Vinyl Me Please Essentials

dhodo said:
Never heard anyone say that any of those pressings are best pressings and I believe all are digital as well aren't they?
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They are all digital. The What's Going On HSM though is a pretty great 4 LP box set with a live album and alternate mix album. We need an all analog reissue in a tip-on gatefold jacket that would trump them all except Mofi in terms of sound and being "definitive"
 
dhodo said:
Never really heard anyone say that any of those pressings are best pressings and I believe all are digital as well aren't they?
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Digital in the process does not stop it being audiophile and the versions, that like that Marvin Gaye, have the obi are really quite fantastic. The three I have are way ahead of other pressings of each of those albums that I’ve heard. If we’re calling rhino, as good as they can be, reference then I’ve no hesitation in saying the abbey road ones are too. Personally I’d set the whole bar a bit higher but there we go.
 
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Joe Mac said:
Digital in the process does not stop it being audiophile and the versions, that like that Marvin Gaye, have the obi are really quite fantastic. The three I have are way ahead of other pressings of each of those albums that I’ve heard. If we’re calling rhino, as good as they can be, reference then I’ve no hesitation in saying the abbey road ones are two. Personally I’d set the whole bar a bit higher but there we go.
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I don't think slapping half speed on something makes it audiophile either. Most albums I've researched that have been available in that series seem to have better vintage or recent reissues recommended that are often cheaper, at least for their going rate over here. I'm sure some are good, but just sharing that in my research on them, that series really doesn't seem to have a reputation of audiophile that compares to other audiophile reissue series. Obviously ymmv, as I am just going based on research as I have been steered clear of purchasing any. Only comparison I've done is via rip on Sticky Fingers to an originalish US pressing and it paled in comparison. I subsequently picked up an original/early press for less than that reissue went for. Outside of that, maybe my research is all bullshit, who knows.

I only mentioned digital because @keylime_5 specifically stated AAA in the comment you quoted.

Why wouldn't AAA Rhino pressings be a good audiophile standard? Nothing magical that companies like AP sprinkle into the formula when they use the same engineers and pressing plants.
 
dhodo said:
I don't think slapping half speed on something makes it audiophile either. Most albums I've researched that have been available in that series seem to have better vintage or recent reissues recommended that are often cheaper, at least for their going rate over here. I'm sure some are good, but just sharing that in my research on them, that series really doesn't seem to have a reputation of audiophile that compares to other audiophile reissue series. Obviously ymmv, and I am just going based on research as I have been steered clear of purchasing any. Only comparison I've done is via rip on Sticky Fingers to as originalish pressing and it paled in comparison. I subsequently picked up an original/early press for less than that reissue went for.
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The Half-Speed thing is a gimmick. Sure it makes it sound better than doing a normal digital mastering job, but the sound quality and fidelity of the record is at the mercy of the digital source. A lot of times they give Miles a shoddy digital source (see the 2016 Rolling Stones reissues, or those Brian Eno reissues) and sometimes they give him a much better source (see the 2020 Rolling Stones reissues). I've yet to hear one that really competes with a reissue cut from analog. Some albums will never get an all analog release again though like Disraeli Gears or any Stones albums so it's the best we can hope for.
 
dhodo said:
I don't think slapping half speed on something makes it audiophile either. Most albums I've researched that have been available in that series seem to have better vintage or recent reissues recommended that are often cheaper, at least for their going rate over here. I'm sure some are good, but just sharing that in my research on them, that series really doesn't seem to have a reputation of audiophile that compares to other audiophile reissue series. Obviously ymmv, and I am just going based on research as I have been steered clear of purchasing any. Only comparison I've done is via rip on Sticky Fingers to as originalish pressing and it paled in comparison. I subsequently picked up an original/early press for less than that reissue went for.
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Sticky fingers isn’t from the series with the obi and the certificate from abbey road. Only stones one was exile. They are actually really very affordable over here, especially in comparison to US presses but then equally that’s competing import costs.

I don’t necessarily disagree but I don’t think we can can call a rhino that either as good as they can be from time to time. That’s where the conversation started. I have that Joni rhino. It’s wonderful. Every mofi/AP I own sounds better.
 
Joe Mac said:
Sticky fingers isn’t from the series with the obi and the certificate from abbey road. Only stones one was exile. They are actually really very affordable over here, especially in comparison to US presses but then equally that’s competing import costs.

I don’t necessarily disagree but I don’t think we can can call a rhino that either as good as they can be from time to time. That’s where the conversation started. I have that Joni rhino. It’s wonderful. Every mofi/AP I own sounds better.
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Yeah, I'd be much more tempted to pick them up without the import prices added on.

