180 Gram vinyl question

[mxv]

Someone please kill me if I ever become so anal that I start weighing my 180gm records to make sure they actually weigh 180gm.

[3fingersdown]

"Audiophiles" like 180g vinyl because the frequency response is more true to the original recording for more spins. The more you listen to vinyl the quicker the sound degrades, thin records can sound flat after a handful of spins.

[almightyseancore]

blow your friends and parents

O_O

[youspinmeround]

I swear that this board is so anal about records. Its insane

Jazz records wear to collectors because of the overall sound

A blink 182 record, no many how times you spin it, will always sound like crap

[romanos27]

People, 180gm vinyl has NOTHING to do with sound quality. Vinyl weight has NO impact on the sound. 0. NONE. It is purely used to make a thicker, more sturdy record. A thicker record can resist warping better, and that is the ONLY benefit.

I prefer 180g because I like the substance, the weight, the physical product, but it offers no sonic benefit.

This has been my understanding of the whole 180 gram thing. Less likely to warp, and the weight helps keep it firmly in place on the platter.

[krisakarcher]

I swear that this board is so anal about records. Its insane

really? was that necessary on vinyl record forum.

[mrrom92]

That's about right. The "audiophile" and "180 gram" thing is becoming a bit of a marketing tool. THough most 180 gram pressingare i my opinion are better from my experience. It jueust seems to have a better, more full/ solid sound. Lighter vinyl can definetely suind pretty good too so it's not a deciding factor.

I would also think that if a band / label were to press something on 180g (More money) they would be putting more effort in the actual mastering / editing.

It also matters who mixes the the recording. Is it "Master from original analog tpape" and by whome. I don't know names of who are good but most 180 gram true repress (Remastered from og tapes) i have are amazing. What mainly comes to mind is the new pressing of pInk Floyd's Wall, Wish you Were HEre, and Dark Side of the moon. The reveiws are off the chart on those things.

I bought Wish You Were Here for 28$ at Hot Topic cause i was itchin for a vinyl fix. When spun theat haevy peice of wax it blew my mind the clarity, "soundstage" as they call, and the surface is so freekin quite. I quickly understood why it cost my near 30$ (Also included some super heavy stock sleaves, poster, postcrd, download car). I then did some research on why it was so damn good. I found the reviews saying "Re mastered from original analog tapes" "Dead silent surface noise" "high quality german vinyl" which was pressed at the EMI plant i beleive. So that summed it up.

I Then bought The Wall (Frikin expesive) and am not disapointed at all. Worth every penny if you're gonna keep this in excellent shape and blow your friends (The ones that aren;t too cool for Floy) and parents (My dad couldn.t beleive he was hearing such goodness< he sad "Man, this just sounds so damn good") and i have gotten many compliments on my setup (Which i return to say "it's really the vinyl" even though i got a pretty good setup. polk monitor 70s (100 watt's per channel and fake bi-amped out of my Onkyo receiver, and Klipsch RW 12".)

I am waiting for Hot Topic Cash to get Dark Side (I have the 25th anniversy edistion and can only imagine the difference, based on Wall and Shine). To get it at a steal.

Also, i wam pretty dissapointed on my flimsy Tomahawk vinyl where it probably is aroun 100 grams and the holes had to by cdug out with my knifr to fit the record player. And the bass less songs on their newest alsbumb. The CD makes my system go BOOM but the vinyl falls flat. Very disspointed. BS. Maybe mike patton is so in the digital age there's no point in trying to put his stuff on vinyl, hence why you don't see much. (Totally fine with that)

Also, neil youg does some insane quality, and pricey, represses. Then new Sixto Repress is pretty darn good too, especially for 18.99 from my local record store.

There seems to be the just put it on vinyl and color some copies and the kids will buy it crowd, and then the i want it mastered for vinyl and good quality crowd. I used to be obsessed with collecting and colors and what not but since i've got a good table and system i would much rather have my 180g black copy. I've been selling colored copies of NOFX for hundred, turn around and buy it baclk on black plus a few more records. I love it!

Well sorry for rambling. And no spell check

I

Sir. I can't help but to correct you on your post, as you've been misinformed, and I'd hate for others to be misinformed by your post. The latest Floyd reissues are amonst the worst sounding Floyd vinyl ever pressed, and were most certainly NOT mastered from the original tapes. The packaging is good quality though.

