Disapointong record purchase.

[Kingrex]

What records have you bought with high hopes for a win, but ended up with a dud. Dud as in a burned out second hand record or flat out bad recording.

I bought a Simon and Garfunkel Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme. First pressing. Looked very clean. Took it home, gave it a wash and put it on. All sorts of embedded crackle on side 2. Side one sounds like an old needle stripped the groove of its shape. Grungy, flat and noisy. Pretty much a throw away.

 

[bazelio]

Several of the Record Store Day Bill Evans releases over the past 5ish years were subsequently used at the beach as frisbees. The dogs love chasing them.

 

[jeff1225]

Every RSD record I’ve bought has been absolute dog shit.

 

[bazelio]

There are definitely some diamonds in the rough… e.g. some of the Jaco, there was a good KOB, a good Dave Matthews live box set, among others.

 

[XV-1]

Mofi Nirvana - Nevermind. My US original pressing destroys it in power, guts and drive.

Mofi ELO - Eldorado - thin, bright. My aussie pressing is more enjoyable

jagjaguwar records - for a long time they had United pressing their artists - almost every record I bought from Bon Iver, Sharon Van Etton and others were absolute noisy schiit. Thankfully the few years they are not using them.

 

[rDin]

Peter Gabriel 4 - Classic Records edition. Been trying to find my definitive player of this album. The UK first edition is impossible to find clean - it seems like all were pressed badly - I've been through 20 copies and still no joy - all just full of ticks and clicks. The US first is clean but not a good sound. Canada noisy. Greece very dull. Japanese - clean, but no bass (Jap "house sound"). All originals have rather dark congested sound too. Working through later copies I came to the Bernie Grundman Classic from 2002. This has, for me, by far the best sound on this record - a massive increase in overall clarity and separation without sacrificing the bass - huge 3D soundstage. Bought two sealed copies - one the 140g version and also the 200g on QUIEX vinyl. Both a huge disappointment - the 140g clicky as hell and the 200g, which I'd pinned my hopes on, while much cleaner, still too many ticks, clicks and pops to make it an enjoyable listen. And yet, behind that the best sounding version. I'll rip it and clean it up digitally, so at least I can play this version as a clean digital stream.

 

[XV-1]

Peter Gabriel 4 - Classic Records edition. Been trying to find my definitive player of this album. The UK first edition is impossible to find clean - it seems like all were pressed badly - I've been through 20 copies and still no joy - all just full of ticks and clicks. The US first is clean but not a good sound. Canada noisy. Greece very dull. Japanese - clean, but no bass (Jap "house sound"). All originals have rather dark congested sound too. Working through later copies I came to the Bernie Grundman Classic from 2002. This has, for me, by far the best sound on this record - a massive increase in overall clarity and separation without sacrificing the bass - huge 3D soundstage. Bought two sealed copies - one the 140g version and also the 200g on QUIEX vinyl. Both a huge disappointment - the 140g clicky as hell and the 200g, which I'd pinned my hopes on, while much cleaner, still too many ticks, clicks and pops to make it an enjoyable listen. And yet, behind that the best sounding version. I'll rip it and clean it up digitally, so at least I can play this version as a clean digital stream.

I know what you are talking about. I have 6 of the Classic 200gm versions. I had to send a couple back to get quiet copies. Luckily all my 6 albums are pretty quiet.

My PG4 is quiet and sounds excellent - spinning it now. It's not Optimal or Pallas reference quiet, but more than quiet enough.
Side 1 is cut quite low in volume, I assume Burnie wanted to preserve the dynamics of the over the 23 mins of playtime.

Quiet copies do exist, but will cost more $$.
Good luck.

 

[rDin]

Quiet copies do exist, but will cost more $$.

Thanks for that, good to know! I may try and grab another copy or three then!

PS Six copies is greedy I'll give one a good home!

 

[jeff1225]

There are definitely some diamonds in the rough… e.g. some of the Jaco, there was a good KOB, a good Dave Matthews live box set, among others.

