Dark Side of the Moon Japanese Pro Use vs UK press

I mostly wanted to make this thread to see what others think about the Japanese issues and their sound and if your experiences are similar to mine.

UK copy: SHVL 804 A3/B3 (Between 3rd to 5th press) - VG condition

Japanese copy: Pro Use - Mint condition

I was in my local record shop and found both these issues and decided to compare on their in house setup. Nothing super fancy but nothing terrible either. About 600$ worth of Table, Amp and headphones Id imagine, just to give you a picture. I listened to side 1 for both records one after the other.

The UK, while a bit crackly was very good to my ears. It seemed very nicely balanced and the vocals were a bit clearer and forward than what I was used to from my regular spins of the 2016 Grundman release which I enjoy quite a bit I might add. The Presence was good and I really couldnt fault it much other than perhaps not being the most detailed sound, this might be because of the headphones I was listening through though.

Switching over to the Japanese Pro Use I had high hopes especially since the price was up there at 150$ compared to the 40$ UK copy. It looked totally pitch black and clean, as well as there being no crackles at all. But once the heavier tracks like Time kicked in I almost threw my headphones off. The overall treble is just incredibly sharp and loud. I was listening to the UK at about 3 on the volume knob, but with the Japanese I was switching between 2 - 2.5 constantly. It felt a lot louder or hotter mastering wise but somehow the vocals were more recessed than the UK, hard to say though with the volume changes happening. I understand that this might not be as bad with speakers but it was really nearly un listenable for me. Overall the it felt more EQ tampered and edgy, almost distorted in parts. If I had to be pretentious I would also say it was somewhat more airy than the UK as well, which actually was a nice fit for The Great Gig In the Sky I though.

Tell me, am I completely wrong or unjustified in my testing experience or do you share some of my thoughts?

 

I realize the equipment might cause the sibilance but my main point was more so how unbalanced the record felt compared to the UK.
Later Ill check what the setup consisted of in more detail.

 

I own both the pro use and an earlier uk press. I'm not near my records to tell what the uk numbers are but it's from around 74 or 75 I think it's safe to say.
To my ears I think the uk sounds better. My impression of th pro use is similar to yours, it's like they eq'd it to make it more punchier.

 

Interesting. And once again, I get that a bad cart makes the listening experience more unpleasent in parts but Id think the general sound still comes through.

 

They are two different animals. The proper UK lp will always trounce any other version. The trick is finding that special one in NM condition. DSOTM and most Pink Floyd is so dynamic, so soft and loud, that for me the album needs a quiet background. Aint easy to find.

The Prouse is very nice also. But its a much more clinical approach. Ear piercing? Mmmm, I never heard it to be. My cart is a Dynavector. So its a pretty lively cart. And Im fairly critical of bright sounding versions of DSOTM.

Again, the UK and the Prouse are two different approaches.

 

I haven't compared that specific Japanese pressing, but after comparisons with others (Japan, German, US, etc.) I think the early UK pressings are the way to go. They maintain their pleasant 'naturalness' and balance the louder they get turned up.

 

About the UK releases, does it matter that its a second, third, forth press and so on? I get that the stampers are new but is there any other difference? Is the first press just so expensive because its exclusivity or are there actual, hearable, sonic benefits? Because I see third presses go in good condition for quite modest prices in comparison to the first. Is it worth getting or should I just hunt for that first issue?

 

Is the early Wally cuts the way to go if you get a US copy then?

 

Yes I think so. Thats the one I had for years.

 

The first pressings are most expensive due to the solid blue triangle label. The a3 / b3 is the earliest most affordable copy that starts off the blue border triangle. Generally the lower the number the 'better' the sound but frankly any of the UK's up to something like 10 or 12 sound great. Most important is getting a clean copy.

 

Chasing perfection with DSOTM is just like many other albums. The Beatles, for example. We can go through all the rigamarole of decifering deadwax information in the most scientific way. Yet, we still dont know *exactly* which cut is the absolute freshest. We can narrow it down to a great degree. But really, in the end, one has to invest time , effort and some money to actually listen and compare.

What we do know is the origin of country. What we do know is that all the remastering and all the fiddle diddling with eq, whether it be by japanese engineers or timbuktoo, still doesnt top the best UK's.

So we can at least agree the UKs are the way to go. Now some other countries may have used those stampers and they sound awesome also. Or the plant that pressed them adds a bit of a different magic. Or maybe they used different tubes and equipment on a German copy.

In the end its listening that is the absolute way to find that 3D holographic sound.

So, while I know first hand what a chore that can be and many times not realistic, there are many here who have researched these pressings. Does my opinion stand as perfect? Nope. But I can say that I have spent quite a bit of money listening and have spent endless hours in Dark Side threads and archived threads.

Having blathered all of that, here is what I gathered ultimately:

DSOTM

Original UK vinyl all the way. Nothing is quite like the 3D projection of the best original.

Specifically:

A2/B3 pressings seem to be the sweet spot.

Original UK- A2/B2 pressing (I believe Money has some sort of small issue) or UK blue-rimmed triangle label A/3
B/3 pressing is also a winner

2) A close second is the original japanese blue triangle.

In a pinch and 3rd best imo..

3) German Harvest pressing-
05249A-2 / 05249B-2

Looking for something very very good but different with the side attraction of silent vinyl that the japanese used?...the go MFSL.

Specifically...

MFSL:

Look for plain typing of "original master tape" at the top of the cover. Not italized.

