Definitive Audiophile pressings

Mather said:
Well, just spun the Rumours 2x45, 22 repress. I mean, the master sounds great, but Pallas... did not exactly knock this repress out of the park. Side one random pops and crackle, side 2 warped, side 3 off centre. A couple no fill hits... It doesn't cause too much noise overall and it's still a great listen but man, these plants need to fucking chill, just delay things, it's fine.. I'd rather have delayed good vinyl, over speedy problematic pressings.
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This is why you ordered two copies from different vendors!
 
Jbraswell said:
I am near the TT today and needed a reason to throw some music on. New video by Jason Braswell

I feel bad for @Mather can you request a swap?
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I mean it's relatively minor as these things go, it's just disappointing to have this coming from a plant like Pallas. I'd expect maybe one type of issue, not all of them. Ultimately it's fine, it doesn't ruin the listen, the worst of it is the pops during Songbird that other reviewers have mentioned. It's just really far below the standard that Pallas usually is known for. But I know Sam Records dropped them late last year due to how many issues they were having with their pressings, so it's not exactly surprising I suppose.
I actually do have a second copy coming for reasons that might involve beer and a really long delayed run through customs. So we'll see if it can clean any of this up. Great sounding master though, Gold Dust Woman is incredible.
 
Mather said:
I mean it's relatively minor as these things go, it's just disappointing to have this coming from a plant like Pallas. I'd expect maybe one type of issue, not all of them. Ultimately it's fine, it doesn't ruin the listen, the worst of it is the pops during Songbird that other reviewers have mentioned. It's just really far below the standard that Pallas usually is known for. But I know Sam Records dropped them late last year due to how many issues they were having with their pressings, so it's not exactly surprising I suppose.
I actually do have a second copy coming for reasons that might involve beer and a really long delayed run through customs. So we'll see if it can clean any of this up. Great sounding master though, Gold Dust Woman is incredible.
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Beer solves many problems.🍺
 
Just so Mather is not alone, I got some Pallas weirdness on mine too. Not on a no-fill or spindle hole issue, but like...a large excess chunk of vinyl that adhered itself to Side D. Removal was fairly okay and only some minor noise as a result so I'm holding on to it but I don't know how that even happened.
 
Turbo said:
The noise in songbird is weird because it’s seems like a background hiss and on my copy I swear it fades out in the run out. Could it be the tape or master itself? Not talking about pops here and there because the track is quiet.
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Mine is definitely pops. Not like, a tonne but enough that you take notice considering you normally don't get this sort of thing with Pallas. But that's what got me with this one. It's like 6 totally different issues across the pressing, one side warped, one side pressed off centre, run in noise off the top, random slight right channel crackle, pops across Songbird. It runs the gamut. Each issue is very small but when you add them all up...
 
Mather said:
Mine is definitely pops. Not like, a tonne but enough that you take notice considering you normally don't get this sort of thing with Pallas. But that's what got me with this one. It's like 6 totally different issues across the pressing, one side warped, one side pressed off centre, run in noise off the top, random slight right channel crackle, pops across Songbird. It runs the gamut. Each issue is very small but when you add them all up...
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I'm probably hearing more of background crackle in that track. It gets worse near the end of the song on my copy, then seems to fade right at the end (it's probably just a coincidence and surely more of a pressing issue). It's really the only track that was a bit disappointing on my copy, but I can live with it. I'd wager the issue is across the run though. I'll pay more attention to non-fill next time, but I didn't see anything visible.
 
Turbo said:
I'm probably hearing more of background crackle in that track. It gets worse near the end of the song on my copy, then seems to fade right at the end (it's probably just a coincidence and surely more of a pressing issue). It's really the only track that was a bit disappointing on my copy, but I can live with it. I'd wager the issue is across the run though. I'll pay more attention to non-fill next time, but I didn't see anything visible.
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Much like a lot of the issues on mine, the non fill is minor, it's like 2 hits of it. Can't remember where. But yes with Songbird I suspect it's an issue that probably shows up differently across the run, some may be fine, others may only have a few pops, others will get contant noise. Normally issues I'd get from GZ. But again, the majority of my pressing sounds great, very fun album to hear at this quality.
 
Mather said:
Much like a lot of the issues on mine, the non fill is minor, it's like 2 hits of it. Can't remember where. But yes with Songbird I suspect it's an issue that probably shows up differently across the run, some may be fine, others may only have a few pops, others will get contant noise. Normally issues I'd get from GZ. But again, the majority of my pressing sounds great, very fun album to hear at this quality.
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Mine is from the previous pressing, purchased new a year or so ago. I just pulled it out and will play it when I get a chance, will especially listen to Songbird, to see if I missed any issues before.
 
