Which country/region produced the best vinyl pressing?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by samn, Nov 23, 2014.

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  1. samn

    samn New Member Thread Starter

    I've heard and seen so many vinyl pressings came from various countries/regions such as EU, USA, Bulgaria, Malaysia, UK, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, etc. Which country/region produced the best vinyl pressing in your opinion?
     
  2. rbp

    rbp Forum Resident

    When I was actively purchasing vinyl (late 60's to early 80's) Germany and UK had the best pressed vinyl ahead of Australia and USA (by far the noisiest).
    Did not purchase any Japanese vinyl so cannot comment on quality.
     
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  3. TLMusic

    TLMusic Musician & record collector

    Japanese pressings from the 1970s and 1980s stand out as the most consistently made in my experience. Especially the records made with JVC Super Vinyl, which have very minimal surface noise, and are rarely (if ever) warped or off-center.

    Otherwise, I have encountered very nice pressings from many countries. Germany and Holland have consistently made high quality vinyl records. The UK as well, but perhaps not quite as consistently.

    My favorite UK pressings were UK Decca, who managed to maintain the highest quality from the 1950s all the way through the late 1970s. UK Philips / Polydor at Walthamstow made outstanding records as well. Other UK companies (EMI, Pye, CBS) were less consistent, sometimes making records with more surface noise than ideal (try to find a clean playing UK Dark Side of the Moon, for example).

    The US perhaps gets the award for the most inconsistent quality. Some US records from the 1950s pressed by outfits like Columbia, Capitol and RCA are outstanding in performance. Yet by the mid 1960s, those same companies' quality plummeted. And in the 1970s, US vinyl pressings really got spotty after the oil crises. Yet, even after that time there were bright spots. US made Quiex pressings are usually very high quality and have minimal surface noise and defects. And thene there are the US Monarch pressings, which have some surface noise and less consistent in quality, but for whatever reason play back with great and vibrant tone, to my ears.


    edit: by the way, I am referring to pressing quality, not mastering quality, which is a whole different subject...
     
    Last edited: Nov 23, 2014
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  4. ROLO46

    ROLO46 Forum Resident

    USSR
    Beatles were banned
    Enthusiasts pressed them with the plates used for X-Ray photography.
    Recycling only the Russians could provide.
     
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  5. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    Salina Kansas has been doing pretty good lately.
     
    Last edited: Nov 23, 2014
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  6. VinylRob

    VinylRob Forum Resident

    One might need to write an entire book to explain this one completely and fairly, I'm afraid...
     
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  7. Schoolmaster Bones

    Schoolmaster Bones Poe's Lawyer

    Location:
    ‎The Midwest
    If we're looking for a broad generalization, I would pick Germany or Japan (pressing quality) and USA (mastering for American-sourced recordings) and UK (mastering for UK-sourced recordings), based on what I have in my collection.

    Hope that helps.
     
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  8. The FRiNgE

    The FRiNgE Forum Resident

    The Beatles were banned in Russia? Hmpf! I think the entire problem with the Kremlin was due to the fact, they didn't like the Beatles!
     
    Last edited: Nov 23, 2014
  9. The FRiNgE

    The FRiNgE Forum Resident

    The problem with the cranky, ill tempered people in this world is that they don't like the Beatles! 9 out of 10, haha! Has anyone ever wondered if ISIS likes the Beatles? (the truth be known)
     
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  10. inperson

    inperson Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    germany, holland, uk and japan
     
  11. VinylRob

    VinylRob Forum Resident

    Money (that's what I want)
    Can't buy me love
    Love is all you need

    They'll never understand...:)
     
  12. JBStephens

    JBStephens I don't "like", "share", "tweet", or CARE. In Memoriam

    Location:
    South Mountain, NC
    Best? That's open for debate. Worst? USSR. I've remastered many Russian albums in the past. Off-center, noisy, horrid mastering quality, you name it. But I think it's the record company more than the country, when it comes to quality pressings.
     
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  13. Matt Nes.

    Matt Nes. Well-Known Member

    I have only been buying new vinyl within the last year or so. But Germany seems to be the best IMO. I have bought quite a few records and got home, open them up and they would be warped beyond playability. Non-fill, smudges, fingerprints. Guess where they were pressed? The good old USA. Just about every record I have purchased where I open it up and take a look and Im like, wow. Thats perfect. Those have all been pressed in Germany.
    Dont even get me started on the carp quality Beatles Stereo Box Sets pressed at RainBlows pressing plant here in US.
     
  14. VinylRob

    VinylRob Forum Resident

    Chad's QRP IMHO will rival just about any pressing ever made. And I realize that is a very tall statement. Yet I have had or regularly listen to many of the best and I believe them to be that good. Made in the US of A.
     
  15. Paul Chang

    Paul Chang Forum Old Boy, Former Senior Member Has-Been

    It is hard to argue against that after watching this video segment on how they check test pressings at QRP (starting at the 13:45 mark) of "Acoustic Sounds Office Tour With Chad Kassem" by Steven Rochlin of EnjoyTheMusic.com .
     
  16. TLMusic

    TLMusic Musician & record collector

    The first few Quality Records pressings I got had off center labels. And, out of at least 35-40 QRP discs I've bought over the last few years I'd say 70 percent have edgewarps. (Music Matters, AP, etc.) I think QRP is decent, and surface noise is usually minimal, but in my experience, it's difficult for me to declare them a contender for all-time best. Hopefully they will continue to improve. I'm simply reporting my experience with QRP thus far, based on records in my collection they have pressed.

    I think Pallas and Optimal currently make a more consistent product. And RTI is capable of great pressings, too. I was especially impressed by the pressing quality of the Beatles mono vinyl box pressed by Optimal. Records all flat, centered and having remarkably low surface noise.
     
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  17. samn

    samn New Member Thread Starter

    I did the same thing too.
     
  18. Marek1000

    Marek1000 New Member

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  19. plexi0

    plexi0 Well-Known Member

    I can't see which is best, but they sure do seem to have 'a sound' for each.....all my experience is original 70's and 80's presses>

    german- nice deep rich midrange, a slightly mellow top end, perhaps a larger bass. overall some of my fav. almost no IGdistortion
    UK- similar to german, but more top end and less bass. These tend to sound fantastic. I've got a lot of Harvest presses that I love
    netherlands - vertigo !!! some of the best presses ever
    USA - these tend to be hotter and more presence than any other country- and along with , tend to have IGDistortion
    japan - have the best visuals but these do not sound as good as the others in my rig. They tend to not have a deep midrange or adequate bass generally speaking. Still a japan press can sound great, but i prefer the others
     
  20. JBryan

    JBryan Forum Resident

    Location:
    St Louis
    If we're only referring to pressing quality then Japan offered the best vinyl going back to the early/mid 70's, followed by Germany, Holland/UK and then US. Things have obviously changed over the years so today, I'd give the nod to Germany (Pallas/Optimal), then US (QRP) followed by a handful of plants scattered throughout the world.
     
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