35, 50 , 60 bucks for a new vinyl IS AN ABUSE , specially towards the young kids just starting in the hobby of listening to music and collecting records.
Adjusting for inflation, $4 (the price of an ordinary record) in 1970 is $32 ish in 2022. Make it a double, limited edition, box set, half speed mastered etc and you can see how the prices mount.
Don't be silly. I've got numerous 45s that I paid a few £ for and now worth 4 figures. Ask anyone into soul or reggae and LPs don't ( apart from rare instances ) even compute. Buy whatever you want but don't knock the price of new vinyl, it's worth every penny.
@Lloyd Stout except new records weren't $13 back in the 70s the most expensive ones were 4.99 and smaller labels charged 1.99-2.99 depending the region
Honestly the kids don't need to have everything we have, it's nice to be older and have money and acquire things that are out of someone else's price range, one day they'll get there too maybe for now they can buy CDs or old cassettes.
Point no. 11: if it’s a modern (digital) production don’t waste money on the record. This is supposed to sound best as a digital reproduction. In almost every case companies don’t even bother to remaster the digital file to sound good on vinyl. As you mentioned I also never heard a 180g sounding better than a regular record. Record companies making a huge profit from the raising interest and try to maximize it with all the stuff you mentioned. Plus in 9 out of 10 times the original pressing sounds better than the re- issue (and is sometimes even less expensive).
That is an issue. I do not mind the use of digital PCM (or better DSD) being used to record albums, but if a label is going to release a vinyl version of it, they need to do it right and remaster the album FOR vinyl in a good way, to take advantage of both the limitations and the nice possibilities it offers sonically.
That's not as true as you may think; in fact in at least some cases, and very ironically, the vinyl version actually has more dynamics than the hyper-compressed, loudness war digital version. A great example is the original 2014 release of Taylor Swift's "1989." It's so over-compressed and brick wall limited on CD it's frankly rather painful to listen to. It's just a mush of sound, it's congested and might sound great on ear buds but sounds horrid on an actual sound system. On the other hand the vinyl release is a PLEASURE to listen to. It's open, dynamic, poppy and just a lot of fun. I can't say how often that's the case, but it does happen.
In my view the biggest sin is if you have a classic analog recording like a 1970s album which was converted to digital at some point of time and this is the source of a new vinyl release…because it is less work than copying from an analog source.
THANKS MATE! Someone had to say those things about records nowadays! I especially get annoyed by the poor quality of the printing. Two examples: Madonna’s ‘true blue’ or Tina’s ‘break every rule’ (two records which reissue shocked me from their covers full of noise compared to the original version, printed the old way!). I would also point out the compulsive way teenagers buy new records, paying no attention to its price, only to play them on a shitty plastic turntable with a disgusting ceramic cartridge. Are they drug dealers or what? I’m glad I tolerate very well other formats like the cds, sometimes I’m about giving it up with records.
Amen, Guido! 100% agree on all aspects. I’ve been a record collector and audio nerd for over 30 yrs. Lost the majority of my 1st collection in a fire, but have thankfully tracked down most of the records I’d lost plus many more. Now, there’s only a few more grails left, but they’ll show up eventually. I just hope newer collectors aren’t put off by this BS that goes along with collecting today. 👍🔊😊🎶
Couldn't agree more... this stuff is fine if playing records is only a hobby... but a pain in the ass if spinning disks is a way of life. I used to be a record collector but i've used up most of my records from years back. These days i see records more as consumables (not unlike tyres or clothing, they just ware out and need replacing). Using records does drive up the price though. But you only live once!
With the 180 gram thing, it's mostly hype, and I think they are more prone to non-fill and they definitely can still warp. I noticed Neil Young re-issues are now 140.
You youngsters, they have always been expensive, sometimes hard to get and varying drastically in quality. ( I don’t like having to get up and turn over those 45’s at my age though). Ps love your channel
great video!!...a little bit of information regarding time per side: general rule is like 20-23 mins per side in LPs cut with lacquer method and 2 mins. extra per side with DMM...when you pass the optimum time per side, the engineer has to do "some tricks" in order to cut thin grooves , like roll off bass, make lower overall level of the recording and the ugly "narrowing of stereo field"...so, if you want to stay in a relative safe zone about overall quality, dont buy LPs with more than 50 mins.
Thanks for this video!! I want to remark on the ARTWORK. I have bought vinyl reissues of albums that I originally bought in the late 70s - early 80s. And guess what?! And guess what? The new artwork is really bad. They shrunk the original artwork to CD size, and now blowing it back to LP size with low resolution and cropped in the wrong way! Once you notice this, it is awful
The greed of companies which has led to new vinyl being over the top expensive will definitely turn young kids from getting into this format. The profit margin is HUGE yet we still get digitally sourced heavily brickwalled sounding vinyl in cheap paper sleeves. One really has to be selective with what pressing they buy. A sticker on front showing the chain ,..such as AAA...would be helpful. Grazie Guido .. ciao from Australia 👍
Keep it up…I am digital only and you just gave me ten MORE reasons not to make the insane plunge back into the obsessions and associated costs of vinyl! 😎 I do always enjoy your videos and learn a lot! 👍🏼
Good video Guido. To me the worse is the missing information: mastering, pressing plant, process etc. sometimes the same serial n belongs to several editions, unbelievable
Hi: All the points you make are valid and knowing that the record producers hopefully read these I didn't mean to imply that "there's no pleasing some people - but - as we all know that can be the case on occasion. As to your last point which I whole heartedly agree with as to "off center" holes that is an issue. I've come up with a fool proof way of alleviating that problem without the insanity of a $1500 centering tool!!!. All you need is an "X-Acto" knife and a good eye. Start your turntable and place the stylus on the record roughly one inch in from the lead in groove. Now bend down a "sight" along the tonearm and see weather the stylus is moving in or out from dead center. Then while the platter is still moving note at which point of the label is the movement note that place on the label. Now stop the platter lift the tonearm and relace it on its' rest. Now that you're noted the area of inward or out ward motion take your X-Acto knife and slowly start to "cut" that small area - the cut you make will resemble an eighth moon shape. Now put the record back on your TT and place the eighth moon cut right up to the spindle and start to play it and see if you tonearm still moves. It should be moving less eccentrically now - but if it still does shave a bit more and try again -go slow and shave a little at a time until you get it perfectly centered - it isn't that difficult there's nothing worse than hearing a "wow" in your record from an off centered hole! I've been doing this for many many years with great success - happy centering!
Cool! Thanks for sharing that! Or you can get this but it's crazy money: www.musicalsurroundings.com/products/ds-audio-es-001-eccentricity-detection-stabilizer
Good points ,inner sleeves is the one thing annoys me ,they are usually in the lyric sheet as the sleeve , anyway thanks any all your points are well made 🙏🌻🎼
You are right in all your points. I want to emphasise in the height of prices. This is mentioned in used records too making our hobby unaffordable. All the tricks (45rpm,box sets, 180 grammars, collored vinyl) are there to increase record prices. I see compact discs with more sympathy than ever.....
I entirely agree with all of your points. The sloppy mastering and compression makes some new releases unlistenable. A good example of this is Crowded House’s “Dreamers Are Waiting”. The vinyl LP is an atrocity. The album is really good and on CD, via a decent DAC, sounds very nicely recorded and produced. Biffy Clyro suffer from badly mastered vinyl releases, low level, overly compressed and almost one dimensional mush. The Doves last LP was the same. I’ve heard more dynamics on you tube! Well said my friend!
We all complained when CD's started to take over and vinyl seemed to be going the way of the "Doo-Doo Bird". Now that we're getting all the vinyl we can handle and then some - still complaints - I don't get it sorry. Like my mom used to say " there's no pleasing some people" how true!
What you are saying is absolutely true. Don't getvme wrong, I am the happiest vinyl neard in the planet BUT a little critique can only help. Don't forget that manufacturers watch and take notes over these types of videos.
Today's vinyl is not worth the price. I bought 3 new records that did not play on one whole side. That was within 2 year's. I have purchased 1000s if cds. One was bad 😆
Number 1 is the high price! 2 the hit or miss sound quality. 3 poor quality artwork. 4. High compression and lack of dynamics. 5 CD having more content at half the price! High prices will eventually kill the market.
Lots of consumers aren't very bright. Corporations will take advantage of a consumer every time we let them. Unfortunately in a world of instant gratification people want want want more than they are willing to think about the long term effects. Like all these little things they do, pic discs, 180 or 220 and box sets, hifidelity stickers etc...they have been separating the market for a long time of ppl who refuse to pay and the suckers, and unfortunately there are alot more suckers. Big problem with that is by willfully paying these silly prices consumers are screaming to labels "HEY WE DONT CARE ABOUT AUDIO QUALITY AS LONG AS ITS SPARKLY AND SAYS LIMITED EDITION WE'LL PAY ANY PRICE !!!". So the real threat is there is no financial incentive to keep producing high quality records and once they all realize this, even the few that do try will not be able to compete with other labels doing the same album at half the cost and selling at the same price. Everyone should do their research before buying an album, if peoples opinion on that album is that it's compressed or has poor dynamics than just stream it instead until they get the message. It's cheaper and may even sound better.
PAPER JACKETS....AAARRRGGHH!! They are my biggest complaint on new releases. As you say, why not at least use a poly lined sleeve for the package. It can't cost any more. Then we can use our own preferred sleeves. Agree with you re boxes too.
Number 9 (Record Condition). Lax and greedy manufacturing practices is the biggest flaw in today's vinyl! I bought Wish you Were Here in the summer and was appalled at what I got from PF! Bits of processing debris was ground into the vinyl - on two albums! Back in the early 80's you were almost guaranteed that a PF album would be free of debris. Actually most albums were good! Today It is actually odd to get a good album...so sad.
