Is it just me or is vinyl QC getting a lot better?

I've learned an important lesson: never begin a thread title with, "Is it just me, or..."

 

I’ve purchased enough off centered pressings from the better plants: QRP, Optimal, Pallas, RTI.

 

This topic is subjective and luck of the draw is involved. I’ve purchased excellent new pressings over the past year and my share duds. Most of the duds were from Rainbo, GZ & MPO.

 

Let's not even discuss pressings / release under titles like Wax Time, Jazz Time, Jazz Wax, DOXY and others.... there are a lot of pressings that are newer that have not even been mentioned in this thread, and have been purported to be a complete waste of time for pressing / sound quality...

... I have never bought one due to all the warnings on other forums, discogs, etc.

I think it's becoming clearer that the message to record manufacturers is to step up their game, and I would say to anyone that gets a poor quality pressing to PLEASE don't "eat it" and take it back... eating it is completely the wrong message!

For a while in this thread, I thought I was just hexed, but in a backwards sort of way I am happy to see I am not alone with having more issues than should be the case with newer pressings! Wish it weren't the case, but alas... but again, it is mainly in the $20 to $30 range for me that I have seen a very high number of issues, with the exception of a Mofi Miles Davis and a Phish JEMP.... which were both in the $50 range.

 

Yes, the subjectivity aspect was touched on earlier in the thread, although I realize that many don't go back and read all the multiple pages! But agreed, needed more context...

I think it is more "you get what you pay for" and "label based" though than "luck of the draw" as I found when I pay up for higher quality like Analogue Productions, Mofi for instance the issues drop towards zero.... while the $20 to $30 pressing are like 1 in 5 duds for me.

Plus, you want real problems start buying some of the obscure names where quality is known to be low, but even the Columbia's I have been buying in the $20 to $30 range fall into the 1 in 5 category of duds (bought about 30 or so). Same with WB - it took me three tries to get a blue Vinyl 180g Paranoid (Sabbath) and two tries for the green vinyl Master of Reality - both were horribly warped right out of the package. And I mean HORRIBLY.

 

AP and MoFi pressings aren’t immune to this, although I do agree that their QC problems aren’t as severe. That being said, I bought the One Step MoFi pressing of Bill Evans Village Vanguard LP and had to request replacements from MoFi, due to pressing issues.

 

I travelled back this past summer from the UK and you're right. You pay significantly more for LP's over there - new and used - than we do here in Toronto.

 

I'm quickly getting fed up with new vinyl purchases. None of my my last 3 purchases have been free of defects. Two of them have had to be returned.
1) Radiohead OK Computer - scratch causing click every 2 seconds near end of side - returned
2) King Crimson - Court Of... - off center pressing, not really happy but kept it
3) Alejandro Escovedo - The Crossing - scratch spanning almost entire song causing click at 33 rpm, record also warped - going back

All 3 purchased from Amazon. I think I'm done with new vinyl where I'm unfamiliar with the label producing it. It's a shame because I really want to buy but this is just not worth it.

 

One workaround for a defect prone pressing is to buy it used or opened. That way any defect is visible and presumably listed in a description. If it is a recent issue even a used copy will rarely have been played much.

 

That's a pretty good idea. Are you buying the used ones on Discogs/internet or locally?

 

Except many times defects like non-fill and off-center are hard to inspect for visually, especially if the store doesn't have a turntable to test out records on. Not only that but many shops put those shiny barely used customer returns in the used bins. Kinda bad advice overall IMHO, unless you're only buying stuff from an honest and anal retentive audiophile that will have disclosed such problems with particular records when selling them either at brick and mortar or online.

 

It's only happened twice that I needed to do that. It was on Ebay as I don't deal with Discogs anymore. On Ebay they post a picture most times. But the opened ones had clearly only been played a few times. Someone just didn't like it for music. You can ask for a playtest if it is a more subtle problem. I have had good luck with new pressings generally, maybe because I almost always buy EU pressings.

 

My biggest issues the past few years are heinous warps. Hence, the reason I own a Vinylflat.

Every single piece I have purchased from VinylMePlease has enough warp to show daylight between vinyl and platter (maybe 10 LPs total). (To their credit, VMP send a replacement with no questions asked)

Craft Recordings are not much better, and they don't care at all.

Most recently and hugely disappointing was Doc And Merle Watson ‎– Never The Same Way Once [Bear's Sonic Journals] 2LP 45RPM AAA set. I nearly got seasick watching side 3 spin....
Into the Vinylflat with you!

 

Quality issues made me almost entirely quit buying any record I can’t inspect. But in the past year I took a chance on three. All were perfect, but I chalked it up to luck.

 

I've had much better luck with original pressings from decades ago. N

For the price they charge that is a joke.

 

I hear many complain about warps but I never seem to experience the problem myself, either from new or used. Do the warps make the record unplayable?

 

No problems with warps if you use a good quality record clamp, I've a few really badly warped records (both new and used) that play without any problems if I use a record clamp.

 

In my experience here in EU, most of the problem is debris inside the grooves and weird stains on the surface of the vinyl. Though, the latter ones not always degrade the sound. Also quite severe issue is not flat surface of the records - don't know why this is so common, probably not enough time put to the record drying. I am also sick with cheap, paper inner sleeves leaving lots of static and debris. Overall, it's not so bad, but could be much better.

Regarding well-known re-issues like AP, MOFI etc pressed by QRP/RTI etc. those are pretty good, but also suffers time to time with above problems unfortunately. Sometimes DJ music records are better pressed than regular mass market ones.

 

Looks like Ill save myself some money then since I dont seem to need it.

 

You mean cooling?

 

Yeap

 

You should get a Michell R record clamp which is the Rega variant since you might need one sometime in the future...

 

One reason I dont like clamps is because I have to stop the platter from spinning to get it off. I prefer to keep my table running as the on off switch is your greatest enemy to motor wear. If I had a Technics table then maybe.

 

Oh, really like that? Are you talking with your experience?

 

Isnt that a commonly accepted fact? That turning gear on and off, going from stone cold to burning hot is what wears any equipment the most. Dont we all here keep our Amplifiers turned on for weeks on end instead of turning it off every listening session? I just do it when theres a lightning storm or I go away for a long time.