35, 50 , 60 bucks for a new vinyl IS AN ABUSE , specially towards the young kids just starting in the hobby of listening to music and collecting records.
Adjusting for inflation, $4 (the price of an ordinary record) in 1970 is $32 ish in 2022. Make it a double, limited edition, box set, half speed mastered etc and you can see how the prices mount.
Don't be silly. I've got numerous 45s that I paid a few £ for and now worth 4 figures. Ask anyone into soul or reggae and LPs don't ( apart from rare instances ) even compute. Buy whatever you want but don't knock the price of new vinyl, it's worth every penny.
@Lloyd Stout except new records weren't $13 back in the 70s the most expensive ones were 4.99 and smaller labels charged 1.99-2.99 depending the region
Honestly the kids don't need to have everything we have, it's nice to be older and have money and acquire things that are out of someone else's price range, one day they'll get there too maybe for now they can buy CDs or old cassettes.
Point no. 11: if it’s a modern (digital) production don’t waste money on the record. This is supposed to sound best as a digital reproduction. In almost every case companies don’t even bother to remaster the digital file to sound good on vinyl. As you mentioned I also never heard a 180g sounding better than a regular record. Record companies making a huge profit from the raising interest and try to maximize it with all the stuff you mentioned. Plus in 9 out of 10 times the original pressing sounds better than the re- issue (and is sometimes even less expensive).
That is an issue. I do not mind the use of digital PCM (or better DSD) being used to record albums, but if a label is going to release a vinyl version of it, they need to do it right and remaster the album FOR vinyl in a good way, to take advantage of both the limitations and the nice possibilities it offers sonically.
That's not as true as you may think; in fact in at least some cases, and very ironically, the vinyl version actually has more dynamics than the hyper-compressed, loudness war digital version. A great example is the original 2014 release of Taylor Swift's "1989." It's so over-compressed and brick wall limited on CD it's frankly rather painful to listen to. It's just a mush of sound, it's congested and might sound great on ear buds but sounds horrid on an actual sound system. On the other hand the vinyl release is a PLEASURE to listen to. It's open, dynamic, poppy and just a lot of fun. I can't say how often that's the case, but it does happen.
In my view the biggest sin is if you have a classic analog recording like a 1970s album which was converted to digital at some point of time and this is the source of a new vinyl release…because it is less work than copying from an analog source.
You youngsters, they have always been expensive, sometimes hard to get and varying drastically in quality. ( I don’t like having to get up and turn over those 45’s at my age though). Ps love your channel
Bought a 45rpm super vinyl for 80 bucks, hole was not in the middle and the needle was jumping, returned it immediately, no comment, maybe I will completely stop buying new vinyl because I got to much crappy stuff in the last years
With the 180 gram thing, it's mostly hype, and I think they are more prone to non-fill and they definitely can still warp. I noticed Neil Young re-issues are now 140.
Amen, Guido! 100% agree on all aspects. I’ve been a record collector and audio nerd for over 30 yrs. Lost the majority of my 1st collection in a fire, but have thankfully tracked down most of the records I’d lost plus many more. Now, there’s only a few more grails left, but they’ll show up eventually. I just hope newer collectors aren’t put off by this BS that goes along with collecting today. 👍🔊😊🎶
Couldn't agree more... this stuff is fine if playing records is only a hobby... but a pain in the ass if spinning disks is a way of life. I used to be a record collector but i've used up most of my records from years back. These days i see records more as consumables (not unlike tyres or clothing, they just ware out and need replacing). Using records does drive up the price though. But you only live once!
Number 1 is the high price! 2 the hit or miss sound quality. 3 poor quality artwork. 4. High compression and lack of dynamics. 5 CD having more content at half the price! High prices will eventually kill the market.
The greed of companies which has led to new vinyl being over the top expensive will definitely turn young kids from getting into this format. The profit margin is HUGE yet we still get digitally sourced heavily brickwalled sounding vinyl in cheap paper sleeves. One really has to be selective with what pressing they buy. A sticker on front showing the chain ,..such as AAA...would be helpful. Grazie Guido .. ciao from Australia 👍
The thing that piss me of the most is that large number of the new releases are made from digital mix. I do not see why on Earth you will have all original analog tapes, will convert them to digital, make "improvements" and then prepare to release all of this back to analog as LP. There is no any sense!
great video!!...a little bit of information regarding time per side: general rule is like 20-23 mins per side in LPs cut with lacquer method and 2 mins. extra per side with DMM...when you pass the optimum time per side, the engineer has to do "some tricks" in order to cut thin grooves , like roll off bass, make lower overall level of the recording and the ugly "narrowing of stereo field"...so, if you want to stay in a relative safe zone about overall quality, dont buy LPs with more than 50 mins.
THANKS MATE! Someone had to say those things about records nowadays! I especially get annoyed by the poor quality of the printing. Two examples: Madonna’s ‘true blue’ or Tina’s ‘break every rule’ (two records which reissue shocked me from their covers full of noise compared to the original version, printed the old way!). I would also point out the compulsive way teenagers buy new records, paying no attention to its price, only to play them on a shitty plastic turntable with a disgusting ceramic cartridge. Are they drug dealers or what? I’m glad I tolerate very well other formats like the cds, sometimes I’m about giving it up with records.
There’s already been 3 records I bought for good money, because I really revere the release but I ended up getting 3 very desirable, hard to get vinyls with large divots (pits) in the grooves, making it impossible to play that track without destroying (or ripping out) your stylus! Why is it on the always on the hard to get and most desirable records, is it only me???
11 - Not having a code for digital download. Sorry, I can't listen to vinyl in my car. 12 - Recurrent quality issues on new releases. You all know what I mean. 13 - When the record label don't indicate in a glance side A and side B... I mean, come on!!!! Annoying!!! 14 - really thin Spines. Hard to search on shelving collection. I prefer thick gatefold designs. 15 - Disappointing soind quality pressings. Yep, they make us want to only have those near mint rare vintage pressings. In the case of new albums, well... nothing much to do, except to wait 10 years for a new repressing, or find an alternative country/ area pressing. 16 - already mentioned - PRICE!!!!!!
Good points ,inner sleeves is the one thing annoys me ,they are usually in the lyric sheet as the sleeve , anyway thanks any all your points are well made 🙏🌻🎼
I've yet to hear a 45 RPM release that doesn't sound SO much better than the 33 1/3 it's not even worth playing the 33 1/3 version any more. By far, the best sounding album I own is the 45 RPM 180g Analogue Productions version of "A Charlie Brown Christmas." I couldn't agree more upon the lack of QC; there's no reason each copy of a $125 release can't be checked to make sure each side was pressed centered, doesn't have non-fill, and isn't warped.
What about box sets at 45 rpm on 180g vinyl ? Isn't that what the new Steely Dan box sets are ? Like the Italians say in NY..."Fugget about it...." In addition most re-issues are from a DSD source which in turn may have been converted from a "PCM-Master".
I buy vinyl from the time when all was analog. Exceptions are rare new AAA releaeses of music I like and with the overall quality for the efford, which is foremost Jazz & Blues. At classical music digital is better. New pop/rock etc. productions mostly don't have the quality in recording and/or music for spending the stated surcharge of vinyl.
Two things: Starting with 180g pressings, and in imho its bullshit. As with anything in analog audio shit in, shit out. Your stylus doesn't care how much your record weighs what really matters is the quality of the pressing. If you start with a bad master you are going to have a bad record. if you are concerned about your record moving while its playing use a wight or a clamp. Number two is the price of new and used records and tables. The only thing that will cure this is time. Reel to Reel machines and tape had this issues 5 or 6 years years ago. But since then the market has cooled down and you no longer have to mortgage your house to buy a Tascam, Teac, Akai, Technics, etc. And the only albums that cost an arm and leg are your stereotypical heavy hitters Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, etc. And I think the vinyl market will cool down sooner rather then later. As the people who fallow this trend are moving away from vinyl and towards compact cassettes. So if you have a good deck that you are thinking about selling now would be a good time to service it and clean it up.
Buy CD albums and you haven't any of this problems, plus you'll have much better sound, vinyl LP was die in last century...whay you torture yourself...???
