Vinyl Me Please Essentials

wynn72 said:
Thanks. I used to be more passive on this board but the constant negativity made me start speaking up more. Don't get me wrong, they deserve alot of the criticism (like their poor overall business running and inexcusable support delays this year). Pressing inconsistency is fair too, even if I'm either on the lucky end or have ears that arent trained enough to hear the difference (probably a blessing)

But honestly valid complaints don't mean alot at this point when they're from people that complain about EVERYTHING VMP. At this point, how can you be surprised by the curation? It's the same thing every announce time....
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At this point, most people know what VMP is. For a lot of people on here though, VMP started off as one thing and devolved into something else. I think knowing what we know all know, if you feel good doing business with them than more power to ya. We all are aware their shortcomings. That being said, this is the internet, their picks are never gonna please everyone and that is fine. VMP sets themselves up this criticism. John Prine is a great pick as he is a great artist and the fact that others already own it is also the the reason they make Swaptions available.

Even still, if folks wanna vent because VMP has done them dirty in the past I think this is as good of a place as any and no one should take it personally.
 
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wynn72 said:
But honestly valid complaints don't mean alot at this point when they're from people that complain about EVERYTHING VMP. At this point, how can you be surprised by the curation? It's the same thing every announce time....
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This is my outlook as well. I've had great luck, so I'm not judging the viewpoint, but at some point if you don't like what you are getting just move along.
 
Joe Mac said:
Oh ortofon are hugely divisive, loved or hated, very little in between. They have a very extreme sound profile that is technically amazing but not to everyone’s taste from a listening point of view!

That’s on good pressings though, on bad pressings the fault is indeed the fault and that’s the point I was making from the beginning.
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For me the Black brought detail I hadn't heard and sent me down a rabbit hole of change. It was not clinical at that point... Though it was noisy. With the migration I've had this year I've often thought I should try it again just to see before I list it for sale, but it's too much work to change without head shells on the Mofi.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
At this point, most people know what VMP is. For a lot of people on here though, VMP started off as one thing and devolved into something else. I think knowing what we know all know, if you feel good doing business with them than more power to ya. We all are aware their shortcomings. That being said, this is the internet, their picks are never gonna please everyone and that is fine. VMP sets themselves up this criticism. John Prine is a great pick as he is a great artist and the fact that others already own it is also the the reason they make Swaptions available.

Even still, if folks wanna vent because VMP has done them dirty in the past I think this is as good of a place as any and no one should take it personally.
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Yeah. There is probably something more akin to the loss of a relationship at play for people who've been around longer. I respect that. I was not around long enough for sure. I just hate the vitriol for their sake. It certainly hasn't stopped VMP.
 
VMPKJ said:
For me the Black brought detail I hadn't heard and sent me down a rabbit hole of change. It was not clinical at that point... Though it was noisy. With the migration I've had this year I've often thought I should try it again just to see before I list it for sale, but it's too much work to change without head shells on the Mofi.
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Yeah, on a good pressing the 2M Black is honestly heaven. I almost cannot imagine music sounding better. I mean I'm sure it can, I just can't conceive of it because I've never heard it sounding better in my life. But while I find the mastering has arguably gotten better on a lot of new vinyl just in terms of the number of releases that are actually going out of their way to get things properly mastered for vinyl, it seems harder and harder to get pressings that aren't rife with pressing issues that I would imagine in many cases are simply due to how overwhelmed most of these pressing plants are in terms of the sheer numbers they have to produce. The vinyl gods giveth, the vinyl gods taketh away...
 
Mather said:
Yeah, on a good pressing the 2M Black is honestly heaven. I almost cannot imagine music sounding better. I mean I'm sure it can, I just can't conceive of it because I've never heard it sounding better in my life.
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I suspect this is down to preference then, because I would bet good money the Black would be way to bright on my current system, and I also can't image that your system is LESS revealing than mine either.
 
VMPKJ said:
I suspect this is down to preference then, because I would bet good money the Black would be way to bright on my current system, and I also can't image that your system is LESS revealing than mine either.
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Oh for sure, it's totally preference. It's certainly on the bright side. My cables soften it a bit and my Aria softens it a bit more. But some pressings are definitely bright. The Mingus One Step being one of them for sure. But I accept that it's not going to be perfect on the brighter pressings. The nice thing is it opens up a lot of dull pressings that otherwise would be muddy and flat. Like that Titanic Rising for instance. That pressing is HAWT GARBAGE but on my system a lot of the songs actually sound... nice? Ish?
 
John Prine is a prefect example for me on why the new pricing doesn't work.

On the old pricing, coming in at $23ish/record, it's perfect. Something I don't have but have considered. And the same price as the wider release, but I don't have to hunt it down. Perfect example why I've kept VMP over the years.
With the new forced "discounted renewal" it's still $25/record, which I'm still comfortable with. But that $30/record barrier is a real mental ceiling for me. Once I'm forced into the $399 (or more) per year, this would be the prefect example of why I'm leaving. $33-43 per a record that is available elsewhere and a maybe for me... it's suddenly less interesting. If I wanted John Prine enough to spend over $30 on it, I would have ordered it on the winder release.

