180 gram lp's - Are they better?

[Rilands]

I have tons of used lp's, but the other day i was driving past a music store and decided I would buy a new one. When I say new, I mean not used. I don't know why. Felt like buying myself a small gift I guess.
Anyway, the guy in the store tells me that the 180 gram lp's have deeper grooves and are suppose to sound better. I decided to pick up Steeley Dan's Gaucho lp($21.00). It was 180 grams. It sounds real good. I'm guessing mostly because it's new and has no pops or scratches.
My question is: Is there any truth to the 180 gram lp's being better? I know they're thicker.

Thanks,
mike

[Removed]

Originally Posted by Rilands

I have tons of used lp's, but the other day i was driving past a music store and decided I would buy a new one. When I say new, I mean not used. I don't know why. Felt like buying myself a small gift I guess.
Anyway, the guy in the store tells me that the 180 gram lp's have deeper grooves and are suppose to sound better. I decided to pick up Steeley Dan's Gaucho lp($21.00). It was 180 grams. It sounds real good. I'm guessing mostly because it's new and has no pops or scratches.
My question is: Is there any truth to the 180 gram lp's being better? I know they're thicker.

Thanks,
mike

All 180 gram pressings are not created equal IMO......you will find great one's and not so great one's and the same really goes for all vinyl no matter if its a 120 gram or a 200 gram pressing.

A good example is the original Steely Dan Aja LP on ABC label its somewhere between a 120 gram and 150 LP and you compare that with the new release 180 LP and the original is more dynamic and seems to have better pitch compared to the reissiue, although the reissiue is very good too....

Jeff

[1KW]

More important than the 180 gms is the way the master was recorded. The whole idea about 180 gms is that the heavier weight vinyl will lay flat better ie warp less easily. I have some 120 gm vinyl that sounds better than my 180 gm.

[f1 fan]

Originally Posted by 1KW

More important than the 180 gms is the way the master was recorded. The whole idea about 180 gms is that the heavier weight vinyl will lay flat better ie warp less easily. I have some 120 gm vinyl that sounds better than my 180 gm.

Dave

[JDCheek]

My very recent experience is that it depends on the recording. I am new to vinyl, and was excited to buy a new 180 gram copy of Frampton Comes Alive. I can't listen to it. Bad. I have a 40 year copy of a Johnny Hartman album I picked up for $3.00. After a cleaning, "amazing".

[turntable]

180gm vinyl is an audiowank.

It was a marketing excercise, so we could re-purchase our old albums. I find more 180gm vinyl is warped than any of my 120gm vinyl.

120gm vinyl will sound the same as 180/200gm vinyl given the same mastering source.

A lot of the 180gm re-issues are absolute garbage - eg a large % of the " Back to Black" series from universal. I think they just took the CD's and used them to the vinyl.
Look around and try to find some original pressings on this example.

that said, there are some nice re-issues out there, they are just damm expensive these days.

[Rilands]

Thanks guys. I't sounds as if the old used stuff(in any grams)is the way to go. Price is much less and quality can be just as good, if not better. It's a kind of a hunt I guess, a game, a hobby. Hunt for some old, good condition, and good original recordings.

[JDCheek]

I am willing to chance a poor recording on a $3.00 investment. When it's $40.00 I have a problem!

[Dude111]

Originally Posted by 1KW

More important than the 180 gms is the way the master was recorded. The whole idea about 180 gms is that the heavier weight vinyl will lay flat better ie warp less easily. I have some 120 gm vinyl that sounds better than my 180 gm.

I would imagine most of them do as they only mostly use this 180 stuff I think FOR DIGITAL STUFF and they must realise it doesnt sound as good so they try to make it sound better...


I PREFER ANALOGUE ON MY RECORDS

[Antonmb]

There is no simple blanket answer. There are a lot of really great sounding 180 and 200g reissues out there from labels like MoFi, Classic, Pure Pleasure, Analogue Productions, Etc. These are analog, not digital reissued on vinyl (there are those too, but they're a scam for the gullible). The quality of the vinyl itself and the thickness can make a difference, but the mastering, the recording, and the pressing are also critical components in the chain. There are plenty of crappy sounding 180g albums out there, but there are also many truly great sounding ones as well, just as there are many great and many crappy original issues. Try some pressed in the late 70s during the oil shortage that are on vinyl so thin you can flop them back and forth in your hands to make sound effects. You can hear the thin vinyl there for sure, usually in the form of compressed, flat sound.