11. Taking the master that was destined for the CD and using it on the LP: Marillion's 2018 Remix of "Clutching At Straws" is a MAJOR offender here. You get really, REALLY bad, insufferable clipping where the levels peak; a scratchy-sounding distortion in all the crescendos of "That Time of The Night", "Slàinte Mhath", "Sugar Mice", "The Last Straw" that makes the listening experience intolerable. And it seemed like such a well thought-out release! Two LPs to hold all of the CD's songs without omitting any one of them; heavyweight vinyl with practically no surface noise; proper antistatic inner sleeves. And yet, you're stuck with such a piss-poor mastering that ruins everything. 12. Spindle holes that are too tight or too loose - often combined with eccentricity. 13. "Limited editions" of digitally-remastered records. EXCUSE ME? Dude, you're using a (hopefully) high-res digital copy of the master (whether it's digital or analog is neither here nor there). You can make unlimited copies of it. Don't tell me you're limited to 5,000, 10,000, 50,000 copies. And if the record companies think they can't afford to fix these things, here's a way for them to save money: fire a few Chief Something Officers, and axe the salaries and bonuses of the remaining ones by 60%. Problem solved.
My two cents... (IMHO) As a collector who loves Blue Note jazz, I really don't need the gatefold sleeves. They take up too much space on my shelves. I would reather that both the classic and Tone Poets came in basic sleeves and that prices were shifted accordingly.
You pretty well covered it! Prices are spiking even for regular releases and quality control is terrible! Straight out of the shrink wrap I get warped records, audibly scratchy, and the absolute worst when the center hole isn't lined up properly! I would add limited quantity to the list of gripes. The record hobby is growing and it's tough when an album gets a 500 - 1000 print run that sells out in seconds and never gets a second release for 5+ years!
What about box sets at 45 rpm on 180g vinyl ? Isn't that what the new Steely Dan box sets are ? Like the Italians say in NY..."Fugget about it...." In addition most re-issues are from a DSD source which in turn may have been converted from a "PCM-Master".
Bought a 45rpm super vinyl for 80 bucks, hole was not in the middle and the needle was jumping, returned it immediately, no comment, maybe I will completely stop buying new vinyl because I got to much crappy stuff in the last years
1. Record labels (MOFSL included) not being transparent in telling us what source was used to cut the record. Now that vinyl is going up in price, there's no excuse to cut from digital files. I don't mind paying more if the quality goes up
Some are "OK", but at least many manufacturers give you a choice of whether you want one or not. Then you can get a $200 iFi Zen Phono or a $600 Moon LP 110 v2 and on up the food chain commensurate with the price of the turntable and cartridge. But for many starting out or just getting back into vinyl, having a "decent" built-in one can make their lives easier. I bought a $500 U-Turn Orbit Special with their Pluto 2 phono amp built-in. I figure it will give me all the performance I need even if I upgrade to the Ortofon 2m Blue from the Red one day. If I ever buy a higher end cartridge than the Blue, then yeah, I'll be looking at something better. What phono amp do you use?
Guido, very nice video. I must congratulate you, this video was very nice with no sniffing and scratching or any annoying distractions. You returned to your old self, very good. Now, the thing that is most disgusting is the price that the “audiophile” labels are charging for their products. Their is no reason for it, no amount of special anything validates asking $150.00 for a re-issue or $125.00, or even $50.00. In order to gourde to pay that ridiculous amount of money they dress their products in fancy clothes, like the proverbial monkey dressed in satin. The record is not made better for it, they justify the price with those stupid morsels. The worst part is that there are “collectors” paying for those abominations. One part of the 45 rpm that seems to elude most record users is that the fast speed causes a lot of friction reducing the life of the stylus. Cartridge and stylus sellers promoted the 45 rpm’s as the best alternative to 33 rpm’s (which it is sonically) because it was better for business. I also happen to think that sonically there’s no advantage in 180 gr. vs. 130/140 gr. record. It is not the extra thickness that makes the difference, if any, but the quality of the vinyl. Very interesting video. The best way to stop this looting madness is not buying the damn things. Whinnying over it is useless. STOP!!!!!
Single albums in the U.S. in 1978 cost $5.99. In 2022 that same value is about $27. There is no good reason for new vinyl albums to cost more than about $30 unless they are "special" in some way. Even more aggravating for us here in the U.S. is despite the current exchange rate of $1.00 USD = 1.03 Euros, we really haven't seen prices of goods from Europe become any cheaper. I price vinyl albums, speakers, DACs, turntables, integrated amps, etc., and nope. Prices are just as high as they ever were. Someone is pocketing that difference, but it isn't the consumers.
In 1978 record companies had plenty of LP factories and they could sell thousands or millions of copies. Nowadays vinyl is a niche market and there are only few factories in the world. That’s a very important factor.
@@Caifo yes, but we aren't asking them to make millions and millions of records as in the heyday, except for Adele albums that are still sitting in stores in the discount racks.
Agree with most of those Guido. The prices are the main bugbear, so I only buy 3 or 4 new per year nowadays. I think vinyl will decline as a result as it's become a rich man's game.
@Lloyd Stout Not too long ago (2019/2020) I was picking up albums for £15-£20 quite regularly. Now a lot of stuff is £28-£45 and even more in some cases.
Thank you, thank you , thank you!!! Agree 100% across the board. I also inform that it is only plastic, to no avail , the proverbial "beating a dead horse"
I have the same issue with shipping but the other way, living in the US and those issues only released in Europe or UK It's like buying 1 record for the price of 2... (if you're lucky)
The thing that piss me of the most is that large number of the new releases are made from digital mix. I do not see why on Earth you will have all original analog tapes, will convert them to digital, make "improvements" and then prepare to release all of this back to analog as LP. There is no any sense!
Good video, excellent points. I could go on a rant about abandoning vinyl records. No new purchases, never. I'm done. To be clear, I am a CD lover, but it doesn't mean I hate vinyl. I have 375 albums that date from the late 60s to the mid 80s. That's when I went CD. Not for any cause or reason, it was the thing. Most everything you mention is a reason for my decision to go CD. The biggest push away from vinyl was my purchase of an Emerson, Lake and Palmer LP, a beautiful cream white vinyl that sounded good, that is, until the pops arrived. That was the straw that broke my back. CDs do not suffer from the other annoying disturbances a vinyl produces, such as groove noise, pops and having to clean the record every time. Then there is the cost of the turntable of choice, the upgrade to a better cartridge, maybe a need to purchase a DAC, etc. Not going to say that CDs sound better than vinyl, that is up to the listener and his set of ears. But I do notice that clear, clean sound of pure silence and excellent dynamic range a CD produces, especially those originally recorded digitally. Yep, there are more digital recordings than you think. I really wish vinyl would just go away. It really is old tech and can't improve beyond the restrictions of the physical disc. Ever so slowly, I'm replacing all the vinyl records I love with CDs. The records are slowly dying. And if and when no more physical media is produces, I will still have my forever library of music on a small silver platter in digital form.
In defense of the ELP, colored vinyl WAS bad, very bad with more surface noise and pops, but today's newer colored vinyl is as quite as black or even better, clear vinyl. But yeah, I love my few ELP on vinyl, but I'm glad I bought all of them on CD.
Hi Guido, I enjoyed your video but bad records have always been a problem. It was the main reason I was an early CD adopter. I could just not put up with the LP quality any more we where getting in the 80's. Other than that, I mainly buy vintage records and when I buy new ones they are from bands that are on tour and bring out their own. I think those are the real limited editions. And most of those records have been problem free. I also have a few 180 gram records and personally I have no complains with the sound. My main turntable is a Dual 1019 and since that has a 10" platter, I don't mind a bit stiffer record.
I've yet to hear a 45 RPM release that doesn't sound SO much better than the 33 1/3 it's not even worth playing the 33 1/3 version any more. By far, the best sounding album I own is the 45 RPM 180g Analogue Productions version of "A Charlie Brown Christmas." I couldn't agree more upon the lack of QC; there's no reason each copy of a $125 release can't be checked to make sure each side was pressed centered, doesn't have non-fill, and isn't warped.
Agreed! Mostly, but with point #3 I disagree to a point. (180 mg's) Here is a thought, and different take. I have 2 turntable decks. Both are Dual. One is Direct Drive- 701. The other is belt. Both have mats. But, the direct drive, (1974) is a bit lower of a tonearm angle. Even with my insulator mat. So, when I put a 180 mg record on the Dual 701, it actually sounds better (to me) because the stylus sits deeper in the groove from the record being up a bit higher and the stylus is not trying to bite in at an articulated angel. As for my belt, both sound as good.
Caro Guido grazie per la qualità sempre alta e stimolante dei tuoi contributi. Per me, appassionato collezionista di dischi, la conseguenza più nefasta della rinascita del vinile è la tendenza a saturare il mercato con musiche del passato. Se guardiamo la cosa ad esempio dal punto di vista di un musicista di jazz che ha inciso un disco e magari vuole diffonderlo attraverso il vinile, ora a ottobre del 2022, al di là delle difficoltà di produzione (ritardi, tecniche digitali di incisione invece che analogiche etc. etc.) questo ipotetico autore si trova a dover competere con Blue Train (in due versioni) Kind of Blue etc etc. Questo solo per fare un esempio ... Bisognerebbe promuovere di più quelle pochissime case discografiche che con tecnica analogica fanno incisioni in vinile di artisti viventi. These are my two cents ..
Sono assolutamente d'accordo. Va però detto che molti fanno solo mediocre produzioni in CD. C'è un bel Mercato pronto ad accettare jazz nuovo ben registrato/masterizzato in qualsiasi formato, certo meglio in un buon vinile!
