Audiophile LP's


That title sounds pretty general but I didn't know how else to name it to attract some attention. For several decades in the production of vinyl the sound quality has widely varied due to recording process, pressing, and other factors. I remember years ago that some commonly available LP's were also available in a much higher quality (and a higher price) than the standard LP and offered superior sound quality. Can't remember all the terms to describe these records but direct-to-disk, master recording, and probably a few others I can't recall. Back then I never purchased any of those since when the needle dropped and music was there what else mattered? To buy a record at 2 or 3 times the standard price didn't make sense to anyone I knew at the time.
My question....I know that numerous sellers on the web list LP's for sell as "mastered", "audiophile", and the like. Back in the day were current sellers offering these truly superior records just trying a ripoff? If not, are most of the ones still in existence only are owned by private collectors?


jrpnde

Showing 7 responses by rauliruegas

Dear friends: I can see and unsderstand that many of us are still facinated  by the RCA SD, Mercury, London, Decca and the like. As a fact I own " thousands " of them and many are really good but if what we are looking for is just top quality recordings ( no matters kind/genre/style of music. ) then we have to listen at least  these two LPs:

Kit Chan by Banshee Empire Pte.   This one was mastered by D.Sax ( whom unfortunatelly pass away. ) and pre-mastered in Germany by Pauler Acoustics DMM process.

Youn Sun Nah by ACT as the other made it in Germany. This talent singer ( player too. ) recorded 3 albuns/fourLPs try to find out at least her first Same Girl ( I own all. ).

Both coming from different rpoducers/engineers but shares similar quality characteristics: dead silence vynil during play ( and I mean it ), not even in between tracks or at the begins and end of the LP can listen any any noise of any kind as if we are listening a CD, the recordings has a truly natural presentation where we can detect we are really hearing a LP ( no not as a live event but...),  the way the engineers choosed the microphones positions and quality of the mics just first rate, seems to me that these recordings were recorded more as a digital processing than analog, rythm and tonal balance is outstanding as are the transient and decay time, dynamic of notes and harmonics are so " true " that I want /desire that every recording could sounds as these ones, are so near of D2D but with out noises that I can't explain exactly what I'm listening through and no idea of the recording proccess.

Obviously that these recordings are new recordings taking advantage of today more advanced technology than in the vintage times. No, I'm not dimish in any way the very good vintage LPs I named but always is something really fresh that we can have access to that kind of quality levels.
Obviously that as better your resolution and quality performance levels of your audio system as better will be your experiences with.

Now, I wonder  why  the ones recording manufacturers can't make  that same quality level on its recordings.
If we put any of the Analogue Productions recordings ( even the D2D ) against those both recordings there is no contest and even we can say for sure that those AP recordings are pure bs. Difference is " order of magnitud ".

Some recordings in the labels I named in my posts are near both reference LPs . 

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.
Dear friends: I forgot these superb labels: Water lily, Wilson Audio ( we have to remember is that D.Wilson first than all is a recoprding engineer way before he designed Wilson speakers. ) a must to have/listen it's an outstanding experience,  S2S Sense Corporation, Banshee Empire.

All the labels I named in this thread have astonishing quality recorded levels and second to none.

Those " one " side LP recordings are something  2die4.

R.
Dear friends: You have to listen the piano of Ayado player/singer with this label: East Work Entertaiment.

16 Eyes Records, Top Music,  of course all the VTL ones, the Shumann  piano works recorded by Green Room Productions ( just listen it. ),  ssome of the Chesky Records,  Concord jazz, Pure Audiophile Records,  ATR, The MusicLab, Groove Note.

There are several great labels and is impossible to remember  all but the ones posted in this thread are really good and something to look for, yes at premium prices.

But our hobby ask for the best posible software.

R.
Not me, I'm always " disappearing into the MUSIC it self ". ALWAYS but when I'm doing tests/evaluations.

R.
Dear friends: Well here I come again with these great labels and a must to look for to any one:

Clarity Recordings especially its " one side " recordings.
Three Blind Mice. ACT Music ( expetional. ). REGA recordings ( yes, the same TT manufacturer. ). All the Stockfish ( DMM ). First Impression Music ( FIM. ). Wind Music ( extraordynary recoprdings. ).

In the last time I´m extremely selective of what to buy of those " audiophile quality " recording hypes because the majority are truly BS . More and more I’m buying less and less LPs. Well, I own thousands so makes no sense to follow accumulating LPs with no time to listen it because the day has only 24 hours.

I forgot: the " one side " Stereophile recordings,.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.
Dear @jrpnde:  From latest 5-6 years ( maybe more. ) almost all the hype of those Audiophile spe ial recording pressings were/are only people making bu$sineSS taking each one of us money with out a true justifications.

I'm not against some one that is making money this is not the issue but that the " extremely high quality " they were/are talking about just does not exist.

Yes, there are a few " new pressings " that are really really good but the majority it's not. Problem is that the corrupted " reviewers " are part of that part of the corrupted AHEE.

I totally agree with @roberjerman @rodman99999  about the D2D Sheffield Labs recordings that are outstanding. I own all titles but the non-D2D Sheffield are very good too.
Crystal Clear D2D are good but not all of them the VirgilFox is really good. 
Nautilius is something as Crystal Clear where some are very good as the one named here.
Almost all Telarc's are exceptional recordings.
Some of the Denon PCM are very good too.
Some of the D2D M&K realtime recordings are a must to listen it.
Delos is another label with very good quality as is too Proprius and Reference Recordings.
Some Audioquest are really fine too as Opus and Athena.

There are new recordings ( not re-issues ) that are very good latter on I will try to post about.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.