I’ve been doing some extensive A/B comparisons between the different editions/ remasters/ remixes of Black Sabbath’s back catalogue lately, and I’ve come upon some insights that I feel like sharing with the intention of providing some kind of a rough guide for those who are similarly interested in finding the best-sounding version of each Sabbath album. The thing is, at this point there are already so many versions out there of the band’s equally varied and vast discography that it can get really confusing for the average fan to determine which album version to get, and a daunting pursuit for those who are planning to take a deep dive into this audiophile rabbit hole. What’s more, the differences can be pretty drastic between each edition, so it’s really quite important to know the ins and outs of it before deciding to splurge some hard-earned cash for buying a specific pressing. The sound quality between different variations of the same album (e.g. Vol. 4) can range from barely listenable to sublime – so yeah, being informed matters a lot in this case.

Note: this guide only covers the digital versions since I don’t do vinyl. If you think the digital stuff is already complicated, good luck comparing each and every vinyl pressing of all the 20 studio albums! That’s just a whole dimension of headache I am not willing to get myself into. Also, I’m not the most knowledgeable when it comes to the different pressings of Black Sabbath’s releases, since I only have a few copies for each album to compare. Hence, this is by no means an exhaustive guide, but rather a quick and easy, yet reasonably thorough briefer for the fan who is interested in these things.

 1.       Self-titled. IMO, the best version of this album is the 1996 Castle remaster. But every other version I’ve heard sounded good too. It’s astonishing how great this album sounds in general, considering that this was the band’s debut and they had zero experience recording in a studio back in ‘69. Much of the credit goes to Rodger Bain, I guess, for knowing exactly how to record the band and their type of music with the limited technology and techniques available at that time. The sound is remarkably dynamic, spacious, with lots of air (I mean, just listen to Bill’s drums – it’s like he’s playing right in front of you!), and the overall recording captures the gloomy, dark, evil vibe of the music extremely well.

I’d like to note, however, that the version of “Wicked World” as it appears on the abovementioned Castle remaster sounds bad and isn’t congruent with the sound quality of all the other songs on the album, although it definitely fits the vibe and should absolutely be included. The good news is that there is a 2014 stereo version (previously, it’s only been issued in mono) of this song on HD tracks where the horrendous distortion in Ozzy’s voice has been fixed and the sound quality has been spruced up to match as closely as possible the high sonic standard of the rest of the 1969 Sabbath studio recordings. It doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb anymore if you include it in the album. Because of this, I’ve made a customized burnt CD where I put the flac rip of the Castle remaster minus “Wicked World” and tucked the HD tracks version instead at the end. Perfection.

 2.       Paranoid. I have not heard a “bad” version of this album. Yes, the Black Box remaster is louder than it should be and sacrifices some low end for the sake of clarity; and the original 1987 WB CD sounds a bit thin and flat –  but overall they’re still pretty nice. You can’t really go wrong with any edition of this legendary album. But for me, personally I will go with the 2016 Super Deluxe Edition because it not only gives us a version of the original album that sounds better than it has ever sounded on CD but also includes 3 discs’ worth of goodies that include the legendary Live in Montreaux performance and an interesting alternate version of the album.

 3.       Master of Reality. Another album where you can’t go wrong with any of the digital releases. Most variations are topnotch, although the older CDs tend to be muddier. I’d recommend the 2009 Double Disc for the best balance of just the right amount of clarity and that legendary, intoxicating low end rumble where Geezer reigned supreme and earned his title as the GOAT of bass.

 4.       Vol. 4. This is where discernment starts to become very important. For me, there is no doubt that the 1996 Castle remaster is the best-sounding version of this album.  It preserves the doomy, gothic, haunted vibe and has just the right amount of natural murkiness that gives the album so much of its dark charm. All previous editions of this album on CD are just plain horrible sounding, like a bad cassette tape; and also has subpar mastering where some songs are much louder than others and the mixes have inconsistent volume profiles (e.g. vocals are loud here but quiet and distant there; drum sound is thick and meaty here but thin as cardboard boxes over there).

Meanwhile, the Black Box remaster, the 2009 remaster, and especially the 2021 remaster, are all too bright and clean-sounding; the grunginess which is the soul of the album is killed in these editions. The 2021 remaster is the worst of the bunch. There is a sharp glare, especially in the vocals and the cymbals, and the instruments are way too separated. The sound is too spread out and the magical cohesion is lost. Ozzy’s voice on "Wheels of Confusion" and "Changes" on the 2021 is unlistenable – ear-piercingly shrill!