I have seen some really crappy new records over my 40+ years of buying them. I have 2 by different manufacturers that have the labels so off-center that the runout groove runs into the label and makes this horrible sound if you don't catch it when the last song immediately ends. I also have one record that has a piece of melted vinyl right in the middle of the song. So that record has to be played and that song manually skipped or bye bye stylus. There is also a problem I noticed with some Music on Vinyl double LP releases, the binder edge is so wide that when you store the record it wants to warp the records because one side of the jacket is 3 mm further away than the other side. I could go on and on about records with greasy finger prints, dirt all over them, and some that I swear were used records someone at the pressing plant took home the new pressing and put in their old scratched up copy. Insanity! This was a great topic and I am sure we will see some more horror stories like mine soon. Cheers!
I simply cannot fathom why, here in 2022, it is hard to get a freaking spindle hole in the center? We have CNC machines that routinely and cheaply hit +/-0.005" and have for the last 30 years. Ugh.
@@anadialog my local Barnes and Noble had put up huge vinyl racks some years ago. They recently reduced it to a corner. I am expecting Target to do the same soon.
Great video. Check out Daptone records - or colemine. Good prices, recorded in analog to tape, quality jackets, new issues have anti static sleeves, a few color variants- true limited editions not to be re pressed and small quantity batches of those. 45s that are true singles - 7inch 45s - and also truly limited and they have European distribution …Plus the music is soulful and funky as hell!
The Way Most Companies WERE: "Let's work real hard and produce some good product for our loyal customers. Something they will really like and be impressed and fully satisfied with, and take a real liking to. Maybe they will tell some of their friends about it and they will start buying & really get into it too. Lets see how low cost we can do this without compromising quality. We don't want to be viewed as price gougers for being too expensive for heavens sake. What do you think would be a fair price to charge? If anyone has a problem due to possible lapses in quality control, let's help them. We don't want to lose any of our loyal customers. Ok, let's get started and everybody do their best. The Way Many Companies Are NOW: How much money do you think we can possibly charge for this and enough people would still buy it? We will have to give them good quality or they'll stop buying them, but we want every dollar we can get out of them. What they tell their friends is of no concern. They probably don't have any friends that will pay our prices. If our price is less than what they would have been willing to pay, that's money that could have been ours. We can package it up real fancy and charge a sh*tload of money for it. They'll think "Oh, how nice. That's a lot of money but it looks like it's worth it." "Look how nice the box is". Let's say it's limited edition, that way, they'll figure they better buy it real quick, before it goes out of print. They have a fear of missing out.They'll think it will be worth even a lot more money, when it does go out of print. Some of them will actually but 2 copies at those prices. One to hold onto for a while, and then sell, and one for themselves. Ok no fooling around now. Let's Go.. Go.. Go.. !
Re Boxes. Acoustic Sounds is the big guilty party here. Do we need a UHQR special edition in a pointless box? No we don't and it adds to the high price. Are you paying attention Chad?
Excellent video and totally on point! 45 rpm is THE WORST! Stop the madness and just produce quality 33 rpm pressings already. Quality is the key word here and my number one issue with current record production: Pressings consistently have the following issues: Surface noise Clicks and pops Hole is off center Hole is too small Warping Split seams Dirty AF And “audiophile” pressings are not exempt. Many are nearly as bad or worse than standard productions. I’m tired of wasting my money on a subpar product and have recently begin purchasing CDs (for far less money) until the industry gets its act together. I’m pretty fed up with it all.
Have a look at any high value 45s ( mainly soul and reggae ) they won't ever go down in value. Now look at CDs , nice as beer coasters but give me a small piece of plastic any day.
The 2018 Remix of Pink Floyd's Animals is packaged well and is actually amazing!!!!!!!!!! The only problem (according to what Mike Espinosa said) right now is that the defect rate is 40% which is absolutely ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!! But, I got a copy of it and it sounds amazing!!!!!!!!!! Definitely worth every penny. Not really interested in buying any other modern day pressing of any other album. Maybe the 50th Anniversary edition of The Dark Side Of The Moon (if it comes out), but I want to be as satisfied with that reissue as I was with the 2018 Remix of Animals.
Couldn't agree more strongly with this video and all of these 10 points. Well said it really is all getting a bit ludacris these days.They are treating intelligent people like dummies.
Some of the new albums and pressings are off the charts excellent- I specifically refer to Acoustic Sounds - and frankly blow away almost all my old albums. Check out their verve series in 45 holy smokes you will not be disappointed
6:08 Yeah great point! I haven't thought about that yet, but you're right. My biggest pet peeve are the bs limited editions. Even the old DJ records I own were more limited and sold at 8.95 euros a piece.
The inflated prices with the crazy strong dollar makes buying records pretty much a no no for me at the moment. I prefer records in a simple made quality jacket instead of large cumbersome boxes. I really dislike them, it is just an excuse to overprice the product and is a major inconvenience with little real added value.
I received my new analog production Miles Davis “Kind of Blue”. 180G. Clear vinyl. First record is completely warped!!!! WTH!!! A new 180g vinyl that is warped….yes the 180g is hifi snake oil that we happily paid for. And that’s the issue here. Corporations will do all in their power to maximize profits as long as we pay for it. I’m never buying from them until it’s guaranteed a flawless album shows up to my house…. My copy of the new Blue Note “BlueTrain” reissue is flawless. Perfect, flat 180g vinyl. 🎉🎉🎉
Hi Guido, an addition: lots of us here in the US are having defects in the new Bill Evans box, which is fine. However, AP is asking us to destroy them, only to tell us after the fact that they have no estimated date for replacements…. That is pretty lame
On the price: If you get some cheaper new releases, the quality control is awful because I've had a few times where they just used stampers till they are worn, resulting in records that sound muffled or have terrible sibilance.
The big overlooked problem with boxes, particularly in a humid climate, is that they are a breading place for mold and mildew. Anybody ever seen those pristine looking boxes of opera LPs at the thrift store....open one up and your nose is hit with that nasty moldy aroma.
Dipped my toes into vinyl, after hearing a mega buck vinyl system... Brand new records were scratched, dirty, off center, same label on both sides etc. The mastering of all was to different degrees subpar to the masterings I had on cd or could find on streaming. Lent/bough some older records too and most were pretty awful (thin/tinny). The best records were still better on digital, even though the new price of the TT setup (Rega P3-24, Exact2, external psu, Rega Aria, reference belt, magic gel cleaner etc.) was more than the new price of my DAC combo (USBridge signature, Allo Shanti PSU, Rega DAC). Hopefully I was just very unlucky, but with prices being what they are and purchases being so hit and miss, I’m not sure I’ll re-engage. To be clear, if you are willing to figure/search out the right pressings and get a much better TT setup than me, it sure it can be awesome (maybe even superior), but I think you will pay a high tax (time spent, money invested to get better than comparatively affordable digital). I’ll be fixing my power, treating my room, getting a proper digital front end etc.. then maybe vinyl when I old and bored (or get a lot of funny money) 😅
My peeve - colored vinyl. Bought a few of these from Walmart at $22-$25 USD a pop, and that’s what I get - pops, clicks, scraping sounds even when I clean the record multiple times. I returned 4 albums over Christmas that sounded horrible or full of noise. No more.
Two things: Starting with 180g pressings, and in imho its bullshit. As with anything in analog audio shit in, shit out. Your stylus doesn't care how much your record weighs what really matters is the quality of the pressing. If you start with a bad master you are going to have a bad record. if you are concerned about your record moving while its playing use a wight or a clamp. Number two is the price of new and used records and tables. The only thing that will cure this is time. Reel to Reel machines and tape had this issues 5 or 6 years years ago. But since then the market has cooled down and you no longer have to mortgage your house to buy a Tascam, Teac, Akai, Technics, etc. And the only albums that cost an arm and leg are your stereotypical heavy hitters Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, etc. And I think the vinyl market will cool down sooner rather then later. As the people who fallow this trend are moving away from vinyl and towards compact cassettes. So if you have a good deck that you are thinking about selling now would be a good time to service it and clean it up.
for the distribution problem, perhaps it would be enough to do as it was in the old days, when you had a European press for almost all American records. Some do, for example Makaya McCraven's beautiful "In These Times" is published by International Anthem in the US and XL Recordings in the EU, so we in Europe can buy the XL edition instead of buying it directly from the US and spend $ 25/30 for shipping and other charges (Dead Texan's reiussue go for 15 $, plus 25 in shipping, here I can't find it for less than 30€).
@@anadialog For vinyl as for now, practically no one does. International Anthem is the only one I am aware of who does. But fingers crossed, maybe they start to understand that in this way they could sell something more…
Last year I bought an LP pressing of the White Album's 2018 remix. It was 180 grams and it was WARPED, which cancels the argument that 180 gram records are sturdier, etc. It was when I had it up on a shelf being pressed up against by other records, that it mostly flattened out and I can play it now 😅😅😅😅
@@anadialog Thanks. After a while, I took it out thinking it couldn't be as badly warped as I thought it was, then found out it was flattened out. That was a very happy day in my home.
11 - Not having a code for digital download. Sorry, I can't listen to vinyl in my car. 12 - Recurrent quality issues on new releases. You all know what I mean. 13 - When the record label don't indicate in a glance side A and side B... I mean, come on!!!! Annoying!!! 14 - really thin Spines. Hard to search on shelving collection. I prefer thick gatefold designs. 15 - Disappointing soind quality pressings. Yep, they make us want to only have those near mint rare vintage pressings. In the case of new albums, well... nothing much to do, except to wait 10 years for a new repressing, or find an alternative country/ area pressing. 16 - already mentioned - PRICE!!!!!!
