They are killing the vinyl...

In my experience ,with the purchase of new vinyls is easier to find a defective record than a perfect.
Records warped,but most of all dished (convex on a side,concave on the other) has become increasingly common.
Sometimes with the clamp resolves rhe problem ,other times the defect is too much.
I have hundreds and hundreds of Japan pressing records,almost all bought used pressed on light vinyl , all are perfects and are more than 600.
One example for all : the very beautiful Charles Lloyd record"Forest Flower" by Speaker Corners ,greatly dished,changed 3 times,all dished,neither with the clamp is possible have the record flat on the turntable,with VTA good peace.
I have to say that others S.C. are fine.
I remember the Classic Records on 200 gr.dished and the Analogue Production Jazz titles on 45RPM pressed by RTI with clear halo on the surface,all defects that once were not there.
If I pay € 35.00 or more for a record I think having it perfect is the minimum.
The desire to buy vinyls is really passing away.

 

One of the many reasons I hate 180 gram vinyl is they are much more prone to be dished or off center than a regular weight record. But using the word "perfect" regarding vinyl is contradictive, as it's far from a perfect medium. If I ever get a chance to release a vinyl LP, they will all be regular weight and have a very strict purchase policy. I've read too many comments on this forum of people returning countless copies of something because of some form of surface noise. If the master disc is defective then that's one thing, but to expect something perfectly quiet is generally impossible.

 

I’ve had better luck recently than I was having a couple of years ago, but, yes, there are a lot of pressing defects nowadays! I still want to buy them, though. I just accept that I may be returning records on a regular basis and hoping for good copies.

 

This didn't help:

Apollo Masters Plant Fire Leads to Vinyl Shortage Fears | Billboard

 

Who knew that was to be just the beginning of the End Times?

 

vinyl is still a niche limited market, small production runs, not much attention to quality control

 

Manufacturing vinyl records is largely a mechanical-based process and because of many steps involved, there is a higher chance for things to go wrong in the process, from the mastering, plating, to pressing.

Add numerous factors include pressing plants overwhelmed with requests from labels to appease the appetite for the medium, largely my generation (i.e., millennials), attrition rate of equipment/parts/manpower/knowledge, etc.

 

Right. Highly variable, depending on the plant, how much they plan to charge us, etc. Plus the industry lost most of its skilled labor force when production shrunk down to just a few plants doing limited runs through the CD era.

 

.. vinyl, vinyls, PVC, plasticware - call it what you want but the question is why, when it once had been possible to produce great lp records fairly consistently when serious flaws were
the exception rather than the rule, is it now seemingly turned around where great pressings seem more the exception in many cases ?
Cutting lacquers from digital masters notwithstanding, it should be possible to make records equal to or exceeding the quality of yesteryear's product and hold such a standard of quality across the vast majority of records that are pressed.

So , the reasons why quality has seemingly dropped off :

Cost.
This factor probably tops the list, and it is merely a symptom of today's global economic picture; inflation/ recession/supply/demand/distribution chains/ labour - among the points of discussion.

Everything stems from the fundamentals of a thriving society in which a financially healthy middle-class has disposable income and a reasonable amount of leisure time as part of the reward for working productively.

 

I think it depends on who is making the vinyl and if they're just in it to capitalize on the trend. I have some new LPs from Donovan Discs that are amazing quality, and a bunch of assorted newer pressed albums that sound perfectly fine, but I also have an LP that has the completely wrong album on it because they apparently didn't test press or even listen to a single copy of the run of 500.

 

I’m sure it’s near the top, anyway. IME, records that are intended to retail for $40-50 or more new tend to be pressed well, and the <$30 ones are where the crapshoot takes place (with exceptions, of course)...

 

I mean, come on, people...

 

You'd think that it'd be fun enough to indulge in the standard criticisms of vinyl manufacture which we all know and love, but nah. half of this thread is the new, sexy kvetching about what to call vinyl LPs.

 

It’s dual-purpose!

 

I have more problems with scratches and marks causing repetitive noise than dishes.

 

Most disappointing needle drop ever. The parent company confirmed it was the entire run and kept the misprint listed for sale at full price without making it clear that it had the wrong artist on it. Needless to say, they obviously aren't in it for the archival appreciation of rare tracks, just for the money.

 

Hi Piero sorry to hear you are having so many problems with new vinyl.
I have been back buying records in a big way since around 2007 and I have found the number of defects I have had to be very low.
I do have an ultrasonic cleaner which I believe resolves a number of potential issues. You specifically mention dished records and I have had very few of these too.
You seem to have been very unlucky but it would be a shame if you gave up but I could understand it if you did.

 

They can wear out...if not cleaned and played on bad equipment and a bad stylus. I've been collecting records for almost sixty years...and some of the earliest titles i purchased still sound great. Some of the compact discs i bought back in the eighties are unplayable now due to faulty manufacturing.

 

I buy new all the time - very rare that I have to send back.

 

If the QP isn't there for newly pressed lps it will definitely be killed. Lps old and new are very much alive. IMHO

 

We've had this debate before.
You are absolutely right, when it comes to English.
But in many foreign languages, "vinyl" is the word for "vinyl record" or "Lp".
In France during the 70s and 80s, we certainly were talking about our "vinyles" when we talked about our Lps. "Oh, tu me prêtes ce vinyle ?" ----> "Can you lend me that vinyl?".

So don't be surprised when you read non-UK or non-US comments using wrongly the word "vinyl". That's just because we're used to.

 

Used vinyl purchases should all nearly be perfect "pressings" because the defective ones have already been returned/destroyed decades ago. I buy new vinyl and 9/10 they're fine. But, I'm also VERY selective on which pressings I buy. I won't buy any NRP/MRP/United/RAINBO pressings or GZ pressings from 2010-14. It's surprising to hear that a Speakers Corner pressing was bad.

 

The issue is so widespread that one company actually has a "vinyl disclaimer" warning you that their records will not be flat.


Shipping Rates & Polices – Cleopatra Records Store

 

"Because they are made from a softened plastic, not every copy will be perfectly flat." What a spurious statement... Like, since freshly mixed concrete is soft and plastic, we shouldn't expect cured concrete to be perfectly hard!

 

Myself, I don't buy "vinyls", I buy records.
You have to remember, the companies which manufacture and/or sell records do it to make money. It may not be quality control's fault. They, like the people making the records, with so many new start-ups using used worn equipment, lack experience.
If people don't return the defective and poorly made records, then the companies may not realize that they are messing up. Returns cut into their profits, so they learn to be better.
One local record store had almost every copy of the QRP-pressed Beatles "White Album" returned. In response, they pulled any unsold copies off the shelf.