However, I admit that the 2021 does have its charms. It’s the clearest, cleanest and most mega-sized sounding version of the album where every instrument is made to sound as massive as possible, saturating the entire soundstage with raging sound. It also fixes the inconsistencies in volume and many of the other previous mastering flaws. Plus, the bonus material is perhaps the best among the Sabbath box sets. It contains studio outtakes refurbished by remix god Steven Wilson. If anything, these remixes just make me crave a remix of the main album all the more. God, just listen to how great these tracks sound! Leagues better than the main album. Such a pity that the multitracks for Vol. 4 itself are still missing, hence Steven Wilson was unable, although willing, to remix the main album. This, along with Born Again, is the Black Sabbath album that needs a remix the most.

I’ve heard praises being said for the SACD of this album, but I find it wimpy and has the same problems as the pre-1996 CD pressings: inconsistent volume, thin guitar sound, vocals sounding weak on some songs but gratingly loud on others, etc. The Castle remaster takes the cake as the all-around best version of my favorite Black Sabbath album. The tonality of it is just unbeatable.

 5.       Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Another one where some discernment matters. The best version of this album is the 1996 Castle remaster. All other editions I’ve heard are either too dull and flat, or just too damn bright. The Black Box remaster for this one is extremely clear, but to the point that it can overwhelm the ears. There is too much digital glare, especially in Ozzy’s voice and other high frequencies. It also sacrifices much of the low end, which this album needs BADLY.

Meanwhile, the Castle remaster just has that delicious low-end undertow as well as the right amount of shade and sparkle to make the sound clear enough while maintaining the smooth blending of the instrumental elements. The problem with the tidied up and bright remasters is that there is too much separation such that the synergy is lost and the blending of each element is rendered as no longer seamless. I wonder what the thought process is for this style of remastering. It happens too often. Geesh, not every damn thing has to be clear and upfront! Some elements are supposed to be in the background. There should be nuance, subtlety, texture, dimension!

 6.       Sabotage. For me, the best version of this album is the 2021 Super Deluxe. Same with Paranoid, I think this latest remaster is the best the album has ever sounded on digital and also includes a lot of other goodies in it such as essential live material and single edits. My only gripe with it is that Ozzy’s voice can be too loud in the mix on some systems. Ozzy’s high-pitched voice without the proper EQ treatment can be earsplitting. But I can’t really complain much in this case because I think this album has the best Ozzy vocal performances of all time – his finest moment.

 7.       Technical Ecstasy. I’ll go with the Steven Wilson remix for this one. You can’t really go with Steven Wilson, man. He’s the king when it comes to modern remixing. However, it should be noted that his mix of TE is a pretty drastic departure from the original. It’s not conservatively done at all. It’s an entirely different take on the album, highlighting its progressive rock qualities. The new mix really is like an entirely brand new album, the same way as the 2019 remix of Pink Floyd’s “A Momentary Lapse of Reason” reinvented a mediocre release and transformed it into something interesting and worthwhile. The only drawback for the TE remix is that the guitars have been toned down significantly in the mix. But for me, the tradeoff is worth it because Sabbath was going for a wildly different style with this project as compared to their trademark guitar-driven sound.

 8.       Never Say Die. The 2013 remaster is the definitive version, IMO. The Castle remaster is also good and less in-your-face. The Black Box, again, is louder than it should be. The 2013 is just the best of both worlds, being loud yet still balanced, with oomph for days.

 9.       Heaven and Hell. I advise that you go for the 2021 Remaster, which sounds incredible and has live goodies as well. You can’t really go wrong with any other versions of this great album. The older CDs (e.g. the 1987 Warner) can be too quiet for their own good, but that’s my only minor complaint. The 2021 remaster is loud and full enough for you to not have to turn up the volume knob all the way in order to get the most juice out of it. It’s always been one of Sabbath’s best-sounding albums in the first place. It also helps that it’s some of the best batch of songs they’ve released in their career.

10.   Mob Rules. Same with Heaven and Hell. Go with the 2021 deluxe edition which includes Live in Hammersmith Odeon -- probably my favorite live recording from Sabbath. The sound quality, for both the main album and the live bonus, is perfection. Older CD pressings are too quiet, but very dynamic and has air for days. But if you want a more in-your-face, rude, aggressive but tastefully done modern remaster, then absolutely get the 2021.