Hello, I agree with you 90% ( I do prefer 45 rpm records). But I also want to add a point: I'm tired of noisy pressings (did you hear the last Man of steel OST from MOV?). I recently bought a limited edition album from MOV and I had to wash it twice with my ultrasonic cleaner and then "scratch" the record with a back and foth movement and an overweighted DJ cartridge to make it sound ok... and this is a shame, because the master of this record is fantastic and it would have deserved a better pressing. And last, the way Amazon is shipping records... I had to return several ones because the covers arrived bent... It's a pity!
The thing I don't like in new releases is fancy colours and white. I like black so you can see the grooves are clean. I don't want stupid rainbow of colours in a splatter pattern. I don't want a decorative disc I want to listen to it!
Acoustic Sounds checks most all of your gripes with their reissues of the Steely Dan LPs. All in 45 rpm… check. All on 180 gr of course.. check. All at 150 bucks. LoL… check… all in needless (stupid) outer boxing… check. WTF. I bought the KOB on UHQR.. took me FOUR returns to get an acceptable copy and it was not perfect. The clear vinyl is pure hype. I have an early 70s reissue that sounds as good. I love Analog Production in general- their AP reissues are priced under 50 bucks and are awesome. Why they couldn’t do this with Steely Dan is beyond all understanding. They could have done so much more sales had they stuck to simple packaging and standard vinyl. But no. Also, most of Steely Dan’s albums are not what I’d call audiophile to begin with.. and none of their fans could care less either.
A couple of years ago I bought a brand new Keith Jarrett in Munich double lp. ECM used to produce superb pressings that you could rely on. The first side had a noisy defect all the way through. I put a comment on the ECM facebook page and asked if they had sent Jarrett a copy like this. He has a decent turntable and would have been very peed off if they had. They took the comment down. Do not buy ECM on vinyl,guys.
I've come to the point where buying the cd is more economical then the album. After thinking through the recording, I'm basically buying a cd on vinyl. If it's a release from prior 1985-88, it's better for me to search out the record from those years prior even if it is a re release of a certain album over the newer vinyl release. I want to enjoy my music collection, not be a slave to it.
In un negozio di dischi in Croazia ho chiesto alla commessa di cosa si lamentano di più i clienti, lei ha risposto "tutti dicono che i dischi una volta erano di qualità molto più alta e costavano meno", l'enfasi era sulla scarsa qualità
Tell me if i'm wrong... spinning disks at 45rpm raises the frequency of rumble moving it closer to low end frequencies of the recording., right? As for 180g... i live in a hot dry climate, 180g records generate far more static than the standard 120g. You can keep these heavy weight re -releases & give me a first pressing (without the bonus tracks) any day. Good video by the way!
It might do that. I have no idea. One thing I can tell you is the one 45 rpm album that I had was 10 minutes per side and had the best signal to noise ratio I've ever heard from an LP.
@@rickdrake9850 De-min water works fine also, especially if you play the records wet. And using a humidifier to give the room a more UK like climate butt the best work around, that involves less fuss is to just find a good 1st pressing.
@@anonamouse5917 i like playing records but i don't like being a slave to the turntable.. Contrary to popular belief, time isn't money because, I can always make more money, but i can't make more time.... also, i play loud so rumble is sometimes noticeable, (the best audio upgrade i ever made was buying a detached property in a rural location). I often listen while doing other things and i can live with changing records around every 18min... but every 10min? fine if i stack them on my BSR auto-changer but not good on a manual deck. it's just not practical when vinyl is your main source of music and you spin disks 4 to 6 hours per day. The power here gets momentarily interrupted often, and records cope best because the music instantly resumes when the power returns. As for needing lower sig 2 noise ratio, it's easier to just play a CD on a battery powered player. After all, that;s what CDs are for, right? . If i need perfect sound, i just buy the music on sheet manuscript paper. 45s are a nice novelty, but not for daily use unless your a DJ in a club.
@@janedoe6350 Your first post creates the impression that you care about sonic quality while your response to me indicates you don't. Either way, thanks for the unwarranted condescension.👍
Re: 180 gram records - I have a couple of Virgin Nice Price reissue records from the 80s that are paper-thin and didn't warp and they sounded good (I don't have a record player anymore). Vinyl is stronger than people think.
You talk about distribution in Europe, but you don't know how difficult to buy vinyl in Russia. It's really quest to buy something really limited. It's real problem. And I completely agree with other things that you say in video. Inner sleeves, o my god... thay don't put them even in very limited editions.. thank for video!
Great video, it’s wonderful to be so honest and direct, I like it. I agree when it comes to weight of vinyl, I’m more interested in the quality of recording/pressing than if it was 180/200 gr, for example the standard Pablo recording of 88 Basie St is as good and maybe better than the reissue on heavy vinyl in 45 rpm, I have both. I do like a lot of the reissues on 45 rpm, but as you said, over priced. Actually, the price might be creeping up for us in the US because of high demand from overseas which I noticed after stopping to buy vinyl since 2015, till just 2 months ago. I see a lot of people in Europe getting pre-ordered US releases before we do here, weeks ahead of us, because of subscriptions and paying more. I do wish that music export and import has no taxation, to help cross the oceans, otherwise high quality music will become a burden and eventually it will be only on collectors shelves.
People pay for perceptions of value regardless of the reality. I used to have an audio cable company back in the 80s and 90s. My prices were always reasonable compared to my competition with fancy packaging. Every no and then I would be excoriated by some customer because I didn't use deluxe packaging, No wooden box etc. I used to troll them by saying that after extensive resting, I discovered that cables sound best if stored in plastic freezer bags. Life is difficult, it's more difficult if you are stupid.
Sadly, most the record buying public are audiophiles these days. It would be nice if we could get back to a point where only a small percentage of record buyers where hi-end buffs.
Gerard Stroh*** Hi Anadialog*** I Like The 45 rpm Speed Versions Because it Sounds Better!!! 1. They Need to Be the Same Price on all Box Sets per Country 2. Alot of Times the Color Vinyl will have Flaws in the Vinyl and it Sounds So Noisy like an old Record!!!! 3. I don't Like the inner Record Sleeves that Are Made out of Paper and it acts like Sandpaper!!!! 4. The Clear Vinyl Records Like the John Lennon Imagine Album was So Noisy and the CD and Blu-Ray Was Better!!!! 5. I got the Fog Soundtrack From Waxworks was so Noisy and Flawd so I Re-order it Because Hopefully this Pressing Should Be Better!!!! That's My Take on New Vinyl Records!!!
I wish they would master from original tape to vinyl. I bought Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds new vinyl. Sounded terrible. Too tiny and it was scratched. I sent it back and bought an old release. Superb.
Good points. I would like record jackets to be made of archival quality materials. These records may never be available again. The master tapes are getting very old. 100 years from now these records, and their covers, may be the only documents of the music and album artworks from the 20th century. If pop music is to attain/retain its status as fine art it needs to be created to last - otherwise the whole art form is gonna be in the dumpster.
What a great topic! My beef is the numerous reissues of the same...how many versions, for example, of "Kind of Blue" can you have? Give me a break! There are so many artists out there who have great back catalogues that don't get any attention.... Shirley Bassey has an amazing catalogue of recordings particularly from the 1970's but not one reissue on vinyl.
There’s already been 3 records I bought for good money, because I really revere the release but I ended up getting 3 very desirable, hard to get vinyls with large divots (pits) in the grooves, making it impossible to play that track without destroying (or ripping out) your stylus! Why is it on the always on the hard to get and most desirable records, is it only me???
![ANA[DIA]LOG](http://yt3.ggpht.com/50CpmGNilS8aoMlarZVhI_GxRDoZdbj4ZgwCMZXg-Rq2PrEvCytlE6RVyLUrNY-rwE_sAlZ1Zw=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj)
35, 50 , 60 bucks for a new vinyl IS AN ABUSE , specially towards the young kids just starting in the hobby of listening to music and collecting records.
Adjusting for inflation, $4 (the price of an ordinary record) in 1970 is $32 ish in 2022. Make it a double, limited edition, box set, half speed mastered etc and you can see how the prices mount.
Don't be silly. I've got numerous 45s that I paid a few £ for and now worth 4 figures. Ask anyone into soul or reggae and LPs don't ( apart from rare instances ) even compute. Buy whatever you want but don't knock the price of new vinyl, it's worth every penny.
@Lloyd Stout except new records weren't $13 back in the 70s the most expensive ones were 4.99 and smaller labels charged 1.99-2.99 depending the region
if the price is too high for you -- just don't buy it. what's the problem?
I can't afford golden watches, therefore I don't collect them.
Honestly the kids don't need to have everything we have, it's nice to be older and have money and acquire things that are out of someone else's price range, one day they'll get there too maybe for now they can buy CDs or old cassettes.
Thanks a million Guid-man! This is one of your best videos, really love it when you conjure up the authentic Italian passion!
Point no. 11: if it’s a modern (digital) production don’t waste money on the record. This is supposed to sound best as a digital reproduction. In almost every case companies don’t even bother to remaster the digital file to sound good on vinyl. As you mentioned I also never heard a 180g sounding better than a regular record. Record companies making a huge profit from the raising interest and try to maximize it with all the stuff you mentioned. Plus in 9 out of 10 times the original pressing sounds better than the re- issue (and is sometimes even less expensive).
So right sir.
I completely agree
That is an issue. I do not mind the use of digital PCM (or better DSD) being used to record albums, but if a label is going to release a vinyl version of it, they need to do it right and remaster the album FOR vinyl in a good way, to take advantage of both the limitations and the nice possibilities it offers sonically.
That's not as true as you may think; in fact in at least some cases, and very ironically, the vinyl version actually has more dynamics than the hyper-compressed, loudness war digital version.
A great example is the original 2014 release of Taylor Swift's "1989." It's so over-compressed and brick wall limited on CD it's frankly rather painful to listen to. It's just a mush of sound, it's congested and might sound great on ear buds but sounds horrid on an actual sound system.
