Vinyl Me Please Essentials
- Thread starter Captainfog
- Start date
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
I expected it because it’s a Classics type of ROTM and Aretha Franklin’s December Essentials ROTM was also AAA. If Billie Holiday wasn’t AAA, I would’ve been a bit letdown as it is an Essentials ROTM on top of all the Classics being AAA - Essentials always has the most effort put into it!
With Erkyah Badu and OutKast, they’ve gone the extra step with the pressing/mastering. Erykah Badu is from the original tapes and OutKast is plated at QRP and is mastered by Ryan Smith and cut at Sterling! I imagine Mama’s Gun to have great pressing details as well when it gets released!
If VMP is not doing a new release as an Essentials ROTM, I expect the sound quality and pressing details to be impressive! The only letdown this year in terms of sound quality for the Essentials ROTM was The White Stripes, which was pressed at Third Man Records and is inferior sound quality wise to previous pressings!
The John Mayer sounds superb, as does the Buena Vista Social Club! From what I gather, the Spiritualized sounds excellent too; there are just some copies that have distortion; just like with the Joe Henderson Tone Poet release (sounds superb but there are a lot of defected copies with pops/clicks on it that cannot be removed).
Yeahhhhh that’s not why.
JonnyH
Well-Known Member
Show your work.
Its sourced digitally, I dont know what they could do differently really.
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
Actually I can’t comment because I only have the standard pressing and MOV pressing. I don’t have the RSD pressing!
But I just assumed the MOV pressing was the best sounding pressing out there so far! It sounds better than the standard pressing and I just assumed the RSD pressing was the same as the standard pressing in sound quality.
The VMP pressing could be the worst sounding pressing for Stankonia, who knows? But from the pressing details - Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound, I have a feeling it will be the best sounding pressing so far!
duke86fan
Well-Known Member
eh i dunno what other reason there is... its expensive to ship record plates to the czech republic so i dunno what reason there would be
I have to assume that it is waaaaaaay cheaper to get a record pressed at GZ than QRP, otherwise they’d press r/hh there too. The number of records required for essentials vs classics is probably a factor also.
dhodo
Well-Known Member
Cutting engineers can cut to lacquer better than DMM. I guess they can cut worse as well, but they definitely can cut better. Not all digitally sourced vinyl is the same. Not to mention mastering choices, but I agree it isn't a given it will be better. Obviously a comparison is the only way to be sure.
dhodo
Well-Known Member
I don't know if it is that simple. I think they really might value the color choices over pressing quality, which is not a mark in their favor in my book either. I'm sure the price is a factor though as you point out.
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NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
QRP is more expensive to do pressings at, and this is a large pressing quantity that maybe it doesn’t suit VMP’s time schedule! It’s mainly the increased price of pressing at QRP!
The John Mayer ROTM sounded superb and the OutKast has the exact same pressing details (Lacquers cut by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound and plated at QRP, pressed at GZ). The John Mayer sounds very dynamic and has a very open and nice soundstage. This makes me confident that the VMP OutKast pressing of Stankonia will be the best sounding pressing yet!
Even @Mather thinks this VMP Stankonia reissue will be the best sounding pressing yet. He cares about sound quality and already owns the MOV pressing too! He probably also noted the Lacquers cut by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound, plated at QRP and pressed at GZ connection and thought “this will sound more dynamic and have a better soundstage presence than the MOV pressing I have”!
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
@JonnyH - There’s my work! The VMP pressing for Continuum blows the MOV pressing for Stankonia out of the water, and the VMP pressing for Stankonia has the same pressing details as Continuum!
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
Everyone sign up and grab Stankonia! It looks great and will likely be the best sounding pressing out there! The gatefold also looks really nice and even that art print - the alternative album cover - is a nice touch! This VMP release looks like this will be an A+ reissue of Stankonia! 
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
We’ll have to patiently wait until the VMP Stankonia are in our hands, and then I guess we can ‘fairly’ compare all the current pressings out there of Stankonia, including the RSD and MOV pressings!
zdkaiser
Well-Known Member
Do a blind test with your three copies of Stankonia and a friend. Let us know the results, which sounds best.
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
I sold my standard pressing last week, but will do the blind test with my sister and friend actually with the VMP and MOV pressing! That way it’s unbiased and can get more of a trusted opinion!
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
@Mather has a better ear though, so his opinion will be better as he also has the MOV pressing and will be getting the VMP pressing!
Mather
Unknown Member
I will do a listening test, the winner gets to stay in my collection. The loser gets melted down and added to the vinyl statue of myself on my front lawn.