much bigger difference between my Classic 33 and TP Stereo, but here too its quite close. The main difference is the stereo separation. As has been the same in other comparisons Ive made with Bernies and Kevins work, Grundman chooses to more often utilize the full panning of the tapes while Kevin reigns it in a little. This effect makes a small difference over speakers but is a major one for headphone listeners as a sound where instruments seem to solely reach one ear make for a fatiguing and unrealistic listen.
The Classic is also a smidge brighter in general while the TP Stereo is fuller. I wouldnt call it a landslide by any measure but especially given the contents beyond the music I think the TP Stereo is the clear choice here, unless you already have and enjoy the Classic.

Bonus round, I wondered how the TP Stereo and Mono compare when I fold the Stereo down so I tried doing that for fun.
Rather unsurprisingly given Van Gelders recording methods this produces a quite similar sound although the Stereo does have more cymbal energy and once again runs slower. I dont know if somethings up with Kevins tape deck or what but it seems hard to get consistent speeds out of his cuts. It could be that Rudys deck ran slower for the Stereo tape too, who knows, its probably impossible to hear anyway.

Equipment Used:
Technics SL-1210GR Turntable with ATVM540ML Cartridge
iFi Zen Phono
Yamaha A-S701 Amplifier
Revel F35 Tower Speakers

This disc sounds excellent. Hoffman and Gray are a masterful team.

FY'all, this 2LP pressing is on deep discount on BlueNote's website right now. Looks to me like a clearance sale, so it's a good time to grab a copy.

Dd ddd daa aaa aaaa aaaaa aaaaaa aaaaan nnn nnnn nnnnnnnng.

File Name | Format | SR | Word Length | Max. TPL | LUFSi | DR (PMF) |

01-01 Blue Train | .aiff | 44.1k | 16 | -1.51 | -16.50 | 13 |
01-02 Moment's Notice | .aiff | 44.1k | 16 | -1.07 | -16.98 | 13 |
01-03 Locomotion | .aiff | 44.1k | 16 | -1.32 | -16.15 | 13 |
01-04 I'm Old Fashioned | .aiff | 44.1k | 16 | -1.78 | -19.54 | 14 |
01-05 Lazy Bird | .aiff | 44.1k | 16 | -2.26 | -17.43 | 12 |

Number of EP/Album Files: 5
Official EP/Album DR: 13

I rate it 5 but in this class

As Mikey said, it's a good introductory release, I'll add that it sounds really nice and it's in a stylish blue color )