At what point does a system provide the benefit of a 45rpm over 33rpm vinyl record??

Ouch! Nothing?

 

Breaking up classic rock albums into 4 sides just doesn't work for me. I think it kills the momentum of the album. If it's the same mastering offered on the 33 version, that's what I want. I do have some 45rpm classical LP's though and it seems a lot more music happens on each side..and they sound awesome.

 

I did say there was more going on than just the difference in RPM a couple times. I’m not saying 45 alone makes anything inherently better but It does seem very serious people choose 45 when they are trying to make the best possible product. Perhaps that’s what the market demands because of the perception of better sound?

 

Your turntable is faster to look at and watch it go round

 

So would I be wrong to read this as "45 RPM is better (or can be) for more dynamic mastering"?

I think the takeaway for the OP might be the RPM of records isn't the variable that makes one pressing inherently better than another. His question would then become "at what point should I be able to hear a difference between pressing?" I would say that is more a question of learning how to listen and experience than what he needs to buy But...he has nothing listed in his equipment profile so this is all a bit pointless.

 

He lists his equipment in the first line of the first post.

 

Fair point. I’d say it’s more than enough to hear the difference in pressings.

 

Thank you! That is a big pet-peeve of mine. There's a flow to albums and I really dislike breaking that flow. To me, it's like being told a joke and the person telling it leaves for 10 min, then comes back and continues the joke. The payoff isn't as good because of those breaks.

I never personally heard a noticeable change (not volume-related) between 33rpm & 45rpm versions but something tells me if I did, I wouldn't even bother unless the change was so significant that it'd be night & day... which it isn't.

 

Never heard the Doors albums better than on 45's. Maybe it just the mastering, but I don't mind playing 4 sides for that kind of sound quality.

 

It’s a great way for Mofi et al to charge you $50 a pop for a short record from the 70s or 80s.

 

Money well spent (imo).

 

I much prefer the sound of the 45s I have, and since my table is a manual, I have to sit right there anyway. Getting up is no problem whatsover. Also some great songs now have their own side, sounding better than ever to my ears !

 

To answer the OP question, yes you have a very nice system which should absolutely be able to demonstrate the differences across pressings, including 2x45 LPs. And good enough to get a lot out of them for your listening pleasure.

That being said, the higher up your system goes the more you will get to the full potential of what the medium can do.

BTW and for the record, I am on "Team 45"

 

I needle-drop them to cd-r, and don't have to deal with the vinyl, if I don't have the time. The needle-drops smoke the cd's of the albums that I have. It's a "win-win"...

 

That's wonderful for you, thanks for sharing.

 

I don't get hung up about the 45 rpm thing, just like 180 gram vinyl or even AAA at this point. I've had stunning stuff that was made at the low point of vinyl in the early-mid '70s and digital recordings that sound wonderful on vinyl.
I do remember commenting a few years ago here that the 45 recut of Sonny Rollins' Way Out West had a center image that was not apparent on the 33 cut- our host cut the 45 with KG, I think the 33 was done by Doug Sax, so comparing two different things. The 33 had that pronounced hard panning typical of some early stereo. The 45 had a center image.
That said, I did buy quite a few of those 45 rpm audiophile recuts when they were issued. Some, which are out of print, have gotten quite expensive today.

 

I was wondering if there are any other albums that are on both 33 and 45RPM releases cut by the same engineer at the same time?

All I can recall is the Analogue Productions 33RPM (2015) and 45RPM (2012) cuts of Dave Brubeck Quartet's Time Out by Bernie Grundman. From the few posts I read from those who reviewed both, some people prefer the 45RPM release. However, I'm not sure how fair one can assess both cuts given the time it was produced by Bernie Grundman from 2012 to 2015.

 

Thank you all for your posts - very much appreciated!!!!!

I’m learning a lot and understand that an apples to apples comparison is not so simple because you need a comparison where everything else is exactly the same except the cutting speed and I imagine the options to do this are limited.

This also explains why there are many differing opinions as this becomes almost completely a subjective matter.

And if there is any confusion to my original post it is really simply Whether or not there is factual evidence that a 2x45LP has an audible advantage over a 33LP and if there is a point where the quality of ones setup is inferior and doesn’t allow for these differences to be appreciated. Like all of us I don’t want to pay more and be inconvenienced if there isn’t a clear advantage.

It appears that since most titles that are offered in both formats aren’t a true apples to apples comparison than things like vinyl quality, mastering, cutting, pressing quality, etc all come into play and so each offering ends up a case by case basis.

 

Interesting, when cutting 45’s the overall level of the content is raised and the noise floor stays the same?

This seems like it would be an advantage for sure as your actually hearing more content. (Small as it may be I guess)

It’s like visually looking at a glacier. If you can lower the water level (or I guess in this case “raise” the glacier higher in the water) you get much more visual content.

 

So Steve are you saying there should be no difference between the 45RPM vs 331/3 assuming same mastering,etc?