Is heavy vinyl worth it?

YES! YES! YES! BEYOND A DOUBT THE HEAVY VIRGIN VINYL RECORDINGS ARE EXCELLENT. THE 'CLASSIC RECORDS' 200 GRAM SERIES WILL SPOIL YOUR EARS!
REGARDS,

Onhwy61, do you actually think that warped records are a positive side of vinyl? I have heard of the hairshirt sect of audio, but your answer, posed as a sort of challenge to the worthy, is arrogant and ill conceived.

Pbb, where did I say warped records were a positive aspect of vinyl? You said you had problems with a warped record purchase and I said you have to determine if the hassle is worth it. Clearly I'm saying that warped records are a hassle. It has been my experience that when buying new you will run across alot more defective vinyl purchases than CDs. It's just the way it is with vinyl. It's a hassle. Is it worth it to you?

Not necessarily. Generally, the best recording I have are originals pressed on normal vinyl, not the heavy weight reissues. While some quality reissue companies do use heavy vinyl, often heavy vinyl is just a gimmick to attract audiophile purchasers. I find that the majority of the heavy records I get are warped, probably because the pressing cycle duration was not increased as it should be for thicker records. I particularly hate 180-220 gm records since they require VTA adjustment to be played optimally. Easy if you have a Wheaton or a VPI arm, not too bad if you have a Graham, a real pain with the Vector (which I have) and impossible for some.

Best records, in terms of pressing quality, that I have are Japanese or German in origin, and they are all quite thin, but meticulously pressed.

Like Larry, I too have bought an inordinate number of warped heavy vinyl LPs. The only company that seems to be able to produce warp-free heavy vinyl is Blue Note (e.g., heavy vinyl reissue of Kenny Dorham's "Whistle Stop" is excellent). Never had one problem with BN. That being said, I don't consistently find an audible improvement, so I simply buy the cleanest LPs I can find, regardless.