Prices for new pressings are ridiculous...exploiting the buyer ..you can in most cases buy a better sounding analog original ...if 180 gram is so good why are they still warped ..got a very thin a&m first of iggys blah blah blah today ..thinnest vinyl ever ..but sounds superb 👌
On the price: If you get some cheaper new releases, the quality control is awful because I've had a few times where they just used stampers till they are worn, resulting in records that sound muffled or have terrible sibilance.
Acoustic Sounds checks most all of your gripes with their reissues of the Steely Dan LPs. All in 45 rpm… check. All on 180 gr of course.. check. All at 150 bucks. LoL… check… all in needless (stupid) outer boxing… check. WTF. I bought the KOB on UHQR.. took me FOUR returns to get an acceptable copy and it was not perfect. The clear vinyl is pure hype. I have an early 70s reissue that sounds as good. I love Analog Production in general- their AP reissues are priced under 50 bucks and are awesome. Why they couldn’t do this with Steely Dan is beyond all understanding. They could have done so much more sales had they stuck to simple packaging and standard vinyl. But no. Also, most of Steely Dan’s albums are not what I’d call audiophile to begin with.. and none of their fans could care less either.
Re Boxes. Acoustic Sounds is the big guilty party here. Do we need a UHQR special edition in a pointless box? No we don't and it adds to the high price. Are you paying attention Chad?
The thing I don't like in new releases is fancy colours and white. I like black so you can see the grooves are clean. I don't want stupid rainbow of colours in a splatter pattern. I don't want a decorative disc I want to listen to it!
Gerard Stroh*** Hi Anadialog*** I Like The 45 rpm Speed Versions Because it Sounds Better!!! 1. They Need to Be the Same Price on all Box Sets per Country 2. Alot of Times the Color Vinyl will have Flaws in the Vinyl and it Sounds So Noisy like an old Record!!!! 3. I don't Like the inner Record Sleeves that Are Made out of Paper and it acts like Sandpaper!!!! 4. The Clear Vinyl Records Like the John Lennon Imagine Album was So Noisy and the CD and Blu-Ray Was Better!!!! 5. I got the Fog Soundtrack From Waxworks was so Noisy and Flawd so I Re-order it Because Hopefully this Pressing Should Be Better!!!! That's My Take on New Vinyl Records!!!
At last somebody who tells openly that 180g vinyls are only a gimmick. Their beneficience to sound quality is questionable. The only advantage is their resistance against warping.
So basically it's not worth buying vinyl in the 21st century... unless it's old pressings that came out originally. I've many vinyl records but I think I'll stop buying new releases now and stick to CD.
Thanks for this video!! I want to remark on the ARTWORK. I have bought vinyl reissues of albums that I originally bought in the late 70s - early 80s. And guess what?! And guess what? The new artwork is really bad. They shrunk the original artwork to CD size, and now blowing it back to LP size with low resolution and cropped in the wrong way! Once you notice this, it is awful
The inflated prices with the crazy strong dollar makes buying records pretty much a no no for me at the moment. I prefer records in a simple made quality jacket instead of large cumbersome boxes. I really dislike them, it is just an excuse to overprice the product and is a major inconvenience with little real added value.
Some are "OK", but at least many manufacturers give you a choice of whether you want one or not. Then you can get a $200 iFi Zen Phono or a $600 Moon LP 110 v2 and on up the food chain commensurate with the price of the turntable and cartridge. But for many starting out or just getting back into vinyl, having a "decent" built-in one can make their lives easier. I bought a $500 U-Turn Orbit Special with their Pluto 2 phono amp built-in. I figure it will give me all the performance I need even if I upgrade to the Ortofon 2m Blue from the Red one day. If I ever buy a higher end cartridge than the Blue, then yeah, I'll be looking at something better. What phono amp do you use?
@@anadialog my local Barnes and Noble had put up huge vinyl racks some years ago. They recently reduced it to a corner. I am expecting Target to do the same soon.
We all complained when CD's started to take over and vinyl seemed to be going the way of the "Doo-Doo Bird". Now that we're getting all the vinyl we can handle and then some - still complaints - I don't get it sorry. Like my mom used to say " there's no pleasing some people" how true!
What you are saying is absolutely true. Don't getvme wrong, I am the happiest vinyl neard in the planet BUT a little critique can only help. Don't forget that manufacturers watch and take notes over these types of videos.
Today's vinyl is not worth the price. I bought 3 new records that did not play on one whole side. That was within 2 year's. I have purchased 1000s if cds. One was bad 😆
11. Taking the master that was destined for the CD and using it on the LP: Marillion's 2018 Remix of "Clutching At Straws" is a MAJOR offender here. You get really, REALLY bad, insufferable clipping where the levels peak; a scratchy-sounding distortion in all the crescendos of "That Time of The Night", "Slàinte Mhath", "Sugar Mice", "The Last Straw" that makes the listening experience intolerable. And it seemed like such a well thought-out release! Two LPs to hold all of the CD's songs without omitting any one of them; heavyweight vinyl with practically no surface noise; proper antistatic inner sleeves. And yet, you're stuck with such a piss-poor mastering that ruins everything. 12. Spindle holes that are too tight or too loose - often combined with eccentricity. 13. "Limited editions" of digitally-remastered records. EXCUSE ME? Dude, you're using a (hopefully) high-res digital copy of the master (whether it's digital or analog is neither here nor there). You can make unlimited copies of it. Don't tell me you're limited to 5,000, 10,000, 50,000 copies. And if the record companies think they can't afford to fix these things, here's a way for them to save money: fire a few Chief Something Officers, and axe the salaries and bonuses of the remaining ones by 60%. Problem solved.
I have the same issue with shipping but the other way, living in the US and those issues only released in Europe or UK It's like buying 1 record for the price of 2... (if you're lucky)
Lots of consumers aren't very bright. Corporations will take advantage of a consumer every time we let them. Unfortunately in a world of instant gratification people want want want more than they are willing to think about the long term effects. Like all these little things they do, pic discs, 180 or 220 and box sets, hifidelity stickers etc...they have been separating the market for a long time of ppl who refuse to pay and the suckers, and unfortunately there are alot more suckers. Big problem with that is by willfully paying these silly prices consumers are screaming to labels "HEY WE DONT CARE ABOUT AUDIO QUALITY AS LONG AS ITS SPARKLY AND SAYS LIMITED EDITION WE'LL PAY ANY PRICE !!!". So the real threat is there is no financial incentive to keep producing high quality records and once they all realize this, even the few that do try will not be able to compete with other labels doing the same album at half the cost and selling at the same price. Everyone should do their research before buying an album, if peoples opinion on that album is that it's compressed or has poor dynamics than just stream it instead until they get the message. It's cheaper and may even sound better.
I received my new analog production Miles Davis “Kind of Blue”. 180G. Clear vinyl. First record is completely warped!!!! WTH!!! A new 180g vinyl that is warped….yes the 180g is hifi snake oil that we happily paid for. And that’s the issue here. Corporations will do all in their power to maximize profits as long as we pay for it. I’m never buying from them until it’s guaranteed a flawless album shows up to my house…. My copy of the new Blue Note “BlueTrain” reissue is flawless. Perfect, flat 180g vinyl. 🎉🎉🎉
As much as I appreciate Analogue Productions releases, the UHQR versions like the new Steely Dan catalog at $150 USD, is ridiculous even in the US. Why can’t we have a choice to buy a good sounding regular version with a nice jacket for $30 usd? I’m skipping the UHQR version unless it is a grail for me. Everyone should be able to enjoy a quality re release, not just those with infinite budgets.
Good video Guido. To me the worse is the missing information: mastering, pressing plant, process etc. sometimes the same serial n belongs to several editions, unbelievable
PAPER JACKETS....AAARRRGGHH!! They are my biggest complaint on new releases. As you say, why not at least use a poly lined sleeve for the package. It can't cost any more. Then we can use our own preferred sleeves. Agree with you re boxes too.
Neil Young toast was filthy, look like it had been dropped in sawdust. Fingerprints all over both sides of both albums. Ragged edge with loose vinyl, not trimmed properly. Many scratches. And instead of getting album A&B I two copies of album B. At least it was all analog and put in a anti-static sleeve!
