Hot Pressings

[Jay_S]

Phase Four stereo LPs go back to the early 1960s. I think that Decca was trying to improve stereo, but I don't think that the Phase Four refers to 4 channel. Here is a historical link:

http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/February%201962/18/859905/DECCA+PHASE4+STEREO

 

[jadis]

Got recently a Cat Stevens 'Tea for the Tillerman' 'Pink Label' first pressing, (British) Island ILPS 9135. Comparing it to a 2nd pressing (Pink Rim) UK Island pressing, this one has stronger dynamics and a really incredible soundfield, virtually filling the space behind, and around my Maggies. I read that HP once said that Cat Stevens used to monitor his recordings on Magnepans. Well, I'm glad I'm hearing this album on Maggies too. The VTA adjustments as HP had noted as well is dead on the spot accurate. I heard the difference instantly upon lowering the VTA. I've waited around 3 years to get a clean playing copy and it's very much worth the wait.

 

[garylkoh]

Phase Four stereo LPs go back to the early 1960s. I think that Decca was trying to improve stereo, but I don't think that the Phase Four refers to 4 channel. Here is a historical link:

http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/February%201962/18/859905/DECCA+PHASE4+STEREO

Thanks, Jay_S. I was confused for years and years..... so I've started hunting down Phase 4 and scored 2 different pressings of Heath vs Ross Round 2 - SP44089 and LK4834. They both sound fabulous - with the London slightly more dynamic and a wider soundstage. But this may be down to the condition of the vinyl - I thought the brass was cleaner on the Decca. Both extremely enjoyable (I love big band and Latin music) and I'll be keeping both

I also recently managed to get a sealed copy of the mono re-issue of Ella and Louis. Now, there's music!!

 

[tmazz]

It's hard to say, but in my experience, I had a brand new Sheffield Lab Growing Up in Hollywood LP that I kept playing and playing to evaluate my new audio gears, and maybe in a span of 4 to 5 years to much playing, I felt the highs were kinda lost in the record, as Myles would say 'sounds darker'; and I verified this by opening a sealed copy of the same album and yes, the highs were more prominent, and everything just sounded clearer. I've read in the early pages of TAS that record reviewers were saying they 'worn out' their copies of Dark Side of the Moon, etc. Hence, I became conscious of the term.

In my experience it is not only how many times you play a record but also how much time you rest it in between plays. I have found that a record that is used in equipment evaluations and played over repeatedly within a short period of time will deteriorate much quicker than on that has the same number of plays but one play at a time with several hours of rest between them.

When a record is played there is a significant amount of friction between the stylus and the record causing the vinyl to heat up. This heating softens the vinyl and makes it more susceptible to wear if played again before it has a change to cool down. The situation only gets worse if played multiple times in a row, like when we are audition a number of different cables in a given system. I have several records that I use for evaluations and bought a copy of each specifically for testing so if multiple plays cause them to get noisy or dull, I still have a clean copy for serious listening. I also have been doing a lot more testing lately using CDs to avoid this wear problem.

 

[jadis]

In my experience it is not only how many times you play a record but also how much time you rest it in between plays. I have found that a record that is used in equipment evaluations and played over repeatedly within a short period of time will deteriorate much quicker than on that has the same number of plays but one play at a time with several hours of rest between them.

When a record is played there is a significant amount of friction between the stylus and the record causing the vinyl to heat up. This heating softens the vinyl and makes it more susceptible to wear if played again before it has a change to cool down. The situation only gets worse if played multiple times in a row, like when we are audition a number of different cables in a given system. I have several records that I use for evaluations and bought a copy of each specifically for testing so if multiple plays cause them to get noisy or dull, I still have a clean copy for serious listening. I also have been doing a lot more testing lately using CDs to avoid this wear problem.

Thanks for the tip, tmazz. I should be more aware of that practice though I seldom do repeated playing in a short time but it does make sense to give the record a little rest.

 

[tmazz]

Proprius' Cantate Domino. I've heard all 4: Original Swedish bought in the 80s, JVC half speed Made in Japan, The Super Analogue 180g Made in Japan, and the ATR mastercut Made in Germany. Sonically, I prefer the original but over time the vinyl has worn to the point of too much surface noise. That has been a problem of Proprius vinyls, they deteriorate after many plays. The JVC sounds too clean and at times can be clinical, lean, and lifeless. The ATR has very quiet vinyl and plays almost as well as the original Swedish. The Japan Super Analogue version sounded a bit veiled and also a bit lifeless. Am still hunting to an original mint Swedish original but that's a tall order now. There has been various re-issues of this claiming to be Swedish original which are not, in terms of manufacture and sound.

