Alice In Chains – Dirt

Sounds fine not midbloqing. Missing iron glands and Tom Araya

Dead quiet, no surface noice or unnecessary distortion. Clean reissue done well, copy was not warped.

I have been waiting to get this due to all the mixed reviews since its release. Finally got it after watching Cantrell’s interview with Rick Beato.

I have a pretty deep collection from the 90s including originals and reissues. This record sounds quite amazing relative to the sound of other reissues from this era.

1. Unfortunately it still has mid scooped (smiley face EQ) but the dynamic range is great! Unlike Superunknown 2014 reissue, the entire listening experience is not fatiguing as cymbals and hihat are not harsh.

2. The drum doesn’t sound flat which is a big win! You can feel the thumping kick. The snare could’ve had a bit more body but still all the details of the drums arrangement are clear and audible.

3. Due to the scooped mid range, guitar sounds a bit thin. While it lacks the heavy body, the texture and layerings are well presented. There are parts of his guitar solos using the wah pedal that sounded like the guitar was being played using an amp in my listening room.

4. The bass is finally has a solid representation. A tad bit boomy but it still manages to bite when needed.

5. Vocals is presented well but nothing spectacular. Some serious brightness in parts of the record especially side B. I use a microline stylus and have a well setup turntable so I would imagine Side B being difficult to tame with a non line stylus. Not sure the reason behind cutting it so loud when it’s spread across two discs.

6. Didn’t get a chance to compare it to the other pressings but when I compared this to Spotify and Qobuz (adjusting for the volume difference as this record is cut very loud), there is quite a big difference. Soundstage and clarity is of much wider and higher on the vinyl.

I am not the biggest fan of Alice in Chains but have always appreciated their blatant dark take on grunge. Listening to this record on digital formats (CD and precious masters on digital streaming platforms), it always sounded a bit lofi and gave it a dated production feel. Listening to this remaster on vinyl, changed my opinion. This is a rich sounding dark 57 min of epic trip!

I got this press & the red apple pressing that was sold at Walmart. Is it me or is it too loud? Some songs I can barely hear lanes voice!

This is so good, punchy like the CD, fukin blows the MOV version away. Can’t say that much!

I bought a copy of this earlier in the year that regularly skipped on Side B Track 1 - Down in a Hole even after a light washing on multiple turntables I tried it multiple times with different weights on the needle to no avail. I bought a second copy and it seemed to slide if not skip on the same track (right before the line "Bury me softly"), so I replayed the original copy. Oddly, the original copy no longer skips. I tried this on multiple turntables again. I thought this was a pressing defect, but now I'm wondering if some fill material simply got caught in the LP. thoughts?

As I read these reviews, I feel as though I won the lottery. This pressing could NOT be better. Dead quiet between tracks, incredible depth and clarity, separation of instruments, clear, deep bass and a level of detail I haven't heard before. To be clear, I have 4 pressings of this including an original 1st press and the 2024 boxset and to ME, this is the DEFINITIVE pressing! And it's not even close. I'm selling my OG after hearing this, if that tells you anything. All the stars. YMMV

I like Mackkyy also got one of the good ones. This (at least my pressing) sounds incredible. In my defense I have a pretty great setup! Good luck to those out there looking to get your hands on this...looks like it's a hit or miss type of thing!

Absolutely HORRIBLE sibilance throughout this pressing. It's all over the map. Down in a Hole sounds like a hot turd then you get to Rooster and it sounds amazing. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY AND SANITY. Find a better pressing.

I've tried cleaning it and everything, it will not stop skipping on side B. I'm pretty sure it's a problem with the pressing.