Smashing Pumpkins Reissues Part 2

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by FourWalledWorld, Dec 8, 2012.

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  1. karmapolice

    karmapolice Forum Resident

    Location:
    los angeles, ca
    My Canadian vinyl amazon buy sounds excellent on my revealing system so am happy as a lark for $36
     
  2. Spooky

    Spooky Forum Resident

    Location:
    Raleigh, NC
    Received my 2nd copy from Amazon today. Unfortunately it is absolutely identical to the first copy. Meaning it suffers from the stereo imbalance and the distortion. It's truly the exact same poor quality.

    Bummer...
     
  3. contium

    contium Forum Resident

    Played sides A and B of my Amazon.ca LPs and this is the best I have heard this album sound. My Marantz TT15S1 played "Zero" with zero issues :p The vinyl seems cut at a pretty high level based on my volume knobs postiton and is dead quite. The high level is probably the reason for the tiny deadwax. If you get a good press and your turntable can handle it, I would think the US pressing would be preferable to the EU. Very happy with this purchase.
     
  4. anthontherun

    anthontherun Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    Anyone with the CD set have comments on the bonus tracks? I definitely plan on getting this but it's a little too expensive at the moment.
     
  5. pinkrudy

    pinkrudy Senior Member

    so this reissue is missing 2 songs? tonite reprise and infinite sadness...
    also...its on 4lps instead of 3?

    i have a 3lp from the EU....i ordered this 4lp from amazon.ca but they didnt honor mine....oh well...
     
  6. abor1g

    abor1g Forum Resident

    Location:
    Gwada
    why ? did u hear the EU one ?
     
  7. contium

    contium Forum Resident

    Only a 2496 needle drop which I admit isn't very useful. That comment was just based on the speculation that the small run out is due to a hotter cutting level which should give a better s/n. In my case, I don't here any surface noise or IGD and the mastering sounds good. Plenty of other factors involved I for sure.
     
  8. SergioRZ

    SergioRZ Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Portugal
    Did you hear the Original 3LP version on the same system to compare? I'm really curious abut that!

    :)
     
  9. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    I'd like to know that too. This must be the first time EVER that a reissue actually has brought the price of an original up and vice versa. Some EU sellers asking ridiculous prices for the new version already. "Mellon Collie" on vinyl has become a luxury item ;)

    I just rediscovered "Adore" & actually prefer it to "Mellon". But I know I'm in the minority with this opinion;) Curious to see what Billy will make of it when it gets the "Deluxe" treatment next year...
     
  10. contium

    contium Forum Resident

    I haven't heard the original vinyl since it came out and even then it was on a friend's mediocre setup. Would be interesting to hear a comparison on a decent system. Heck, even a high res needle drop of the two on the same setup would be cool. Or maybe not if the original is noticeable better ;) I'm happy with the release and think I will leave well enough alone and be content.

    Neonbeam, I'm with you on Adore. Although I might still try to pick up the original as its a little more ascertainable than Mellon Collie.
     
  11. chris8519

    chris8519 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Spooky -- you do not have your equipment listed on your profile page. Typically, the forum members post their gear, so when they comment on IGD or pressing problems, everyone else can see what they're working with.

    The way this MCIS remaster was cut can be VERY taxing on a record stylus. The fact that you had two copies exhibit the same issue... on the same song... kinda makes it seem like it's your turntable setup, and not the record itself. But again, what are you using to play it? I myself have a rather modest setup, and it doesn't exhibit the problems you mention. Others in this thread with nice setups agree with my findings.

    I am sorry to be gruff with everyone here and their hyperbole (I've owned a LOT of crappy pressings, but never had a fit on this forum over them), but a lot of the issues mentioned above are HARDWARE-based, not software (the disc itself).
     
  12. chris8519

    chris8519 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Be careful with finding an original of Adore -- sometime in the 2000's they recut the album, and the sound and vinyl quality is worse than originals.

    I have an original, and bought (unknowingly) the repress as an extra. I was disappointed in the sound.
     
  13. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    Are you sure? To my best knowledge there is only one vinyl edition of this album. You surely are right about resurfacing copies around....God...must have been 2003/ 2004 when this and....hold your breath ;)...unnumbered copies of "Mellon Collie" started to reappear in shops. But these either where overstocks or pressed from the same stampers as original copies.

    I've read some discussions about "Adore" copies that skip or seem to have a "locked groove" in the middle of a song (;)) but I've never had any problems with mine. Except for the fact that they had to leave the fourth side blank. Apart from that I really like the sound of the Mono-Mix because it brings this windswept, old, elegantly crumbling European element to the fore.
     
  14. Spooky

    Spooky Forum Resident

    Location:
    Raleigh, NC
    Hey Chris,

    I didn't realize there was a spot to list my equipment in my profile, I will update that. I did, however, provide all that information in my initial post a few pages back.

    Here are some facts from my end that makes me believe it's definitely software based and not hardware:

    - My setup: Pro-Ject Debut 3 turntable with Grado Blue cartridge...Marantz PM8004 Integrated Amp...B&W 685 Bookshelf speakers...Hsu Research 15" sub. Nothing super fancy but good enough to warrant critical listening.

    - Own over 200+ vinyl and have never had an issue with what I would describe as severe, immediate head turning-ly noticeable IGD. Nor have I ever felt that I was not getting a near perfect stereo image with any other vinyl I own.

    - My copy of MCIS from Amazon US had such badd issues with both IGD and poor imaing that I actually took my turntable into my local high end audio store to have it tuned up...just in case. After reading all the back and fourth here I figured I needed to ensure I was not using a faulty setup.