Well, you are very lucky to pay only 25% or 30% as import taxes for LPs! Here in a Brazil we pay 100% of the LP price AND of the shipping cost, as import tax!!! This is crazy!
I've come to the point where buying the cd is more economical then the album. After thinking through the recording, I'm basically buying a cd on vinyl. If it's a release from prior 1985-88, it's better for me to search out the record from those years prior even if it is a re release of a certain album over the newer vinyl release. I want to enjoy my music collection, not be a slave to it.
The Way Most Companies WERE: "Let's work real hard and produce some good product for our loyal customers. Something they will really like and be impressed and fully satisfied with, and take a real liking to. Maybe they will tell some of their friends about it and they will start buying & really get into it too. Lets see how low cost we can do this without compromising quality. We don't want to be viewed as price gougers for being too expensive for heavens sake. What do you think would be a fair price to charge? If anyone has a problem due to possible lapses in quality control, let's help them. We don't want to lose any of our loyal customers. Ok, let's get started and everybody do their best. The Way Many Companies Are NOW: How much money do you think we can possibly charge for this and enough people would still buy it? We will have to give them good quality or they'll stop buying them, but we want every dollar we can get out of them. What they tell their friends is of no concern. They probably don't have any friends that will pay our prices. If our price is less than what they would have been willing to pay, that's money that could have been ours. We can package it up real fancy and charge a sh*tload of money for it. They'll think "Oh, how nice. That's a lot of money but it looks like it's worth it." "Look how nice the box is". Let's say it's limited edition, that way, they'll figure they better buy it real quick, before it goes out of print. They have a fear of missing out.They'll think it will be worth even a lot more money, when it does go out of print. Some of them will actually but 2 copies at those prices. One to hold onto for a while, and then sell, and one for themselves. Ok no fooling around now. Let's Go.. Go.. Go.. !
Hi: All the points you make are valid and knowing that the record producers hopefully read these I didn't mean to imply that "there's no pleasing some people - but - as we all know that can be the case on occasion. As to your last point which I whole heartedly agree with as to "off center" holes that is an issue. I've come up with a fool proof way of alleviating that problem without the insanity of a $1500 centering tool!!!. All you need is an "X-Acto" knife and a good eye. Start your turntable and place the stylus on the record roughly one inch in from the lead in groove. Now bend down a "sight" along the tonearm and see weather the stylus is moving in or out from dead center. Then while the platter is still moving note at which point of the label is the movement note that place on the label. Now stop the platter lift the tonearm and relace it on its' rest. Now that you're noted the area of inward or out ward motion take your X-Acto knife and slowly start to "cut" that small area - the cut you make will resemble an eighth moon shape. Now put the record back on your TT and place the eighth moon cut right up to the spindle and start to play it and see if you tonearm still moves. It should be moving less eccentrically now - but if it still does shave a bit more and try again -go slow and shave a little at a time until you get it perfectly centered - it isn't that difficult there's nothing worse than hearing a "wow" in your record from an off centered hole! I've been doing this for many many years with great success - happy centering!
Cool! Thanks for sharing that! Or you can get this but it's crazy money: www.musicalsurroundings.com/products/ds-audio-es-001-eccentricity-detection-stabilizer
Great video. Check out Daptone records - or colemine. Good prices, recorded in analog to tape, quality jackets, new issues have anti static sleeves, a few color variants- true limited editions not to be re pressed and small quantity batches of those. 45s that are true singles - 7inch 45s - and also truly limited and they have European distribution …Plus the music is soulful and funky as hell!
The big overlooked problem with boxes, particularly in a humid climate, is that they are a breading place for mold and mildew. Anybody ever seen those pristine looking boxes of opera LPs at the thrift store....open one up and your nose is hit with that nasty moldy aroma.
Keep it up…I am digital only and you just gave me ten MORE reasons not to make the insane plunge back into the obsessions and associated costs of vinyl! 😎 I do always enjoy your videos and learn a lot! 👍🏼
First, many, if not all, of the 10 things you said have nothing to do with audiophilia. Audiophilia has to do with sound quality (when it was recorded in a studio). A recording for being in 180g or in a box, does not mean that the audio is of good quality. It must be recorded according to audiophile parameters - sound, audio, not packing. So when they say audiophile release... it's so funny. They are always confusing audiophilia with music lover. In Portuguese we have a word "melómano" (I don't know if there is in Italian) but melómano translated into most languages means "music lover", but its real meaning is music maniac - Who has a passion for MUSIC. This word is used scholarly. It has Greek origin. Melo + mano. Audiophilia: Strong interest or enthusiasm for high-quality SOUND reproduction and especially high-fidelity. That takes care of sound, any sound. Of course, music is sound, but not always carefully recorded. Second, I use a "box" with the dimensions of 79x109x14mm and 149g, with more than 1000 recordings, flac 16 and 24bit, dsd, dsf.
Single albums in the U.S. in 1978 cost $5.99. In 2022 that same value is about $27. There is no good reason for new vinyl albums to cost more than about $30 unless they are "special" in some way. Even more aggravating for us here in the U.S. is despite the current exchange rate of $1.00 USD = 1.03 Euros, we really haven't seen prices of goods from Europe become any cheaper. I price vinyl albums, speakers, DACs, turntables, integrated amps, etc., and nope. Prices are just as high as they ever were. Someone is pocketing that difference, but it isn't the consumers.
In 1978 record companies had plenty of LP factories and they could sell thousands or millions of copies. Nowadays vinyl is a niche market and there are only few factories in the world. That’s a very important factor.
@@Caifo yes, but we aren't asking them to make millions and millions of records as in the heyday, except for Adele albums that are still sitting in stores in the discount racks.
My two cents... (IMHO) As a collector who loves Blue Note jazz, I really don't need the gatefold sleeves. They take up too much space on my shelves. I would reather that both the classic and Tone Poets came in basic sleeves and that prices were shifted accordingly.
In un negozio di dischi in Croazia ho chiesto alla commessa di cosa si lamentano di più i clienti, lei ha risposto "tutti dicono che i dischi una volta erano di qualità molto più alta e costavano meno", l'enfasi era sulla scarsa qualità
Disagree about 45RPM. Better dynamics, less inner groove distortion, etc. better clarity, better S/N ratio, etc. i agree about the boxes and the 180g vinyl.
Agree with most of those Guido. The prices are the main bugbear, so I only buy 3 or 4 new per year nowadays. I think vinyl will decline as a result as it's become a rich man's game.
@Lloyd Stout Not too long ago (2019/2020) I was picking up albums for £15-£20 quite regularly. Now a lot of stuff is £28-£45 and even more in some cases.
I entirely agree with all of your points. The sloppy mastering and compression makes some new releases unlistenable. A good example of this is Crowded House’s “Dreamers Are Waiting”. The vinyl LP is an atrocity. The album is really good and on CD, via a decent DAC, sounds very nicely recorded and produced. Biffy Clyro suffer from badly mastered vinyl releases, low level, overly compressed and almost one dimensional mush. The Doves last LP was the same. I’ve heard more dynamics on you tube! Well said my friend!
I wish they would master from original tape to vinyl. I bought Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds new vinyl. Sounded terrible. Too tiny and it was scratched. I sent it back and bought an old release. Superb.
Let's add a #12 - there's no excuse to not offer a digital download with a new release LP today. Of course we know why; if you want a copy to listen to in the car or on your phone, you have to buy TWO copies, one on vinyl and one digital.
True...or you can record the vinyl rip and burn it on CD, that will sound better than the standard release, not only because of a higher quality source with less compression but also because of the sonic degradation of CD stamping.
I recently bought two Metallica Re-Issues, "Kill 'em All" and "Master of Puppets" on vinyl here in the U.S. and they included a card inside that had a code to download the albums off their website. A little redundant for me as I bought the CD's years ago and ripped them into the computer, but my point is there are "some" companies that are doing this you just have to pay attention.
