Vinyl ratings for audiophiles

Analog Planet, Mikey Fremer's website had some excellent reviews of audiophile vinyl:

http://www.analogplanet.com/category/album-review

It's not that easy. Some new releases have beautiful vinyl, but just don't sound that great. Part of the fun is to search Ebay for Near-Mint copies of stuff you are looking for and you might have to pick up a couple of copies before finding a gem. I have no idea of what type of music you like, but in the spirit of attempting to help, I think the MoFi release of James Taylor "JT" is very good and I also recommend the Decca reissues of the Mozart Clarinet concerto and the Trout Quintet. Good Luck

I wouldn't throw away those old albums just yet. My experience, with wide access to multiple pressings of the same record, is that the correct early pressing often has a vivid presentation that is lost in later audiophile remasters. Yes, a new piece of vinyl can have quiet surfaces (not always), may be more readily available than an older pressing and often has lots of 'detail,' but in many cases, the sonics are just 'flat' and lifeless compared to the right early pressing. I know I'm speaking in general terms, and there are exceptions- some of the new MoFi records can be very good. But, if you are willlng to do the research (much of which can be gleaned online, from sources like Steve Hoffman's site for pop and hard rock), you will be able to identify older records that sound pretty remarkable. The trick is then to find pristine copies. There are also 'work-arounds' to the most notable pressings- ones which use the same metal parts but aren't as costly as the first pressings or uber collectible ones. For jazz, some of the real collectible stuff is now priced at crazy levels and you can do fine with reissues from music matters and analogue productions. Just to sum up, my point is not to assume that a new reissue or remaster will sound better than the old record; in my experience the opposite has proven true.

Steve Hoffman Forum is a superb resource on vinyl pressings. The community there is very knowledgeable and can speak to how well recorded an LP is, as well as which versions to seek out and, just as important, which to avoid (a tip: Learn to spot a Scorpio and avoid them!).

As reissues can run $20-45 plus depending on lp...I don't see a lot of worth repurchasing something unless its a quantum leap in performance...now granted...I listen to mainly late 70s early 80s rock...era right before digital...and the pinnacle of 24 track analogue recording...Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Ac/dc, Queen, Dire Straits, Rush, Van Halen, etc all made records during this heyday which stand the test of time...also master tapes...if even available...tend to degrade 35 years later.