On the other hand the vinyl release is a PLEASURE to listen to. It's open, dynamic, poppy and just a lot of fun.
I can't say how often that's the case, but it does happen.
they sound best only if your DAC is as good as the DAC used on the cutting room
In my view the biggest sin is if you have a classic analog recording like a 1970s album which was converted to digital at some point of time and this is the source of a new vinyl release…because it is less work than copying from an analog source.
THANKS MATE! Someone had to say those things about records nowadays! I especially get annoyed by the poor quality of the printing. Two examples: Madonna’s ‘true blue’ or Tina’s ‘break every rule’ (two records which reissue shocked me from their covers full of noise compared to the original version, printed the old way!). I would also point out the compulsive way teenagers buy new records, paying no attention to its price, only to play them on a shitty plastic turntable with a disgusting ceramic cartridge. Are they drug dealers or what? I’m glad I tolerate very well other formats like the cds, sometimes I’m about giving it up with records.
😂
For new releases it pisses me off when they don't include a download. Indie labels often do, but it's getting less common.
Amen, Guido! 100% agree on all aspects. I’ve been a record collector and audio nerd for over 30 yrs. Lost the majority of my 1st collection in a fire, but have thankfully tracked down most of the records I’d lost plus many more. Now, there’s only a few more grails left, but they’ll show up eventually. I just hope newer collectors aren’t put off by this BS that goes along with collecting today. 👍🔊😊🎶
Couldn't agree more... this stuff is fine if playing records is only a hobby... but a pain in the ass if spinning disks is a way of life. I used to be a record collector but i've used up most of my records from years back. These days i see records more as consumables (not unlike tyres or clothing, they just ware out and need replacing). Using records does drive up the price though. But you only live once!
With the 180 gram thing, it's mostly hype, and I think they are more prone to non-fill and they definitely can still warp. I noticed Neil Young re-issues are now 140.
Right and I have a vacuum for my platter. It works better on the thinner vinyl.
I've been buying vinyl for 35+ years. I never got warped records until the 180 thing started. Half of what I buy are shaped like plates.
Good list I agree. My number 11 would be reissues using original artwork and spoiling it with a bar code that wasn't on the first issue.
Retailers won’t stock product without a bar code.
You youngsters, they have always been expensive, sometimes hard to get and varying drastically in quality. ( I don’t like having to get up and turn over those 45’s at my age though).
Ps love your channel
great video!!...a little bit of information regarding time per side: general rule is like 20-23 mins per side in LPs cut with lacquer method and 2 mins. extra per side with DMM...when you pass the optimum time per side, the engineer has to do "some tricks" in order to cut thin grooves , like roll off bass, make lower overall level of the recording and the ugly "narrowing of stereo field"...so, if you want to stay in a relative safe zone about overall quality, dont buy LPs with more than 50 mins.
Good rule of thumb!
Yes, at 50 you are starting to lose compression. Also on reissues remember the more a record is mastered it loses compression, just as originals.
Thanks for this video!! I want to remark on the ARTWORK. I have bought vinyl reissues of albums that I originally bought in the late 70s - early 80s. And guess what?! And guess what? The new artwork is really bad. They shrunk the original artwork to CD size, and now blowing it back to LP size with low resolution and cropped in the wrong way! Once you notice this, it is awful
Can't stand that...
What a great video man! gorgeous! I would add to my list, the exaggeration of colored vinyls when the original version was black
Thx Dan!
The greed of companies which has led to new vinyl being over the top expensive will definitely turn young kids from getting into this format. The profit margin is HUGE yet we still get digitally sourced heavily brickwalled sounding vinyl in cheap paper sleeves. One really has to be selective with what pressing they buy. A sticker on front showing the chain ,..such as AAA...would be helpful. Grazie Guido .. ciao from Australia 👍
@Lloyd Stout Get your facts straight. An average vinyl record still cost between 5 and 6 dollars in the mid eighties when I started buying records.
Keep it up…I am digital only and you just gave me ten MORE reasons not to make the insane plunge back into the obsessions and associated costs of vinyl! 😎 I do always enjoy your videos and learn a lot! 👍🏼
If you are only digital your appreciation is even more valuable! Thx!
Records are the only source I have where a moment’s clumsiness can wipe out a multi-hundred (or thousand) dollar cartridge.
Good video Guido. To me the worse is the missing information: mastering, pressing plant, process etc. sometimes the same serial n belongs to several editions, unbelievable
Great point, I completely agree! (Regardless MoFi)
Hi: All the points you make are valid and knowing that the record producers hopefully read these I didn't mean to imply that "there's no pleasing some people - but - as we all know that can be the case on occasion. As to your last point which I whole heartedly agree with as to "off center" holes that is an issue. I've come up with a fool proof way of alleviating that problem without the insanity of a $1500 centering tool!!!. All you need is an "X-Acto" knife and a good eye. Start your turntable and place the stylus on the record roughly one inch in from the lead in groove. Now bend down a "sight" along the tonearm and see weather the stylus is moving in or out from dead center. Then while the platter is still moving note at which point of the label is the movement note that place on the label. Now stop the platter lift the tonearm and relace it on its' rest. Now that you're noted the area of inward or out ward motion take your X-Acto knife and slowly start to "cut" that small area - the cut you make will resemble an eighth moon shape. Now put the record back on your TT and place the eighth moon cut right up to the spindle and start to play it and see if you tonearm still moves. It should be moving less eccentrically now - but if it still does shave a bit more and try again -go slow and shave a little at a time until you get it perfectly centered - it isn't that difficult there's nothing worse than hearing a "wow" in your record from an off centered hole! I've been doing this for many many years with great success - happy centering!
Cool! Thanks for sharing that!
Or you can get this but it's crazy money:
www.musicalsurroundings.com/products/ds-audio-es-001-eccentricity-detection-stabilizer
Good points ,inner sleeves is the one thing annoys me ,they are usually in the lyric sheet as the sleeve , anyway thanks any all your points are well made 🙏🌻🎼
The high prices are definitely a turn off. Unless I need it for my collection I will stick to the CD or cassette release to have it
You are right in all your points. I want to emphasise in the height of prices. This is mentioned in used records too making our hobby unaffordable. All the tricks (45rpm,box sets, 180 grammars, collored vinyl) are there to increase record prices. I see compact discs with more sympathy than ever.....
Indeed...love old CDs
I entirely agree with all of your points. The sloppy mastering and compression makes some new releases unlistenable. A good example of this is Crowded House’s “Dreamers Are Waiting”. The vinyl LP is an atrocity. The album is really good and on CD, via a decent DAC, sounds very nicely recorded and produced. Biffy Clyro suffer from badly mastered vinyl releases, low level, overly compressed and almost one dimensional mush. The Doves last LP was the same. I’ve heard more dynamics on you tube! Well said my friend!
We all complained when CD's started to take over and vinyl seemed to be going the way of the "Doo-Doo Bird". Now that we're getting all the vinyl we can handle and then some - still complaints - I don't get it sorry. Like my mom used to say " there's no pleasing some people" how true!
What you are saying is absolutely true. Don't getvme wrong, I am the happiest vinyl neard in the planet BUT a little critique can only help. Don't forget that manufacturers watch and take notes over these types of videos.
Today's vinyl is not worth the price. I bought 3 new records that did not play on one whole side. That was within 2 year's. I have purchased 1000s if cds. One was bad 😆
Rush icon comes with the anti static cover. I really appreciate that they did that for the Rush album
Number 1 is the high price! 2 the hit or miss sound quality. 3 poor quality artwork. 4. High compression and lack of dynamics. 5 CD having more content at half the price!
High prices will eventually kill the market.
Lots of consumers aren't very bright. Corporations will take advantage of a consumer every time we let them. Unfortunately in a world of instant gratification people want want want more than they are willing to think about the long term effects. Like all these little things they do, pic discs, 180 or 220 and box sets, hifidelity stickers etc...they have been separating the market for a long time of ppl who refuse to pay and the suckers, and unfortunately there are alot more suckers. Big problem with that is by willfully paying these silly prices consumers are screaming to labels "HEY WE DONT CARE ABOUT AUDIO QUALITY AS LONG AS ITS SPARKLY AND SAYS LIMITED EDITION WE'LL PAY ANY PRICE !!!". So the real threat is there is no financial incentive to keep producing high quality records and once they all realize this, even the few that do try will not be able to compete with other labels doing the same album at half the cost and selling at the same price. Everyone should do their research before buying an album, if peoples opinion on that album is that it's compressed or has poor dynamics than just stream it instead until they get the message. It's cheaper and may even sound better.
No quality incentive...very good point there, I sadly agree!
PAPER JACKETS....AAARRRGGHH!! They are my biggest complaint on new releases. As you say, why not at least use a poly lined sleeve for the package. It can't cost any more. Then we can use our own preferred sleeves. Agree with you re boxes too.
Number 9 (Record Condition). Lax and greedy manufacturing practices is the biggest flaw in today's vinyl! I bought Wish you Were Here in the summer and was appalled at what I got from PF! Bits of processing debris was ground into the vinyl - on two albums! Back in the early 80's you were almost guaranteed that a PF album would be free of debris. Actually most albums were good! Today It is actually odd to get a good album...so sad.
11. Taking the master that was destined for the CD and using it on the LP: Marillion's 2018 Remix of "Clutching At Straws" is a MAJOR offender here. You get really, REALLY bad, insufferable clipping where the levels peak; a scratchy-sounding distortion in all the crescendos of "That Time of The Night", "Slàinte Mhath", "Sugar Mice", "The Last Straw" that makes the listening experience intolerable. And it seemed like such a well thought-out release! Two LPs to hold all of the CD's songs without omitting any one of them; heavyweight vinyl with practically no surface noise; proper antistatic inner sleeves. And yet, you're stuck with such a piss-poor mastering that ruins everything.