If I would release something in vinyl, it would be in 45 RPM, just because I would try to deliver the best product possible, but it would have been thought as such (and most chances would be that it would simply be an EP on a 12 inches record). But, in order to do that, I would have to record it with material that would give at least as much highs as the 45 RPM gives and without too much hiss, with my 4 track recorder, even though the speed is doubled compare to a normal deck recorder, I don't think I would have that quality, so, I don't plan doing it now, I only plan to release tapes. But that's the musician's perspective in myself, now, the music amateur, well, I bought one (box) of an album remastered in 45 RPM and the sound is so great, I think that worth it, now, I think that if there would be no choice, that a re-release is only on 45 RPM, that's certainly not a good idea, but if the consumer has the choice between an 33 RPM and a 45 RPM version, that's great to be also able to buy a 45 RPM version.
Some of the new albums and pressings are off the charts excellent- I specifically refer to Acoustic Sounds - and frankly blow away almost all my old albums. Check out their verve series in 45 holy smokes you will not be disappointed
The 2018 Remix of Pink Floyd's Animals is packaged well and is actually amazing!!!!!!!!!! The only problem (according to what Mike Espinosa said) right now is that the defect rate is 40% which is absolutely ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!! But, I got a copy of it and it sounds amazing!!!!!!!!!! Definitely worth every penny. Not really interested in buying any other modern day pressing of any other album. Maybe the 50th Anniversary edition of The Dark Side Of The Moon (if it comes out), but I want to be as satisfied with that reissue as I was with the 2018 Remix of Animals.
Hi Guido, I enjoyed your video but bad records have always been a problem. It was the main reason I was an early CD adopter. I could just not put up with the LP quality any more we where getting in the 80's. Other than that, I mainly buy vintage records and when I buy new ones they are from bands that are on tour and bring out their own. I think those are the real limited editions. And most of those records have been problem free. I also have a few 180 gram records and personally I have no complains with the sound. My main turntable is a Dual 1019 and since that has a 10" platter, I don't mind a bit stiffer record.
45rpm cash-in overblown, Boxes cash-in here today forgotten tomorrow. Prices are getting stupid, do it better do it cheaper, with the quality. These companies are often too lazy to do a proper job.
180gr, no problem but not doesn't guarantee better sound. Warped, bend, scratched or dirty vinyl is a serious issue for years now. Ltd. edition and colours; who cares? Its gimmicky, buy black only. 45 rpm, no problem for me, its better than compressed sound. Boxes and gatefold sleeves for single albums; unneccesary bullshit. Bad printing on pizzaboxes for sleeves sucks. Also non poly inners should be banned. Some good stuff is still coming out but the amount of trash is getting bigger and bigger and prices go up, sadly
What a great topic! My beef is the numerous reissues of the same...how many versions, for example, of "Kind of Blue" can you have? Give me a break! There are so many artists out there who have great back catalogues that don't get any attention.... Shirley Bassey has an amazing catalogue of recordings particularly from the 1970's but not one reissue on vinyl.
45rpm is a option your not required to buy it. Don’t like the box don’t buy it. 180grams… who cares. Raw vinyl has gone up as well as labor, licensing has gone way up. Shipping customs complain to your government. Inner sleeves you got a point. Acoustic sounds has amazing jackets. EMI Beatles LP routinely had 14 tracks and are revered.
My peeve - colored vinyl. Bought a few of these from Walmart at $22-$25 USD a pop, and that’s what I get - pops, clicks, scraping sounds even when I clean the record multiple times. I returned 4 albums over Christmas that sounded horrible or full of noise. No more.
Recently I've bought a new Depeche Mode CD Memento Mori for 2600 RUB ($35) in a cheap paper digipack. It's insane. CDs are growing in price while no one need it. What's happening??!!!
This is not about analog pressings geared to folks that care about audio quality. This is mostly about silly stuff. Europe has access to high quality "used'" U.S. pressing and awesome UK and GERMAN pressings. Most recent pressings are coming out of Europe pressing plants.
You are right in all your points. I want to emphasise in the height of prices. This is mentioned in used records too making our hobby unaffordable. All the tricks (45rpm,box sets, 180 grammars, collored vinyl) are there to increase record prices. I see compact discs with more sympathy than ever.....
In regards to inflation, the price of vinyl LPs is lowest in the 70s and 80s. The price of vinyl nowadays is similar to that of the 60s. I guess that they made the vinyl thinner and mixed the PVC with recycled vinyl and other fillers after the 1973 oil crisis, which added more surface noise. They kept on using this formulation even after the oil crisis ended and throughout the 70s and 80s which in turn reduced the production cost (except for audiophile releases). I don't think that there is a purpose to make 180g vinyl for standard releases and reissues.
One small thing i like to add is about the audiophile ramblings on vinyl. 95% is substandard these days. If you are not into it because of the physical thing or out of nostalgia you are fooling yourself with ultra expensive gear to playback music on a crappy medium. Vinyl can sound great and one can even love it for the pops and clicks. Times of vinyl being superior to digital seem to be over (mostly)
Good point. Vinyl is an outdated antiquated and cumbersome lossy format. It has nothing NOTHING to do with quality audio. Its cool and nostalgic but youre cracked if you think it provides audio heaven. Its acceptable at best. Its digital today and norhing is gonna chance that. Vinyl is living in the past.
I almost bought into the hype of 45 rpm and got some releases that looked great, but I started thinking about having to flip or change the record after only 10 to 12 minutes of play. That would be ridiculous. Give me 33 rpm and let's call it a day. If people have such resolving systems that a 45-rpm record can sound *significantly* better, well, they ought to just buy a high-resolution download in 24/192 or DSD64. How many people are mere "collectors" of such 45-rpm records and never really play them? I wonder.
Adding extra tracks to an LP is definitely bad due to the compression. This also occurs on CD's where they jam 20 tracks on a CD and then you wind up with a whole bunch of compressed music. Both sound absolutely terrible!
Yes, no more 180g half speed mastered vinyl in bad quality please…. It‘s boring and lets young interested people in vinyl quick disappearing of that medium.
![ANA[DIA]LOG](http://yt3.ggpht.com/50CpmGNilS8aoMlarZVhI_GxRDoZdbj4ZgwCMZXg-Rq2PrEvCytlE6RVyLUrNY-rwE_sAlZ1Zw=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj)
35, 50 , 60 bucks for a new vinyl IS AN ABUSE , specially towards the young kids just starting in the hobby of listening to music and collecting records.
Adjusting for inflation, $4 (the price of an ordinary record) in 1970 is $32 ish in 2022. Make it a double, limited edition, box set, half speed mastered etc and you can see how the prices mount.
Don't be silly. I've got numerous 45s that I paid a few £ for and now worth 4 figures. Ask anyone into soul or reggae and LPs don't ( apart from rare instances ) even compute. Buy whatever you want but don't knock the price of new vinyl, it's worth every penny.
@Lloyd Stout except new records weren't $13 back in the 70s the most expensive ones were 4.99 and smaller labels charged 1.99-2.99 depending the region
if the price is too high for you -- just don't buy it. what's the problem?
I can't afford golden watches, therefore I don't collect them.
Honestly the kids don't need to have everything we have, it's nice to be older and have money and acquire things that are out of someone else's price range, one day they'll get there too maybe for now they can buy CDs or old cassettes.
Thanks a million Guid-man! This is one of your best videos, really love it when you conjure up the authentic Italian passion!
Point no. 11: if it’s a modern (digital) production don’t waste money on the record. This is supposed to sound best as a digital reproduction. In almost every case companies don’t even bother to remaster the digital file to sound good on vinyl. As you mentioned I also never heard a 180g sounding better than a regular record. Record companies making a huge profit from the raising interest and try to maximize it with all the stuff you mentioned. Plus in 9 out of 10 times the original pressing sounds better than the re- issue (and is sometimes even less expensive).
So right sir.
I completely agree
That is an issue. I do not mind the use of digital PCM (or better DSD) being used to record albums, but if a label is going to release a vinyl version of it, they need to do it right and remaster the album FOR vinyl in a good way, to take advantage of both the limitations and the nice possibilities it offers sonically.
That's not as true as you may think; in fact in at least some cases, and very ironically, the vinyl version actually has more dynamics than the hyper-compressed, loudness war digital version.