So basically, at the old pricing, great pick. For anyone paying $40+ for this, I'm sorry.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
Even still, if folks wanna vent because VMP has done them dirty in the past I think this is as good of a place as any and no one should take it personally.
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I definitely don't take it personally. And I'm happy every single person who trashes about VMP is here, because in all the other threads they're great.
I just suddenly feel the need to defend VMP a lot more to offset the same ol' negativity that I think is unwarranted or tiresome at this point. There are obviously alot of people who disagree with the folks on here and think VMP is great and worth the money, and if me and @NathanRicaud are going to be the main voices of that, so be it.
 
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displayname said:
If I wanted John Prine enough to spend over $30 on it, I would have ordered it on the winder release.
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You would have. As people who spend alot of time on a Vinyl message boards, I think we sometimes overestimate how much the average person seeks out newer music and Vinyl pressings. Alot of people who subscribe to essentials likely just pay and see what shows up each month.
 
wynn72 said:
I definitely don't take it personally. And I'm happy every single person who trashes about VMP is here, because in all the other threads they're great.
I just suddenly feel the need to defend VMP a lot more to offset the same ol' negativity that I think is unwarranted or tiresome at this point. There are obviously alot of people who disagree with the folks on here and think VMP is great and worth the money, and if me and @NathanRicaud are going to be the main voices of that, so be it.
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Yeah, I am absolutely loving VMP’s ROTM picks and love their exclusives and am very happy to hear they’re growing as a company! I’m also very happy that vinyl is a hobby that is still growing and that vinyl production increases every year! Should mean that VMP stick around at least for the next 3-5 years!

The VMP R&HH sub has been having magnificent licks even since 2020 July, and I think the 2020 Essentials ROTM’s were all great picks! Apart from the Bar-Kay’s Classics pick, I was very happy with all the Classics ROTM’s of 2020!

I am so happy Killer Mike will be next month’s R&HH ROTM! Variant looks dope as fuck too! 🔥🔥🔥
 
displayname said:
John Prine is a prefect example for me on why the new pricing doesn't work.

On the old pricing, coming in at $23ish/record, it's perfect. Something I don't have but have considered. And the same price as the wider release, but I don't have to hunt it down. Perfect example why I've kept VMP over the years.
With the new forced "discounted renewal" it's still $25/record, which I'm still comfortable with. But that $30/record barrier is a real mental ceiling for me. Once I'm forced into the $399 (or more) per year, this would be the prefect example of why I'm leaving. $33-43 per a record that is available elsewhere and a maybe for me... it's suddenly less interesting. If I wanted John Prine enough to spend over $30 on it, I would have ordered it on the winder release.

So basically, at the old pricing, great pick. For anyone paying $40+ for this, I'm sorry.
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Agreed. I’m taking shots on records far far less. I would’ve never left Redman or Donny Hathaway on the table for $23 dollars, but for $33-$43?!? HAAAYYYYYYLLLLLEEEEE NO! They’re actually helping me refine my collection at this point 😂.
 
Eh, ~$33 is about the going rate these days for AAA Vinyl in a Tip-On jacket, let alone with the extras (colored vinyl, art prints, listening notes, etc). I can handle that for the quality of product. I just wish they wouldn't pick one that I bought a new AAA reissue of on release day just 3 months ago.
 
I just want to point out that there are multiple people in here saying that they feel the need to post positively about vmp so that its not the same vitriol all the time.

I assume all of those people have @NathanRicaud blocked. Which is fine. To each their own.

One if them even wrote, "but at some point if you don't like what you are getting just move along." And for the life of me I can't tell if they were saying the pro vmp people needed to learn and stop or if they think that the anti vmp people should learn and stop.

At the end of the day, dont worry about corporations and standing up for them. They would never do the same for you. Xoxo
 
JonnyH said:
I just want to point out that there are multiple people in here saying that they feel the need to post positively about vmp so that its not the same vitriol all the time.

I assume all of those people have @NathanRicaud blocked. Which is fine. To each their own.

One if them even wrote, "but at some point if you don't like what you are getting just move along." And for the life of me I can't tell if they were saying the pro vmp people needed to learn and stop or if they think that the anti vmp people should learn and stop.

At the end of the day, dont worry about corporations and standing up for them. They would never do the same for you. Xoxo
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Thanks for putting words in my mouth. I didn't say that I needed to post positively about anyone.

It was more how I would handle it. If you like the "vitriol" drink up.
 
JonnyH said:
At the end of the day, dont worry about corporations and standing up for them. They would never do the same for you. Xoxo
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Bet you felt real good typing that huh? One day I hope to be as enlightened.

This forum is based around a product we love. Sorry if I come on here to continue to want to discuss a product because I love it rather than complain.
 
keylime_5 said:
Eh, ~$33 is about the going rate these days for AAA Vinyl in a Tip-On jacket, let alone with the extras (colored vinyl, art prints, listening notes, etc). I can handle that for the quality of product. I just wish they wouldn't pick one that I bought a new AAA reissue of on release day just 3 months ago.
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I do agree, but generally VMP isn't checking all those boxes, with the exception of classics.
I will admit, there are a few VMP releases I would gladly pay $50 for. But I think those are once every 18-24 months. And once VMP forces me above $30/ month, I'll buy the good ones one off.
 
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