Ultimate Led Zeppelin Vinyl Pressings!

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Neilson77, Feb 26, 2015.

  1. drbryant

    drbryant Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Needledrops are often unrealiable, and I don't see how anyone on this thread (all of whom are obviously vinyl fans) could disagree. The only way you can reliably use needledrops is by (i) using the same setup for both records being compared; and (ii) tweaking your cartridge when switching records. The slightest change in tracking angle caused by a change in vinyl thickness could have a major impact on the sound.
     
  2. Pastafarian

    Pastafarian Forum Resident

    You can but I don't know where's everyone's gone, as your the first tell me album, release in as much detail as possible and track you wish to compare. I think a 1 minute sections allowed, as that's often used.

    Just seen some responses, shall I not bother?:shrug:
     
  3. Pastafarian

    Pastafarian Forum Resident

    I can't understand your logic, people are telling you their opinion about the different album versions on different, systems and decks (theirs).
    You've no idea what they've heard, analogue ,airy, musical.....
     
  4. drbryant

    drbryant Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    I apologize for sounding confused - perhaps it's because I started out by saying that needledrops are unreliable. I meant that comparing a needledrop of one version prepared by a third person, to the sound of an actual album on one's own system, is not a good way to compare the two versions.

    Needledrops can be valuable for comparison purposes, but in my view, the only way to be confident that you are getting an accurate comparison would be to use the same rig for both versions (and to make sure that the cartridge is properly adjusted).

    Even a person preparing needledrops of two vinyl versions on his system would need to compensate for differences in the thickness of vinyl (for example between thin 110 gram albums and 200 gram reissues), at least in my view. Others may not think tracking angle makes a difference, but in my experience it can, depending on the cart.
     
  5. Marc Perman

    Marc Perman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Me too.
     
  6. trackstar

    trackstar Forum Resident

    RL II's have rocketed in price on ebay over the last 6 months.

    Last year they were hovering around $100-150 for VG++ copies
    Now, $350-500

    One sold for $911 in May. A standard stock copy, non-promo - which is insanity.
     
    Gregarious likes this.
  7. SibilanceSegs

    SibilanceSegs Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    All my remastered Zeppelin LPs sounds great, though a bit difficult to track on a cheap turntable. I also have an original 'Physical Graffiti" that sounds great.
     
    Gregarious likes this.
  8. timztunz

    timztunz Audioista

    Location:
    Texas
    A tasty shopping list indeed.
     
  9. Neilson77

    Neilson77 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Nottingham UK
    I came across one purely by chance on eBay UK recently. Monarch press, absolutely perfect condition, brilliant shine to the vinyl. I sent a question asking for deadwax info, turned out it was a double RL! :) Was listed as £10 GBP Buy It Now! Could not believe my luck, especially for the condition too.
     
    john lennonist and marcfeld69 like this.
  10. Neilson77

    Neilson77 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Nottingham UK
    Looking at the Discogs.com listings for the RL II, it's claimed on there that only around 200,000 copies were pressed. I highly doubt this is correct as they do seem to be fairly common up for sale on eBay.
     
  11. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    That's the thing, the RL "II" is still a record you can find out in the wild if you know what to look for. It's not that rare. At least it hasn't been but.... the situation might change with more and more copies being identified, picked up and sold properly. And there is still the problem of condition because vintage LZ vinyl can be pretty beat up.

    It doesn't come as surprise that RLs in perfect shape fetch a lot of money nowadays.
     
  12. I just picked up a Canadian red label pressing of the s/t debut for a really good price. I haven't done direct thorough A/B comparisons yet, but it sounds great and I think it holds up pretty well to the Piros and the 2014 reissue which I have.
     
  13. Dr. Funk

    Dr. Funk Vintage Dust

    Location:
    Fort Worth TX
    I picked up a Piros a couple of months ago for next to nothing. The sonics are great, but there is to much surface noise. (tried cleaning it many times) I would like to hear your comparison to the Piros.
     
  14. Classicrock

    Classicrock Senior Member

    Location:
    South West, UK.
    The Classics are the opposite of lifeless except maybe IV. Many criticise them for being too bright. I much prefer the Classic much maligned II to a Plum I had. The different presentations can often be a matter of personal taste and system balance.
     
    wwright and Neilson77 like this.
  15. Yes, I may do that. Side 1 of the Canadian didn't wow me but as I got through side 2, I was quite impressed. Maybe my ears had to adjust.
     
