Definitive Audiophile pressings

Oooh I see some Talk Talk talk. The Parlophone REs from the previous years are all really good. There is a lot of quiet space in those later albums, so I actually prefer putting on the CDs of SOE and especially LS usually. But the Parlophones are very good and worth a listen (plus the aforementioned DVD-A as a bonus). I see for SOE there is now a '19 Parlophone which supposedly has a new lacquer. I have the 2012 and it's good.

I have OG's of both SOE and COS b/c I was fortunate to win an eBay bid a few years back for like $40 (TT is one of those bands you'll get lucky with on prices sometimes b/c they have a less of a profile than some others). Both jackets were VG+ and still in shrink with hype stickers so that was awesome to grab.
 
Joe Mac said:
Same as, I have some amazing sounding 70s and 80s pressings that are on tissue paper thin vinyl.
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Agreed, but in terms of heavier weight pressings, I think they might actually benefit and sound better for those with Crosley's and or something like an LP60, no offense to anyone who owns either.

Just a theory on my part, but it also seems backwards that something with an "audiophile" feature would benefit something at the shallow end of audiophile ;)
 
I don't think heavier vinyl is snake oil in so much that it can be used to make better sounding vinyl. I just think most companies don't give a shit about it beyond using it on a hype sticker and as a selling point.

It's like I know bluefin tuna is going to be better than canned tuna. But if the bluefin is prepared by a monkey in a diaper and the canned tuna by a Michelin chef, then I'm going with the latter.
 
Lord Diaper Baby said:
I don't think heavier vinyl is snake oil in so much that it can be used to make better sounding vinyl. I just think most companies don't give a shit about it beyond using it on a hype sticker and as a selling point.

It's like I know bluefin tuna is going to be better than canned tuna. But if the bluefin is prepared by a monkey in a diaper and the canned tuna by a Michelin chef, then I'm going with the latter.
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..............I can get on board with that ;)

I still think overall in this hobby we tend to forget that the level of your equipment is going to produce and or react to these "upgrades/features" differently.
 
Lord Diaper Baby said:
I don't think heavier vinyl is snake oil in so much that it can be used to make better sounding vinyl. I just think most companies don't give a shit about it beyond using it on a hype sticker and as a selling point.

It's like I know bluefin tuna is going to be better than canned tuna. But if the bluefin is prepared by a monkey in a diaper and the canned tuna by a Michelin chef, then I'm going with the latter.
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I wanna know where you’re dining because it sounds AMAZING.
 
AnthonyI said:
Agreed, but in terms of heavier weight pressings, I think they might actually benefit and sound better for those with Crosley's and or something like an LP60, no offense to anyone who owns either.

Just a theory on my part, but it also seems backwards that something with an "audiophile" feature would benefit something at the shallow end of audiophile ;)
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I actually think a lot of it is perception. It feels heavier and more substantial and so we think it’s got to be of a higher quality and to a degree our brains can fall for that trick and it leads to confirmation bias.
 
Lord Diaper Baby said:
I don't think heavier vinyl is snake oil in so much that it can be used to make better sounding vinyl. I just think most companies don't give a shit about it beyond using it on a hype sticker and as a selling point.

It's like I know bluefin tuna is going to be better than canned tuna. But if the bluefin is prepared by a monkey in a diaper and the canned tuna by a Michelin chef, then I'm going with the latter.
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Why though? Give me a solid reason why two identical records pressed from the same stamper at different weights are going to be substantially different. I’ve yet to see an even close to convincing argument.
 
Joe Mac said:
I actually think a lot of it is perception. It feels heavier and more substantial and so we think it’s got to be of a higher quality and to a degree our brains can fall for that trick and it leads to confirmation bias.
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Oh, I think the "placebo" effect creeps into anything and everything, even if the items in question may have a varied degree of effectiveness.
 
Joe Mac said:
Why though? Give me a solid reason why two identical records pressed from the same stamper at different weights are going to be substantially different. I’ve yet to see an even close to convincing argument.
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The only thing I've heard (and no idea if it's true at ALL) is that thicker records, in theory, should dissipate energy better from vibrations. But I don't think that 180 vs 200g would be all that much of a noticeable difference.

But I have also heard that 200g are more difficult to press. The whole thing does just seem like marketing mumbo jumbo and I never let record weight affect whether or not I buy an album. I care way more about who mastered it and where it's pressed.
 
MikeH said:
The only thing I've heard (and no idea if it's true at ALL) is that thicker records, in theory, should dissipate energy better from vibrations. But I don't think that 180 vs 200g would be all that much of a noticeable difference.

But I have also heard that 200g are more difficult to press. The whole thing does just seem like marketing mumbo jumbo and I never let record weight affect whether or not I buy an album. I care way more about who mastered it and where it's pressed.
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I‘m not convinced. Funk Firm claim that their acromat does that but not because of its weight, rather because it has air pockets within it. I’d hope they wouldn’t do that pressing a record...

