Best sounding album?

[Volante99]

I voted I&W because I don't care what anyone says about the triggered snare, I LOVE the sound of this album.

 

Musically, I&W is a revelation, but that production is so dated. It’s mixed well enough but the whole thing is just dripping wet with that 80s reverb and delay. It sounds more like 1986 than 1992. To be fair whether or not someone likes that sound comes down to personal taste.

[silentmac6]

As a DT album FII is a middle ranking album in their catalogue for me, but sonically their best due to "Caveman" Shirley. He is the go get producer, engineer, mixer for Journey, Maiden, BCC and a host of other big names.
On FII he was FULLY involved in the sound, not just mixing (SFAM through LAB). This is most likely why FII sounds so warm (although I'm no production expert), as opposed to other good sounding albums: Awake (fairly cold with great KM atmosherics), SDOIT or 8VM (good but JP/MP are not great producers).
D/T sounds the best of the later albums, but then they had that great studio....

[cramx3]

I voted I&W because I don't care what anyone says about the triggered snare, I LOVE the sound of this album.

 

Musically, I&W is a revelation, but that production is so dated. It’s mixed well enough but the whole thing is just dripping wet with that 80s reverb and delay. It sounds more like 1986 than 1992. To be fair whether or not someone likes that sound comes down to personal taste.

Yup, and I like that dated sound of it too!  I know it's not for everyone, but I really enjoy it for that album and those songs.

[Volante99]

D/T sounds the best of the later albums, but then they had that great studio....

I hear this a lot and it kind of stumps me. I understand the remote location studio fostered a sort of teamwork atmosphere and influenced the writing process but D/T is not a “live” or natural  sounding album at all. Beyond the loudness I don’t think it’s a particularly bad sounding record but I feel like it could have been recorded in a bedroom with ProTools  and it would have yielded the similar results.

[1neeto]

FII by far is their best sounding. One of the reasons why that album grew to be in my top 5.

[danidogma]

FII by far is their best sounding. One of the reasons why that album grew to be in my top 5.

+1

[utopiarun]

I voted Distance Over Time. The last few were so subpar I am so happy they finally got it right this time out. It is mixed hot but I like hot. I would have turned the "wall of sound" down for Viper King though, it's a fund song but shrouded in reverb.