A great example is the original 2014 release of Taylor Swift's "1989." It's so over-compressed and brick wall limited on CD it's frankly rather painful to listen to. It's just a mush of sound, it's congested and might sound great on ear buds but sounds horrid on an actual sound system.
On the other hand the vinyl release is a PLEASURE to listen to. It's open, dynamic, poppy and just a lot of fun.
I can't say how often that's the case, but it does happen.
they sound best only if your DAC is as good as the DAC used on the cutting room
In my view the biggest sin is if you have a classic analog recording like a 1970s album which was converted to digital at some point of time and this is the source of a new vinyl release…because it is less work than copying from an analog source.
You youngsters, they have always been expensive, sometimes hard to get and varying drastically in quality. ( I don’t like having to get up and turn over those 45’s at my age though).
Ps love your channel
Bought a 45rpm super vinyl for 80 bucks, hole was not in the middle and the needle was jumping, returned it immediately, no comment, maybe I will completely stop buying new vinyl because I got to much crappy stuff in the last years
For new releases it pisses me off when they don't include a download. Indie labels often do, but it's getting less common.
You forget the most important. DON'T USE DIGITAL MASTERS FOR MAKING REISSUES!! VINYL-RECORDS ARE ANALOGUE NOT DIGITAL!! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬😎😎
Except maybe when the original recording was made and mastered digitally.
At that point, might as well buy the CD.
If done and priced correctly, no problem on my side.
With the 180 gram thing, it's mostly hype, and I think they are more prone to non-fill and they definitely can still warp. I noticed Neil Young re-issues are now 140.
Right and I have a vacuum for my platter. It works better on the thinner vinyl.
I've been buying vinyl for 35+ years. I never got warped records until the 180 thing started. Half of what I buy are shaped like plates.
Good list I agree. My number 11 would be reissues using original artwork and spoiling it with a bar code that wasn't on the first issue.
Retailers won’t stock product without a bar code.
We are paying good money for a poor product I used to DJ years ago and I’m pretty sure the quality of vinyls back then was better than it is now
Amen, Guido! 100% agree on all aspects. I’ve been a record collector and audio nerd for over 30 yrs. Lost the majority of my 1st collection in a fire, but have thankfully tracked down most of the records I’d lost plus many more. Now, there’s only a few more grails left, but they’ll show up eventually. I just hope newer collectors aren’t put off by this BS that goes along with collecting today. 👍🔊😊🎶
Couldn't agree more... this stuff is fine if playing records is only a hobby... but a pain in the ass if spinning disks is a way of life. I used to be a record collector but i've used up most of my records from years back. These days i see records more as consumables (not unlike tyres or clothing, they just ware out and need replacing). Using records does drive up the price though. But you only live once!
Number 1 is the high price! 2 the hit or miss sound quality. 3 poor quality artwork. 4. High compression and lack of dynamics. 5 CD having more content at half the price!
High prices will eventually kill the market.
The greed of companies which has led to new vinyl being over the top expensive will definitely turn young kids from getting into this format. The profit margin is HUGE yet we still get digitally sourced heavily brickwalled sounding vinyl in cheap paper sleeves. One really has to be selective with what pressing they buy. A sticker on front showing the chain ,..such as AAA...would be helpful. Grazie Guido .. ciao from Australia 👍
@Lloyd Stout Get your facts straight. An average vinyl record still cost between 5 and 6 dollars in the mid eighties when I started buying records.
The thing that piss me of the most is that large number of the new releases are made from digital mix. I do not see why on Earth you will have all original analog tapes, will convert them to digital, make "improvements" and then prepare to release all of this back to analog as LP. There is no any sense!
Digital sounds better
great video!!...a little bit of information regarding time per side: general rule is like 20-23 mins per side in LPs cut with lacquer method and 2 mins. extra per side with DMM...when you pass the optimum time per side, the engineer has to do "some tricks" in order to cut thin grooves , like roll off bass, make lower overall level of the recording and the ugly "narrowing of stereo field"...so, if you want to stay in a relative safe zone about overall quality, dont buy LPs with more than 50 mins.
Good rule of thumb!
Yes, at 50 you are starting to lose compression. Also on reissues remember the more a record is mastered it loses compression, just as originals.
THANKS MATE! Someone had to say those things about records nowadays! I especially get annoyed by the poor quality of the printing. Two examples: Madonna’s ‘true blue’ or Tina’s ‘break every rule’ (two records which reissue shocked me from their covers full of noise compared to the original version, printed the old way!). I would also point out the compulsive way teenagers buy new records, paying no attention to its price, only to play them on a shitty plastic turntable with a disgusting ceramic cartridge. Are they drug dealers or what? I’m glad I tolerate very well other formats like the cds, sometimes I’m about giving it up with records.
😂
There’s already been 3 records I bought for good money, because I really revere the release but I ended up getting 3 very desirable, hard to get vinyls with large divots (pits) in the grooves, making it impossible to play that track without destroying (or ripping out) your stylus! Why is it on the always on the hard to get and most desirable records, is it only me???
11 - Not having a code for digital download. Sorry, I can't listen to vinyl in my car. 12 - Recurrent quality issues on new releases. You all know what I mean. 13 - When the record label don't indicate in a glance side A and side B... I mean, come on!!!! Annoying!!! 14 - really thin Spines. Hard to search on shelving collection. I prefer thick gatefold designs. 15 - Disappointing soind quality pressings. Yep, they make us want to only have those near mint rare vintage pressings. In the case of new albums, well... nothing much to do, except to wait 10 years for a new repressing, or find an alternative country/ area pressing. 16 - already mentioned - PRICE!!!!!!
13...🤣 true!!
You hit the nail! 👍🏻
Good points ,inner sleeves is the one thing annoys me ,they are usually in the lyric sheet as the sleeve , anyway thanks any all your points are well made 🙏🌻🎼
I've yet to hear a 45 RPM release that doesn't sound SO much better than the 33 1/3 it's not even worth playing the 33 1/3 version any more.
By far, the best sounding album I own is the 45 RPM 180g Analogue Productions version of "A Charlie Brown Christmas."
I couldn't agree more upon the lack of QC; there's no reason each copy of a $125 release can't be checked to make sure each side was pressed centered, doesn't have non-fill, and isn't warped.
What about box sets at 45 rpm on 180g vinyl ? Isn't that what the new Steely Dan box sets are ?
Like the Italians say in NY..."Fugget about it...."
In addition most re-issues are from a DSD source which in turn may have been converted from a "PCM-Master".
I buy vinyl from the time when all was analog. Exceptions are rare new AAA releaeses of music I like and with the overall quality for the efford, which is foremost Jazz & Blues. At classical music digital is better. New pop/rock etc. productions mostly don't have the quality in recording and/or music for spending the stated surcharge of vinyl.
Two things: Starting with 180g pressings, and in imho its bullshit. As with anything in analog audio shit in, shit out. Your stylus doesn't care how much your record weighs what really matters is the quality of the pressing. If you start with a bad master you are going to have a bad record. if you are concerned about your record moving while its playing use a wight or a clamp. Number two is the price of new and used records and tables. The only thing that will cure this is time. Reel to Reel machines and tape had this issues 5 or 6 years years ago. But since then the market has cooled down and you no longer have to mortgage your house to buy a Tascam, Teac, Akai, Technics, etc. And the only albums that cost an arm and leg are your stereotypical heavy hitters Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, etc. And I think the vinyl market will cool down sooner rather then later. As the people who fallow this trend are moving away from vinyl and towards compact cassettes. So if you have a good deck that you are thinking about selling now would be a good time to service it and clean it up.
Buy CD albums and you haven't any of this problems, plus you'll have much better sound, vinyl LP was die in last century...whay you torture yourself...???
Prices for new pressings are ridiculous...exploiting the buyer ..you can in most cases buy a better sounding analog original ...if 180 gram is so good why are they still warped ..got a very thin a&m first of iggys blah blah blah today ..thinnest vinyl ever ..but sounds superb 👌
On the price:
If you get some cheaper new releases, the quality control is awful because I've had a few times where they just used stampers till they are worn, resulting in records that sound muffled or have terrible sibilance.
Acoustic Sounds checks most all of your gripes with their reissues of the Steely Dan LPs. All in 45 rpm… check. All on 180 gr of course.. check. All at 150 bucks. LoL… check… all in needless (stupid) outer boxing… check. WTF.
