Matchbox 20 - Yourself or Someone Like You vinyl pressing

I hope I am not wrong because otherwise that means something is wrong with my system or my ears! But I am definitely in the minority here, so I hope you will post back with your thoughts once you get a listen. And if you have the CD definitely compare Push on the vinyl and the CD (as well as anything else of course). I look forward to hearing your thoughts. I am going to try and get the record back on my system tomorrow or the next day so I can give it some more consideration.

 

The cd is long gone unfortunately, as I no longer have a CD player. However, I will know immediately if it doesn't sound right....

 

Just picked this up...glad to have it as I only had the Exile On Mainstream hits comp on vinyl. Glad to have it, certainly a 90s pop classic.

 

Got my copy and boy the only information in the matrix/runout is a faint machine stamped:
159922E1/A
159922E2/A

I'm not sure what that means, and I don't have an original to compare to.

I'm listening to the vinyl now and it sounds fine, and while I'm neither gifted with a super high-end system or a magical ear I will say that it does sound a little muddy and compressed. It reminds me of how all of the recent Bruce Springsteen LPs sound: like a recording from digital radio.

I doubt any of our ultra-serious audiophile members will bother with a Matchbox 20 album, but I'd be curious to know what they hear (or see in the DR values).

 

Just for clarity's sake, there is no original vinyl pressing to compare it to. This is the first time the album has ever been available on vinyl.

 

Interesting, not my experience with this album, either. Mine sounds absolutely great, and as another poster said, in some places more lively and open than the CD.

 

Incorrect

 

I bought a copy for my wife who loves them! I will report back when I listen ! Got it cheap from Amazon Better than paying over 100 for an original lol!!

 

I have a link for the DR values which I put up on the DR loudness database. Here's the link in case you need it. Album details - Dynamic Range Database

 

Having done some more experimentation I am sticking with my assessment of the album copy I have. I revisited it this morning comparing the record to the CD. I also compared Guns N' Roses to a CD, since I have copies, and did not experience the same thing. My wife sat through it to help me and I didn't let her know which was which for Matchbox 20 or Guns N' Roses so hers was effectively a blind test. The difference between the CD and the vinyl was just so stark it was easy for her to pick out. Not so with the Guns N' Roses confirming for me that it isn't my system, there is something truly wrong with my copy. And it is so stark that I am convinced that anyone here who had this level of suck-out on the top end of their record and compared it to a CD would easily notice it. So I am assuming there is something wrong with the specific copy I got. Like the previous poster my deadwax:

Side A - nothing in deadwax
Side B - 159922E2/B

Busy comparing the Cars Heartbeat City to a CD for extra confirmation and the MFSL is so superior to the CD that I am just more convinced there is nothing wrong with my system and there truly is something wrong with my specific copy of the album in question. It isn't something I would identify as a pressing defect but who knows.

And I don't want to come off as one of those guys who insists he is right and the remaining 99% are idiots. It's just what I hear and I am sure everyone else's hearing is just fine too.

 

If there was, it was extremely limited, or promo only. I never saw or heard of one before, and I worked in a music store at the time the album originally came out. I also had a friend who was a label rep at Atlantic records, and they never mentioned it's existence to me. Knowing I was a rare vinyl fan in the US at the time, they certainly would have, too.

 

Here you go.... Matchbox Twenty - Yourself Or Someone Like You

It wasn't a promo, but I think it was pretty limited..

 

Yeah something sounds off...not impossible that you got a bad pressing I suppose. It's weird that Ive read quite a number of positive reviews for this but a small number of bad reviews. One YouTube video said he didn't think it sounded any better than the cd, but then there are some with very good setups, that say it sounds fantastic. Still waiting on mine to ship to U.K. from U.S...

 

I am curious about the deadwax. What I have and an earlier poster have:

Side 1: Blank
Side 2: 159922E2/B

versus what is listed on discogs:

Side 1: 159922E1/A
Side 2: 159922E2/A

I am just wondering if they screwed up the initial run and then fixed it.

 

Is there any difference in sound between sides or are they identical?

 

There isn't consistency between songs, it starts out bad and gets worse (as well as I am able to tell).

Side B is harder to pin down. Maybe, maybe not, I will have to go back and listen more carefully when I have time to know. So at a bare minimum it isn't as severe at first blush.

 

it's INSANELY faint. i had to turn and turn and turn the disc in bright light to actually see it. i doubt it's totally blank if you look *really* hard.

 

Yep, you are right. You really have to search for it under good lighting. So there goes that theory. Oh well!

159922E1/A

 

Hello there. Just joined the forum as I was looking to see if anyone had the same experience as me. Was SO excited when this album arrived, I played it withing 10 minutes of receiving it by mail only to be taken a-back by how distorted the vocals sounded, quiet over all and muffled the LP sounds.. We must both have bad pressings because my listening experience is nothing like the others are mentioning.

I'm no super audio file but I am a recording engineer and producer so I know when things sound off and this is definitely not right. Can I ask where you got yours from? Mine is an SRC vinyl order..

 

Got mine from Amazon. Was getting ready to send it back.

 

hmm.. unfortunately this was my first experience with SRC. I had read mixed reviews about their customer service before but the quality was never an issue.. Now im nervous as it will take decent customer service to send me a new copy.

Can I ask are you hearing distorting on your vocals? the end of "girl like that" sounds super squashed and even quieter songs like back 2 good are super fuzzy around the vocal edges..

 

What are you playing it on if you don't mind me asking?

 

Nothing over the top high end - uTurn Audio TT, into an ART phono amp (low end I know) then into my sonos set up comprised of a few play 5s and some play 1s.

All that said, I threw on some other albums to do a quick compare and ensure something isn't crapping out and also compared itunes versions of the songs to the LP and it is night and day..

 

Ok, that's strange...it should sound half decent then. Looks like I'm gonna have to take it as it comes, I dunno what to expect now...

 

are you waiting on a delivery from SRC as well? I have to assume I was just unfortunate in received a bad pressing.. hopefully yours is ok.