12. Spindle holes that are too tight or too loose - often combined with eccentricity.
13. "Limited editions" of digitally-remastered records. EXCUSE ME? Dude, you're using a (hopefully) high-res digital copy of the master (whether it's digital or analog is neither here nor there). You can make unlimited copies of it. Don't tell me you're limited to 5,000, 10,000, 50,000 copies.
And if the record companies think they can't afford to fix these things, here's a way for them to save money: fire a few Chief Something Officers, and axe the salaries and bonuses of the remaining ones by 60%. Problem solved.
My two cents... (IMHO) As a collector who loves Blue Note jazz, I really don't need the gatefold sleeves. They take up too much space on my shelves. I would reather that both the classic and Tone Poets came in basic sleeves and that prices were shifted accordingly.
You hit the nail! 👍🏻
You pretty well covered it! Prices are spiking even for regular releases and quality control is terrible! Straight out of the shrink wrap I get warped records, audibly scratchy, and the absolute worst when the center hole isn't lined up properly! I would add limited quantity to the list of gripes. The record hobby is growing and it's tough when an album gets a 500 - 1000 print run that sells out in seconds and never gets a second release for 5+ years!
True!
What about box sets at 45 rpm on 180g vinyl ? Isn't that what the new Steely Dan box sets are ?
Like the Italians say in NY..."Fugget about it...."
In addition most re-issues are from a DSD source which in turn may have been converted from a "PCM-Master".
I'm thrilled, I just found your channel. Great videos
Welcome aboard!🤗
Bought a 45rpm super vinyl for 80 bucks, hole was not in the middle and the needle was jumping, returned it immediately, no comment, maybe I will completely stop buying new vinyl because I got to much crappy stuff in the last years
Thanks for capturing it. Agree to everyone of your points. Especially the US releases (and UK OGs since brexit…..)
1. Record labels (MOFSL included) not being transparent in telling us what source was used to cut the record. Now that vinyl is going up in price, there's no excuse to cut from digital files. I don't mind paying more if the quality goes up
Off center records, while has always been an issue, it is much more common now.
I so agree with you. Thanks for your video, mate 😎👍
Crappy built-in pre amp on new turntables suck as well..
I agree on everything! 👍
Some are "OK", but at least many manufacturers give you a choice of whether you want one or not. Then you can get a $200 iFi Zen Phono or a $600 Moon LP 110 v2 and on up the food chain commensurate with the price of the turntable and cartridge. But for many starting out or just getting back into vinyl, having a "decent" built-in one can make their lives easier. I bought a $500 U-Turn Orbit Special with their Pluto 2 phono amp built-in. I figure it will give me all the performance I need even if I upgrade to the Ortofon 2m Blue from the Red one day. If I ever buy a higher end cartridge than the Blue, then yeah, I'll be looking at something better. What phono amp do you use?
These points are actually quite good!
Guido, very nice video. I must congratulate you, this video was very nice with no sniffing and scratching or any annoying distractions. You returned to your old self, very good. Now, the thing that is most disgusting is the price that the “audiophile” labels are charging for their products. Their is no reason for it, no amount of special anything validates asking $150.00 for a re-issue or $125.00, or even $50.00. In order to gourde to pay that ridiculous amount of money they dress their products in fancy clothes, like the proverbial monkey dressed in satin. The record is not made better for it, they justify the price with those stupid morsels. The worst part is that there are “collectors” paying for those abominations. One part of the 45 rpm that seems to elude most record users is that the fast speed causes a lot of friction reducing the life of the stylus. Cartridge and stylus sellers promoted the 45 rpm’s as the best alternative to 33 rpm’s (which it is sonically) because it was better for business. I also happen to think that sonically there’s no advantage in 180 gr. vs. 130/140 gr. record. It is not the extra thickness that makes the difference, if any, but the quality of the vinyl.
Very interesting video. The best way to stop this looting madness is not buying the damn things. Whinnying over it is useless. STOP!!!!!
Thanks! I was sick last week because of my allergy...in fact, no video...😪
Single albums in the U.S. in 1978 cost $5.99. In 2022 that same value is about $27. There is no good reason for new vinyl albums to cost more than about $30 unless they are "special" in some way. Even more aggravating for us here in the U.S. is despite the current exchange rate of $1.00 USD = 1.03 Euros, we really haven't seen prices of goods from Europe become any cheaper. I price vinyl albums, speakers, DACs, turntables, integrated amps, etc., and nope. Prices are just as high as they ever were. Someone is pocketing that difference, but it isn't the consumers.
In 1978 record companies had plenty of LP factories and they could sell thousands or millions of copies. Nowadays vinyl is a niche market and there are only few factories in the world. That’s a very important factor.
@@Caifo yes, but we aren't asking them to make millions and millions of records as in the heyday, except for Adele albums that are still sitting in stores in the discount racks.
Agree with most of those Guido. The prices are the main bugbear, so I only buy 3 or 4 new per year nowadays. I think vinyl will decline as a result as it's become a rich man's game.
Not really, they were 6-7$ and full of great promo prices at half that. I have the original price tags on them...
@Lloyd Stout Not too long ago (2019/2020) I was picking up albums for £15-£20 quite regularly. Now a lot of stuff is £28-£45 and even more in some cases.
Thank you, thank you , thank you!!!
Agree 100% across the board.
I also inform that it is only plastic, to no avail , the proverbial "beating a dead horse"
Thank YOU!
I have the same issue with shipping but the other way, living in the US and those issues only released in Europe or UK
It's like buying 1 record for the price of 2... (if you're lucky)
The thing that piss me of the most is that large number of the new releases are made from digital mix. I do not see why on Earth you will have all original analog tapes, will convert them to digital, make "improvements" and then prepare to release all of this back to analog as LP. There is no any sense!
Digital sounds better
Good video, excellent points. I could go on a rant about abandoning vinyl records. No new purchases, never. I'm done. To be clear, I am a CD lover, but it doesn't mean I hate vinyl. I have 375 albums that date from the late 60s to the mid 80s. That's when I went CD. Not for any cause or reason, it was the thing. Most everything you mention is a reason for my decision to go CD. The biggest push away from vinyl was my purchase of an Emerson, Lake and Palmer LP, a beautiful cream white vinyl that sounded good, that is, until the pops arrived. That was the straw that broke my back.
CDs do not suffer from the other annoying disturbances a vinyl produces, such as groove noise, pops and having to clean the record every time. Then there is the cost of the turntable of choice, the upgrade to a better cartridge, maybe a need to purchase a DAC, etc. Not going to say that CDs sound better than vinyl, that is up to the listener and his set of ears. But I do notice that clear, clean sound of pure silence and excellent dynamic range a CD produces, especially those originally recorded digitally. Yep, there are more digital recordings than you think. I really wish vinyl would just go away. It really is old tech and can't improve beyond the restrictions of the physical disc. Ever so slowly, I'm replacing all the vinyl records I love with CDs. The records are slowly dying. And if and when no more physical media is produces, I will still have my forever library of music on a small silver platter in digital form.
In defense of the ELP, colored vinyl WAS bad, very bad with more surface noise and pops, but today's newer colored vinyl is as quite as black or even better, clear vinyl. But yeah, I love my few ELP on vinyl, but I'm glad I bought all of them on CD.
Hi Guido, I enjoyed your video but bad records have always been a problem. It was the main reason I was an early CD adopter. I could just not put up with the LP quality any more we where getting in the 80's. Other than that, I mainly buy vintage records and when I buy new ones they are from bands that are on tour and bring out their own. I think those are the real limited editions. And most of those records have been problem free. I also have a few 180 gram records and personally I have no complains with the sound. My main turntable is a Dual 1019 and since that has a 10" platter, I don't mind a bit stiffer record.
I've yet to hear a 45 RPM release that doesn't sound SO much better than the 33 1/3 it's not even worth playing the 33 1/3 version any more.
By far, the best sounding album I own is the 45 RPM 180g Analogue Productions version of "A Charlie Brown Christmas."
I couldn't agree more upon the lack of QC; there's no reason each copy of a $125 release can't be checked to make sure each side was pressed centered, doesn't have non-fill, and isn't warped.
Agreed! Mostly, but with point #3 I disagree to a point. (180 mg's) Here is a thought, and different take. I have 2 turntable decks. Both are Dual. One is Direct Drive- 701. The other is belt. Both have mats. But, the direct drive, (1974) is a bit lower of a tonearm angle. Even with my insulator mat. So, when I put a 180 mg record on the Dual 701, it actually sounds better (to me) because the stylus sits deeper in the groove from the record being up a bit higher and the stylus is not trying to bite in at an articulated angel. As for my belt, both sound as good.
I can really relate to your pet peeves. They drive me crazy too!!
Caro Guido grazie per la qualità sempre alta e stimolante dei tuoi contributi. Per me, appassionato collezionista di dischi, la conseguenza più nefasta della rinascita del vinile è la tendenza a saturare il mercato con musiche del passato. Se guardiamo la cosa ad esempio dal punto di vista di un musicista di jazz che ha inciso un disco e magari vuole diffonderlo attraverso il vinile, ora a ottobre del 2022, al di là delle difficoltà di produzione (ritardi, tecniche digitali di incisione invece che analogiche etc. etc.) questo ipotetico autore si trova a dover competere con Blue Train (in due versioni) Kind of Blue etc etc. Questo solo per fare un esempio ... Bisognerebbe promuovere di più quelle pochissime case discografiche che con tecnica analogica fanno incisioni in vinile di artisti viventi. These are my two cents ..
Sono assolutamente d'accordo. Va però detto che molti fanno solo mediocre produzioni in CD. C'è un bel Mercato pronto ad accettare jazz nuovo ben registrato/masterizzato in qualsiasi formato, certo meglio in un buon vinile!