I bought the KOB on UHQR.. took me FOUR returns to get an acceptable copy and it was not perfect. The clear vinyl is pure hype. I have an early 70s reissue that sounds as good.
I love Analog Production in general- their AP reissues are priced under 50 bucks and are awesome. Why they couldn’t do this with Steely Dan is beyond all understanding. They could have done so much more sales had they stuck to simple packaging and standard vinyl. But no. Also, most of Steely Dan’s albums are not what I’d call audiophile to begin with.. and none of their fans could care less either.
I completely agree in the Steely Dan. I would have gotten all of them as normal releases.
Re Boxes. Acoustic Sounds is the big guilty party here. Do we need a UHQR special edition in a pointless box? No we don't and it adds to the high price. Are you paying attention Chad?
45rpm sounds better and they are not all fuckin Bullshit audiophille LP's
I find 180 gram to be warped more than older pressings. Many digital remastering are poor. So I tend to buy older used records.
The thing I don't like in new releases is fancy colours and white. I like black so you can see the grooves are clean. I don't want stupid rainbow of colours in a splatter pattern. I don't want a decorative disc I want to listen to it!
Gerard Stroh***
Hi Anadialog***
I Like The 45 rpm Speed Versions Because it Sounds Better!!!
1. They Need to Be the Same Price on all Box Sets per Country
2. Alot of Times the Color Vinyl will have Flaws in the Vinyl and it Sounds So Noisy like an old Record!!!!
3. I don't Like the inner Record Sleeves that Are Made out of Paper and it acts like Sandpaper!!!!
4. The Clear Vinyl Records Like the John Lennon Imagine Album was So Noisy and the CD and Blu-Ray Was Better!!!!
5. I got the Fog Soundtrack From Waxworks was so Noisy and Flawd so I Re-order it Because Hopefully this Pressing Should Be Better!!!!
That's My Take on New Vinyl Records!!!
At last somebody who tells openly that 180g vinyls are only a gimmick. Their beneficience to sound quality is questionable. The only advantage is their resistance against warping.
So basically it's not worth buying vinyl in the 21st century... unless it's old pressings that came out originally. I've many vinyl records but I think I'll stop buying new releases now and stick to CD.
Thanks for this video!! I want to remark on the ARTWORK. I have bought vinyl reissues of albums that I originally bought in the late 70s - early 80s. And guess what?! And guess what? The new artwork is really bad. They shrunk the original artwork to CD size, and now blowing it back to LP size with low resolution and cropped in the wrong way! Once you notice this, it is awful
Can't stand that...
The inflated prices with the crazy strong dollar makes buying records pretty much a no no for me at the moment. I prefer records in a simple made quality jacket instead of large cumbersome boxes. I really dislike them, it is just an excuse to overprice the product and is a major inconvenience with little real added value.
The high prices are definitely a turn off. Unless I need it for my collection I will stick to the CD or cassette release to have it
Crappy built-in pre amp on new turntables suck as well..
I agree on everything! 👍
Some are "OK", but at least many manufacturers give you a choice of whether you want one or not. Then you can get a $200 iFi Zen Phono or a $600 Moon LP 110 v2 and on up the food chain commensurate with the price of the turntable and cartridge. But for many starting out or just getting back into vinyl, having a "decent" built-in one can make their lives easier. I bought a $500 U-Turn Orbit Special with their Pluto 2 phono amp built-in. I figure it will give me all the performance I need even if I upgrade to the Ortofon 2m Blue from the Red one day. If I ever buy a higher end cartridge than the Blue, then yeah, I'll be looking at something better. What phono amp do you use?
Have stop buying vinyl for now. Over priced
The industry milked CDs, kept inflating prices, until people stopped buying them altogether. They are doing the same with vinyl.
Absolutely true!
@@anadialog my local Barnes and Noble had put up huge vinyl racks some years ago. They recently reduced it to a corner. I am expecting Target to do the same soon.
What a great video man! gorgeous! I would add to my list, the exaggeration of colored vinyls when the original version was black
Thx Dan!
I so agree with you. Thanks for your video, mate 😎👍
Off center records, while has always been an issue, it is much more common now.
We all complained when CD's started to take over and vinyl seemed to be going the way of the "Doo-Doo Bird". Now that we're getting all the vinyl we can handle and then some - still complaints - I don't get it sorry. Like my mom used to say " there's no pleasing some people" how true!
What you are saying is absolutely true. Don't getvme wrong, I am the happiest vinyl neard in the planet BUT a little critique can only help. Don't forget that manufacturers watch and take notes over these types of videos.
Today's vinyl is not worth the price. I bought 3 new records that did not play on one whole side. That was within 2 year's. I have purchased 1000s if cds. One was bad 😆
11. Taking the master that was destined for the CD and using it on the LP: Marillion's 2018 Remix of "Clutching At Straws" is a MAJOR offender here. You get really, REALLY bad, insufferable clipping where the levels peak; a scratchy-sounding distortion in all the crescendos of "That Time of The Night", "Slàinte Mhath", "Sugar Mice", "The Last Straw" that makes the listening experience intolerable. And it seemed like such a well thought-out release! Two LPs to hold all of the CD's songs without omitting any one of them; heavyweight vinyl with practically no surface noise; proper antistatic inner sleeves. And yet, you're stuck with such a piss-poor mastering that ruins everything.
12. Spindle holes that are too tight or too loose - often combined with eccentricity.
13. "Limited editions" of digitally-remastered records. EXCUSE ME? Dude, you're using a (hopefully) high-res digital copy of the master (whether it's digital or analog is neither here nor there). You can make unlimited copies of it. Don't tell me you're limited to 5,000, 10,000, 50,000 copies.
And if the record companies think they can't afford to fix these things, here's a way for them to save money: fire a few Chief Something Officers, and axe the salaries and bonuses of the remaining ones by 60%. Problem solved.
I have the same issue with shipping but the other way, living in the US and those issues only released in Europe or UK
It's like buying 1 record for the price of 2... (if you're lucky)
Lots of consumers aren't very bright. Corporations will take advantage of a consumer every time we let them. Unfortunately in a world of instant gratification people want want want more than they are willing to think about the long term effects. Like all these little things they do, pic discs, 180 or 220 and box sets, hifidelity stickers etc...they have been separating the market for a long time of ppl who refuse to pay and the suckers, and unfortunately there are alot more suckers. Big problem with that is by willfully paying these silly prices consumers are screaming to labels "HEY WE DONT CARE ABOUT AUDIO QUALITY AS LONG AS ITS SPARKLY AND SAYS LIMITED EDITION WE'LL PAY ANY PRICE !!!". So the real threat is there is no financial incentive to keep producing high quality records and once they all realize this, even the few that do try will not be able to compete with other labels doing the same album at half the cost and selling at the same price. Everyone should do their research before buying an album, if peoples opinion on that album is that it's compressed or has poor dynamics than just stream it instead until they get the message. It's cheaper and may even sound better.
No quality incentive...very good point there, I sadly agree!
I received my new analog production Miles Davis “Kind of Blue”. 180G. Clear vinyl. First record is completely warped!!!! WTH!!! A new 180g vinyl that is warped….yes the 180g is hifi snake oil that we happily paid for. And that’s the issue here. Corporations will do all in their power to maximize profits as long as we pay for it. I’m never buying from them until it’s guaranteed a flawless album shows up to my house….
My copy of the new Blue Note “BlueTrain” reissue is flawless. Perfect, flat 180g vinyl. 🎉🎉🎉
That is rather shocking!
As much as I appreciate Analogue Productions releases, the UHQR versions like the new Steely Dan catalog at $150 USD, is ridiculous even in the US. Why can’t we have a choice to buy a good sounding regular version with a nice jacket for $30 usd? I’m skipping the UHQR version unless it is a grail for me. Everyone should be able to enjoy a quality re release, not just those with infinite budgets.
Completely agree on that. I would have gotten all of them in 33rpm and no boxes or strage stiff.
