[ricmon]

I bought a 180g The Best of Earth Wind and Fire Vol1.  This album is labeled "audio phile" but sounds like crap.  I also bought a Parliment Dr. funkinstien album new that also sounded like crap.  Are we music/vinyl  lover being taken agvantage of or do most of these vinyl reissues just sound like crap?

[Folsom]

Any thing after 1981 in general sucks is the persona, and I fully believie it even on my small based of knowledge....

Any thing labeled "digitally remastered" blows.

[Scott F.]

Try this interesting little experiment. Only on these two albums, reach under your headshell and reverse the polarity of the leads (red for green and blue for white)(don't blast me if I have those sideways, I'm going from memory). Give the albums a listen again and see if things don't clean themselves up. This might work but might not but its worth a try to get to the bottom of the issue. I've done this to several notable albums and it its like turning on a light switch in a dark room.

Destroyer, I hate to push back but you couldn't be more wrong. Post 1981 may not be the greatest times for rock music (and others) but there are still plenty of great releases, including loads on vinyl.

The statement that digital remasters suck couldn't be further from the truth either. One that immediately comes to mind is Sgt Peppers. I far prefer the remaster to the original including my MoFi. I've got some Denon digital masters that are absolutely exquisite sounding.

It is a shame, there are several companies out there that are trying to ride the vinyl wave who do a less than impressive job on their 'vinyl remasters'. I've gotten burnt more than a few times myself. Of late it's been Big Brother and the Holding Company and an ELP reissue.

Its really hard to tell who has good sounding vinyl from who doesn't. What I do is keep frequenting the flea markets, Goodwill, the Salvation Army and thrift shops. If there is a piece of vinyl that I really want a clean copy of, I keep buying it until I find one that is sonically pure. Sure, it may cost me some time until I've found that sonic gem but its worth the wait. Besides, I always find loads more great music while I'm looking for that 'special one'. Just like today, I walked through the door with 18 fresh pieces of vinyl from Goodwill (mostly classical).

When all else fails, I go to eBay and pick up a white label promo copy. The old WLP's (tended) to be the first copies out of the pressing facility, fresh on their way to the radio stations for airplay. (Mostly) they are stamped very close to the mother rather than subsequent generations.

Be careful, don't fall for the embossed copies that say 'For Promotion' or the ones with the Promo sticker on them. These might be close to the mother but they also may be yanked from a stack midway through a production run and sent as replacements for worn out promo's at stations. The other problem with them is they usually can't be distiguished from a regular production run copy. In turn, some unscrupulous sellers will find better vinyl copies at a yard sale, then insert them in the 'promo' sleeve and sell them for a premium.

One last thought. Invest (if you haven't already) in a cleaning machine. New records (all records for that matter) come with a thin film of oil (for a better word) on them that needs to be cleaned off to make them sound their best. This oil helps keep the vinyl from sticking to the stamper during the molding process. Also, it may take a few plays to get your needle seated (completely) to the groove. After that, you should be hearing all that you ever will out of that particular piece of vinyl.

Enjoy!

[Folsom]

Could not be more wrong? I said in general, and take your comment as pure disregard for really reading my post.

I have found a dozen different albums that sound really appealing, but every time I play them before buying, they suck.... Guess the dates on them? Granted there are some good vinyl albums out there after 1981, as we know up to 1985 not every one had converted. To me the difference is night and day between the two for every thing I picked up. I choose to believe there are people still making some good vinyl or did for awhile, just not where I shop.

Denon digital masters, not general. However digitally remastered in general, to cut down on noise, etc, suck. I have yet to find a good one, although I do not buy special editions from the internet. I buy my stuff from thrift stores, goodwill, and record shops. None of the above even start to approach the audiophile realm. They think I am some prick when I ask them about a new stylus for my turntable that costs double what any thing they have bought cost, there is no good remasteries in these places.

I could not agree more on the notion of cleaning. The biggest underrate of things to do with vinyl there is, that makes the biggest difference.

Even with out a record cleaning machine.... Window wash, or D4, a must.

[ricmon]

Lucky for me I got a lot of my original purchased albums from the 70's and 80's.  Luckly most of them are still in greate shape.  Thus I have plenty of vinyl to listen to.  I'll keep in mind the dates you guys have mentioned  and the promo con as well.  It's nice to know it's just not me hearing the differnence.  Also I going to pass on the lead switch because everything sounds great now and I don't wont to go through the hassel just to test 2 albums.

[Bemopti123]

Ricmon, I have several copies of vinyl from the 80s and even the 90s, as well as the 70s, and what I found is that the quality varies. I would vouch for LP copies of Alan Parsons Project rather than their digital versions, eventhough the vinyl copies are done in thin, lightweight editions. Some vinyl, like the Grooveland copy(German press) heavy 180 gm vinyl copy of Stacey Kent's "Let yourself go" blows the digital version out of the water... Of course, some might call this audiophile vinyl with audiophile prices, but all in all, there is some good and BAD vinyl out there.

The worst I have heard are early 1980 vinyls that have been badly taken care of...such as those that you might find on sale or at flea markets.
What shocks me that most is the original recording itself of some of these records....My Peter Gabriel's "Security" LP copy, although in excellent physical condition, has an indistinct sound, I call it diffuse sound that I realized has a lot to do with the producer's and Peter's take on how a track should sound. In contrast, some recordings have a much sharper, distinct sound that makes listening more lively and interesting.
Back to top    
View users profile Send private message