I have seen some really crappy new records over my 40+ years of buying them. I have 2 by different manufacturers that have the labels so off-center that the runout groove runs into the label and makes this horrible sound if you don't catch it when the last song immediately ends. I also have one record that has a piece of melted vinyl right in the middle of the song. So that record has to be played and that song manually skipped or bye bye stylus. There is also a problem I noticed with some Music on Vinyl double LP releases, the binder edge is so wide that when you store the record it wants to warp the records because one side of the jacket is 3 mm further away than the other side. I could go on and on about records with greasy finger prints, dirt all over them, and some that I swear were used records someone at the pressing plant took home the new pressing and put in their old scratched up copy. Insanity! This was a great topic and I am sure we will see some more horror stories like mine soon. Cheers!
I simply cannot fathom why, here in 2022, it is hard to get a freaking spindle hole in the center? We have CNC machines that routinely and cheaply hit +/-0.005" and have for the last 30 years. Ugh.
Thank goodness i have kept all my original records from the 60's and 70's in good condition.
The industry milked CDs, kept inflating prices, until people stopped buying them altogether. They are doing the same with vinyl.
Absolutely true!
@@anadialog my local Barnes and Noble had put up huge vinyl racks some years ago. They recently reduced it to a corner. I am expecting Target to do the same soon.
Great video. Check out Daptone records - or colemine. Good prices, recorded in analog to tape, quality jackets, new issues have anti static sleeves, a few color variants- true limited editions not to be re pressed and small quantity batches of those. 45s that are true singles - 7inch 45s - and also truly limited and they have European distribution …Plus the music is soulful and funky as hell!
The Way Most Companies WERE:
"Let's work real hard and produce some good product for our loyal customers. Something they will really like and be impressed and fully satisfied with, and take a real liking to. Maybe they will tell some of their friends about it and they will start buying & really get into it too. Lets see how low cost we can do this without compromising quality. We don't want to be viewed as price gougers for being too expensive for heavens sake. What do you think would be a fair price to charge? If anyone has a problem due to possible lapses in quality control, let's help them. We don't want to lose any of our loyal customers. Ok, let's get started and everybody do their best.
The Way Many Companies Are NOW:
How much money do you think we can possibly charge for this and enough people would still buy it? We will have to give them good quality or they'll stop buying them, but we want every dollar we can get out of them. What they tell their friends is of no concern. They probably don't have any friends that will pay our prices. If our price is less than what they would have been willing to pay, that's money that could have been ours. We can package it up real fancy and charge a sh*tload of money for it. They'll think "Oh, how nice. That's a lot of money but it looks like it's worth it." "Look how nice the box is". Let's say it's limited edition, that way, they'll figure they better buy it real quick, before it goes out of print. They have a fear of missing out.They'll think it will be worth even a lot more money, when it does go out of print. Some of them will actually but 2 copies at those prices. One to hold onto for a while, and then sell, and one for themselves. Ok no fooling around now. Let's Go.. Go.. Go.. !
So true!
Re Boxes. Acoustic Sounds is the big guilty party here. Do we need a UHQR special edition in a pointless box? No we don't and it adds to the high price. Are you paying attention Chad?
Excellent video and totally on point!
45 rpm is THE WORST! Stop the madness and just produce quality 33 rpm pressings already. Quality is the key word here and my number one issue with current record production:
Pressings consistently have the following issues:
Surface noise
Clicks and pops
Hole is off center
Hole is too small
Warping
Split seams
Dirty AF
And “audiophile” pressings are not exempt. Many are nearly as bad or worse than standard productions. I’m tired of wasting my money on a subpar product and have recently begin purchasing CDs (for far less money) until the industry gets its act together. I’m pretty fed up with it all.
Have a look at any high value 45s ( mainly soul and reggae ) they won't ever go down in value. Now look at CDs , nice as beer coasters but give me a small piece of plastic any day.
The 2018 Remix of Pink Floyd's Animals is packaged well and is actually amazing!!!!!!!!!! The only problem (according to what Mike Espinosa said) right now is that the defect rate is 40% which is absolutely ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!! But, I got a copy of it and it sounds amazing!!!!!!!!!! Definitely worth every penny. Not really interested in buying any other modern day pressing of any other album. Maybe the 50th Anniversary edition of The Dark Side Of The Moon (if it comes out), but I want to be as satisfied with that reissue as I was with the 2018 Remix of Animals.
Couldn't agree more strongly with this video and all of these 10 points. Well said it really is all getting a bit ludacris these days.They are treating intelligent people like dummies.
Some of the new albums and pressings are off the charts excellent- I specifically refer to Acoustic Sounds - and frankly blow away almost all my old albums. Check out their verve series in 45 holy smokes you will not be disappointed
Agreed. If you do have the equipment to hear the difference then it’s not going to make a difference Also if you are upset about the cost go buy used
We are paying good money for a poor product I used to DJ years ago and I’m pretty sure the quality of vinyls back then was better than it is now
6:08 Yeah great point! I haven't thought about that yet, but you're right.
My biggest pet peeve are the bs limited editions.
Even the old DJ records I own were more limited and sold at 8.95 euros a piece.
The inflated prices with the crazy strong dollar makes buying records pretty much a no no for me at the moment. I prefer records in a simple made quality jacket instead of large cumbersome boxes. I really dislike them, it is just an excuse to overprice the product and is a major inconvenience with little real added value.
I agree with you completely on all of your points other than the import fees being from the US. I feel for you having to pay more for US releases.
Love your work 🤗
Now….. “Let’s proceed” 👍🏻
I received my new analog production Miles Davis “Kind of Blue”. 180G. Clear vinyl. First record is completely warped!!!! WTH!!! A new 180g vinyl that is warped….yes the 180g is hifi snake oil that we happily paid for. And that’s the issue here. Corporations will do all in their power to maximize profits as long as we pay for it. I’m never buying from them until it’s guaranteed a flawless album shows up to my house….
My copy of the new Blue Note “BlueTrain” reissue is flawless. Perfect, flat 180g vinyl. 🎉🎉🎉
That is rather shocking!
Hi Guido, an addition: lots of us here in the US are having defects in the new Bill Evans box, which is fine. However, AP is asking us to destroy them, only to tell us after the fact that they have no estimated date for replacements…. That is pretty lame
Oh no...I still have to listen to moat of mine....what a pity!
On the price:
If you get some cheaper new releases, the quality control is awful because I've had a few times where they just used stampers till they are worn, resulting in records that sound muffled or have terrible sibilance.
The big overlooked problem with boxes, particularly in a humid climate, is that they are a breading place for mold and mildew. Anybody ever seen those pristine looking boxes of opera LPs at the thrift store....open one up and your nose is hit with that nasty moldy aroma.
Dipped my toes into vinyl, after hearing a mega buck vinyl system... Brand new records were scratched, dirty, off center, same label on both sides etc. The mastering of all was to different degrees subpar to the masterings I had on cd or could find on streaming. Lent/bough some older records too and most were pretty awful (thin/tinny). The best records were still better on digital, even though the new price of the TT setup (Rega P3-24, Exact2, external psu, Rega Aria, reference belt, magic gel cleaner etc.) was more than the new price of my DAC combo (USBridge signature, Allo Shanti PSU, Rega DAC). Hopefully I was just very unlucky, but with prices being what they are and purchases being so hit and miss, I’m not sure I’ll re-engage. To be clear, if you are willing to figure/search out the right pressings and get a much better TT setup than me, it sure it can be awesome (maybe even superior), but I think you will pay a high tax (time spent, money invested to get better than comparatively affordable digital). I’ll be fixing my power, treating my room, getting a proper digital front end etc.. then maybe vinyl when I old and bored (or get a lot of funny money) 😅
Sorry to hear this...the industry is making people desist...
My peeve - colored vinyl. Bought a few of these from Walmart at $22-$25 USD a pop, and that’s what I get - pops, clicks, scraping sounds even when I clean the record multiple times. I returned 4 albums over Christmas that sounded horrible or full of noise. No more.
Two things: Starting with 180g pressings, and in imho its bullshit. As with anything in analog audio shit in, shit out. Your stylus doesn't care how much your record weighs what really matters is the quality of the pressing. If you start with a bad master you are going to have a bad record. if you are concerned about your record moving while its playing use a wight or a clamp. Number two is the price of new and used records and tables. The only thing that will cure this is time. Reel to Reel machines and tape had this issues 5 or 6 years years ago. But since then the market has cooled down and you no longer have to mortgage your house to buy a Tascam, Teac, Akai, Technics, etc. And the only albums that cost an arm and leg are your stereotypical heavy hitters Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, etc. And I think the vinyl market will cool down sooner rather then later. As the people who fallow this trend are moving away from vinyl and towards compact cassettes. So if you have a good deck that you are thinking about selling now would be a good time to service it and clean it up.
I've had a few records with a centre hole isn't big enough to fit my TT - I use an RC body reamer to open it out slightly. A PITA.🤨
Do you have a video with tips on buying old vinyl records ? I have a store near by my place…
Coming up...stay tuned!
for the distribution problem, perhaps it would be enough to do as it was in the old days, when you had a European press for almost all American records. Some do, for example Makaya McCraven's beautiful "In These Times" is published by International Anthem in the US and XL Recordings in the EU, so we in Europe can buy the XL edition instead of buying it directly from the US and spend $ 25/30 for shipping and other charges (Dead Texan's reiussue go for 15 $, plus 25 in shipping, here I can't find it for less than 30€).
Yup, but several quality labels just don't do that...
