A behemoth of a Boxset ! Super Deluxe rarely means Super Deluxe. A couple of bonus CDs, some “art cards” and a bag of marbles do not a Super Deluxe Edition make, IMHO.
Some may look at this beautiful box and mutter “Overkill” and I get that, but no one can accuse U2 of not delivering the goods. We all know the original album. Whether the version here sounds better than an original, I can’t say. It certainly doesn’t sound bad. The album mix was always quite dense so any audio improvements are probably minimal. It doesn’t sound squashed.
Zooropa is also included. Good move including that, although I believe it hasn’t been remastered. Not that it needs it. As an album, it does cower in the shadow of its elder brother a little, but there is still much to enjoy here. I really like Lemon. It was amusing listening to dyed in the wool U2 fans complaining how their band had gone all Bee Gees.
The rest of the box is made up of most of the 12” remixes, B Sides and outtakes as well as live stuff.
Visually there’s plenty for the U2 fan to sink their teeth into. Promo videos, documentaries, interviews and a live show are all on offer.
It doesn’t stop there. The big hardback book is a delight, plenty of text and full of Anton Corbjin’s legendary and instantly recognisable photography. You also have an envelope containing the obligatory art cards :)
All packaged in a sturdy card outer.
I’m not a huge U2 fan but I do like this. The actual album is a gem and exactly what’s needed after the overblown Rattle and Hum. Zooropa is better than I too. The 12” mixes are fun. They are very much of their time, with instantly recognisable drum loops à la funky drummer as well as assorted early 90s bleeps and pops. Some of these remind me very much of the quality of mix that Depeche Mode were putting out around the same time.
The B sides are interesting too. From the days when artists would use the B side to experiment and produce some of these remind more out there sides of their oeuvre.
All in all, I can’t fault this release. I would kill for an equivalent style box of The Unforgettable Fire (My favourite U2);but I doubt there is enough relevant audio available to stretch things beyond what we already have in the box that came out 10+ years ago.
After this I lost interest in U2 although I’ve given all subsequent albums a spin. Their retreat into fairly safe stadium new wave rock was disappointing. Thankfully, this box gives us the opportunity to ire what was so good about them as the 80s crawled into the 90s. Grab a copy if you’ve been debating it. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

For an unofficial or bootleg issue, it's not that bad. Someone spent a bit of time putting it together and getting a ok pressing. Yes there are some pops and crackles in place, and the sound is a little muffled, but it's not crap by any means, I've seen and heard worse for sure. The Orange vinyl does look cool, much better than the album cover to be fair.

Having this Brazilian pressing and the 2018 remaster double LP I can say that this one is better to me. It sounds darker and more coherent with the albun’s concept.

Great album (maybe the U2's best, after Joshua Tree); the sound of this original release is also great.

I always thought the US Island CD of ACHTUNG BABY sounded good, and this double LP pressing sounds REALLY good. The rumble of the bass on "Mysterious Ways" is monstrous, instrumentation and vocals are clear and detailed, and the soundstage is vast and atmospheric. My copy plays nice and clean, with very little surface noise of note, save for a pop in the groove between A1/A2. Now , boys and girls...a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle... ♫ ♫ ♫

Another masterpiece by U2. This copy is a Super sound..🙌🏻😎🎧❤️🎸

Echo briTunes' comments below, record was practically stuck to the inner sleeves but once cleaned, this sounds absolutely fantastic. Very happy to finally have this one on vinyl.

Listening on ATLP120XUSB with a VM95ML Cartridge

My discs are flat, centered, quiet, and presents a wide / deep 3d soundstage with a broad and busy dynamic range. My stack succeeds imaging this remaster revealing details I never heard across non-vinyl formats. Impressive, detailed slam w/super clear instrumentation and vocals.

The More You Know: Achtung Baby was recorded using a hybrid of digital & analog techniques.

Pro-Ject X1B + Sumiko Wellfleet / Schiit Mani 2 / Musical Fidelity M5si / Dali Oberon 7's

Absolutely FILTHY vinyl out of the box. Maybe the worst I've had. But now, several cleans later, once my needle stopped looking like a ball of fuzz and gunk after each song, it sounds amazing.

I don't have any other pressings to compare this to, but this sounds fantastic, especially if you're like me and you love heavy bass. The details were present and Bono's voice is clear.