The experts on Pearl Jam's Ten Club message board speculate that

The experts on Pearl Jam's Ten Club message board speculate that

Now it seems apparent why the Spectrum boots took so long to drop. Seriously. Listen to one minute of one of the Spectrum boots and then one minute of Boston or MSG from 2010 and then listen back to a Spectrum song. (Why won't PJ or 10C hire an amazing sound technician?) With time, you'll notice the difference more and more, but it's clear to me the boots from the 2010 shows are suffering — and severely. Why relisten if I get a headache within seconds. (It's all about sound frequencies.)

I think we have the right to complain a little. The reason for this is because PJ has put out a product for the past 10 years, staying pretty consistant if not better up until the 2006 tour. The quality was great imo from the get if not getting better as time went on. For example, some people think that Europe 2000 wasn't fantastic, but things definitely got better for the next two legs, and everything that followed that. So really I feel we have the right to complain a little, for those that are hearing a difference. When the great product that u are use to getting, that has been more than up to par, has gradually slipped within the past two or three years. Especially when u are in times when the equiptment has gotten better and better. It's like anything that u buy. Say there is one particular thing that u buy and have bought for years just because that product is good and always seems to get better and better as time goes on, and all of a sudden the product downgrades and there is no other alternative. How would u feel? Would it bother u? I think that's how some of us feel about the QUALITY of these bootlegs. I don't think any of us can say that we don't want these or won't buy them anymore, I just think that we are use to a particular product that we now feel is not the same as it use to be. And why should the product be any different? Same venues, same sound systems, if not better. Better equiptment, same great instruments. I have to say that since 2008 these live recordings have gotten better, but still not like they used to be. We can only hope as time goes on the people mixing get into a zone like Brett Eliason was. Later

I made a record a few years ago and know a bit about sound — not necessarily how to fix it, though. I had all sorts of problems until I paid to have my record professionally mastered. The sound of the Boston and New York boots is radically different from the Spectrum boots. The Boston and New York ones have a shrill sound to them. The sound reminded me of the problems I had with my songs.

I am using good computer speakers to listen

Europe 2000 sound stunk because it was mixed too low. It was like someone whispering.

USA 2000 sound stunk because I think it was crowd mic'd and didn't even use the soundboard. Laughing, talking, too much crowd, and the guitars and bass were mud.

Ed was mixed very low. The bass was nonexistent. Seattle, night 1 probably the worst. Also, 2000 USA, the band sounded like they were not over Rokslide, tired, depressed, etc.

2003 saw a huge improvement in sound quality

2005/2006 were not mixed well. Period. I love the 2009/2010 sound.

Oh man, this just gets better:

The experts on Pearl Jam's Ten Club message board speculate that

But I know brett did have mics set up near the band, they weren't soundboard recordings.

All of the bootlegs were recorded the same way. Each instrument and the audience are individually miked, sent to a recording truck and mixed into stereo by a mixing engineer.

... any discussion of pearl jam will soon devolve in whining about something that isn't as good as it should be.

The experts on Pearl Jam's Ten Club message board speculate that

The experts on Pearl Jam's Ten Club message board speculate: Boston does indeed have the best fans and gets the best shows.