Audiophilepure

https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2026/9/20/famous-blue-raincoat-the-art-behind-an-audiophile-classic

The obvious question was whether returning to 33⅓rpm would come at a sonic cost. Remarkably, it gives up very little to the Cisco. The same sense of scale and dimensionality remains, but the Impex shifts the balance slightly toward a fuller, rounder and more relaxed presentation. Bass is deep and richly weighted, while the upper frequencies retain plenty of life without the harder edge of the Cypress.

What distinguishes the Impex most is how naturally all of these qualities come together. Drums have greater body and presence, piano and strings carry more warmth and weight, and the mournful saxophone on the title track hangs naturally within the acoustic space. On “Joan of Arc,” the music seems to advance and withdraw almost like waves, surging into the room and then pulling back toward the speakers. It is a wonderfully natural expression of the recording’s dynamics.