Good video Guido. To me the worse is the missing information: mastering, pressing plant, process etc. sometimes the same serial n belongs to several editions, unbelievable
Great point, I completely agree! (Regardless MoFi)
PAPER JACKETS....AAARRRGGHH!! They are my biggest complaint on new releases. As you say, why not at least use a poly lined sleeve for the package. It can't cost any more. Then we can use our own preferred sleeves. Agree with you re boxes too.
Neil Young toast was filthy, look like it had been dropped in sawdust. Fingerprints all over both sides of both albums. Ragged edge with loose vinyl, not trimmed properly. Many scratches. And instead of getting album A&B I two copies of album B. At least it was all analog and put in a anti-static sleeve!
Gosh! It's a freisbee not a record
Well, you are very lucky to pay only 25% or 30% as import taxes for LPs! Here in a Brazil we pay 100% of the LP price AND of the shipping cost, as import tax!!! This is crazy!
Oh may! Sorry to hear that...thanks for sharing
I've come to the point where buying the cd is more economical then the album. After thinking through the recording, I'm basically buying a cd on vinyl. If it's a release from prior 1985-88, it's better for me to search out the record from those years prior even if it is a re release of a certain album over the newer vinyl release. I want to enjoy my music collection, not be a slave to it.
I love analog but I do understand and actually follow the same path several times for modern releases unless of high quality or properly mastered.
The Way Most Companies WERE:
"Let's work real hard and produce some good product for our loyal customers. Something they will really like and be impressed and fully satisfied with, and take a real liking to. Maybe they will tell some of their friends about it and they will start buying & really get into it too. Lets see how low cost we can do this without compromising quality. We don't want to be viewed as price gougers for being too expensive for heavens sake. What do you think would be a fair price to charge? If anyone has a problem due to possible lapses in quality control, let's help them. We don't want to lose any of our loyal customers. Ok, let's get started and everybody do their best.
The Way Many Companies Are NOW:
How much money do you think we can possibly charge for this and enough people would still buy it? We will have to give them good quality or they'll stop buying them, but we want every dollar we can get out of them. What they tell their friends is of no concern. They probably don't have any friends that will pay our prices. If our price is less than what they would have been willing to pay, that's money that could have been ours. We can package it up real fancy and charge a sh*tload of money for it. They'll think "Oh, how nice. That's a lot of money but it looks like it's worth it." "Look how nice the box is". Let's say it's limited edition, that way, they'll figure they better buy it real quick, before it goes out of print. They have a fear of missing out.They'll think it will be worth even a lot more money, when it does go out of print. Some of them will actually but 2 copies at those prices. One to hold onto for a while, and then sell, and one for themselves. Ok no fooling around now. Let's Go.. Go.. Go.. !
So true!
Hi: All the points you make are valid and knowing that the record producers hopefully read these I didn't mean to imply that "there's no pleasing some people - but - as we all know that can be the case on occasion. As to your last point which I whole heartedly agree with as to "off center" holes that is an issue. I've come up with a fool proof way of alleviating that problem without the insanity of a $1500 centering tool!!!. All you need is an "X-Acto" knife and a good eye. Start your turntable and place the stylus on the record roughly one inch in from the lead in groove. Now bend down a "sight" along the tonearm and see weather the stylus is moving in or out from dead center. Then while the platter is still moving note at which point of the label is the movement note that place on the label. Now stop the platter lift the tonearm and relace it on its' rest. Now that you're noted the area of inward or out ward motion take your X-Acto knife and slowly start to "cut" that small area - the cut you make will resemble an eighth moon shape. Now put the record back on your TT and place the eighth moon cut right up to the spindle and start to play it and see if you tonearm still moves. It should be moving less eccentrically now - but if it still does shave a bit more and try again -go slow and shave a little at a time until you get it perfectly centered - it isn't that difficult there's nothing worse than hearing a "wow" in your record from an off centered hole! I've been doing this for many many years with great success - happy centering!
Cool! Thanks for sharing that!
Or you can get this but it's crazy money:
www.musicalsurroundings.com/products/ds-audio-es-001-eccentricity-detection-stabilizer
Great video. Check out Daptone records - or colemine. Good prices, recorded in analog to tape, quality jackets, new issues have anti static sleeves, a few color variants- true limited editions not to be re pressed and small quantity batches of those. 45s that are true singles - 7inch 45s - and also truly limited and they have European distribution …Plus the music is soulful and funky as hell!
The big overlooked problem with boxes, particularly in a humid climate, is that they are a breading place for mold and mildew. Anybody ever seen those pristine looking boxes of opera LPs at the thrift store....open one up and your nose is hit with that nasty moldy aroma.
Keep it up…I am digital only and you just gave me ten MORE reasons not to make the insane plunge back into the obsessions and associated costs of vinyl! 😎 I do always enjoy your videos and learn a lot! 👍🏼
If you are only digital your appreciation is even more valuable! Thx!
Records are the only source I have where a moment’s clumsiness can wipe out a multi-hundred (or thousand) dollar cartridge.
Thanks for capturing it. Agree to everyone of your points. Especially the US releases (and UK OGs since brexit…..)
Don't mess with Guido :) Personally, I vote with my wallet, it's the only language commerce knows.
Good job!
Do you have a video with tips on buying old vinyl records ? I have a store near by my place…
Coming up...stay tuned!
First, many, if not all, of the 10 things you said have nothing to do with audiophilia. Audiophilia has to do with sound quality (when it was recorded in a studio). A recording for being in 180g or in a box, does not mean that the audio is of good quality. It must be recorded according to audiophile parameters - sound, audio, not packing. So when they say audiophile release... it's so funny. They are always confusing audiophilia with music lover. In Portuguese we have a word "melómano" (I don't know if there is in Italian) but melómano translated into most languages means "music lover", but its real meaning is music maniac - Who has a passion for MUSIC. This word is used scholarly. It has Greek origin. Melo + mano. Audiophilia: Strong interest or enthusiasm for high-quality SOUND reproduction and especially high-fidelity. That takes care of sound, any sound. Of course, music is sound, but not always carefully recorded.
Second, I use a "box" with the dimensions of 79x109x14mm and 149g, with more than 1000 recordings, flac 16 and 24bit, dsd, dsf.
Cash grab, cheapness
Preach It! Amen!
hype stickers ,please stick them on the cover its the way it should be...
😉 yeah! Lot less work for us collectors...(without mentioning when they rip...🤯)
Agree with you
Single albums in the U.S. in 1978 cost $5.99. In 2022 that same value is about $27. There is no good reason for new vinyl albums to cost more than about $30 unless they are "special" in some way. Even more aggravating for us here in the U.S. is despite the current exchange rate of $1.00 USD = 1.03 Euros, we really haven't seen prices of goods from Europe become any cheaper. I price vinyl albums, speakers, DACs, turntables, integrated amps, etc., and nope. Prices are just as high as they ever were. Someone is pocketing that difference, but it isn't the consumers.
In 1978 record companies had plenty of LP factories and they could sell thousands or millions of copies. Nowadays vinyl is a niche market and there are only few factories in the world. That’s a very important factor.
@@Caifo yes, but we aren't asking them to make millions and millions of records as in the heyday, except for Adele albums that are still sitting in stores in the discount racks.
My two cents... (IMHO) As a collector who loves Blue Note jazz, I really don't need the gatefold sleeves. They take up too much space on my shelves. I would reather that both the classic and Tone Poets came in basic sleeves and that prices were shifted accordingly.
In un negozio di dischi in Croazia ho chiesto alla commessa di cosa si lamentano di più i clienti, lei ha risposto "tutti dicono che i dischi una volta erano di qualità molto più alta e costavano meno", l'enfasi era sulla scarsa qualità
Vero!
Disagree about 45RPM. Better dynamics, less inner groove distortion, etc.
better clarity, better S/N ratio, etc.
i agree about the boxes and the 180g vinyl.
Rush icon comes with the anti static cover. I really appreciate that they did that for the Rush album
Black vinyl 100% no colours and no multi colours/swirls ect… vinyl sounds great so don’t degrade it with inferior vinyl.
Has to be black vinyl 100%, as the colored stuff doesn't play on my $20,000 laser turntable.