The 30th anniversarry is cheaper, although somewhat less readily available now that it's been discontinued, but a million times better than the more recent remaster, and any of the pressings that came before it. Of course, there are many who will prefer a german or UK 1st press from the 70's, but in my opinion, the 30th beats them all. If you don't believe me, get the new reissue, do an A/B comparison with the 30th anniversarry, and then try and honestly tell me that you don't agree with me.

In general... 180 gram is sturdy, and feels nice, but it's more difficult to press well... plants have only recently mastered the art and science of 180 gram. Used to be alot of poorly pressed 180gm records in the 90's and 2000's. You can't just stick more plastic in the press, the record has a different profile, there's a different heating and cooling cycle, etc.

But vinyl weight does not affect the sound. At all. It may dampen some resonances due to being thicker and heavier, but a good turntable will be set-up to minimize this and even it out across the board on ALL records - be they as thick as Edison Diamond Disc records, or as thin as a flexi.

Long story short, 180 gram is nice, but not a selling point for me. I'd rather that the record was less expensive, or even better yet, that more money from the record's budget went into good mastering.

[markok]

This has been my understanding of the whole 180 gram thing. Less likely to warp, and the weight helps keep it firmly in place on the platter.

Yep, thats it. The warping has an effect to sound of course too, somewhat.

[vacumecleanerman]

Sir. I can't help but to correct you on your post, as you've been misinformed, and I'd hate for others to be misinformed by your post. The latest Floyd reissues are amonst the worst sounding Floyd vinyl ever pressed, and were most certainly NOT mastered from the original tapes. The packaging is good quality though.

The 30th anniversarry is cheaper, although somewhat less readily available now that it's been discontinued, but a million times better than the more recent remaster, and any of the pressings that came before it. Of course, there are many who will prefer a german or UK 1st press from the 70's, but in my opinion, the 30th beats them all. If you don't believe me, get the new reissue, do an A/B comparison with the 30th anniversarry, and then try and honestly tell me that you don't agree with me.

In general... 180 gram is sturdy, and feels nice, but it's more difficult to press well... plants have only recently mastered the art and science of 180 gram. Used to be alot of poorly pressed 180gm records in the 90's and 2000's. You can't just stick more plastic in the press, the record has a different profile, there's a different heating and cooling cycle, etc.

But vinyl weight does not affect the sound. At all. It may dampen some resonances due to being thicker and heavier, but a good turntable will be set-up to minimize this and even it out across the board on ALL records - be they as thick as Edison Diamond Disc records, or as thin as a flexi.

Long story short, 180 gram is nice, but not a selling point for me. I'd rather that the record was less expensive, or even better yet, that more money from the record's budget went into good mastering.

That was my bad. It was "sourced" from the orginal master tapes according to musicdirect. I was just recalling what i remembered reading.

The Wish You Were Here repress is what got me on this repress kick of these. I would like to get original EMI pressings and compare. I'm just recently really getting into many records and sound quality. I agrea the mastering is more important, and i was implying that better quality record and better quality pressing usually go hand in hand.

I have Meddle from EMI pressing that i found in my dad's collection. It is amazing how that sounds. So i can beleive the originals of the other floyd LPs would be damn good. I am now on the hunt.

I read some more reviews anout the latest DSOTM pressing and some say it's better than the 30th, and some do not. I think i will pick it up from that Hot Topic sale It'll be about 15$ shipped cause i got a 10$ gift card for 5$ so it's a good price.

Do you have an opinion/ have you heard of the other Floyd represses (Wall, WYWH)? you only mention DSOTM. Is there much to compare them to besides the original (Wall, WYWH)? It seems there are many that would agrea with DSOTM, as that was the first of the re-issues. Was it the same people who remastered the 30th ann. as the latest? Sax / Gunthrie?

Packaging is super nice though.

[gabpower]

To me 180 grams records have the nice aspect of not warping but I always thought they had less vibration and resonance going through them. But that's just audiophile stuff that I probably don't really notice in the end.

I have old jazz records on Blue Note and such on thick vinyl and they seem to age better than some thin ones.

If the source and mastering are top quality than the higher quality virgin vinyl and thickness is just the logical way to go for a full audio experience.

[vacumecleanerman]

That was my bad. It was "sourced" from the orginal master tapes according to musicdirect. I was just recalling what i remembered reading.

