Audiophile pressings on mid-fi equipment

[magiccarpetride]

My analogue front end is mid-fi (at best). Denon DL-103 mounted on Rega RB300 arm on Systemdek IIX turntable isn't going to turn any heads, that's for sure.

What's my point? I've heard theories that so-called 'audiophile' pressings sound good on mid-fi equipment, but as the audio chain gets better, those same audiophile pressings start sounding crappier and crappier. I haven't had a chance to verify this urban myth with my own ears, so I'm curious to learn if anyone here feels there is some truth to that?

My personal experience is, overall, I tend to enjoy original, or early pressings better than I enjoy audiophile reissues. It's hard to generalize, of course, but I somehow feel that good early pressings seem to contain more musical energy than the newly minted audiophile reissues (I'm talking classic rock/jazz catalog here; but the same logic applies to classical/world music of course). Good old pressings always get my blood pumping, while most of the time their audiophile reissues, while sounding very nice and warm and all that, often fail to get me going emotionally.

And I'm getting that distinction from the mid-fi system. I cannot help but wonder if my impressions would change should I go up the totem pole and upgrade my system to a much pricier high-end hi fi?

[Boyse6748]

A great analogy...it's not always about how much money you pay for high end stuff. Going up the totem pole as you put it, is not the answer.

Maybe one out of ten albums are fab!!! It really don't matter how expensive you kit is .... I have strived for years to get the best vinyl kit, but still disappointed... 2k cartridges/3k arms/ 5k TT's ain't the answer.
It's a matter of what does it for you!!!!

We all have our own perception of what's good, unfortunately the black stuff is not always what it's cracked up to be.

Hang in there!!!!! Some recordings are shockingly good..... others or not. ..

Peter


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[Simon_LDT]

Not sure what you're getting at here, maybe thinking too much about it...

Far as I am concerned, if it sounds good it's good and will sound good on any system. I've had loads of quality pressings over recent years, it's just that many are not that great, either because of poor sources, bad mastering or bad pressing.

[magiccarpetride]

Not sure what you're getting at here, maybe thinking too much about it...

Far as I am concerned, if it sounds good it's good and will sound good on any system. I've had loads of quality pressings over recent years, it's just that many are not that great, either because of poor sources, bad mastering or bad pressing.

What I'm getting at is whether the urban myth that 'audiophile' pressings are not all that great as the marketing claims do have some merit? If indeed that's the case, then it may save me a lot of money which I could then spend on less expensive old pressings.

[Simon_LDT]

What I'm getting at is whether the urban myth that 'audiophile' pressings are not all that great as the marketing claims do have some merit? If indeed that's the case, then it may save me a lot of money which I could then spend on less expensive old pressings.

In my personal opinion, I would say they are not what they claim to be (most of the time - some are done very well). 180g for a start is a load of bull, 120g or 140g is perfectly fine but the labels/industry tout it like it's gotta be 180g or it's trash. I would advise that you just try to research before purchasing these reissues as it could help save hassle and money buying any that are badly done.

The problem right now with older pressings is that they're commanding premium prices too (especially if in good condition) due to this vinyl 'boom'. It's a minefield out there. It has taken me ages to find all the 80's Iron Maiden original UK pressings in decent condition - and most of those cost me £20-30 a piece. Lots of trashed copies out there and people not grading properly.

[stonehenge]

Some of my thinnest original records give the best aural experience

[Macca]

Some of my thinnest original records give the best aural experience

I agree. The thickness of the record has zero connection with the sound quality.

[petrat]

A great analogy...it's not always about how much money you pay for high end stuff. Going up the totem pole as you put it, is not the answer.

Maybe one out of ten albums are fab!!! It really don't matter how expensive you kit is .... I have strived for years to get the best vinyl kit, but still disappointed... 2k cartridges/3k arms/ 5k TT's ain't the answer.
It's a matter of what does it for you!!!!

We all have our own perception of what's good, unfortunately the black stuff is not always what it's cracked up to be.

Hang in there!!!!! Some recordings are shockingly good..... others or not. ..

Peter


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Quite possibly the wisest post I've read in quite a while, Peter

We're completely at the mercy of the producer/engineers/technicians in the studio, the mastering facility and the pressing plant ... any one of those guys has an off-day and things go down-hill rapidly. I mean, what are the chances that some vibrations in the air, captured fifty years ago in California, can be accurately reproduced in my living room today? Considering the intervening electronic and mechanical transducers, not to mention the ears and biases of the operators, it's a miracle we ever get anything approaching decent fidelity from vinyl.

I reckon it's pretty much pot-luck whether a recording or pressing gets it spot-on. IME, buying vinyl is basically gambling ... you can slightly improve the odds by diligent research, maybe. Re-issues can be improvements, but probably half of them ain't imo, especially some of the 're-mastered' ones. I suspect that the knowledge needed to produce top-quality vinyl left the industry decades ago, the guys who really knew what they were doing. In my case, I buy re-issues if they are my only viable choice, or if they are 45rpm LPs (which I find really does make a difference). Otherwise, I actually quite enjoy/prefer the 'hunt' for good, used ones.

[struth]

Less likely to warp, and being heavier vibration will be reduced a bit but its no guarantee of better sound; in fact it could be worse if your vta is altered. Mostly tho, its the mastering and cutting that makes the difference.

[Firebottle]

The best vinyl I have purchased recently has been a Direct to Disc recording on the Umbrella label, same as this one:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UMB-DD6-Mo...3D370664050796

£1 at the charity shop, no tape involved in the recording process, the quality of sound is stunning.