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Classic records reissue - very disappointing

I have finally decided that Classic records reissue vinyl has a lot to be desired. The last copies I bought were horrible. The vinyl is not very well pressed and the sound is strident and irritating.

I put the Chesky version of the Reiner Sound and then the Classic reissue. There is no contest. It sounds like the Chesky was mastered with tubes and the Classic with solid state electronics. The Chesky is also pressed much better than the Classic. The mids sound very "not natural" on the Classic, almost overemphasized and pinched in the mids. The Chesky sounds natural with lots of air. The Chesky just sounds more right to me. I have found this to be the case with many of the Classic reissues and I am just using this one as an example.

Does anybody press vinyl the way they used to?

I am finding myself gravatating to CD more these days.

The only vinyl that sounds the way I like it is the older records. The problem with this is that the condition of many of these are not very good.

If the investment is being made to reissue music on vinyl, can't they do it with so it sounds like the old vinyl?

I am not sold on the thick vinyl either. I have heard lighter weight vinyl that knocks the socks off of the 200 grams.

Maybe I am not cleaning my new vinyl properly. Is there a coating of some kind on the new vinyl? If so, how do I get it off?

The real kicker is the price we pay for these audiophile reissues. It is ridiculous. I keep hoping for that old magic and I am constantly disappointed.

I also have a reiisued Art Pepper on Analogue and the original on Contemporary. Again , no contest, the Contemporary blows it away in every way.
tzh21y
kurt_tank
1,188 posts
 
They have their hits and their misses like most labels do.

Give the first Led Zeppelin album on Classic Records a spin, (if you can find it, as it is OOP), and you'll be amazed at how good it is. It clearly beats the pants off any other pressing I've heard. (And I have a few, including a really nice clean Japanese copy, that I used to think sounded great, until I heard the Classic Records pressing.)

As far as cleaning records goes, I do indeed wet clean all of my records, new and used, before I play them, in order to get rid of the factory mold release, dust and any other contaminants. I merely use MoFi's super vinyl wash fluid, with some Disc Doctor brushes, and then vacuum them dry with my Nitty Gritty RCM. (With really dirty used LPs, I will use the MoFi super deep cleaner first, and then follow up with the regular super vinyl wash.) I find this helps my records sound better, as I rarely ever notice any pops or ticks.

My two cents worth anyway.
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
Check if Classic Records outsourced their production:-)
theo's avatar
theo
2,331 posts
 
It seemed that as Classic Records got older their quality diminshed. But the earlier Led Zep, Peter Gabriel, etc releases were quite good. I find that the Mobile Fidelity releases have all been good. How ever with Chad at Acoustic Sounds on the threshold of pressing vinyl in a new facility I am hopeful we will see some higher quality releases. So far the Analogue Production releases have been good and I expect that to continue. But at the end of the day vinyl is vinyl and not perfect.
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
Talent, and production values have dropped.
The skilled record pressers are all retired. The new guys have no one to learn from. The machines are all old, No one is building a new Lp pressing plant! Not any new machines. The vinyl is probably harder to get as they would want it. And the folks who KNEW what it should be are gone too.
Then the pressure to produce is higher. I am certain all the crappy stuff with fingerprints, warps, the push to make more, faster, instead of better is all there is. then who cares about a quality product.
Not the minimum wages workers. And probably not even the managers. What counts is the bottom line.
How much product made in how long a time.
When was the last time you heard of a job where they were looking for someone who is going to make certain the product is made right, even if it takes a little longer?
Nowhere in any area of work except perhaps top tier luxury goods. And Lps are not that sort of product. (As much as one would wish they were treated like one)
The last big company was Saturn, and they dropped that idea.. then went belly up.
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