Honestly the reverence of MoFi here as infallible and maybe the best is pretty surprising to me. I hadn't really experienced that difference regarding them anywhere else and everything cut by a good engineer and pressed at a good plant was talked about on the same level from Rhino to Music Matters. Even Fremer, with his praise on one-steps and Electric pressings still praises those Rhinos as excellent pressings. MoFi has always been up there too, except some people seemed to prefer BG, KG, and CB to the cutter there, but I really like the MoFis I have. Their (and AP and MM) prices have gone up a ton since then while Rhinos haven't. It's hard for me to wonder if that may have something to do with it, but that's probably me being cynical.

Edit:Things like one-step and UHQR and SRX might bring something else to the table, but I'm not interested in finding out personally in my current financial situation, so nothing I say applies to that of course.
 
Joe Mac said:
Sticky fingers isn’t from the series with the obi and the certificate from abbey road. Only stones one was exile. They are actually really very affordable over here, especially in comparison to US presses but then equally that’s competing import costs.

I don’t necessarily disagree but I don’t think we can can call a rhino that either as good as they can be from time to time. That’s where the conversation started. I have that Joni rhino. It’s wonderful. Every mofi/AP I own sounds better.
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I don't know some people use that Joni as a reference record to show off their systems, it's really excellent. There are certain Rhino cuts that are top notch, Blue being one of them, The Rocktober Kevin Gray cut of Electric Warrior being another, as well as Bellman's cut of Forever Changes, plus all the Rhino Van Morrison albums. VMP puts out records of similar quality, except they press theirs at GZ usually not RTI like Rhino does.
 
keylime_5 said:
I don't know some people use that Joni as a reference record to show off their systems, it's really excellent. There are certain Rhino cuts that are top notch, Blue being one of them, The Rocktober Kevin Gray cut of Electric Warrior being another, as well as Bellman's cut of Forever Changes, plus all the Rhino Van Morrison albums. VMP puts out records of similar quality, except they press theirs at GZ usually not RTI like Rhino does.
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Oh come outside the odd classics VMP puts out crackly messes on colour vinyl for Instagram.
 
Point is, VMP putting out a Ryan K Smith cut pressed at GZ version of Joni - Blue would be at the very most a lateral move and probably slightly inferior to the RTI pressed KG/SH or KG cuts Rhino has put out that are cheap and widely available and in print now. Would be a waste. No doubt if MOFI or AP put out a cut it would probably be superior to the Rhino but we're talking about Vinyl Me, Please not MoFi or AP here.
 
keylime_5 said:
Point is, VMP putting out a Ryan K Smith cut pressed at GZ version of Joni - Blue would be at the very most a lateral move and probably slightly inferior to the RTI pressed KG/SH or KG cuts Rhino has put out that are cheap and widely available and in print now. Would be a waste. No doubt if MOFI or AP put out a cut it would probably be superior to the Rhino but we're talking about Vinyl Me, Please not MoFi or AP here.
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Yes true but equally a VMP will never be a reference. Whatever they put out is more an addition to people’s collection to widen their minds or to introduce an artist to a wider audience. Joni deserves that. I personally wouldn’t chose theirs over the rhino any day of the week. That said I’d not swap my standard back to black pressing of what’s going on to listen to crackly static either.
 
It would be a huge waste for them to put out a $33-50 (depending on your subscription level) copy of an album that you can get an equally or superior version of for $24 on amazon right now. They usually can play the "this is a better mastering" or "this is a color variant" card but they can't really play either with Blue since we just had a blue color variant last year and the standard black reissue was just put out this year.

If they wanna put out some Joni at least do Ladies of the Canyon or something like that, that hasn't been pressed in over a decade and is out of print.
 
keylime_5 said:
Point is, VMP putting out a Ryan K Smith cut pressed at GZ version of Joni - Blue would be at the very most a lateral move and probably slightly inferior to the RTI pressed KG/SH or KG cuts Rhino has put out that are cheap and widely available and in print now. Would be a waste. No doubt if MOFI or AP put out a cut it would probably be superior to the Rhino but we're talking about Vinyl Me, Please not MoFi or AP here.
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Genuinely curious, why do you say no doubt the AP would be superior when they also are known to use KG and RTI in the past? Are you saying QRP is always better than RTI or do you mean the jacket or as I alluded to above, am I missing something?
 
keylime_5 said:
It would be a huge waste for them to put out a $33-50 (depending on your subscription level) copy of an album that you can get an equally or superior version of for $24 on amazon right now. They usually can play the "this is a better mastering" or "this is a color variant" card but they can't really play either with Blue since we just had a blue color variant last year and the standard black reissue was just put out this year.

If they wanna put out some Joni at least do Ladies of the Canyon or something like that, that hasn't been pressed in over a decade and is out of print.
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I mean we could list off the amount of times that’s mattered to them. At this stage that’s not their concern it would seem.

I bought that Ladies of the Canyon new about a month ago, it’s was a rhino, unless I just got lucky with the old stock in a store I was in. I don’t want VMP near it but I’d kill for a good press of For The Roses, that’s been out of press for far too long and is an awesome album!
 
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