Why is some of my cheap vinyl quieter than audiophile vinyl?

I have quite a few Anadiscs, too. Nothing out of the ordinary here. Really, I think the whole dehorning thing was played up too much. Mine had a tick here and there. Good pressing quality with my copies.

 

I just noticed on the Acoustic Sounds site that there's a batch of Classic 150 gram pressings of The Who due out shortly. I think they may have finally seen the light on the problems associated with the heavier vinyl, particularly the 200 grammers.

 

Given all of the complaints about 200 gram vinyl, what are its supposed advantages? Is there any benefit to the albums being that thick?

 

Not really.

 

I've had great luck with the recent Who reissues. However, I haven't decided to go 150g for the next few or keep trying the 200g. I've only had one problem with a 200g Classic Record... Norah Jones' Come Away With Me. Took three copies to get a good one.

 

I think maybe the advantage of thicker pressings is better damping of resonances, but since practically everyone uses clamps or resonance-deadening mats now, thicker records would seem a little redundant.

I'm all for 150g. Whoever thought that up must be a friggin' genius. Cheaper and I'd think a lot easier to control quality. The advantage of 200g over 180g is the 200g is bigger, which anyone can tell you is automatically better.

 

Technology's passing you by.

 

Too make them sound more like good ol' 78s?

 

78's ARE perfect sound forever!

 

Some of the lightest and thinnest vinyl I've ever seen was from Decca in the '80's... and it is also some of the quietest vinyl I've ever spun. Netherlands pressings. Also some German discs are incredible. Harmonia Mundi has had some very quiet vinyl. Some vinyl I've heard marked as "A Wakefield Pressing" are also very reasonable. They're so common it would've been hard to miss 'em. Why have the audiophile companies not pressed at such plants? I can't count the amount of glorious sounding, hefty Chesky LPs I had to return due to flawed or rediculously noisy surfaces - I would've far preferred those light, flexible Netherlands pressings over those Cheskys, and most '90's - on audiophile pressings as well.

I'd buy more audiophile LPs if they were pressed on vinyl that was a lot quieter. Drop the weight if that helps, whatever it takes. Just get them consistently quiet. It seems I'm far from alone on the matter.

On a sidenote: can anyone tell me why JVC quit, and why no one can press LPs like they did? Must've been out of the loop... Lots of folks "wish" for them so why can't it be done?

 

I think there was some sort of possible health hazard working with the JVC vinyl. Carcinogenic or something like that. The pressed records are safe...I think.

 

Boy, isn't everything? ...must've noticed similar warnings four of five times earlier today, odd timing.

 

I recall reading something in TAS about 10-15yrs. ago that the formula for JVC vinyl was purposely destroyed, I believe it had something to do with ushering in the "digital age"

 

Yeah it gives you the benefit of being able to endlessly adjust your VTA

 

Bah. That'd just be for press / publicity. I'm not doubting you, or that they'd say it, but the formula was a valuable corporate property which was still in use well after the advent of The Digital Age. Therefore I suggest it's a pretty safe bet they have "the formula" or a copy of it. Undoubtably it would materialize if they were offered enough money, though whether it's special enough to be worth anything today is something I can't guess. Anyway it's not rocket science to figure out these days, and neither's rocket science, but then again that's for the scientists to figure out (pardon my Groucho ).

 

Keith, Who's Next is my bogey album. I've just received my fourth copy this week, after returning the last Classic 200 gram LP and 2 MCA heavy vinyl copies before that. I'm almost afraid to open it and put it on the turntable. I've had so many problems with the 200 gram pressings compared to the 180 gram copies that I steer well clear of them given an alternative. The good thing about the new 150 gram LP's is the price; the 200 gram LP's cost 50% more.

 

That just made me reconsider. In fact, I just ordered the 150 gram version of Direct Hits (Classic's website says it's out tomorrow).

 

Let us know the quality of the vinyl after you play it, I think there's a few forum members waiting for Classic to get their act together on vinyl quality control.

 

Im with Steve here. No clamps or deadning mats for me cause thats what they do to the sound if you ask me, clamped down and dead sounding IMO, screws with the life and energy of the music.

 

I have one copy and it sounds fine. Very quiet. Great mastering.

 

I never, ever clean new lps without listening to them first. My policy is that if an LP sounds ok when I play it, I leave it alone. I only clean an LP when I can hear some noise on it.

I use the 'why fix it if it ain't broke' policy.
JG

 

I thought that too until I got a bottle of the Disc Doctor's Quik wash and one of their brushes. Pricey, yes, but I have yet to find a record it did not improve in some way. And yes, i'm sold that it does not degrade new LPs, it only improves them.End of my plug.

 

I think it's pretty funny that Steve's vinyl sounds so (relatively) good, and yet he doesn't use any of that crap. Me, personally, I'm a CD guy