Distortion on Yes - Fragile LP

I own two US pressings of this album and both have annoying distortion. Both are VG+ so I doubt the vinyl is to blame. You can hear it when things get loud. You can also hear it through the sibilant vocals.. Is there any pressing that is clean sounding ? I understand there is a 2016 reissue, but I believe that is digitally cut.

 

Our host's version would be a good bet.
Steve Hoffman/Kevin Gray to do YES "FRAGILE" on 180 gram vinyl for Analogue Prods.!

 

Obviously not VG+ (whatever you think that means)

 

I am suspecting that something is wrong with your turntable setup or the records are trashed.
I have multiple copies and never noticed any issues with Fragile, on the contrary it is a great sounding record.

 

Unless there's a single US pressing (I wouldn't think so) you might want to start by sharing your two records' deadwax information.

 

What are the odds that two VG+ looking records bought 20 years apart would be trashed in exactly the same way

 

Here's a needle drop I found on youtube. If you listen with headphones you can hear distortion in the acoustic guitars and sibliance in the vocals:

 

I hear you. I don't know.
I haven't played the album recently but it is one of my favorite and I have four copies of it.
I don't remember hearing any distortion in any of my copies (2 US Atlantic first pressings, 1 UK Atlantic and 1 German Atlantic). Maybe I did not notice it, although I would be surprised if this was the case.

 

Not sure what your stylus profile is...some stylus shapes just are not as good at playing highly modulated passages. The more advanced shapes like Microline, Micro Ridge, Fritz Gyger, etc. might work better. If not, it's the records.

 

Perhaps that is it. I have been using Grados all my life. Currently have a Grado gold with 8mz stylus.

Grado 8MZ V Replacement Stylus

 

I looked up that stylus, but can't seem to find any specs on the shape or dimensions. Maybe an elliptical? Here's a good primer on different stylus shapes from Soundsmith. The smaller side radius of the "exotic" stylus shapes better tracks high frequencies and reduces distortion.

 

I gave the album another listen and notice the distortion is only on Side A. Side B plays well. On Side A you can hear it in Roudabout. So something must have got messed up when they created the master tape for Side A..

 

The 2016 release was cut from the original master tape by Kevin Gray at Cohearent.

 

I'd snag the Steven Wilson Blu-ray version - no worries.

 

Interesting because I was just comparing three Preswell first pressings all from the same mastering. Two of them have obvious distortion in "Cans and Brahms" and one doesn't? How do you account for that?

 

If it's only on "Roundabout"...
That was the big hit from the album. Many people may have bought the album just for that song. Especially considering the single version (45) was an edit. I'd say that it's reasonably likely that both of those may have been heavily played on a BSR changer or the like, with a heavy emphasis on "Roundabout." While the entire album may have been played several times on one of those, it's likely that "Roundabout" was played far more times. Once or twice on a BSR changer with a good needle isn't likely to cause too much damage. But with 20 or more plays, especially if the needle was far from optimum... Just my $.10

And this album was released in '71, so I'd say it was highly likely that the vast majority of original pressings were spun on console stereos and the like at least a few times, as consoles/systems with changers were still the norm in the early 70s.

 

Mine is just in probably the least played song on the album. All 3 albums are near mint. Very little play at all on any of them.

 

By far the best sounding vinyl of the original mix in my little collectione.

 

The dvda is very good as well.