Different pressing affect CD quality??

[AK84]

Hello everyone, it's been a while since I bought any cd. I'm embarrassed to say that I usually download all my songs. I've now decided to support those artist by buying their cd. I've did some research which lead me to this website. I've only recently know that there's a lot of different type of CD format (SACD, HDCD, XRCD.. etc). I've read up on all of that.

Anyway I've got a question audio CD. I found out that the format of a CD doesn't have much impact on the sound quality produce by the cd instead it is where and which company who press the CD that is important. I've heard that CD that is press/record in the US and European countries would usually have better quality than those that are press in Asian countries (like China, HK, Korea, Taiwan...etc). For example, it is said that the same Diana Krall CD album would have better quality if is press in European and US country compare to Asia countries. Is this true??

I've also heard Telarc, FIM and Living Stereo would usually press a better CD that others. Is this true as well?

Btw, Y does a Gold CD produce a more quality sound than a normal CD since both of it record the same data?

 

[MDS]

'Pressing' of a cd is usually taken to mean the process of stamping out copies from the original glass master and thus being essentially a copying process, it doesn't matter where or when the pressing was done.

The difference in sound quality is almost totally dependent on the original master and will naturally vary from one to another - even on the same material. I have compared pressings from Australia vs the US on the same recording (Eagles) and they are bit for bit identical - only the packaging of the CD differered (although that's not to say that that is aways the case).

Telarc and the likes are so called 'hi-fi' recordings and the difference again is soley attriubuted to the mastering stage. Once you have a good sounding glass master, you can press as many copies as you like without changing the sound quality. 'Gold' CDs do not improve the sound quality - the idea is that the material has greater longevity than a standard cd with an aluminumum substrate and should theoretically last longer.