A 2-1 MOTHER, 215 STAMPER
B 2-5 MOTHER, 251 STAMPER


Is the above fail proof? No. there are variables. But the above listings are the over all consensus from everything I have read.

 

Leon, in the end, DSOTM is a fantastic sounding recording. Never really heard a *bad* one. When chasing these things I have to ask myself "Do I really listen to this album *that* much or am I just on a hunt for some holy grail that I think will somehow transform my senses into heavenly bliss?"

Its a good question to ask imo. Sometimes we just have to be happy that we own and can listen to a really nice sounding version.

Happy hunting!

 

Then theres the fact that you would rather own an early press on the A3/B3 stamper than the very last one on the A2/B2 one, so its not necessarily better in every case.
I think Ill try and order a clean early press at some point, might sound lazy but there really are not many digging chances here.

Thanks for the guide on DSOTM pressings mpayan!

 

I have put a lot of money and effort into my quest for DSOTM vinyl Nirvana. I have found the early UK to be the best but I have yet to track down a Japanese, German, Canadian, or UHQR copy (someday!).

UK A2/B2 or A3/B3 are imo the best. Higher number UK stampers are also excellent as R&R has mentioned above. They are more affordable as well.

The US Wally is excellent and many stop there.

Although some don't care for the MOFI, I have a soft spot for its syrupy smooth presentation.

And for $30 the 2016 issue is hard to beat.

There really is not a bad version of this...from all I have heard they are very similar with maybe the exception of the MOFI or the 30th (which has a sharper treble boost). You have to listen to decide your personal preference. For me it's UK all the way.

 

Yeah so I hear, when this album gets in the hands of publishers and studios they know they need to do a great job on it.
Ill be looking for an early UK at first in either case. I think that would be a nice round off for me at the moment. The latest digital release by way of the 2016 BG issue and an early Analog UK press.

 

The Kevin Gray cut from many years ago on a Koetsu Jade was the pressing that made me think "wow". As I understand there was more than one set of stampers for it and some suffered from excessive sibilance. The copy I heard was in every way as good as the black face non-TO CD that shared the same mastering as the good black triangle disc.

 

Not all the UK A2/B2 solid blue triangle pressings have the glitch. I have one with no glitch on Money.

 

Whats this glitch people mention?
Also, I read in some comments some time ago about MOFIs UHQR release is the only one without clipping on I think "Time" was the track. Any idea about that?

 

I believe the glitch is a “skip” somewhere during Money.

 

Just to sort of update here, I just won a great auction for the Japanese PRO USE in VG++/NM condition. Might sound weird since I didnt like it when first hearing it, but at 20$ I cant pass it up. Will be eager to hear it on my personal setup, wish me luck!

 

I believe this is urban legend that gets perpetuated because it’s on that Pink Floyd vinyl site.

I’ve read about this “glitch” many times, yet nobody ever seems to be able to pinpoint where during Money the glitch occurs. In addition, I’ve yet to hear a logical explanation for why some records from the same lacquer would have such a glitch and some wouldn’t. Yes, in theory, you could have a bad stamper or a bad mother. But a bad stamper would mean there are just a few hundred bad ones out there. And a bad mother would mean more bad ones out there - yet nobody has ever connected the dots to say that Mother #x (or Stamper #x for that matter) has the glitch.

Not to mention, almost every (if not every) actual anecdotal report I’ve read is like yours (and mine)...no glitch on their copy of Money (or anywhere on the LP).

I think this is yet another case of a record having some hard to track spots and a few people assume it must be the record because it couldn’t possibly be their player...

 

Good point, I first heard it on Discogs, a fella mentioned that the Mofi UHQR is the only version that doesnt clip or something on tracks like Money. He never answered when I asked more about it though.

Another example I can think of is the recent Gorillaz Demon Days reissue on red vinyl. Some were reporting skipping issues and a misprint version was sectioned off. To this day Im not sure if it actually was a misprint, some staff of production said it was confirmed to be a remedied problem, but considering that most of the buyers of that record have players like the LP60 I wouldnt be surprised if it was all about poorly set up decks. One lady was having the skipping problem and what do you know, when I asked what she had she said a newly purchased LP60.

Not to knock that table or anything, good stepping stone for beginners. But I can see why many would report a misprint version.

 

I have over 3,000 records, and have never had a single tracking issue with any of them. I bought a first UK pressing of 'Dark Side...', and sure enough, there was a skip during 'Money'. I kept it for a few years, then got the opportunity to buy another one. This one didn't have the skip. If I still had the first copy, no doubt, I would have shared the stamper/mother numbers with this forum, but alas, I sold it a few years back; but in any case, it would be pretty far-fetched to put this down to a "tracking issue".

You could argue that my copy having a skip during 'Money' was sheer coincidence, but I personally know of one other person that also had a UK first pressing with a skip during 'Money'. I have no idea whether he still has it, but I can certainly check.

Whilst I accept that it could appear to be an urban legend for those that have clean-playing first pressings, my own experience is that the skip is limited to certain stampers or mothers.

 

Interesting, well as soon as we have 2 examples that skip in the exact same place then we have a basis to ground the assurtion in. After that its easy to check with others.

 

None of this addresses the questions I posed. Nor does it refute what I posted.

As I said, every (or NEARLY every) anecdotal recollection is...no glitch.

Every album that sold in large numbers is going to have a few with issues. That doesn’t mean that there was some significant quantity with “glitches” on Money with this one.