Definitive Audiophile pressings

MikeH said:
I have no mono button. There’s no distortion on mine. Some people may have gotten a bad batch and saw others recommend slightly lowering the tracking force and that seemed to work
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I have an analog button on the Denon.
I use it when playing vinyl just to cut out any digital signals and reduce signal path.

I can crank Relaxin as loud as I want and not hear a sound of distortion.
Maybe it's just the limitations of some folks system...
 
Jbraswell said:
I have an analog button on the Denon.
I use it when playing vinyl just to cut out any digital signals and reduce signal path.

I can crank Relaxin as loud as I want and not hear a sound of distortion.
Maybe it's just the limitations of some folks system...
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I think this is a very good point you have made about limitations.

I have also seen some recent (since the Relaxin release) discussions regarding the previous releases. I have seen a few people comment recently on pops/clicks to then do a 180 once they had it properly cleaned on a proper machine. I dread to think how many people asked for replacements when all it needs is a decent clean (ie not a wet rag).
 
Selaws said:
I think this is a very good point you have made about limitations.

I have also seen some recent (since the Relaxin release) discussions regarding the previous releases. I have seen a few people comment recently on pops/clicks to then do a 180 once they had it properly cleaned on a proper machine. I dread to think how many people asked for replacements when all it needs is a decent clean (ie not a wet rag).
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Hmmmm I’m not so convinced. I agree with you on cleaning. A good clean will definitely reduce the noise floor, unless it’s genuine no fill or other pressing defect in which case cleaning will tend to make it worse.

However, as my system has got better it has made distortion problems baked in pressings more, and not less, apparent and as an entry way into nice systems goes I do have a pretty forgiving one. I see “oh it must be your system” thrown at people with decent gear far too often across the net as an excuse for average pressings by named artists/labels. Needing to change tracking force to avoid distortion definitely sounds pressing alarm bells in my head.
 
Selaws said:
I think this is a very good point you have made about limitations.

I have also seen some recent (since the Relaxin release) discussions regarding the previous releases. I have seen a few people comment recently on pops/clicks to then do a 180 once they had it properly cleaned on a proper machine. I dread to think how many people asked for replacements when all it needs is a decent clean (ie not a wet rag).
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My Eastern Sounds has pops/clicks, and I’ve cleaned it with a Degritter and manually. it still sounds great musically so I didn’t return it, but I probably should have given the price.
 
So I just saw a pressing with a sticker stating (Manufactured in Poland).

Anyone know what major pressing plant is operating out of Poland?
 
Joe Mac said:
Hmmmm I’m not so convinced. I agree with you on cleaning. A good clean will definitely reduce the noise floor, unless it’s genuine no fill or other pressing defect in which case cleaning will tend to make it worse.

However, as my system has got better it has made distortion problems baked in pressings more, and not less, apparent and as an entry way into nice systems goes I do have a pretty forgiving one. I see “oh it must be your system” thrown at people with decent gear far too often across the net as an excuse for average pressings by named artists/labels. Needing to change tracking force to avoid distortion definitely sounds pressing alarm bells in my head.
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The tracking force thing was mentioned for someone who had set their cart at the heavier end of the recommended force for their cart and had changed it for 200g pressings to be even heavier without changing it back.

I can see how the muted horn may sound distorted to some, especially if your overall system skews warmer. On my system, it sounds great but I can also tell it's pushing the cart a bit on that first track.

The other thing to keep in mind with these small batches and one steps is that I'm pretty sure they cut it a bunch of times for 5,000 copies (think they cut it again for every 500 or so pressings). It explains why my deadwax is different to @Jbraswell 's. So there could be slight differences in each peoples' pressings so if the horn is on the brink of sounding distorted, it may be slightly accentuated in some and not others. Could be totally wrong about that though...

I think this one's sound quality is in between Lush Life and Eastern Sounds (ES being the best sounding one). And I chalk that up to the original recordings.
 
Selaws said:
I think this is a very good point you have made about limitations.

I have also seen some recent (since the Relaxin release) discussions regarding the previous releases. I have seen a few people comment recently on pops/clicks to then do a 180 once they had it properly cleaned on a proper machine. I dread to think how many people asked for replacements when all it needs is a decent clean (ie not a wet rag).
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Yea--a lot of people do not look clean records. I also think these one steps/super vinyl formulations are all really prone to static. I know a few people who complained about noise, then did a wet clean or used a zerostat/anti-static brush and did a 180 as well. There's also a lot of talk about non-fill without people really knowing what that is/what it looks like.

There is rightfully a demand to have these pressings be perfect based on the price. But some of the complaints I have seen seem easily fixed and shouldn't need replacements.
 
