#11
|
||||
|
||||
9 parts bs 1 part truth.
I bought 4 lp's from Better records and Byran Ferry's US pressing of Boys & Girls is excellent. However the pressings of Talk Talk - Its My Life and 2 Elvis LP's were crap. Noisy, scratches and unenjoyable. All were used and had the same A+ vinyl grading. Living in Australia is too much hassle to even bother trying to return - Will never shop there again |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
The "audiophile in the USA" experience can also be variable.As others have said cleaning lps can make a difference.Audiodesk makes a huge difference compared to the very capable VPI machines.
__________________
I started off with nothing and I still have most of it left. |
#13
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Nevertheless, beauty is in the ear of the beholder. If they were unenjoyable to you, there's just no getting around that. Sorry to hear about that experience. Sent from my iPad using A.Aficionado
__________________
Main: Wilson Alexia, D'Agostino M400 monoblocks, Ypsilon PST-100 Mk 2 preamp, Helix 1 turntable w/Lyra Etna SL cart and SAT tonearm, Ypsilon VPS-100, dCS Vivaldi DAC, Shunyata Triton v2 & Typhon, Shunyata Cyclops and power cords, Transparent Opus MM2 speaker cables and interconnects, Kubala-Sosna interconnects and power cords. Family Room: Legacy Focus towers, sub, and surrounds, McIntosh MC452, McIntosh C2500, DHC-80.3, Parasound Halo A-51, Sony HAP-Z1ES, AppleTV, OPPO BDP-105D, Sonos, XBox One, XBox 360, Shunyata Triton. Office: KEF LS-50, Decware Zen Mystery Amp, E.A.R. 868, Sony HAP-Z1ES, Sonos. Library: B&W 805 Maserati, JL Audio Fathom f113 sub, twin MC275LE, McIntosh C2500, AMG Viella V12 w/Lyra Etna cart, Sony HAP-Z1ES, Sennheiser HDVD 800 headphone amp/DAC, Sennheiser HD800 cans. Other: VPI Aries 3 w/Triplanar tonearm and Dynavector 17D3 cart, CTC Blowtorch, Vendetta Research SCP-2A, 2 MC30's, 3 MC240's, MC275 Mk V, MC275 Mk VI, 2 Bob Carver Black Beauties, EAR 890, EAR 324, Parasound Halo A21, Parasound Halo JC-1 monoblocks, Parasound Halo JC-3, Pioneer SX-1250, Pioneer SX-5590, Pioneer SX-1980, Thiel CS2.4 speakers. A man's reach should exceed his grasp, else what's there a Heaven for? |
#14
|
|||
|
|||
I hadn't looked on the Better Records website before, just did so now and I noticed that they don't give any deadwax/matrix information for the records they sell, surprises me considering the prices. With the internet it isn't too difficult to research and learn what are considered the best pressings of various releases, then it is just a matter of patience and diligent looking to find the right pressing in the right condition.
__________________
Thales TTT-C battery drive, Thales Simplicity II, Lyra Atlas, RCM Theriaa phono, Playback Designs MPS-5 SACD, ASR Emitter II Exclusive + Battery Power Supply, Rockport Technologies Avior, Argento Flow interconnect & speaker cables, HRS isolation |
#15
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Or, alternatively as you mentioned, get the consensus from others on the Internet who aren't looking to profit off that information. |
#16
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
I would be happy to spend $3-400+ on a mint UK 1st press of WYWH or Meddle for example (& there are many others who will also), but if I'm going to I would want to know that it is the UK 1st press and not simply another early pressing from somewhere that someone thinks is the best sounding. My opinion anyway
__________________
Thales TTT-C battery drive, Thales Simplicity II, Lyra Atlas, RCM Theriaa phono, Playback Designs MPS-5 SACD, ASR Emitter II Exclusive + Battery Power Supply, Rockport Technologies Avior, Argento Flow interconnect & speaker cables, HRS isolation |
#17
|
||||
|
||||
I'm not even sure that Tom Port would regard two records with exactly the same matrix information/deadwax data as the 'same' for his purposes. For rock records, you're pretty lucky to find any that are mint-. You can do your own due diligence, using some well known sources on the web that discuss various pressings of rock and popular music and go hunt for yourself. I've had pretty good luck that way- and there are considerable sonic differences between different issues/ versions of the 'same record' including which pressing, country of origin, who mastered it, etc. Once you know what you are looking for based on your research, you can then troll the net looking for that copy. I haven't found too many unscrupulous sellers and I buy a fair amount of records, mostly old pressings rather than reissues/remasters. Obviously, you are vulnerable to the grading information provided by the seller- play-rated LPs are not typical on the net and visual ratings are largely meaningless, to the extent that the surface can look good, no scratches, etc. and the grooves still could have been chewed up on an old record player. And the known 'better' or 'best' pressings of a particular album are typically not cheap, from any source.
PS I have never done business with Better Records and neither support nor criticize what he is doing. In theory, he could save you the time and aggravation of buying a dozen copies of a given record to find one that is fabulous, but I don't mind doing my own work. As to same pressing variations, I'll reserve comment. Last edited by Whart; 08-13-2013 at 10:18 PM. |
|
|
Audio Aficionado Sponsors | |