Save the reissues — please stop returning them!

"Before deciding to return your new record, clean it first. You'd be amazed how cleaning a record, even a new record, can make it sound better."

It's amazing, isn't it, how this gets by so many who buy LPs? Because I give every new vinyl a careful, thorough cleaning, I've never had to return a re-issued LP, not one. Yes, maybe a few of them have had minor flaws, like one or two very brief clicks, but perhaps people who cannot tolerate a flaw that kind of occasional minor might consider not buying vinyl LPs.
This is no time to perpetuate our "throw away society" habits. Unless a carefully cleaned LP is truly flawed besides something very minor (and this is not at all as common as some seem to think- they're records, stop seeking 100% perfection), there is no reason to add to the landfill (unless all you want is landfill).

 

Most of my albums were bought from 1974 to 1986....as I jumped to CD in 1985.
I can only remember exchanging one...AC/DC's Back In Black.
The opening song crackled quite badly and you could visibly see it was marked.
But of course back then, everything was bought from the store itself...nothing was bought online.
Regarding care etc....
I just used to blow the needle to remove visible dust and wipe the spinning album once before dropping the needle.
Let's face it, most who collect vinyl here have some sort of OCD!!!

 

Hope you enjoyed your brief stay in Cork! As for new vinyl, I have been very lucky with all of the Tone Poets and Blue Note Classic reissues that I have bought. The only complaint I have is that many of them had one side with an off centre spindle. I fixed all those anyway and to be honest, they were only marginally 'off'. I haven't seen or heard any 'non fill' on on any of the Blue Note Classics (pressed at Optimal) that I have bought although some have had less fortunate experiences. I tend to stick with the plants that I trust (Optimal, Pallas, Record Industry, Dublin Vinyl, RTI and GGR) and that lowers my 'anxiety' levels considerably. Unfortunately, though getting to hear vinyl at its very best is an expensive pursuit because you need all sorts of expensive accessories like ultrasonic RCMs and Disc Flattening devices. The former was a real game changer for me.

 

Hahahaha!

 

Honestly, I have very few issues with new vinyl. Granted, I probably only buy somewhere between 5 and 10 in an average year but have yet to get one I'm not happy with. And I'm not buying the expensive stuff. My average price is probably a little over $20 per.

 

And it’s littered with discarded water bottles, used COVID-19 masks and vinyl recordings.

 

Stitching (or what is erroneously called non-fill, which is another thing altogether) also tends to appear in the same spots on a record, if it’s present at all.

For example, if there is stitching in track one and track two, the stitch marks will typically be in the same place on the record. I’ve seen this more times than not - sometimes it’s only on the first and last tracks of a side too... but again in roughly the same locations.

I have also had quite a few records from the late 70’s and early 80’s that exhibit this issue as well (namely American made-Warner and Capitol titles), and thus it is not a new issue - but one that is certainly more common nowadays, especially on things like limited editions and RSD titles (in my own experience)

Sadly one of the worst plants for this nowadays is Optimal in Germany. Most of the time, they make pretty damned good records - but I also lost count on how many records I’ve bought with horrendous stitching that were pressed there. URP is also notorious for stitching....

Stitching/non-fill are literally my biggest pet peeve when it comes to vinyl defects. There’s no reason for it to even exist.....(other than shaving a few seconds off of production time to make a few extra bucks....)

[FYI - I’ve also called this “non-fill” for as long as I can remember so I’m just as guilty as most when discussing these two different, but audibly similar, types of pressing defects]

 

I concur.

I absolutely love everything digital has to offer when done right: an amazing dynamic range, no noise and zero wow and flutter.

However, since the loudness wars - I’ve found myself getting less and less interested in modern music. I love a lot of modern artists and albums - but the music can be so grating after a while due to massive amounts of compression and limiting done to many recordings.

I will say that despite vinyl’s noise floor and lowered dynamic range - some modern titles can sound absolutely incredible on vinyl, as the masters being used are sometimes not limited and not harshly EQ’d.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised many times when I’ve played specific modern albums on digital and compared to the vinyl release - with the vinyl release almost sounding like a different mix at times because it breathes more, and the frequencies are not all coming at you at once. I could probably give at least two dozen examples of modern albums who’s vinyl release trumps the common digital one.

truthfully - what gives digital it’s bad name, is the reputation of the crappy DACs from the 80’s combined with the annoyance of the loudness wars.

Speaking as an engineer, when you remove these two “elements” of colour, the music WILL ebb and flow and breathe like the music that was mastered in the 60’s thru till the early 90’s.

That being said - as much as I prefer the benefits of digital, I’d rather listen to and enjoy the vinyl version 9 times out of 10 - especially on many modern releases.

 

Return them! The manufacturers will learn from their mistakes. Certain labels I avoid completely however.