I hope you bought the Dave Matthews set over the internet. I'd hate to see the hipster clerk's face at a cool indy record store when you walked up with that set.

 

[audioguy3107]

I had a weird purchase that just didn't work out, still don't know what the deal was.....several years ago I purchased the Imagine John Lennon box set. The first record began skipping and had a weird distortion that I had never really heard before. Most every record had the same problem so I exchanged it for another one with Music Direct. I received the second box, same exact thing which was hard to believe. On a whim, I went to a local record store and bought a new single copy of the Plastic Ono Band. Sure enough, exact same thing.....distortion and skipping all over. I tried it with one more record, same thing. Never had a single problem with any other record, none. I finally gave up and returned the set, Music Direct said they didn't have one other complaint or issue with the Lennon set, and had no idea what the problem was and I still don't to this day. It's never happened again with any other record purchase in my life. It's almost like there was some pressing incompatibility with that set and my table/cartridge. Who knows.

- Buck

 

[Djcxxx]

Disappointment seems to pervade so many represses that I have bought. Mostly lifeless and compressed echoes of the originals. I have many LPs my father bought in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s that after decades still deliver superb sound. Perhaps you really can’t go home again.

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

my biggest blunder over the years:
Buying MoFI Dark side of the moon and selling the original
Never bought another MoFi ever after, but I´ve heard quite a few and the story repeats itself

 

[jeff1225]

my biggest blunder over the years:
Buying MoFI Dark side of the moon and selling the original
Never bought another MoFi ever after, but I´ve heard quite a few and the story repeats itself

Original MoFi's pressed in Japan by Toshiba are fantastic. New MoFi's, not so much. I have a new and old Little Feet Waiting for Columbus and often play both for visitors to my room. The Japanese pressing is amazing, the new MoFi is lifeless in comparison.

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

mine was the first MoFi version of PF: Dark side of the moon
Little Feet Waiting for Columbus I have on Safety Master, so it´s a NO-BRAINER

 

[djsina2]

Buying just about anything from Acoustic Sounds which comes with warps, non centered holes, rough hole cuts, raised hole areas, and dirty/scuffed/stained vinyl.

 

[jeff1225]

Buying just about anything from Acoustic Sounds which comes with warps, non centered holes, rough hole cuts, raised hole areas, and dirty/scuffed/stained vinyl.

I'm very lucky to live in Los Angeles and travel as well. I get to buy 95% used vinyl.

 

[Kingrex]

Wow, so many repress issues. I tried for the original and took a clean one, not the scuffed up one and got burned.

At the same time, I ran into a Johnny Mathes Christmas album. No sleeve, just in the cardboard. Scuffed up plenty good. Got it for $3. Cleaned it. Absoluty amazing sound. Clean, dynamic and alive. The used stuff is hard to tell.

I also bought on Discogs an original 1967 Charlie Brown Chriatmas. Sounds like turkey fingers were all over the outside tracks. The inside is not bad.

But then a got a South African reissue of the album. About a 1984 or so. Pristine. Plays as one of the best I have

Many Pink Martini album have a slight dish to them. Add to that the center where the spindle comes through has an odd offset. In short, one side of the album makes 0 contact with the platter. If you spin it by hand, it will do 4 or 5 revolution before stopping. Forces me to drop a rubber mat on the platter to play them. I have tried my record flatner. That helped.

 

[djsina2]

I'm very lucky to live in Los Angeles and travel as well. I get to buy 95% used vinyl.

I don’t buy any new vinyl now. I used to not like the thought of buying some old thing where you didn’t know what the kids were playing it with but now I’ve realized that’s better than buying this new junk! This year I’ve replaced ~70% of my collection with first or sometimes second pressings.

 

[Kingrex]

This whole chain makes me think to the vinyl vs digital. I queued up on Qobuz side 2 of the Simon and Garfunkel. I went back and forth and the digital had much more air and space. Made the vinyl sound closed in and dull. Goes to ahow how skewed any of those shootout comments can be.

Well hell, there goes this thread. I polluted it myself.

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

I almost only buy Mosaic LP boxes and some seconhand classical stuff