Turbo said:
The noise in songbird is weird because it’s seems like a background hiss and on my copy I swear it fades out in the run out. Could it be the tape or master itself? Not talking about pops here and there because the track is quiet.
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I noticed this but it is literally the last few seconds of the last grooves into the runout. I can live with it even if it was on the tape (I doubt that is the case though as we would've heard about it years ago). I want to say I did hear some background hiss on another song but I don't recall which one and I'd have to go back and listen again. It's the pops during Songbird that I posted about a few weeks ago and Mather is mentioning that are a tough pill to swallow. I also have two copies from two different retailers so it seems like a pressing issue. I sit pretty close to my speakers as my main system resides in my office so such issues are a little more noticeable to me, but I would not be surprised if some people don't hear any of these artifacts for various reasons.
 
Joe Mac said:
Just floating this out there, so don’t all jump at my throat if you think it’s nonsense, but could this be just a symptom of the metalwork being old and teaching the end of its life? This is an 11 year old master that’s been repressed on quite a few ocassions.
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Hell could be, I have no idea how that stuff works. I mean it wouldn't explain the off centre side or the warped side or the no fill, but the pops and little crackle yeah I could see it for sure...
 
Joe Mac said:
Just floating this out there, so don’t all jump at my throat if you think it’s nonsense, but could this be just a symptom of the metalwork being old and teaching the end of its life? This is an 11 year old master that’s been repressed on quite a few ocassions.
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the latest repress was 10,00 copies. and i bet it had tens of thousands of pressings before then. definitely could be the case with the noise and pops.
 
I will say one of the big takeaways from hearing Rumours with this clarity is that the guitar is definitely mixed as the star of the show, it's in front of absolutely everything and by far has the most natural sound of any instruments on the album. The other thing is I never realized what a "metallic" sound this record has. Everything aside from the guitars has various effects on it that lend a kind of metallic sheen to the vocals, synth and drums. And the vocals are much farther back in the mix than I had expected. I've heard all these songs before but only on the radio and it's a very different experience hearing them with this clarity.
 
Mather said:
I will say one of the big takeaways from hearing Rumours with this clarity is that the guitar is definitely mixed as the star of the show, it's in front of absolutely everything and by far has the most natural sound of any instruments on the album. The other thing is I never realized what a "metallic" sound this record has. Everything aside from the guitars has various effects on it that lend a kind of metallic sheen to the vocals, synth and drums. And the vocals are much farther back in the mix than I had expected. I've heard all these songs before but only on the radio and it's a very different experience hearing them with this clarity.
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Yeah Lindsay definitely put himself as the controller in chief of this iteration of the band and fitted the other talents around his vision. Musically it was probably the best call given just how good Rumours and Tusk both are. Personally, and in terms of the band dynamic, probably less so given that he’s by reputation an odd abrasive character alongside the other dramas and half of Columbia’s gross exports being in the studio during the recording. I gotta say I got a real new appriecation for just how good John and Mick are as a rhythm section from this press.
 
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Joe Mac said:
Yeah Lindsay definitely put himself as the controller in chief of this iteration of the band a fitted the other talents around his vision. Musically it was probably the best call given just how good Rumours and Tusk both are. Personally, and in terms of the band dynamic, probably less so given that he’s by reputation an odd abrasive character alongside the other dramas and half of Columbia’s gross exports being in the studio during the recording. I gotta say I got a real new appriecation for just how good John and Mick are as a rhythm section from this press.
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While we're on the topic, anyone know how that recent Tusk reissue is quality wise? Or whats the current go to copy on that?
 
Mather said:
I will say one of the big takeaways from hearing Rumours with this clarity is that the guitar is definitely mixed as the star of the show, it's in front of absolutely everything and by far has the most natural sound of any instruments on the album. The other thing is I never realized what a "metallic" sound this record has. Everything aside from the guitars has various effects on it that lend a kind of metallic sheen to the vocals, synth and drums. And the vocals are much farther back in the mix than I had expected. I've heard all these songs before but only on the radio and it's a very different experience hearing them with this clarity.
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Interesting, I felt the guitar was kind of blended in, particularly on Go Your Own Way, to where it didn't seem as hot as on an og. And I thought the drums were the star, really crisp and distinct.
 
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