Beatles mono VINYL box set (Part #12)

Another day, another 38 pages of the "Beatles mono VINYL box set" thread to slog through/catch up with!

 

Love that piano solo, chacha. Nice & warm sounding[/QUOTE]

I don't dislike the song and have gone through periods of liking it then forgetting it. But the piano? Boy, it is so easy to hear when George Martin is on the piano and when, erm, someone else is. Would have been smart to have him in on that one.

 

hmm.. according to Beatles Bible, it is George

http://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/not-a-second-time/

 

So I've now listened to all of PPM, WTB, AHDN and BFS. Dead silent vinyl and the best I've heard any of these sound. The variability in recording quality song-to-song is evident, and is just part of the deal. While I started my box experience with a disappointingly dish-warped PPM, it plays perfectly. I just have to ignore how high the edges sit off the platter I guess, because I can't imagine any replacement being quieter or sounding better. Some alarming looking scuffs on another disc produced zero noise. Like some others, I've thought my amp wasn't on a couple of times the vinyl is so quiet, and was startled when the music blasted out. Another thing I've noticed -- there's no pre-groove echo at all, which is great.

If I were to nitpick, I'd say I wished someone with for example Music Matters' attention to detail had made the covers not just resemble the originals, but exceed them. A lot of the cover photos, like PPM and AHDN, are a bit grainy and lacking in detail compared to originals or even my '81 mono reissues, which are considerably sharper. But at $22/disc, these are pretty darn good, and they got the most important parts right: great sound on amazingly quiet vinyl.

 

I've gotten that same sensation listening to "We Can Work It Out" & "Penny Lane".

 

That's Flippin Horrific! UN ACCEPTABLE!
the beave

 

Well I had to post a picture! Got the mono box and a Near Mint UK blue box for $600 even at a local store. Will go nice with my German BC-13 and the Japanese 1986 Red Mono set. Im going to be doing some comparisons between my '86 Japan set and this new one. So far everything sounds amazing!

 

At the end of a very long week, I set some time aside to get through a few more platters. As the night wore on and the ale started to catch up to me, I fell asleep during Hey June on Mono Masters. When Revolution kicked in it startled the hell out of not only me but both dogs. Damn that mix just burns. Awesome.

 

Decided to clean all the LP's and weigh them in. Here's what I found.



Please Please Me - 178g

With The Beatles - 182g

Hard Days Night - 197g

4 Sale - 182g

Help - 187g

Rubber Soul - 162g (lightest)

Revolver - 200g

SPLHCB - 163g

Magical Mystery Tour - 179g

White LP1 - 192g

White LP2 - 186g

Mono Masters LP1 - 202g (Heaviest)

Mono Masters LP2 - 198g

Mono Masters LP3 - 179g



Averages out to 185g

 

I'd return that copy. All it will take is a slight error of judgment and there goes your stylus which will cost a whole lot more to replace.

 

I made my hubby listen to the first side of Pepper. He went through the book while listening. I am still amazed by how silent the record is. At the end of She's Leaving Home, when we could both hear in crystal clear detail guitar strings running up a fret, he asked about the CD version. I quickly got out the Mono CD box set and we listened to She's Leaving Home. We noticed right away how different it sounded (not as deep or rich). We could still hear the ending, but something was missing. I explained the differences between CD and vinyl. I still love both, but this vinyl is amazing. I should do a comparison between the 2012 vinyl Pepper and the 2014. One thing I can say: I need to get a new turntable.

 

Really? A video of a warped record playing?
Want to see a picture of my big toe after I dropped a Sony SACD player on it?

 

I'll open mine later. But I just started a Thread on Defective boxes and the gorts killed it after one post.
It would be nice to get a database of what when why and where because maybe there is some common thread, like a warm warehouse where they were stored-that could enlightened us.
Oh well, I tried.
the beave

 

Isn't She's Leaving Home remarkable on this? As I make my way through the box I'm generally finding the softer more spare tunes like this one greatly improved.

 

Some pages back I posted jpgs of the used cleaning fluid I had after wet cleaning and vacuuming the vinyl from my set. Not sure everyone understood what they were being shown, given the poor quality of the pics. I filter the used cleaning fluid back into bottles for re-use and use paper coffee maker filters to strain out the debris. So I emptied the chaff onto a sheet of white A4 paper so everyone can see what's in there, even on new records.



A lot of people don't seem to care much about this, but if you want to spare your stylus and your records wear, you've got to clean them before they're played. What you see there is likely nothing out of the ordinary, but it is the start of permanent crackle if it's not dealt with. The stylus will probably move much of it out of the way as it sails through it, but some of it will be flash fried onto the groove walls ready to give you a little popcorn at some point.

Bear in mind, that's the chaff out of all the lps, what, like 13 LPs? Forgot. So don't think that came out of one place and sheesh that's dirty. Just part of the process. Also bear in mind none of that is actually dirt. Those are vinyl trailings.

 

I noticed a HDN was heavier than the first 2 just by feel!

 

That's a return.

 

Listening to s1 of Help! now. Holy &^%^! This is the BEST mono Help! I have ever heard. Unbelievable. Guys, please don't call this muddy. It's clear as a soft bell, packs that MONO punch and I feel like I am 12 again. Amazing.

 

Very good advice.

 

Nice to see the reissues come out on top in comparisons rather than the clichéd "the originals are warmer and more tubey and more 'in your room'" responses.

 

That's quite a variation!! Wonder why that is?

 

Absolutely! You'd be surprised the unseen debris that's on them!

 

Seeing it happening twice on multiple albums, would have to be a vendor or shipment problem.

 

nice to see somebody finally agrees with me.
said the same thing posts ago

 

I get the impression that some of these comments come from people who are hearing the mono mix for the first time. Nothing to compare to.