Classic Records Drives Me Nuts

I have posted here in the past over my troubles with CR especially their 200 gram stuff. If they did not have such good titles I would never do business with them. I just bought three new re-releases of theirs from RT: Dylan's "Rolling Thunder", LZ's "The Song Remains The Same" and the Allman Brothers "At The Fillmore East". Two double albums and one triple plus 45 (I must be crazy given my past experience with CR's 200 gram vinyl). To my complete surprise TSRTS is almost perfect, a few minor ticks here and there, and Dylan RT's has only on bad flaw on one side of one LP there is a click sound that repeats for three revolutions but it is at the beginning before the music really gets started (no way am I going to try to exchange a 3 LP album and roll the dice again for such a flaw). The AB's at the Fillmore, however, is a classic example of CR's quality problems, there are so many clicks, ticks and pops on both of the LP's that it is as if I made the thing in my garage and all of the dirt from my garage floor got into the pressing. As I said Classic Records drives me nuts!!!

 

Thanks for sharing your experience ALP.
You are not alone.

 

ALP,
Again I send out my C/R empathy.

For the price, defects should be less frequent. Red Trumpet will probably make it right and presumably be able to return item(s) to Classic...

 

Classic has so many LPs that I want to buy, but I see way too many posts like this that keep me away. I beileve Tom Port says that their version of Muddy Waters "Folk Singer" blows the MFSL pressing away, but at least my MFSL is quiet (the only Anadisc that I have that is quiet).

Are any Classic records unanimously good sounding or it all hit or miss?

Sean

 

As I said in the thread I started about the 140 Gram Rolling Thunder set, I'll never purchase another LP from Classic unless they reissue The Beatles!

 

Sadly, IMHO it is all hit and miss, when they get it right it can be really good. my Procol Harum is clean and sounds wonderful, it is my favorite album of the last year, but I know of other forum members who got noisy copies. Does anyone have an idea of what it would take to buy Classic Records and then manage it the way it should be managed? Are we talking millions or tens of millions.

 

I'd e-mail or better yet call Classic Records and let them know without any doubt that their lack of quality control is not making you very happy.

The days of us having to put up with new crappy vinyl pressings (and expensive ones at that) should be long gone.

 

I would recommend to all that you clean your vinyl--yes, even new vinyl--before playing. I highly recommend the Disc Doctor cleaning system.

Well, I would find it hard to believe that it "blows" it away. Of course, I would have to listen to classic's version to say one way or the other, but the mofi was highly acclaimed by many when it was released. Sounds great to me, but as I said, I would have to hear it or hear from others who have A/B'ed it within their systems.

 

Well, after having to return my first Classic Records copy of The ABB 'Fillmore East', I finally got a real beauty in the mail on Friday.

I changed headshells to my Stanton 881-S MKII and listened to this animal. It sounded mighty fine to these ears! Oddly, fairly quiet and rich to me. I think I lucked out with a real VERY clean copy for a change.

I was ready to throw in the towel, as far as new vinyl goes. The first copy was trashed...almost identiacal to the way my 'Last Waltz' LP's were. The lip scratches and blemishes rendered the LP unlistenable.

I was so psyched to get a clean copy of 'Fillmore East'!!!!

I'm lovin' the sound on this baby...can't wait to get home

 

I also find that cleaning vinyl, new or otherwise, is a necessity that can't be avoided. I while back I cleaned a lot of brand new vinyl using my disc doctor/VPI 16.5 combo method. You would be shocked at how dirty the waste water was!!

I know it takes away from listening time, and it is tempting to just plop a brand new record on the turntable, but it must be cleaned. That might do the trick on some of your new vinyl ticks and pops.

 

Cleaning new vinyl seems to the norm now. This weekend I picked up the new Rhino Elvis Costello 'My Aim Is True' and there was a nice blob of something nasty on side two....

Todd

 

THIS THREAD JOGGED THE MEMORY

I have a fair selection of Mobile Fidelity vinyl LPs, and when I read this thread, it got me thinking about an insert given with the Mobile Fidelity LPs

here it is verbatim:

REMINDER: We do not de-horn our metal parts in order to prevent damage to high frequencies and transients. It may be necessary to play this disc several times, with your stylus acting as a polishing tool, to eliminate random pops and ticks. Brush carefully before and after each play!

JG

 

Same here. I emptied the used cleaner into an empty water bottle and it was filthy. It was even being diluted with two washings of distiled water on each side. I use my VPI cleaner all the time. Also, the Disc Doctor fluid is much better than what I used to use.

 

Very good points gentlemen, but there IS certainly a lot of damage to these LPs before they even get to the sleeves. Talkin' scratches and scorched portions of the vinyl. I still need to get another copy of "Giant Steps" because my copy is scratched on Side 2, and that's how I found it, sealed.

It's not just one label or plant.

 

The MSFL of Folk Singer sounded pretty darn good...did the Classic blow it away?No....but it did sound better than the MSFL no doubt.BUT remember the MSFL was not a tragedy,but a triumph so if that's one of your favorite albums,by all means....BUY IT again.Or if you're looking for sonic nirvana and don't have the MFSL,folks,BUY IT!!!

 

How about bad handling by the store clerk? I'm sure a lot of damage occurs in shipping and handling.

I ran into a situation last week where the kid behind the counter actually put the receipt on top of my record and wrote on it. I picked it up and there were indentations of what he wrote. I told him I wanted another copy now and he got the manager involved. The kid obviously didn't know how to handle vinyl. I'd hate to see him in a comic book store. Those guys would kill him.

 

Now THAT'S ignorance. Comic book, perfect example.

Sad thing is, when vinyl was flying around at warp speed in the 80's, I never had such a problem with new vinyl. 99.9% of the time, even record club pressings were top notch.

Now (and I agree with those who complain) the failure rate goes sky-high because high end pieces I buy are not just slightly imperfect, they're trashed right out of the package. At $17-$29 ea, that's not fun record buying.

 

This gives me hope, I am returning my ABB "Fillmore East" so hopefully I will get a cleancopy eventually (I have been through this before). Interestingly my Last Waltz LP's are fine. I guess I am going to start cleaning all new vinyl based on what I have read here.

 

I wonder what the deal is? Could it be that art of vinyl pressing is becoming lost in the past. I think it's outrageous the amount of new "audiophile" vinyl I've had to return because of their trashed state. I don't care if plant "A" uses special vinyl formulation and plant "B" doesn't. If the records keep coming in these terrible states then who cares??? It's really sad because it does take the fun out of it.....

 

I ordered a copy of the new album by The Decemberists a couple weeks ago. Direct from the label. I read that they re-issued it on red vinyl, and I said that I wanted a black label if possible. The guy said he'd have to open one to be sure, but promised it would be new.

I got it, and the record is warped, plus there's a nasty scratch on the surface across the first track. Luckily, they promised to replace it. I sent it back last week.

Frustrating!

 

No stylus ever hits a record around here without a thorugh cleaning. It a religion.