The Wish You Were Here repress is what got me on this repress kick of these. I would like to get original EMI pressings and compare. I'm just recently really getting into many records and sound quality. I agrea the mastering is more important, and i was implying that better quality record and better quality pressing usually go hand in hand.

I have Meddle from EMI pressing that i found in my dad's collection. It is amazing how that sounds. So i can beleive the originals of the other floyd LPs would be damn good. I am now on the hunt.

I read some more reviews anout the latest DSOTM pressing and some say it's better than the 30th, and some do not. I think i will pick it up from that Hot Topic sale It'll be about 15$ shipped cause i got a 10$ gift card for 5$ so it's a good price.

Do you have an opinion/ have you heard of the other Floyd represses (Wall, WYWH)? you only mention DSOTM. Is there much to compare them to besides the original (Wall, WYWH)? It seems there are many that would agrea with DSOTM, as that was the first of the re-issues. Was it the same people who remastered the 30th ann. as the latest? Sax / Gunthrie?

Packaging is super nice though.

I did some more research and the latest DSOTM was pressed in the US and somewhere foreighn. Lot's of complaints and issues from the US pressing. Scuffs, pops, etc... Hopefully i get a good DSOTM. I'm seeing nothing but rave reviews for WYWH, which is in accordance with my original assumptions.

[Vinyl Fury]

There are some good points and definitely some misinformation going on here. But, because vinyl varies so much in weight, color, shape, etc, it really comes down to your experience and what you prefer.

One of the major selling points of 'audiophile' 180 gram vinyl is that it is virgin vinyl, meaning not recycled. This allows for quietest noise floor.

I certainly prefer a 180 gram record for warp resistance and so forth, but a poorly mastered or pressed record will sound poor no matter what kind of vinyl it's on.

[victorcleaner]

Sir. I can't help but to correct you on your post, as you've been misinformed, and I'd hate for others to be misinformed by your post. The latest Floyd reissues are amonst the worst sounding Floyd vinyl ever pressed, and were most certainly NOT mastered from the original tapes. The packaging is good quality though.

The 30th anniversarry is cheaper, although somewhat less readily available now that it's been discontinued, but a million times better than the more recent remaster, and any of the pressings that came before it. Of course, there are many who will prefer a german or UK 1st press from the 70's, but in my opinion, the 30th beats them all. If you don't believe me, get the new reissue, do an A/B comparison with the 30th anniversarry, and then try and honestly tell me that you don't agree with me.

In general... 180 gram is sturdy, and feels nice, but it's more difficult to press well... plants have only recently mastered the art and science of 180 gram. Used to be alot of poorly pressed 180gm records in the 90's and 2000's. You can't just stick more plastic in the press, the record has a different profile, there's a different heating and cooling cycle, etc.

But vinyl weight does not affect the sound. At all. It may dampen some resonances due to being thicker and heavier, but a good turntable will be set-up to minimize this and even it out across the board on ALL records - be they as thick as Edison Diamond Disc records, or as thin as a flexi.

Long story short, 180 gram is nice, but not a selling point for me. I'd rather that the record was less expensive, or even better yet, that more money from the record's budget went into good mastering.

Popmarket thinks they sound pretty good:

PINK FLOYD VINYL BUNDLE

Exclusive collector’s vinyl bundle featuring Pink Floyd’s biggest-selling and most influential albums – on 180-gram heavyweight vinyl with MP3 album download cards, posters and more!

• THREE remastered collector’s Pink Floyd albums on 180-gram vinyl for one great price!

• All albums include unique code for 320KBPS MP3 album download

• Original packaging featuring artwork by Pink Floyd in-house designer Storm Thorgerson

• Albums include exclusive new posters, postcards, sturdy inner sleeves and more.

• Finally back on domestic LP, you NEED to hear these versions:

o Sourced from the original master tapes, teeming with stunning dynamics, an immense front-to-back soundstage, newly uncovered details, balanced transients, and tube-amplifier warmth. these dead-quiet pressings will have you truly hearing these all-time classics with fresh ears

[Derek™]

Got me with tube-amplifier warmth.

[mrrom92]

Popmarket thinks they sound pretty good:

PINK FLOYD VINYL BUNDLE

Exclusive collector’s vinyl bundle featuring Pink Floyd’s biggest-selling and most influential albums – on 180-gram heavyweight vinyl with MP3 album download cards, posters and more!

