Japanese/OBI Vinyl - good or bad?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by SH Whatley, Apr 8, 2011.

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  1. YouKnowEyeKnow

    YouKnowEyeKnow Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lexington Kentucky
    I have Japanese copies of Floyd's "Meddle" DSOTM, "Obscured By Clouds", "The Final Cut" and "Animals" They sound very good to great in my opinion. "Animals" is the least favorite of mine, but its still sounds ok to me. I usually go for my US original for "Animals"
     
  2. dianos

    dianos Forum Resident

    Location:
    The North
    How about Japanese pressings from the 70s? I read somewhere a lot of it is crap since they used 8 bit digital in the mastering. True?
     
  3. Blue Cactus

    Blue Cactus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Illinois
    Instead of an analog preview head.
     
  4. dianos

    dianos Forum Resident

    Location:
    The North
    I will try to find it again. I believe it was in a video clip with Michael Fremer (Analog planet).
     
  5. Combination

    Combination Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Orleans
    It's not a disdain in this country. It's a disdain with people on this website. As with any other record/pressing, it's on a case by case basis. I have Japanese vinyl that is absolutely awesome, and some that is not.
     
  6. JP Christian

    JP Christian Forum Resident

    hehe, sorry, I just thought that was the craziest thing, in the words of Paul Weller... "Don't believe everything you see or hear...."
     
  7. Blue Cactus

    Blue Cactus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Illinois
    I've heard Michael Fremer talking about this.
     
  8. dianos

    dianos Forum Resident

    Location:
    The North
    Found it :) Pretty sure this guy knows what he's talking about. Michael seems to know which records used this and which did not. Would be interesting to have that list.



    58 minutes in.
     
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2015
  9. tim185

    tim185 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Australia
    For me:
    Fleetwood Mac Japanese OBI, spectacular.
    Beatles Revolver,Stereo, spectacularly awful! Way WAY too bright.
     
  10. Lashing

    Lashing Well-Known Member

    Pretty suspect. 8 bit digital? uh no. In the 70's? Absolutely not. Maybe some bad stuff in the 80's. I think there was a slip of the tongue there which I would not take as gospel.
     
    JP Christian likes this.
  11. vinylman

    vinylman Senior Member

    Location:
    Leeds, U.K.
    I used to have a LOT of Japanese vinyl. And I do mean a LOT. Not ONE lp pressed off centre; not ONE instance of lead-in or run-out crackle and only two singles out of around 250 had any sign of warpage. No warpage at all in the albums. They knew how to press on-centre, flat, crackle-free vinyl. Excellent packaging. too.
     
  12. vinylman

    vinylman Senior Member

    Location:
    Leeds, U.K.


    There are many different series of Beatles Japanese album pressings; many great, just a couple not so great.
     
  13. Lashing

    Lashing Well-Known Member

    When it comes to Beatles pressings all bets are off. The brand has changed hands a few times and my guess is if anyone has the master tapes, they don't let anyone have them. This might explain the "experts" above. Beatles stuff is often very poorly done. I dont care as I don't like the Beatles. I get they influenced everyone and inspired many sub genres of rock n roll but I never like them. Worse is the Rolling Stones. Pure boredom in my opinion. But another brand that has tons of really bad pressings out there.

    Audiophile types often concentrate on the same boring albums over and over again. Do we need another Beatles box set?
     
  14. Preston

    Preston Forum Resident

    Location:
    KCMO Metro USA
    I don't know about the impact of the digital preview head on the sound, but as I described in an earlier post, I've been buying A LOT of 70s Japanese pressings lately and they have been stunning. They sound identical to the equivalent American pressing, but without the quality issues.
     
  15. Lashing

    Lashing Well-Known Member

    I agree. I only have one bad one and that is Yngwie Malmsteens first album. But that was a bad recording. Terrible kick drum. Nothing can be done about that. The vinyl is really quiet. Just like all my Japanese pressings.

    Many Japanese CD's are better too. They don't care for the clipped loudness like Americans do. Once again they also use a better plastic.
     
    Preston likes this.
  16. Tommyboy

    Tommyboy Senior Member

    Location:
    New York
    I've found Japanese Blue Note reissues to be of very nice quality
     
  17. Holy Diver

    Holy Diver Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Obi rules!
     
    YouKnowEyeKnow likes this.
  18. Japan pressings like anything else can be hit or miss, but for the most part they sound really good. I like them and pick them up whenever I get a chance.
     
    YouKnowEyeKnow likes this.
  19. Tommyboy

    Tommyboy Senior Member

    Location:
    New York
    What does this have to do with the sound quality of Japanese vinyl pressings?
     
    YouKnowEyeKnow and Preston like this.
  20. Blue Cactus

    Blue Cactus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Illinois
    Not a thing. He's just using this thread as a platform to tell the world that he doesn't like The Beatles. Yeah we get it, Lashing don't care for The Beatles. Yawn....move on.
     
    Tommyboy and YouKnowEyeKnow like this.
  21. vinylman

    vinylman Senior Member

    Location:
    Leeds, U.K.

    Thanks for your complete lack of knowledge on the subject; much appreciated. But for what it's worth, EMI Beatles album pressings are the most consistently impressive I came across in over fifteen years of collecting. Btw, EMI never needed to let anyone else use the master tapes, apart from MoFi.
     
  22. JP Christian

    JP Christian Forum Resident

    Where on earth do you get this stuff from? :crazy:
     
  23. EdogawaRampo

    EdogawaRampo Senior Member

    Japanese vinyl? Often the best ever pressed. Quiet, super low noise floor, sometimes even silent. Amazing.

    Mastering? Bright to painfully bright. I don't have any Japanese lps anymore. Over bright bugs the hell outta me. The Beatles EAS blue box from the 70s I got rid of within a week of buying it. Awful.

    The Japanese EAS red vinyl monos from the 80s (1982 and 1986 issues) were nice, if flawed. I think the 2014 Beatles mono reissues have made them redundant.
     
    Gavinyl and e.s. like this.
  24. DavidFell

    DavidFell Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    Clearly you're not wrapping the obi tightly enough around your ears.
     
  25. ArpMoog

    ArpMoog Forum Resident

    Location:
    Detroit
    I don't have a lot of Japanese vinyl but what I do have sounds really good.
    I have a first press Japanese King Crimson Larks with the light blue obi and It sound
    just as nice as my Island copy but with nicer packaging.
    Obi's are pretty :)
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 4, 2015
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