Al Stewart Year Of The Cat Vinyl Flac 24bit 96khz Better ~upd~ Jun 2026

I A/B’d the 24/96 against the vinyl three times. The vinyl feels lovely . The high-res feels real . At the 2:13 mark of “Year of the Cat” when the full orchestra swells behind the acoustic guitar, the 24/96 keeps every instrument in its own space. Vinyl smears it slightly (pleasantly, but smeared). 16/44.1 holds it together but loses the room air.

If you want the most accurate, cleanest representation of the original tapes without the maintenance of records, the 2021 Alan Parsons 24/96 remaster (available as a Hi-Res download al stewart year of the cat vinyl flac 24bit 96khz better

Best for ritual and texture, not ultimate fidelity. I A/B’d the 24/96 against the vinyl three times