lost highway Posted November 9, 2019 Share Posted November 9, 2019 Hey gang, I'm being a little hyperbolic to inspire discussion, but I'm starting to think the standards for pressing records have gone down. Several brand new records I've purchased (including one by Wilco), all on bigger indie labels have pretty poor audio quality compared to the cd, or download. Lots of distortion and muffling. The range of clarity depending on the track is pretty huge. Any LPs outer grooves will sound a little better than the inner ones, but a half dozen records I've bought over the last year or so sound like there's lint on the needle. I started to think my turntable, or cartridge was junk. Then I thrown on something pressed in the 60's, 70's or 80's, most of which was bought secondhand and is in a very beat up jacket, and it sounds great. Any other vinyl collectors noticing this discrepancy in pressing quality? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TCP Posted November 9, 2019 Share Posted November 9, 2019 Bad pressings existed in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. A lot of US pressings, especially all the Columbia club records, are bad. That's why German and Japanese pressings were so sought after back in the day. Conversely, a lot of pressings today are great. It's like the old black vs colour debate, you're going to find good and bad examples for both.I have the pink copy of Ode to Joy and it sounds great on my Pro-Ject Debut Carbon. In fact, the only bad Wilco pressing I ever got was the original orange copy Kung Fu shipped, but they repressed it with the far superior second pressing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lost highway Posted November 9, 2019 Author Share Posted November 9, 2019 Yeah my Ode to Joy has a few tracks that are totally undermined by the pressing quality. That and the latest Andrew Bird... a few others I can't think of. Bad vinyl has such a distinct sound, it pretty much just sounds like there's lint on the needle when there isn't. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
remphish1 Posted November 9, 2019 Share Posted November 9, 2019 Gosh y’all are making me paranoid I’m losing my hearing maybe too many live shows! Haven’t really noticed anything different Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lost highway Posted November 9, 2019 Author Share Posted November 9, 2019 Gosh y’all are making me paranoid I’m losing my hearing maybe too many live shows! Haven’t really noticed anything different Or you just haven't purchased a crummy pressing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
remphish1 Posted November 10, 2019 Share Posted November 10, 2019 Or you just haven't purchased a crummy pressing. I hope that’s the case Quote Link to post Share on other sites
worldrecordplayer Posted November 10, 2019 Share Posted November 10, 2019 I think I've read that the colored vinyl's are more likely to sound less than stellar. There's lots of discussions about this (and everything music and audio related over on the Hoffman forum. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tinnitus photography Posted November 10, 2019 Share Posted November 10, 2019 I think I've read that the colored vinyl's are more likely to sound less than stellar. There's lots of discussions about this (and everything music and audio related over on the Hoffman forum. i had heard that of the color variants, white is supposedly the worst re: surface noise, and at least anecdotally i found that to be true. I've got a Warpaint record that's half white and half black, and you can hear the difference as the cartridge moves from zone to zone. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bböp Posted November 14, 2019 Share Posted November 14, 2019 i had heard that of the color variants, white is supposedly the worst re: surface noise, and at least anecdotally i found that to be true. I've got a Warpaint record that's half white and half black, and you can hear the difference as the cartridge moves from zone to zone.But it sure does look purty... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted November 14, 2019 Share Posted November 14, 2019 I think I've read that the colored vinyl's are more likely to sound less than stellar. There's lots of discussions about this (and everything music and audio related over on the Hoffman forum. I find translucent colors to be consistently worse than solid colors. The clear ones often have a fizzy sound, almost like the needle is scraping its way through the grooves. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Oil Can Boyd Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 For vinyl lovers, this probably won't help: https://pitchfork.com/news/devastating-manufacturing-plant-fire-threatens-worldwide-vinyl-record-supply/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
remphish1 Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 For vinyl lovers, this probably won't help: https://pitchfork.com/news/devastating-manufacturing-plant-fire-threatens-worldwide-vinyl-record-supply/Maybe now is the time to open a laquer factory Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TCP Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 I'm surprised the vinyl pressing process (from laquer to record pressing) hasn't been modernized at any point with the advent of technology like 3D printing, best case scenario maybe this will force some techniques (without, you know, ruining the sound!!), especially since so much of the equipment involved with making records is very old and simply being maintained now. It'll be a few months before us consumers feel the affects of this but hopefully the industry bounces back quickly. This could hurt labels, stores, and bands... especially bands like Wilco who have a dedicated base buying vinyl. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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