Agree with most of those Guido. The prices are the main bugbear, so I only buy 3 or 4 new per year nowadays. I think vinyl will decline as a result as it's become a rich man's game.
Not really, they were 6-7$ and full of great promo prices at half that. I have the original price tags on them...
@Lloyd Stout Not too long ago (2019/2020) I was picking up albums for £15-£20 quite regularly. Now a lot of stuff is £28-£45 and even more in some cases.
I entirely agree with all of your points. The sloppy mastering and compression makes some new releases unlistenable. A good example of this is Crowded House’s “Dreamers Are Waiting”. The vinyl LP is an atrocity. The album is really good and on CD, via a decent DAC, sounds very nicely recorded and produced. Biffy Clyro suffer from badly mastered vinyl releases, low level, overly compressed and almost one dimensional mush. The Doves last LP was the same. I’ve heard more dynamics on you tube! Well said my friend!
I wish they would master from original tape to vinyl. I bought Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds new vinyl. Sounded terrible. Too tiny and it was scratched. I sent it back and bought an old release. Superb.
All they do is copy directly from CDs -- it's not the same as records back in the 30's, 40's---70's. So just buy the CD or download the MP3.
Let's add a #12 - there's no excuse to not offer a digital download with a new release LP today.
Of course we know why; if you want a copy to listen to in the car or on your phone, you have to buy TWO copies, one on vinyl and one digital.
True...or you can record the vinyl rip and burn it on CD, that will sound better than the standard release, not only because of a higher quality source with less compression but also because of the sonic degradation of CD stamping.
I recently bought two Metallica Re-Issues, "Kill 'em All" and "Master of Puppets" on vinyl here in the U.S. and they included a card inside that had a code to download the albums off their website. A little redundant for me as I bought the CD's years ago and ripped them into the computer, but my point is there are "some" companies that are doing this you just have to pay attention.
Agree
Some new issues are 200 grams as a way to charge more. Why?
As you say, just to make it more expensive. I have the Led Zeppelin Classic Records Quex 200g...nothing special IMHO
If I would release something in vinyl, it would be in 45 RPM, just because I would try to deliver the best product possible, but it would have been thought as such (and most chances would be that it would simply be an EP on a 12 inches record). But, in order to do that, I would have to record it with material that would give at least as much highs as the 45 RPM gives and without too much hiss, with my 4 track recorder, even though the speed is doubled compare to a normal deck recorder, I don't think I would have that quality, so, I don't plan doing it now, I only plan to release tapes.
But that's the musician's perspective in myself, now, the music amateur, well, I bought one (box) of an album remastered in 45 RPM and the sound is so great, I think that worth it, now, I think that if there would be no choice, that a re-release is only on 45 RPM, that's certainly not a good idea, but if the consumer has the choice between an 33 RPM and a 45 RPM version, that's great to be also able to buy a 45 RPM version.
Some of the new albums and pressings are off the charts excellent- I specifically refer to Acoustic Sounds - and frankly blow away almost all my old albums. Check out their verve series in 45 holy smokes you will not be disappointed
Agreed. If you do have the equipment to hear the difference then it’s not going to make a difference Also if you are upset about the cost go buy used
The 2018 Remix of Pink Floyd's Animals is packaged well and is actually amazing!!!!!!!!!! The only problem (according to what Mike Espinosa said) right now is that the defect rate is 40% which is absolutely ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!! But, I got a copy of it and it sounds amazing!!!!!!!!!! Definitely worth every penny. Not really interested in buying any other modern day pressing of any other album. Maybe the 50th Anniversary edition of The Dark Side Of The Moon (if it comes out), but I want to be as satisfied with that reissue as I was with the 2018 Remix of Animals.
These points are actually quite good!
Hi Guido, I enjoyed your video but bad records have always been a problem. It was the main reason I was an early CD adopter. I could just not put up with the LP quality any more we where getting in the 80's. Other than that, I mainly buy vintage records and when I buy new ones they are from bands that are on tour and bring out their own. I think those are the real limited editions. And most of those records have been problem free. I also have a few 180 gram records and personally I have no complains with the sound. My main turntable is a Dual 1019 and since that has a 10" platter, I don't mind a bit stiffer record.
45rpm cash-in overblown, Boxes cash-in here today forgotten tomorrow.
Prices are getting stupid, do it better do it cheaper, with the quality. These companies are often too lazy to do a proper job.
180gr, no problem but not doesn't guarantee better sound. Warped, bend, scratched or dirty vinyl is a serious issue for years now. Ltd. edition and colours; who cares? Its gimmicky, buy black only. 45 rpm, no problem for me, its better than compressed sound. Boxes and gatefold sleeves for single albums; unneccesary bullshit. Bad printing on pizzaboxes for sleeves sucks. Also non poly inners should be banned. Some good stuff is still coming out but the amount of trash is getting bigger and bigger and prices go up, sadly
What a great topic! My beef is the numerous reissues of the same...how many versions, for example, of "Kind of Blue" can you have? Give me a break! There are so many artists out there who have great back catalogues that don't get any attention.... Shirley Bassey has an amazing catalogue of recordings particularly from the 1970's but not one reissue on vinyl.
45rpm is a option your not required to buy it. Don’t like the box don’t buy it. 180grams… who cares. Raw vinyl has gone up as well as labor, licensing has gone way up. Shipping customs complain to your government. Inner sleeves you got a point. Acoustic sounds has amazing jackets. EMI Beatles LP routinely had 14 tracks and are revered.
My peeve - colored vinyl. Bought a few of these from Walmart at $22-$25 USD a pop, and that’s what I get - pops, clicks, scraping sounds even when I clean the record multiple times. I returned 4 albums over Christmas that sounded horrible or full of noise. No more.
Recently I've bought a new Depeche Mode CD Memento Mori for 2600 RUB ($35) in a cheap paper digipack. It's insane. CDs are growing in price while no one need it. What's happening??!!!
This is not about analog pressings geared to folks that care about audio quality. This is mostly about silly stuff. Europe has access to high quality "used'" U.S. pressing and awesome UK and GERMAN pressings. Most recent pressings are coming out of Europe pressing plants.
You are right in all your points. I want to emphasise in the height of prices. This is mentioned in used records too making our hobby unaffordable. All the tricks (45rpm,box sets, 180 grammars, collored vinyl) are there to increase record prices. I see compact discs with more sympathy than ever.....
Indeed...love old CDs
In regards to inflation, the price of vinyl LPs is lowest in the 70s and 80s. The price of vinyl nowadays is similar to that of the 60s. I guess that they made the vinyl thinner and mixed the PVC with recycled vinyl and other fillers after the 1973 oil crisis, which added more surface noise. They kept on using this formulation even after the oil crisis ended and throughout the 70s and 80s which in turn reduced the production cost (except for audiophile releases).
I don't think that there is a purpose to make 180g vinyl for standard releases and reissues.
One small thing i like to add is about the audiophile ramblings on vinyl. 95% is substandard these days. If you are not into it because of the physical thing or out of nostalgia you are fooling yourself with ultra expensive gear to playback music on a crappy medium. Vinyl can sound great and one can even love it for the pops and clicks. Times of vinyl being superior to digital seem to be over (mostly)
Good point.
Vinyl is an outdated antiquated and cumbersome lossy format.
It has nothing NOTHING to do with quality audio.
Its cool and nostalgic but youre cracked if you think it provides audio heaven.
Its acceptable at best.
Its digital today and norhing is gonna chance that.
Vinyl is living in the past.
I almost bought into the hype of 45 rpm and got some releases that looked great, but I started thinking about having to flip or change the record after only 10 to 12 minutes of play. That would be ridiculous. Give me 33 rpm and let's call it a day. If people have such resolving systems that a 45-rpm record can sound *significantly* better, well, they ought to just buy a high-resolution download in 24/192 or DSD64. How many people are mere "collectors" of such 45-rpm records and never really play them? I wonder.
Adding extra tracks to an LP is definitely bad due to the compression. This also occurs on CD's where they jam 20 tracks on a CD and then you wind up with a whole bunch of compressed music. Both sound absolutely terrible!
Yes, no more 180g half speed mastered vinyl in bad quality please…. It‘s boring and lets young interested people in vinyl quick disappearing of that medium.