11.   Born Again. You can’t win with this one. All versions are the same thin, tin can-sounding crap. It’s one of the worst mastered/ mixed albums from a major rock act. This one needs a remix so, so bad.  It’s a pity that the sound quality is so amateurishly shitty in this album because I think the material itself is quite strong, but helplessly held back by the recording sounding like a worn out, moldy bootleg cassette tape.

12.   Seventh Star. Go with the 2010 Deluxe Edition which blows all previous editions away.

1. Headless Cross. The best Tony Martin era album is also the one with the most excellent sound, not to mention best cover art as well. You can't go wrong with the Anno Domini box remaster.

14.   The Eternal Idol. Go with the 2010 Deluxe Edition which blows all previous editions away.

15.   Tyr. The version from the Anno Domini Box set blows all previous editions away.

16.   Dehumanizer. The 2011 2CD Deluxe is the best this thing has ever sounded. Older CD pressings have that harsh, thin, cold digital sound. The 2011 still has a bit of that coldness, but the sound is much more thickened up, clarified, made more powerful, and maximized/ saturated in all the right ways. You can say that the album was brought back to life. The sound quality on the 2011 is just amazing, especially Vinny’s drums. I mean, just listen to those drums, man! So crisp, clear, massive, just makes your jaw drop. The album also has Lord Iommi’s best batch of guitar riffs in a long time, and fortunately he’s very well-recorded here also.

17.   Cross Purposes. The Anno Domini Box set blows all previous editions away.

18.   Forbidden. The Anno Domini version is a whole new remix and I think it is the single proper way to hear this album now. It just puts the original version to shame. This is how a remix should be done! It’s given the album a total transformation from what used to be almost unlistenable muck into something of a hidden gem in the Sabbath discography. Because of how mind-blowing this remix has been, I absolutely cannot wait for Born Again (or even Vol. 4, should the master tapes be located) to get the same tender loving care at the mixing desk!

19.   The Devil You Know. Technically, not a Sabbath album but fuck that. This is Sabbath. As with all the Dio albums, this one sounds fantastic through and through. Doomiest Sabbath album ever, with an earth-shattering low-end rumble that is given due justice by excellent production and mixing.

20.   13. I understand that this may be a controversial take, but I like the way this album sounds. Yes, it’s compressed to shit, but there’s just something about it that makes it sound like a massive flying solid wall of burning metal. I don’t even know what the fuck I’m saying here, but it just sounds big, big as fuck, and I like it. I think Rick Rubin did a great job, not only at producing but in serving as a catalyst for Sabbath to write great material worthy of their legend. For sure, this is Sabbath paying tribute to themselves, but it’s done in a way that honors their legacy instead of them becoming a parody of themselves. I don’t understand the hate for this album. Ozzy’s voice sounds great! It has a rare, dignified, wise-old-man tone to it. Iommi’s riffs are godly, and Geezer’s bass is just titanic. It’s a pity that Bill didn’t make it for the recording, but Brad Wilk did a more than serviceable job filling in for one of the greatest drummers of all time. Great songs throughout, and even better bonus tracks! The sound is good enough for me, too.

Edit: I might have been too harsh on the, ahem, harsh 2021 remaster of Vol. 4. I gave it another committed listen last night and I realized that it's got so many good qualities. Apart from the excessive brightness (a dealbreaker, IMO), it really is the best version of the album out there today because of the following reasons: 1) the volume levels for each song and the volume profiles among tracks are the most consistent in all of the remasters for this album -- it has always annoyed me to no end that I have to adjust the volume many times when playing the album because some tracks are so much louder than others; 2) the soundstage is amazing, the entire stereo picture is so wide and full, like never before; 3) great saturation, the colors are slightly brighter as compared to all previous versions; 3) the overall sound is thicker and the guitars, drums and bass all have more oomph; 4) the clarity and separation are remarkable, even if it does mess up the cohesion of the sound a little bit.

Because of these advantages, I have given the 2021 remaster a new chance and tried to make it palatable for me by adjusting the eq in my player. I realized that if you tone way down the 16Khz, Ozzy's piercing voice on Wheels and Changes is greatly alleviated. Additionally, I also applied a CD de-emphasis procedure on all the tracks via Foobar2000 to attenuate the excess treble, and the result I achieved was very satisfactory. I now think this de-emphasized version is now my favorite, eclipsing even the Castle remaster which is far from perfect anyway mainly due to its volume inconsistencies.