Color Me Exasperated

[MylesBAstor]

Can anyone press a friggin’ flat and centered record anymore? Please explain to me why I am I paying big bucks for LPs and then need to buy a record flattener??? This is what is going to kill vinyl, not digital, not streaming!!! The situation with vinyl pressings (including respected audiophile labels) is as bad today as it was in the late 1970s!!!! Old timers will remember that era of paper thin, frisbees made with recycled plastic passing as records .

 

[spiritofmusic]

Coincidental you say that as I'm close to buying an Orb LP flattener.
I've actually been pretty fortunate in the last few years of pricier and pricier vinyl buying, but I realize others like you haven't been.
Unacceptable at the prices being charged.

 

[Iamrael]

Weren’t those licorice frisbees awesome!, though?

 

[spiritofmusic]

Weren’t those licorice frisbees awesome!, though?

The magic pressed into those frisbees always delighted.
That was when an album cost £3.99, I could put up w warps.
Today when albums are 10x that cost, warps are unacceptable.

 

[Iamrael]

The magic pressed into those frisbees always delighted.
That was when an album cost £3.99, I could put up w warps.
Today when albums are 10x that cost, warps are unacceptable.

Yeah but what I had to do to get that $$ back then, and then to find my way to the record shop. Mine was “Licorice Pizza”

 

[spiritofmusic]

Pizza ovens as LP flatteners...what could go wrong?

 

[Paul1960]

Take your pick of greed, ignorance, stupidity or indifference or all three to explain the almost random differences in the quality of vinyl today. It is clearly possible to press dead quiet, flat records and sell them profitably for a reasonable price. I have no idea why more artists and labels don't make it a priority or who to even complain to about that. What angers me is that buying vinyl today is a bit like playing the lottery. For exactly the same price you sometimes get dead quiet, perfectly flat, fabulously mastered records that far exceed streaming and other times they are noise filled, warped, and grey sounding records. Whenever possible I try to buy from Amazon because of their liberal return policy. I send bad copies back and ask for a replacement and if the replacement sucks I send it back and get a refund.

 

[Zuman]

I received a significantly warped AnalogMagik calibration LP. They replaced it very quickly and with apologies, but indicated that they've been frustrated by a ~40% failure rate from their pressing supplier. It's bad enough with any LP, but with a calibration disc?!!

 

[spiritofmusic]

I received a significantly warped AnalogMagik calibration LP. They replaced it very quickly and with apologies, but indicated that they've been frustrated by a ~40% failure rate from their pressing supplier. It's bad enough with any LP, but with a calibration disc?!!

It's like popping behind the church and finding the nuns all smoking.

 

[Kingrex]

I was at a concert and told the band their records were unplayable as the center where the hole is, is raised on one side. That makes the records only contact with the platter a 1 inch hump. That means the record basically spins like a top on that side. They could not care less. Do you want us to sign it or not?

 

[MarkusBarkus]

It's like popping behind the church and finding the nuns all smoking.

...whoah, in my neighborhood, they would've been smoking and shooting craps off the back wall. I miss those old penguins.

 

[Down Under]

Coincidental you say that as I'm close to buying an Orb LP flattener.
I've actually been pretty fortunate in the last few years of pricier and pricier vinyl buying, but I realize others like you haven't been.
Unacceptable at the prices being charged.

My Orb has been used frequently since I purchased one 2 years ago.
Wouldn’t be without one given the current pressing quality of LPs.

 

[XV-1]

My Orb has been used frequently since I purchased one 2 years ago.
Wouldn’t be without one given the current pressing quality of LPs.

I have had mine for 15 years. I understand the frustration with new dished vinyl. However I have not worried about new vinyl since I bought the Orb DF-02. If its dished - just put it in the Orb for a few hours and fixed.

The best thing I have ever bought in hifi and music - paid for itself many times over.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Take your pick of greed, ignorance, stupidity or indifference or all three to explain the almost random differences in the quality of vinyl today. It is clearly possible to press dead quiet, flat records and sell them profitably for a reasonable price. I have no idea why more artists and labels don't make it a priority or who to even complain to about that. What angers me is that buying vinyl today is a bit like playing the lottery. For exactly the same price you sometimes get dead quiet, perfectly flat, fabulously mastered records that far exceed streaming and other times they are noise filled, warped, and grey sounding records. Whenever possible I try to buy from Amazon because of their liberal return policy. I send bad copies back and ask for a replacement and if the replacement sucks I send it back and get a refund.

