Jump to content

About the sound quality of picture discs


Recommended Posts

This week, I received two picture discs: one from a small, independent label and one from a major label. Not important which albums they are for this discussion.

 

The picture disc from the small label sounds HORRIBLE. Pops, cracks, hum, etc. Yes, I cleaned it, took the static gun to it, and so on.  I contacted the label, and they told me that my equipment is at fault. Apparently, it's time for me to get a new stylus because this couldn't be the fault of the disc itself. LOL.

 

The picture disc from the major label isn't perfect, but it sounds way better than the other one. AND I DIDN"T EVEN HAVE TO BUY NEW EQUIPMENT. Imagine that.

 

Yes, I do know picture discs generally sound worse than "regular" vinyl. Is the solution to never buy picture discs? Despite their attempt to "blame the customer" in this case, this is not the fault of my turntable, stylus, or any other equipment. The album itself was poorly reproduced. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, slipcraig said:

This week, I received two picture discs: one from a small, independent label and one from a major label. Not important which albums they are for this discussion.

 

The picture disc from the small label sounds HORRIBLE. Pops, cracks, hum, etc. Yes, I cleaned it, took the static gun to it, and so on.  I contacted the label, and they told me that my equipment is at fault. Apparently, it's time for me to get a new stylus because this couldn't be the fault of the disc itself. LOL.

 

The picture disc from the major label isn't perfect, but it sounds way better than the other one. AND I DIDN"T EVEN HAVE TO BUY NEW EQUIPMENT. Imagine that.

 

Yes, I do know picture discs generally sound worse than "regular" vinyl. Is the solution to never buy picture discs? Despite their attempt to "blame the customer" in this case, this is not the fault of my turntable, stylus, or any other equipment. The album itself was poorly reproduced. 

Pressing plants widely vary in quality too. There are many factors but picture discs always sound at least slightly worse because of the way they're made. Avoid them if possible, but some can potentially sound alright to good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Sunshine said:

Pressing plants widely vary in quality too. There are many factors but picture discs always sound at least slightly worse because of the way they're made. Avoid them if possible, but some can potentially sound alright to good.

What I'll do going forward is buy picture discs to look at and not listen to. When the sound quality of a new record is comparable to Goodwill purchases, it's time to change buying behavior. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Sunshine said:

Good call. I only buy them when it's the only format.

I also have to say that it's dumb for a business to blame a customer for selling a low-quality product. I've spent $500 on the small label's records, and they have ensured I will  never give them another dime.

If you are a business reading this, take this as an object lesson. Even if you suspect a customer has faulty equipment, just offer to take back the album and listen to it yourself. If it does sound like a bad pressing, admit it. If it doesn't sound bad, tell them you can't reproduce the experience on your end. Customers respect integrity.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, swb said:

It sounds like they're hoping you'll believe them and leave them alone. I imagine that customer service tactic works sometimes, otherwise they're wasting both parties' time stalling before issuing the refund/replacement.

They've lost my business in the process. They don't need customers' money anyway, right? *wink*

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, slipcraig said:

What I'll do going forward is buy picture discs to look at and not listen to. When the sound quality of a new record is comparable to Goodwill purchases, it's time to change buying behavior. 

Why are you even buying Goodwill records that aren't in good playing condition?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm wondering if the picture disc from the small label is a lathe? Those almost always sound like shit. I only buy picture discs for the novelty, not for sound quality, so I maybe have about 10 in my collection. It would be great if someone could figure out how to make one with decent fidelity.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, aphasias said:

This is what I decided on 15 years ago. I only buy picture discs when they are the only option available.

Yep, that's what I'll be doing from now on. And really, it's what I've done 99.9% of the time up to now anyway. You just occasionally see that one picture disc that calls your name and can't stop yourself from buying a shitty piece of vinyl. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I generally don't buy pic discs cuz of the inherently bad sound reproduction, but occasionally you have no choice as is the case of Tool Lateralus. Which actually doesn't sound so bad. I also own the Beavis and Butthead pic discs. They're both pressed by the same manufacturer but they don't sound the same. One is decent and the other sounds like shit.

You really can't bet on them...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, VinylMario said:

I generally don't buy pic discs cuz of the inherently bad sound reproduction, but occasionally you have no choice as is the case of Tool Lateralus. Which actually doesn't sound so bad. I also own the Beavis and Butthead pic discs. They're both pressed by the same manufacturer but they don't sound the same. One is decent and the other sounds like shit.

You really can't bet on them...

Which B&B sounds “decent?” 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×

AdBlock Detected

spacer.png

We noticed that you're using an adBlocker

Yes, I'll whitelist