@@anadialog For vinyl as for now, practically no one does. International Anthem is the only one I am aware of who does. But fingers crossed, maybe they start to understand that in this way they could sell something more…
Last year I bought an LP pressing of the White Album's 2018 remix. It was 180 grams and it was WARPED, which cancels the argument that 180 gram records are sturdier, etc. It was when I had it up on a shelf being pressed up against by other records, that it mostly flattened out and I can play it now 😅😅😅😅
Good job! 😄
@@anadialog Thanks. After a while, I took it out thinking it couldn't be as badly warped as I thought it was, then found out it was flattened out. That was a very happy day in my home.
Great points !!! Limited Editions are a misnomer.
11 - Not having a code for digital download. Sorry, I can't listen to vinyl in my car. 12 - Recurrent quality issues on new releases. You all know what I mean. 13 - When the record label don't indicate in a glance side A and side B... I mean, come on!!!! Annoying!!! 14 - really thin Spines. Hard to search on shelving collection. I prefer thick gatefold designs. 15 - Disappointing soind quality pressings. Yep, they make us want to only have those near mint rare vintage pressings. In the case of new albums, well... nothing much to do, except to wait 10 years for a new repressing, or find an alternative country/ area pressing. 16 - already mentioned - PRICE!!!!!!
13...🤣 true!!
Hello,
I agree with you 90% ( I do prefer 45 rpm records). But I also want to add a point: I'm tired of noisy pressings (did you hear the last Man of steel OST from MOV?). I recently bought a limited edition album from MOV and I had to wash it twice with my ultrasonic cleaner and then "scratch" the record with a back and foth movement and an overweighted DJ cartridge to make it sound ok... and this is a shame, because the master of this record is fantastic and it would have deserved a better pressing.
And last, the way Amazon is shipping records... I had to return several ones because the covers arrived bent... It's a pity!
That was my 11th point. Vinyl quality...I agree!
The thing I don't like in new releases is fancy colours and white. I like black so you can see the grooves are clean. I don't want stupid rainbow of colours in a splatter pattern. I don't want a decorative disc I want to listen to it!
Acoustic Sounds checks most all of your gripes with their reissues of the Steely Dan LPs. All in 45 rpm… check. All on 180 gr of course.. check. All at 150 bucks. LoL… check… all in needless (stupid) outer boxing… check. WTF.
I bought the KOB on UHQR.. took me FOUR returns to get an acceptable copy and it was not perfect. The clear vinyl is pure hype. I have an early 70s reissue that sounds as good.
I love Analog Production in general- their AP reissues are priced under 50 bucks and are awesome. Why they couldn’t do this with Steely Dan is beyond all understanding. They could have done so much more sales had they stuck to simple packaging and standard vinyl. But no. Also, most of Steely Dan’s albums are not what I’d call audiophile to begin with.. and none of their fans could care less either.
I completely agree in the Steely Dan. I would have gotten all of them as normal releases.
A couple of years ago I bought a brand new Keith Jarrett in Munich double lp. ECM used to produce superb pressings that you could rely on. The first side had a noisy defect all the way through. I put a comment on the ECM facebook page and asked if they had sent Jarrett a copy like this. He has a decent turntable and would have been very peed off if they had. They took the comment down. Do not buy ECM on vinyl,guys.
Unbelievable, that is censorship
I've come to the point where buying the cd is more economical then the album. After thinking through the recording, I'm basically buying a cd on vinyl. If it's a release from prior 1985-88, it's better for me to search out the record from those years prior even if it is a re release of a certain album over the newer vinyl release. I want to enjoy my music collection, not be a slave to it.
I love analog but I do understand and actually follow the same path several times for modern releases unless of high quality or properly mastered.
In un negozio di dischi in Croazia ho chiesto alla commessa di cosa si lamentano di più i clienti, lei ha risposto "tutti dicono che i dischi una volta erano di qualità molto più alta e costavano meno", l'enfasi era sulla scarsa qualità
Vero!
For the Bill Evans: Riverside Recordings boxset, I had to pay 234 euro's of import taxes to import it to Belgium. This is ridiculous.
I had to pay 268€ + 75€ for shipping 😱
Never wrote before in TH-cam: „totally agree“
Tell me if i'm wrong... spinning disks at 45rpm raises the frequency of rumble moving it closer to low end frequencies of the recording., right?
As for 180g... i live in a hot dry climate, 180g records generate far more static than the standard 120g. You can keep these heavy weight re -releases & give me a first pressing (without the bonus tracks) any day. Good video by the way!
It might do that. I have no idea.
One thing I can tell you is the one 45 rpm album that I had was 10 minutes per side and had the best signal to noise ratio I've ever heard from an LP.
Jane Doe, I also live in a hot dry area. I use a groovewasher type brush with Pfan-Stat cleaning fluid, zero static issues.
@@rickdrake9850 De-min water works fine also, especially if you play the records wet. And using a humidifier to give the room a more UK like climate butt the best work around, that involves less fuss is to just find a good 1st pressing.
@@anonamouse5917 i like playing records but i don't like being a slave to the turntable.. Contrary to popular belief, time isn't money because, I can always make more money, but i can't make more time.... also, i play loud so rumble is sometimes noticeable, (the best audio upgrade i ever made was buying a detached property in a rural location).
I often listen while doing other things and i can live with changing records around every 18min... but every 10min? fine if i stack them on my BSR auto-changer but not good on a manual deck.
it's just not practical when vinyl is your main source of music and you spin disks 4 to 6 hours per day. The power here gets momentarily interrupted often, and records cope best because the music instantly resumes when the power returns. As for needing lower sig 2 noise ratio, it's easier to just play a CD on a battery powered player. After all, that;s what CDs are for, right? . If i need perfect sound, i just buy the music on sheet manuscript paper.
45s are a nice novelty, but not for daily use unless your a DJ in a club.
@@janedoe6350 Your first post creates the impression that you care about sonic quality while your response to me indicates you don't.
Either way, thanks for the unwarranted condescension.👍
I find 180 gram to be warped more than older pressings. Many digital remastering are poor. So I tend to buy older used records.
Re: 180 gram records - I have a couple of Virgin Nice Price reissue records from the 80s that are paper-thin and didn't warp and they sounded good (I don't have a record player anymore). Vinyl is stronger than people think.
Exactly
You talk about distribution in Europe, but you don't know how difficult to buy vinyl in Russia. It's really quest to buy something really limited. It's real problem. And I completely agree with other things that you say in video. Inner sleeves, o my god... thay don't put them even in very limited editions.. thank for video!
Yes, thanks for pointing that out!
Great video, it’s wonderful to be so honest and direct, I like it. I agree when it comes to weight of vinyl, I’m more interested in the quality of recording/pressing than if it was 180/200 gr, for example the standard Pablo recording of 88 Basie St is as good and maybe better than the reissue on heavy vinyl in 45 rpm, I have both. I do like a lot of the reissues on 45 rpm, but as you said, over priced. Actually, the price might be creeping up for us in the US because of high demand from overseas which I noticed after stopping to buy vinyl since 2015, till just 2 months ago. I see a lot of people in Europe getting pre-ordered US releases before we do here, weeks ahead of us, because of subscriptions and paying more. I do wish that music export and import has no taxation, to help cross the oceans, otherwise high quality music will become a burden and eventually it will be only on collectors shelves.
Thanks Mahab!
People pay for perceptions of value regardless of the reality. I used to have an audio cable company back in the 80s and 90s. My prices were always reasonable compared to my competition with fancy packaging. Every no and then I would be excoriated by some customer because I didn't use deluxe packaging, No wooden box etc. I used to troll them by saying that after extensive resting, I discovered that cables sound best if stored in plastic freezer bags. Life is difficult, it's more difficult if you are stupid.
Sadly, most the record buying public are audiophiles these days. It would be nice if we could get back to a point where only a small percentage of record buyers where hi-end buffs.
@@janedoe6350 Used to be all commerial recordings save Audioquest custom records, Proprious, etc.
12" 45 rpm singles from the 1980s sound so good! That's where 45 rpm shines.
Maxi Singles....the good old days 😊
Plus its the speed needed for 1/2 speed remastered 12".
Gerard Stroh***
Hi Anadialog***
I Like The 45 rpm Speed Versions Because it Sounds Better!!!
1. They Need to Be the Same Price on all Box Sets per Country
2. Alot of Times the Color Vinyl will have Flaws in the Vinyl and it Sounds So Noisy like an old Record!!!!
3. I don't Like the inner Record Sleeves that Are Made out of Paper and it acts like Sandpaper!!!!
4. The Clear Vinyl Records Like the John Lennon Imagine Album was So Noisy and the CD and Blu-Ray Was Better!!!!
5. I got the Fog Soundtrack From Waxworks was so Noisy and Flawd so I Re-order it Because Hopefully this Pressing Should Be Better!!!!
That's My Take on New Vinyl Records!!!
I wish they would master from original tape to vinyl. I bought Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds new vinyl. Sounded terrible. Too tiny and it was scratched. I sent it back and bought an old release. Superb.
Loads of great points, that's exactly why I don't buy new vinyl, it generally doesn't hold up well to good condition original vinyl (imho)
Good points. I would like record jackets to be made of archival quality materials.
These records may never be available again. The master tapes are getting very old.
100 years from now these records, and their covers, may be the only documents of the music and album artworks from the 20th century.
If pop music is to attain/retain its status as fine art it needs to be created to last - otherwise the whole art form is gonna be in the dumpster.
Good point!
What a great topic! My beef is the numerous reissues of the same...how many versions, for example, of "Kind of Blue" can you have? Give me a break! There are so many artists out there who have great back catalogues that don't get any attention.... Shirley Bassey has an amazing catalogue of recordings particularly from the 1970's but not one reissue on vinyl.
There’s already been 3 records I bought for good money, because I really revere the release but I ended up getting 3 very desirable, hard to get vinyls with large divots (pits) in the grooves, making it impossible to play that track without destroying (or ripping out) your stylus! Why is it on the always on the hard to get and most desirable records, is it only me???