Sound quality - best and worse

[Jah Titus]

Right Breda!

PS always seems mi a overestimated label - firstly demself. Some example worst CD yu hav ever heard?


BLESS

[leggo rocker]

Here comes the 'vinyl elite'

It was the terrible quality of the French JetStar re-issues that drove me back to vinylitus.

Bionic Dub, Studio One repress. The vinyl repress is AWFUL so I bet the CD version is even worse!

For those that think all studio one pressings are terrible, you might be very surprised by how good a EX or NM quality original can sound (on vinyl of course). Or perhaps we Vinyl Elite just convince ourselves they sound good because we've just blown a weeks wages on them.

[ton1]

For those that think all studio one pressings are terrible, you might be very surprised by how good a EX or NM quality original can sound (on vinyl of course). Or perhaps we Vinyl Elite just convince ourselves they sound good because we've just blown a weeks wages on them.

I totally disagree with you. Getting a good Studio One LP is a matter of luck. Lots of them have heavy surface noise. Maybe the worst label for old wax. I'm a vinyl addict but I also have plenty of CDs and still buying a lot and I can tell you that comparing CDs and vinyls in a general way have no interest. What is interesting is comparing a CD and a vinyl on a specific album.

[leggo rocker]

But have you managed to get a clean, near mint early Studio One pressing Antonin?

Not an early repressing, or a record with grooves full of 30 years dirt. But a clean, first or near first pressing. I have a couple and was very surprised at how good the sound was on them. They aren't up to 'Western' standards, but they're good, even for JA pressings.

But almost anything repressed on Studio One seems to be rough, I don't think I have a single good Studio One repress.

[ton1]

But have you managed to get a clean, near mint early Studio One pressing Antonin?

Not an early repressing, or a record with grooves full of 30 years dirt. But a clean, first or near first pressing. I have a couple and was very surprised at how good the sound was on them. They aren't up to 'Western' standards, but they're good, even for JA pressings.

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This one for instance, mine looks at least EX but has some crackles throughout. I don't say it's horrible but far from european standards and far from others Ja label press from the same era. That has nothing to do with recording which is perfect to me but has to do with the press plant I guess.

But almost anything repressed on Studio One seems to be rough, I don't think I have a single good Studio One repress.

The more recent presses I have on Studio One are from the Brooklyn era (except for one or two I bought when I began to buy records maybe 3 years ago, I soon realized recent SO press were pure crap).

[leggo rocker]

Sometimes vinyl looks great and plays crap.

I had a copy of Englishman on Greensleeves, which is a very good pressing. But, although it looked MINT, it actually played at VG at best, even after a pro clean. Lots of distortion and surface noise. I suspect that it isn't anything pressed in but simply it has been played with a bad stylus.

That's the problem with all this buying of second hand vinyl. You're running a risk of getting a good looking but worn out record. You can only be sure of getting as new sound from vinyl if the guy you buy it from was an OCD inflicted collector who bought them all new himself, played them once to tape them and put them carefully away in store.

But, when you do find old records in great condition, it's a buzz.

[Jesco77]

Going back to Studio 1 vinyl, it really is a complete lottery as to whether you get a good or bad one. I have a pretty much when it came out copy of "Presenting Jennifer Lara" (US pressing) which most people say is a terrible pressing, but mine is absolutely fine, and I have an 80s repress of "Macka Fat" on a green and white label which I don't imagine was remastered but is again not bad at all considering how bad the earlier copies were. But then you get shockers like the represses of A Love I Can Feel, Mr Fix It and so on which have been pretty badly remastered, or Sunday Coming, Picture on the Wall of which my copies are off centre, which as I'm cursed with near perfect pitch musically makes them pretty horrible to listen to.

[leggo rocker]

Jesco - get yourself a linear tracking turntable. A few bucks will buy you a Technics one that'll make the off centre pressings playable without pitch distortion.

At worst, you can then just play them once and record them. But you can also spend more money and get some very reasonable Technics linear tracking decks with a reasonable p-fit ortofon cart on it.

They have a very small footprint (the dearer ones do anyway!) and are the definitive answer to the off center problem that reggae fans in particular seem to have to endure. I swear by them, and have done on here many times before!

[leggo rocker]

Back on thread....

Coloured Vinyl. I love the stuff!

But it doesn't wear well and some people reckon it doesn't sounds as good even when new.

Certainly, coloured vinyl is over represented in my poor sound selection.

[Jesco77]

Thanks for the advice Leggo...

Picture discs, they are the absolute worst, usually looks like they are clear vinyl flexidiscs fused to a plastic picture inner.