Has anyone every heard the "white" version of this album? A few years back I bought a box of audiophile vinyl and one of the things in it was a copy of Cantate Domino with a cover that is the opposite of the usual one - the drawing is black lines on a solid white background and the lettering is blue. I have no idea of what the origin of this album. It has a sticker on it saying that is a direct Import by Audiosorce, so I assume it is an original Swedish pressing, but can't say that for sure. The only thing I do know about it is that a local high end dealer told me that it is very rare and the "white copy" was Jim Thiel's favorite version of CD. Since I have very happily own various incarnations of Thiel speakers for over 20 years, I trust Jim's ears and can only assume that this is sonically a very good copy. But I can't be sure and have never talked to anyone that has personally heard it (I unfortunately never got to speak with Jim about it before his untimely death The high end world lost not only an extremely talented designer, but a true gentleman when he passed - RIP) I have been never opened it because I felt that if I opened it and it was not as good sonically as I was lead to believe, then I would have drastically reduced its value as a sealed collectible (which I know it is since I have owned it for many years and never even seen another one.) I have always hoped tat I would somewhere come across someone else that had a copy and could fill me in.

So this was a long winded way of getting around to asking does anyone out there know anything about (or better yet have heard a copy of the white cover LP of Cantate Domino?

Tom

 

[tmazz]

I just heard the 45rpm Classic Records version at Mike Lavigne's place last Friday night with The Beat, Talea and A09. WOW! It wiped out my first pressing. The black vinyl version is no longer available, but I just ordered the clear vinyl version.

Anyone who is doubtful of the value of 45 RPM mastering should get there hands on the Classic 12' single of "The Look of Love " from Casino Royale. It is mastered at 33 1/3 on one side and 45 on the other. I personally think, that in my system, the 45 side is markedly better. How much better will depend on the equipment you have and how much it is able to resolve. The Classic 45 releases also have three things going against them. 1) they are significanly more expensive than their 33 conterparts, 2) each album comes as 4 single sided discs, so they take up a lot more shelf space and 3) being on 4 sides they require a lot more jumping up to change records. This Look of Love disc is only $20 and it is a great way to hear the difference between the pressing speeds and decide if the sonic difference, in your system, is worth putting up with these downside issues.

There is no right or wrong answer here, only personal preference (Heck, there are a whole lot of people that would say that an LP period is not worth the headaches and they would rathaer have a digital copy - either CD or on a music server.)

 

[mep]

There is no right or wrong answer here, only personal preference (Heck, there are a whole lot of people that would say that an LP period is not worth the headaches and they would rathaer have a digital copy - either CD or on a music server.)

Many of those people are right here on this forum.

 

[tmazz]

Many of those people are right here on this forum.

I don't doubt it.

Everything we do in audio is a compromise. We each put a value on time, money and convenience and put together a mix of them that results in a level of audio performance that we are happy (comfortable?) with given the amount of the three aforementioned inputs (and probably a few more) that we are willing to devote to our systems. Each of us has a different mix and that's OK because it is what make you happy. Sharing and comparing our different preferences and ways to get things done is a big part of what makes this hobby so interesting.

 

[jadis]

So this was a long winded way of getting around to asking does anyone out there know anything about (or better yet have heard a copy of the white cover LP of Cantate Domino?

Tom

hi tom,

I have seen that white cover pressing a couple of times in a store but some quick hands always beat me to it. i would love to compare it with the black cover pressing and my guess now is that since the white covers are so few compared to the black, probably they were the first ones off the stampers, something like a promo copy. then the black covers were printed to be the commercial pressings, also in quantities.

 

[jadis]

Got a Nautilus Earl Klugh 'Crazy for You'. Compared it to my original, there's much more dynamics, and top to bottom frequencies are all improved. Very much improved sound.

 

[Ronm1]

2) That old warhorse Jazz at the Pawnshop. I have quite a number of copies, but none can match the Swedish first pressing - with the orangy-red label and black lettering. Someone who has only heard the re-issues with the white labels and black lettering, or even the Proprius 1/2-speed mastered version with the white/red labels and white/black lettering will wonder what all the hype is about. The original pressing has atmosphere, has life, and you can almost understand the background chatter even when it's in a foreign language. The closest digital version to the first pressing is Winston Ma's latest K2HD re-issue, mastered directly from the first generation analog tapes by JVC. On my system, I think that it is better than all the analog re-issues I have, but then again that's IMHO. YMMV depending on your system
.