In other news I'd like to report that after 2 years and 3 attempts I've finally got a clean, not scratched to hell by loose vinyl and not covered in the worst no fill I've ever seen copy of Mississippi Fred McDowell "I Do Not Play No Rock N'Roll" from Pure Pleasure and it's WONDERFUL.
 
Joe Mac said:
Hmmmm I’m not so convinced. I agree with you on cleaning. A good clean will definitely reduce the noise floor, unless it’s genuine no fill or other pressing defect in which case cleaning will tend to make it worse.

However, as my system has got better it has made distortion problems baked in pressings more, and not less, apparent and as an entry way into nice systems goes I do have a pretty forgiving one. I see “oh it must be your system” thrown at people with decent gear far too often across the net as an excuse for average pressings by named artists/labels. Needing to change tracking force to avoid distortion definitely sounds pressing alarm bells in my head.
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Oh in this case I thought @Jbraswell might be referring to it the opposite way around. Not that the better gear was bringing out the issues but that the gear some people might be on the lesser side.

Both my copies of the first 2 had no issues at all but looking at the amount of gunk that came off it I can imagine some people (I was this person until a few years ago) would put it straight on the platter out of the box, with the gunk causing noise issues.
 
Selaws said:
Oh in this case I thought @Jbraswell might be referring to it the opposite way around. Not that the better gear was bringing out the issues but that the gear some people might be on the lesser side.

Both my copies of the first 2 had no issues at all but looking at the amount of gunk that came off it I can imagine some people (I was this person until a few years ago) would put it straight on the platter out of the box, with the gunk causing noise issues.
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Yeah and I’m saying nope don’t buy that lol! My experience with bad pressings is generally people with inferior gear standing up for them because they aren’t picking it up lol.
 
Joe Mac said:
Yeah and I’m saying nope don’t buy that lol! My experience with bad pressings is generally people with inferior gear standing up for them because they aren’t picking it up lol.
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But unless I'm wrong you are saying that the better system brings out the noise issues which are 100% already there within the record itself (whether that be a pressing issue or a mastering issue).

What I meant (and I thought @Jbraswell might also have meant) is that I got the impression that some people that complained might have systems that are sub-par and almost created sound issues themselves. E.g. As if I was to play the cleanest, best-pressed record on an all-in-one Crosley type system there would be sound issues.
 
Selaws said:
But unless I'm wrong you are saying that the better system brings out the noise issues which are 100% already there within the record itself (whether that be a pressing issue or a mastering issue).

What I meant (and I thought @Jbraswell might also have meant) is that I got the impression that some people that complained might have systems that are sub-par and almost created sound issues themselves. E.g. As if I was to play the cleanest, best-pressed record on an all-in-one Crosley type system there would be sound issues.
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Hmmmm. I’m not convinced by that second paragraph at all.
 
Joe Mac said:
Hmmmm. I’m not convinced by that second paragraph at all.
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Agree to disagree on this one then.

Im using an all-in-one as an extreme example but just playing a record full volume on it would cause issues with the speakers being built into it (vibrations). Tracking weight being set wrong is another issue, etc. Sure there would be some level of consistency over different records but its still the system causing them and potentially not the record itself.
 
Agree it needs cleaning.
Selaws said:
But unless I'm wrong you are saying that the better system brings out the noise issues which are 100% already there within the record itself (whether that be a pressing issue or a mastering issue).

What I meant (and I thought @Jbraswell might also have meant) is that I got the impression that some people that complained might have systems that are sub-par and almost created sound issues themselves. E.g. As if I was to play the cleanest, best-pressed record on an all-in-one Crosley type system there would be sound issues.
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My head scratcher was people saying you need a mono button to play relaxin w/o distortion.
 
Selaws said:
Agree to disagree on this one then.

Im using an all-in-one as an extreme example but just playing a record full volume on it would cause issues with the speakers being built into it (vibrations). Tracking weight being set wrong is another issue, etc. Sure there would be some level of consistency over different records but its still the system causing them and potentially not the record itself.
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I’m not buying that when more than one person, including someone who got openly mocked on here despite having better speakers than any of us are likely to ever hear, with a decent system is saying distortion that it’s down to people on an all in ones buying a €100 jazz record and complaining about the same distortion.
 
Mather said:
In other news I'd like to report that after 2 years and 3 attempts I've finally got a clean, not scratched to hell by loose vinyl and not covered in the worst no fill I've ever seen copy of Mississippi Fred McDowell "I Do Not Play No Rock N'Roll" from Pure Pleasure and it's WONDERFUL.
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Also my second copy of Rumours has the same pops and clicks on Songbird and side 3 is again pressed off centre (although it's debatable if it's actually causing warble so I think it's okay), same Side 2 warp. So yeah, this new 22 batch was a little off...
 
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