 

Agreed.

I am now pretty much avoiding anything from Sony or Universal unless there are stellar reviews.

Sony typically uses URP, NRP and MPO and all three suck overall in my brutally honest opinion.

Universal presses from all over the place including Precision here in Canada - and it’s always 50/50 with any of their titles, that I come across.

Most of my defects in the last two years have been titles on either major - and I don’t find it coincidental.

 

I’ve only returned three new albums. I got two copies of the recent reissue of Big Star Radio City that were badly warped (has to be severe for me to care), I returned them both and didn’t order a third. I figured I’d get a copy on Discogs later, that had been opened, but of course now they are stupid expensive, so oh well. Other one was a Destroyer record that had the A side pressed to both sides. For the most part I agree with OP—for me the appeal of collecting vinyl records has nothing to do with perfection. I don’t really understand people returning records for a dent in the corner or whatever. Decades ago I made peace with the fact that vinyl records have some surface noise. To be fair, many on this forum are routinely buying single albums for $100-plus and I might care more in that case.

 

I don't understand what those acronyms mean.

 

Those are pressing plants.

 

Agreed.

I am now pretty much avoiding anything from Sony or Universal unless there are stellar reviews.

Sony typically uses URP, NRP and MPO and all three suck overall in my brutally honest opinion.

Universal presses from all over the place including Precision here in Canada - and it’s always 50/50 with any of their titles, that I come across.

Most of my defects in the last two years have been titles on either major - and I don’t find it coincidental.

Karmageddon, Today at 3:00 AM


I think you have summarized it pretty well. Sony/Columbia uses the worst plants and I am never anxious to buy vinyl releases by that label. Funny thing though, MPO made a great job of the last Dylan album 'Rough and Rowdy Ways', here in Europe. The U.S. edition was pressed at URP and many U.S. based enthusiasts opted to import the European pressed version. Why any self respecting, ethical label would elect to use URP, NRP or MRP is beyond me? It just speaks to cluelessness, really? MPO used to be a great plant in the 80s and 90s and well into the second decade of the 2000s. Somewhere around 2016 I detected a distinct fall off in quality from that plant with 'non fill' playing a prominent role in its output. It just shows though that when it is put up to them MPO can still deliver a premium pressing ('Rough and Rowdy Ways'). I imagine Sony/Columbia stipulated and demanded a quality product for its premier artist, from MPO. You take your chances with anybody else on the label's roster though. I don't know why Gotta Groove Records in Cleveland, OH is not appreciated more or highly praised. GGR has reached a very high degree of excellence in my experience and it is no surprise to me that Shane Buettner's Intervention Records will be using that plant from December 2022 onwards. I like RTI too, but am less enthusiastic about QRP. I haven't had the best of luck with QRP but the LYNYRD SKYNYRD reissues I have from that plant are excellent. Their run of the mill, non audiophile output doesn't seem to get the same levels of QC that its premier jazz and rock reissues get? My copy of 'The Harrow And The Harvest' by Gillian Welch is as noisy as hell. I've avoided non audiophile QRP vinyl in the past few years and I don't rate the plant. Others will have had different experiences though.

What is the consensus on Precision Record Pressing in Burlington, Ontario, Canada? It's a GZ affiliate so that is not encouraging. A number of releases by that plant have made their way to Europe. The current Mike Campbell 'External Combustion' is one (I think) as is 'Things Are Great' by Band of Horses, both of which are okay if not quite in the same league as what the best plants produce. I avoided the recent Lyle Lovett vinyl of '12th of June', opting instead for the German CD, because it had been 'Made in Canada'. I would love to be told that I am wrong on this!

 

My local record store owner has been in business for 50 years and has yet to come across a single example

I have only returned one new record in 50 odd years and that was in the mid-seventies

 

I only return new records if there is a sound quality issue with the pressing. I have no problem with light ticks and minor surface noise but if there is nonfill or noise throughout the pressing it goes back.

I find that most new pressings are pretty dirty. Not sure why, but after a good wet cleaning and initial playthrough they usually sound better.

I have seen pressings I returned to Barnes & Nobel in new shrink wrap out on the floor for sale. My friend received a bad pressing from Amazon that had no hype sticker and looked like it had been rewrapped.

 

The great thing about buying used originals is that you can inspect the disc yourself at a shop. Or you can at least have a reasonable amount of faith that a discogs seller has graded right.

I can't say I have had any reason to buy a new reissue that is sealed and with no knowledge of how the disc looks unless the original is just too rare or pricey.


Plus honestly, there is no fun buying new reissues. There is no sport. There is no hunt or the thrill of the unknown combing through old vinyl. I still love going to shops and hoping to find something exciting.

And econominally there usually is no vested intrest in buying reissues. I'd much rather track down the originals.