I have multiple versions of J@tPS too, I'm very pleased with Ma's K2HD release, same with Getz/Gilberto. Certainly fine on my rig!!
Funny you should mention HB@CH. I spoke with Winston, over a year ago, about getting hold of that to do a K2HD release, he laughed quite loud and indicated Sony had the rights....I took that as a NO!!

Others that I like better than previous releases

192/24 dvda's
Saxophone Colossus, Way Out West - Sonny Rollins
Art Pepper meets the Rhythm Section

 

[garylkoh]

Reviving this thread.....

I just received two new copies of Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. I've got an original Tamla pressing, but that has seen better days. I probably wrecked it early in its life by playing it to death with a blunt stylus.

Anyway, I bought the gatefold 180gm Tamla pressing and it's far better than my original. Then, I also got the limited edition tan/brown vinyl "audiophile" version. That has a quieter background, and I thought a little more dynamics. The matrix number (S35943/4) on both are the same though, so it may boil down to the vinyl formula sounding better.

I'm now in the hunt to replace my worn out Songs in the Key of Life. Any suggestions?

 

[garylkoh]

Also relevant is the comparison between five different pressings of Cat Steven's Tea for the Tillerman here:

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?3340-Ultimate-Cat-Stevens&p=74382&viewfull=1#post74382

 

[MylesBAstor]

Reviving this thread.....

I just received two new copies of Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. I've got an original Tamla pressing, but that has seen better days. I probably wrecked it early in its life by playing it to death with a blunt stylus.

Anyway, I bought the gatefold 180gm Tamla pressing and it's far better than my original. Then, I also got the limited edition tan/brown vinyl "audiophile" version. That has a quieter background, and I thought a little more dynamics. The matrix number (S35943/4) on both are the same though, so it may boil down to the vinyl formula sounding better.

I'm now in the hunt to replace my worn out Songs in the Key of Life. Any suggestions?

Haven't heard the original in decades but the recent MFSL reissue is among their best.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Haven't heard the original in decades but the recent MFSL reissue is among their best.

It's superb Myles and Gary! I have the orginal Tamla (actually several copies), the Mofi and the UMG B2B version (don't bother). I am about to spring for the new 40th Anniversary release that includes the "Detroit Mix" (never before released on vinyl), and I hear its very good.

Regarding "Songs In The Key Of Life", I have several pressings as well, including the original and the UMG B2B (again, don't bother), but the Speakers Corner release sounds promising and I've had good luck with their pressings.

BTW: The UMG B2B pressings are freagin' noisy! Thankfully I only have a few.

 

[garylkoh]

Thanks, Myles and John. Good tip on the UMG B2B pressings.

I'm happy with what the few copies I have of What's Going On.

The Speaker's Corner re-issue of Songs in the Key of Life does look interesting. I just bought a few copies of different pressings from eBay. Will report back.

 

[jazdoc]

I have an original pressing of "Songs In The Key of Life"; bought it the first week it came out. Possibly my most played LP. It's a little noisy in spots, probably from originally spinning on my parent's Dual record changer but it still sounds better and more natural than the Speaker's Corner reissue. Original pressings are abundant and easy to find. Wouldn't spend the money on the Speaker's Corner.

BTW, I'm usually a fan of Speaker's Corner re-issues, they just blew it on this one.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

I have an original pressing of "Songs In The Key of Life"; bought it the first week it came out. Possibly my most played LP. It's a little noisy in spots, probably from originally spinning on my parent's Dual record changer but it still sounds better and more natural than the Speaker's Corner reissue. Original pressings are abundant and easy to find. Wouldn't spend the money on the Speaker's Corner.

BTW, I'm usually a fan of Speaker's Corner re-issues, they just blew it on this one.

Really? Thanks for letting us know! My original is still in very good condition (yeah, some wear and tear), but nothing that prevents me from playing it.

I have several SC reissues and most of them are fine...wonder why this one missed the mark?

 

[garylkoh]

I have several SC reissues and most of them are fine...wonder why this one missed the mark?

Perhaps some well-meaning mastering engineer thought that they could improve on the original? That was how I felt after listening to all 5 re-issues of Tea for the Tillerman. You could almost hear what the engineer was thinking when he did it.

Thanks for the tip, jazzdoc.