I am not sure we need to resort to that. Pressing plants are booked up for six months and trying to get stuff out the door too quickly. Curse the vinyl revival if anything. I do blame the record pressing plants with feeding their customers bogus rejection rates. One label I was getting had a nearly 100 percent rejection rate -all with exactly the same issue (pinch warps)- and the pressing plants was quoting them a 3% rejection rate. My ass it was 3%. I mean sometimes the labels have to listen to their customers. I’m not trying to hurt them, I’m trying to help them. They need to find another pressing facility.

But I agree it’s like playing Russian Roulette.

 

[MylesBAstor]

I have had mine for 15 years. I understand the frustration with new dished vinyl. However I have not worried about new vinyl since I bought the Orb DF-02. If its dished - just put it in the Orb for a few hours and fixed.

The best thing I have ever bought in hifi and music - paid for itself many times over.

Understood. Still why are we paying $60 or more dollars for these records then?

 

[MylesBAstor]

I received a significantly warped AnalogMagik calibration LP. They replaced it very quickly and with apologies, but indicated that they've been frustrated by a ~40% failure rate from their pressing supplier. It's bad enough with any LP, but with a calibration disc?!!

I remember the biggest issue Richard was having with his test albums was having them pressing on center. Eccentricity wreaks havocs with the setup. Or any attempt at measuring turntable performance.

 

[XV-1]

Understood. Still why are we paying $60 or more dollars for these records then?

Simple Myles. Profit. These high prices are just turning people off vinyl, not on.

Like, seriously companies like Because Music Matters takes the standard production eq'd master of Prince - Purple Rain - digitises it and wants to charge $100 for the album .
It is disgusting, but people keep buying this reissue stuff.

 

[mtemur]

I remember the biggest issue Richard was having with his test albums was having them pressing on center. Eccentricity wreaks havocs with the setup. Or any attempt at measuring turntable performance.

Another issue with AM V2 test records is pinch warp, which is impossible to fix. I flattened those records, but the crease caused by the pinch remains even after the records become flat.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Simple Myles. Profit. These high prices are just turning people off vinyl, not on.

Like, seriously companies like Because Music Matters takes the standard production eq'd master of Prince - Purple Rain - digitises it and wants to charge $100 for the album .
It is disgusting, but people keep buying this reissue stuff.

Sorry I don’t agree. The record labels are asking for exorbitant licensing fees. Sometimes accounting for half the price. Add to the cost of printing jackets, inserts, increases in costs of raw goods and they are hardly getting rich. Not to mention they have overhead expenses and keeping the line going. And it isn’t like they are selling say all 2000 copies out in a few months. Albums may be around for years adding to the overhead costs….

 

[XCop5089]

Here in the UK, I am really having an issue with the quality control (or lack of it) employed by Analogue Productions/Acoustic Sounds.

I have recently bought UK-sourced new, sealed, pressings of "The Doors" (badly warped), "Just A Little Lovin'" (skips), "Dusty In Memphis" (audible surface noise).

By far the most disappointing, was tracking down a new, sealed, 4 LP 45rpm box set of "Hope" by Hugh Masekela.

The UK supply is exhausted and the asking price, shipping and import duties from the US, via Ebay sellers, is crippling!

I was overjoyed, when I tracked down a new, sealed copy, offered for sale by a French online source, which, with shipping and duty paid, worked out at £207 GBP.

However, I was crestfallen, on unsealing this copy, to find scuff marks across the tracks on two sides (the two discs that are packaged separately from the first two LP's in the gatefold sleeve).

These must have been caused at the stage where the vinyl discs were packaged and would have been evident, prior to shipping to the retailer.

For the asking price and the fanfare accompanying the marketing of these premier releases, I expect a near-perfect pressing and certainly not the standard of product that has been my misfortune to acquire recently.

Returning any vinyl record(s) for a refund is a total pain, but when you are talking about international purchases, with the attending Customs hassles - Forget it!

I love listening to vinyl, but recent experiences have really put me off purchasing new, expensive audiophile pressings, where there seems no guarantee of receiving a quality product.

I really want to give my feedback to Analogue Productions/Acoustic Sounds as I feel that nothing will improve, unless they are forced to confront customer dissatisfaction with their releases.

Incidentally, I have made many purchases from Mobile Fidelity (I know they have received flack for other issues concerning their vinyl recordings) and Impex, and they have been flat, noise-free and devoid of pressing imperfections.

We pay a premium for these records and deserve better from the manufacturers!