The other claim Ive heard is that it’s heavier so better coupling to the platter but a 20g, 60g or even 80g difference isnt going to be marked there, buy a clamp or record weight if you want that.

If you want to convince me show me the science lads.
 
Joe Mac said:
Why though? Give me a solid reason why two identical records pressed from the same stamper at different weights are going to be substantially different. I’ve yet to see an even close to convincing argument.
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I always hate causing you so much shock and sadness @Joe Mac, but most things in "audiophile" land, in my opinion, are usually based on sound theory, that of course doesn't mean it translates best to the end result. The end user has a lot to do with that, as well as determining if and "audiophile' pressing is worth the extra scratch over a "standard" pressing.

I understand your looking for a "convincing argument" and what can be offered is the definition and theory of what a heavier album "can" bring to the table, but, we're kind of back to the same ole thing, convincing someone of something is always a bit of a lost cause because we all draw from a boat load of different preferences, opinions and variables.
 
AnthonyI said:
I always hate causing you so much shock and sadness @Joe Mac, but most things in "audiophile" land, in my opinion, are usually based on sound theory, that of course doesn't mean it translates best to the end result. The end user has a lot to do with that, as well as determining if and "audiophile' pressing is worth the extra scratch over a "standard" pressing.

I understand your looking for a "convincing argument" and what can be offered is the definition and theory of what a heavier album "can" bring to the table, but, we're kind of back to the same ole thing, convincing someone of something is always a bit of a lost cause because we all draw from a boat load of different preferences, opinions and variables.
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Yea--I think the weight of a record just has the least impact of all other variables when it comes to someone's setup. Your cart, who cut the lacquer, and a ton of other factors are going to affect sound more than 180 vs 200g. I'm not opposed to 200g at all really, I just don't pay it too much mind when considering whether or not to buy something.
 
MikeH said:
Yea--I think the weight of a record just has the least impact of all other variables when it comes to someone's setup. Your cart, who cut the lacquer, and a ton of other factors are going to affect sound more than 180 vs 200g. I'm not opposed to 200g at all really, I just don't pay it too much mind when considering whether or not to buy something.
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Oh, I'm with you, the last thing I'm ever looking at when looking for any record is the weight.
 
AnthonyI said:
I always hate causing you so much shock and sadness @Joe Mac, but most things in "audiophile" land, in my opinion, are usually based on sound theory, that of course doesn't mean it translates best to the end result. The end user has a lot to do with that, as well as determining if and "audiophile' pressing is worth the extra scratch over a "standard" pressing.

I understand your looking for a "convincing argument" and what can be offered is the definition and theory of what a heavier album "can" bring to the table, but, we're kind of back to the same ole thing, convincing someone of something is always a bit of a lost cause because we all draw from a boat load of different preferences, opinions and variables.
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That was more ragging on equipment tbh. Whilst the cheaper turntables are doing to miss detail you don’t need to be an audiophile or break the bank to notice the vast majority of the difference and get the extra pleasure, it can be done on relatively modest tables. I’m happy to say that I’m proving that.

I'll he honest I don’t see theories here, I see spit balling by people who listen to them. No one has come close to saying anything that makes sense. I’m not saying dont buy a record because it’s 180g or 200g, that’s equally insanity, I’m just saying that there is zero reason to believe that the extra weight is anything other than a sales tool.
 
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I've never really bought into the 180gm thing, I couldn't care less as long as it sounds good.

With that being said I have always assumed the benefit of the 180gm vinyl over the standard (140gm?) was that the thickness helped prevent warps. Not sure if there's any truth to that and really if you had 2 records, a 180gm and a standard, which were both flat then comparatively I assume the weight doesn't make a difference at that point.
 
Selaws said:
I've never really bought into the 180gm thing, I couldn't care less as long as it sounds good.

With that being said I have always assumed the benefit of the 180gm vinyl over the standard (140gm?) was that the thickness helped prevent warps. Not sure if there's any truth to that and really if you had 2 records, a 180gm and a standard, which were both flat then comparatively I assume the weight doesn't make a difference at that point.
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Well I can dispel that one based on what some members have sent my way to flatten, it may be harder, but not impossible ;)
 
FWIW, here's MMJ's take on it.
We use 180 gram pressings for the simple reason that we believe 180 gram weight is more than sufficient to provide a near perfect pressing. Forcing presses that were designed for 150 gram and 180 gram weight to press 200 gram vinyl results in a multitude of additional problems including warpage. A check of audiophile vinyl chat rooms reveals many dissatisfied buyers of 200 gram vinyl. When Music Matters asked our friends at Record Technology Inc. for their recommendation to achieve the highest possible quality pressings their answer was unequivocal......
go with 180 gram!
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I personally like the feel of 180g compared to 150g, but yeah, not convinced there's a real audible difference.
 
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