  16. vinylbeat

    vinylbeat Forum Resident

    Prices sure are getting crazy for RL LZ II pressings. I lucked out a few tears ago and bought a VG++ copy at HPB for $14.99. I guess they're not too savvy on matrix numbers.......lol! Generally speaking..... most of their LZ vinyl is over priced, based on the common pressings being sold and condition that they're in.
     
  17. I agree. I don't think a lot of stores are keen on matrix numbers and specific pressings. I just bought a sweet UK 'BLAIRS' pressing of Queen's ANATO for $20 Canadian. Either they don't know or don't care. I like it.
     
  18. Here goes (YTIGC, YSM, BIGLY listening on speakers):

    US Piros - louder cut, darker, a bit more bass, better overall tonal balance, more impact.

    Canadian red label - a bit brighter, not as loud.

    The differences are not that great. I prefer the Piros. The Canadian is still a nice listen.

    I threw my 80s Canadian TLC pressing (channels reversed) in there too. It comes in 3rd but not distantly. It has less impact than the other 2 but maybe a bit more detail, especially in the vocals. This A/B (and sometimes C) stuff is tricky with vinyl.
     
    OldMusicOnVinyl1 and ODShowtime like this.
  19. Dr. Funk

    Dr. Funk Vintage Dust

    Location:
    Fort Worth TX
    Thank you Vvinyl. I will be on the lookout for a Canadian red label to see how it sounds on my system. How much did you give for yours? If you don't mind me asking.
     
  20. $25 CAD. Very reasonable around these parts. It's the first time I've seen one that I can recall.
     
    Dr. Funk likes this.
  21. cmndrums

    cmndrums Forum Resident

    What about the MFSL Led Zeppelin II? How does it compare to an original RL cut? I found one, but I am holding off on purchasing until I find some reviews. Thanks
     
  22. Dr. Funk

    Dr. Funk Vintage Dust

    Location:
    Fort Worth TX
    I have owned both. The double RL that I own has more oomph, but mine is a bit noisy. The MFSL I owned (sold it) was definitely quieter, but didn't have the same life in those grooves. There are times I regret selling the MFSL, because it was a great sounding lp.
     
    cmndrums likes this.
  23. marcb

    marcb Senior Member

    Location:
    DC area
    I'll say...it's different.

    However it's been 30 yrs since I listened to mine. Quiet vinyl? Of course. And much quieter than any Atlantic RL copy. Good source? Yep, it sounded like they had access to the original master while it was still relatively fresh.

    But my memory is - like many MFSL's of that period - it's just not very natural and balanced sounding. I think this is generally the opinion, but opinions on MFSL vinyl of that period can be contentious. Some people absolutely love that signature sound and some people find it's geared toward offsetting the faults in lesser gear and a regular, standard issue is generally the better bet. As you can probably tell, I tend to fall in the latter group (although I bought my share of MFSL's in the 80s).

    The other thing to consider is that while clean RL pressings aren't cheap these days, neither is the MFSL of LZII.

    There are no shortages of opinion on this LP. I'd do a search on "LZ or Led Zep" and MFSL vinyl. They only did LZII so you should be able to get some decent hits.
     
    Cranny and cmndrums like this.
  24. tim185

    tim185 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Australia
    LZ somehow, mostly just seems to work on vinyl, or be made for vinyl.
    I have a German pressing of IV, nothing special, but probably one of the best records I own.
    I have a standard Australian pressing of Physical Graffiti, again..sounds really really good.
    And these I would think, particularly the aussie PG, would be coming from tape copies of some sort.
     
  25. Darrin Crawford

    Darrin Crawford Forum Resident

    This is EXACTLY how to do TRUE A/B comparisons. Great that he used the RL as the basis.
    We just need the remaining 7 titles to be done (Not interested in Coda). I put my long-winded comment under the video.
    This is great!! I would be interested to hear everyone's opinions on this thread/forum. Enjoy!!

     
    hi_watt and maui jim like this.

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