    - When at the high end audio store, I played my copy of MCIS on 2 different in store setups. I asked them to try it on their most cherished, properly setup turntables. Take that for what it's worth as I can not verify the setups they choose were perfect, but these were TT's in the thousands of dollars range and this store seems to take a lot of pride in their demo rooms. Everyone listening first commented on the imaging issue. It was so baltent that the left channel was much louder. Then the IGD on the last 30 seconds of Zero was as nasty and apparent on the store demo's as it was on my setup. Thre was not question to the audio freaks at the store that it was a bad pressing.

    - I tried my copy again on my newly, tuned up cartridge (the store said they ma de avery slight adjustment and changed my tracking weight a half a gram). Same issues...

    - Received a 2nd copy from Amazon. Same exact issues. I would think that if the pressings that are "bad" are all coming from the same bad source, that the problems would actually be identical, like the ones I am experiencing. And not the other way around as you state it.

    I can't even begin to comprehend how a newly pressed, 2012 made vinyl that costs $80 would require the nothing but the highest end setups to play it "properly". That just doesn't seem like the correct answer here.
     
  15. Fredsy

    Fredsy Forum Resident

    I'm not new here cause I spend a lot of time reading discussions on this great forum. But this is my first post...

    Thanks to this forum(and to Ptigerm), I ordered the MCIS vinyl box from Amazon.ca and received it two days ago. I gave a first listen at a low volume level and I noticed that the first side sounds didn't sound great and that there was distortion on some songs. Then I took my headphones and it sounded very awful (especially zero). I listened to the 3 other LPs and I can hear again some distortion, espacially at the end of each side. But yes I have to admit that some songs are very good sounding... a huge improvment from the first CD...

    So I took a look at the whole discussion right then and I wondered if the setup of my system had a problem. I have about 200 LPs and I think the setup of my turntable and cartridge are both good. Some LPs can have some slight distorsion near the deadwax but you can listen a high volume level... Finaly, I decided to listen with another system (my father in law's one). So I started with the first side of the first LP and guess what... same songs, same distortion and same problems...

    I asked Amazon.ca if they could replace this US box with a EU box. They haven't sent me a response yet :confused:

    Please excuse me for the english mistakes I can make.
    Fred
     
  16. chris8519

    chris8519 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Ah, Spooky, this is much more information, and does indeed change my mind about the pressing issues of MCIS. Your setup is legit -- and if the same problems happened even at a hifi shop, then it's got to be a pressing issue.

    Excuse my cynicism regarding IGD; through years of personal experience (as a young kid it baffled me), and watching others ignorantly rant about pressing quality when it is, in fact, their setup has hardened me. When I see people post similar complaints, and then have no system profile, I am immediately suspicious.

    I am also confused about the varying quality of this pressing. Some people here have no issues at all, including me. Usually, the verdict is unanimously one way or the other -- all people have issues, or none do.
     
  17. enocaster

    enocaster Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Berkshires, MA
    Finally listening to this now. Lots of fuzz and some skipping near the end of most sides so far (on Side 3). The last 30-seconds of Zero were fuzz city. I have a Rega RP1 and a new Nagaoka MP110; tracking force is exactly 1.5 grams and the anti-skate was set on a blank record side (Wowee Zowee side 4). I don't know much about table setup, but am not sure there's much else I can screw up? The 'table is level… most stuff sounds good on this setup, anything I should check?
     
  18. chris8519

    chris8519 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    As bad as some IGD can be, your needle shouldn't skip. That sounds not like a mispress, but an alignment issue. What method do you use? Baerwald? (I prefer that alignment)
     
  19. enocaster

    enocaster Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Berkshires, MA
    Thanks for the tip. I've never used a protractor, will get on it this week. Like I said, my setup generally sounds great compared to CD so it can't be too far off…
     
  20. Spooky

    Spooky Forum Resident

    Location:
    Raleigh, NC
    Yeah - the conflicting experiences with the same release is certainly a strage and confusing thing. I will be returning both of my copies to Amazon tomorrow.

    For the record (pun intended), I have never sought out information like this on any other vinyl purchase I have made. This one was just so obviously flawed to me that I had to make sure others were experiencing the same thing before deeming it to be unacceptable. I usually would just be a tad disappointed and made the return, but I was really anxiously awaiting this release for months and months. And when I saw the packaging and care that went into the release - I became even more excited. It's truly one of my favorite albums and being a vinyl geek, as I'm sure all of us on here are, it was so much more of a let down than it would be with most any other release.

    I guess at this point I will just lurk and revisit this thread from time to time and see if there is ever a 2nd pressing that provides more consistency and re-purchase at that point.
     
  21. In-Absentia

    In-Absentia Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    Finally had a chance to listen to my copy tonight (US copy from amazon.ca) and unfortunately I too am getting the nasty distortion towards the the end of the first two sides. Halfway through Zero the sound seriously became unlistenable, and I'm not usually one to use that term. It was almost laughable how bad it sounded. Same deal at the end of side two, but nothing offensive at the end of side 3. What is especially frustrating is that the unaffected songs are the best I've ever heard them. Tonight Tonight especially really came alive like I've never heard it before. A very frustrating experience to say the least.
     
  22. John76

    John76 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Midwest
    My old eyes can't make out the deadwax info on my side A, but it would be interesting if some can provide it to see if there is a pattern for those having difficulty. The person who inscribed that info had to be very talented to write that small!
     
  23. enocaster

    enocaster Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Berkshires, MA
    Or ashamed!
     
  24. Mlle. Aurora

    Mlle. Aurora Señor Member

    Location:
    Southern Germany
    :laugh:
     
  25. John76

    John76 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Midwest
    I'm more apt to think the problem is not going to be solved with another copy of the record. Your turntable either plays the cut or it doesn't. The EU version with the larger deadwax might be the way to go if you really want vinyl.
     
    chris8519 likes this.
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