• THREE remastered collector’s Pink Floyd albums on 180-gram vinyl for one great price!

• All albums include unique code for 320KBPS MP3 album download

• Original packaging featuring artwork by Pink Floyd in-house designer Storm Thorgerson

• Albums include exclusive new posters, postcards, sturdy inner sleeves and more.

• Finally back on domestic LP, you NEED to hear these versions:

o Sourced from the original master tapes, teeming with stunning dynamics, an immense front-to-back soundstage, newly uncovered details, balanced transients, and tube-amplifier warmth. these dead-quiet pressings will have you truly hearing these all-time classics with fresh ears

Of course they do. They have to sell them, don't they?

Fact is, these were cut from digital transfers of the tapes. And something went terribly wrong during those transfers. The transients and textures of the album are just... gone. Theres no more resolution. Compare it to older versions to see how it SHOULD sound. The word around town is that it was because of tape degradation, but as someone who works with pro-grade tape on a daily basis, I'm not buying it. Tape doesn't degrade like that, and tape doesn't sound like that. Shitty transfer, and something happened either at the playback level or somewhere else along the chain.

Digital files cut to vinyl is fucking pointless anyway. It's like making a high quality print of the Mona Lisa from a picture you found on google images. Pointless as it is, they still had an opportunity to make this one sound decent, cut from files or not, and they done fucked it.

The packaging is superb though. Love how they even replicated the original shrinkwrap of the album as it was released in the UK! Having seen the reissue up close, it actually is a bit different, in feel and material. Mainly, it's thicker, and not really a "shrinkwrap". But still a nice touch. Fun Fact: The US edition had a blue shrinkwrap as opposed to black. I've had multiple sealed copies of each over the past 4 years. Anyhow, it all looks very nice. If only they put that much care into the actual audio, real shame...

One of the major selling points of 'audiophile' 180 gram vinyl is that it is virgin vinyl, meaning not recycled. This allows for quietest noise floor.

This! I'd much rather have well pressed standard weight virgin vinyl. And non-recycled don't mean jack either. There are many different vinyl formulations out there, some quieter than others. The absolute best haven't been pressed in almost 30 years due to environmental regulations in the manufacture of the actual vinyl pellets. For colored vinyl freaks, ever notice how translucent colors are quieter than solid colors? Pure clear is the best for quality sound IMO. It is however, softer and thus more susceptible to wear. A well setup turntable is necessary not to wear these with each play.

That was my bad. It was "sourced" from the orginal master tapes according to musicdirect. I was just recalling what i remembered reading.

The Wish You Were Here repress is what got me on this repress kick of these. I would like to get original EMI pressings and compare. I'm just recently really getting into many records and sound quality. I agrea the mastering is more important, and i was implying that better quality record and better quality pressing usually go hand in hand.

I have Meddle from EMI pressing that i found in my dad's collection. It is amazing how that sounds. So i can beleive the originals of the other floyd LPs would be damn good. I am now on the hunt.

I read some more reviews anout the latest DSOTM pressing and some say it's better than the 30th, and some do not. I think i will pick it up from that Hot Topic sale It'll be about 15$ shipped cause i got a 10$ gift card for 5$ so it's a good price.

Do you have an opinion/ have you heard of the other Floyd represses (Wall, WYWH)? you only mention DSOTM. Is there much to compare them to besides the original (Wall, WYWH)? It seems there are many that would agrea with DSOTM, as that was the first of the re-issues. Was it the same people who remastered the 30th ann. as the latest? Sax / Gunthrie?

Packaging is super nice though.

UK pressings of all the albums are the way to go. Although even US pressings will most likely beat out these reissues.

For DSOTM, 30th is a must.

For WYWH, there are literally more than 2 dozen different cuttings that were used in the 70's alone. Avoid the half speed mastered mastersound. Any of the standard UK issue records cut by Harry T. Moss will do. To guarantee you have a first pressing, go for the a-1/b-3. It's a little dark sounding, but the most detailed of any that I've heard. The dark sound is actually correct as according to the master tapes... the other cuttings are just a tad brighter and have been "fixed" during mastering. Good luck finding any clean copy. The UK inner sleeves scratch the hell out of this record. Makes most of them very noisy.

For The Wall, the US pressing is actually on par with the UK and will be much easier to find. ANY vintage pressing will beat the reissue, and you can probably get one for less than half the cost of the new one.