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Classic Records 200g Quiex Vinyl - Who's Next

Has anyone else bought this record? I bought it about a month ago, and frankly, I'm not impressed with the sound quality. It sounds dull. I can think of many words to describe "Who's Next", but dull was never one of them.
Roger Daltrey sounds like he's singing from my basement during "Baba O'Reilly". "Bargain" is a little better. The drums sound very one-dimensional, though. The guitars on "Love Ain't for Keeping" sound really nice, but "My Wife" is a disaster. It sounds terrible in every aspect. "Song is Over" sounds ok, but I feel like I have to keep turning the volume up just to hear what I know is in those grooves, but can't seem to find when I'm listening.
Side 2 is just more of the same. Dull and lifeless. Tell me something is wrong with my pressing, please!

Cheers.
tfkaudio

Showing 8 responses by tfkaudio

tfkaudio OP
591 posts
 
Jaybo, are you referring to the 3 LP re-issue? The guys at Music Direct tried to talk me into buying that one, instead. I didn't take their advice. Maybe I should have?

tfkaudio OP
591 posts
 
My experience with Classic Records mirrors yours, Jaybo. I haven't been impressed, overall. I was also disappointed with "In Through The Out Door" by Led Zeppelin. It seemed to have the same sound "quality" as Who's Next. Restricted, to say the least.
tfkaudio OP
591 posts
 
I'll also say that I've been very pleased with records released on the 4 Men With Beards label.
tfkaudio OP
591 posts
 
You make a good point, Rushton. What has always bugged me about "Who's Next" (1971) is the fact that the earlier album "Tommy" (1968) was sonically much better. It never made sense to me that the best sounding Who album was the one they made when they were furthest in debt... By the time "Who's Next" came out, they were rich and powerful rock stars with access to the best recording gear and the best recording engineers. Maybe that's just it - maybe "Tommy" was recorded on crappy old tube gear (And the tube fans in the audience go wild!...)?

"Who Knows" ? :)

Cheers.
tfkaudio OP
591 posts
 
Rushton,
I did clean the record with RRL fluid. I didn't adjust the VTA. Do you think this could make a drastic difference? Because a drastic difference is what is needed here.
I assume you're implying that my arm height needs to go up a little, to accomodate the thicker record?

Also, the thread on Steve Hoffman's site talks about distortion in several places on the record. This isn't the problem I'm having, and I also verified that I have the second pressing (based on the best info I could find, which is the TRACK DELUXE 2408 102 inscription on the spine).

Cheers.
tfkaudio OP
591 posts
 
I was playing with the VTA today and it did make a difference. I was able to get Roger out of the basement, but he's still down the hallway. Unfortunately, the VPI Scoutmaster VTA adjustment is hard to fine tune. Makes me wish I had the JMW 10.5 or 12.5 arm, which has a really nice VTA mechanism.
If you start noticing sibilance, does that mean you've gone too high on the VTA?

Cheers.
tfkaudio OP
591 posts
 
Rushton,
That's a great little guide! Thanks for pointing it out.
tfkaudio OP
591 posts
 
not to go off on a tangerine, but I just listened to a 180g Sundazed Mono pressing of "The Times They Are a Changin'" by Bob Dylan and it was so good that it spooked me. On the last track, "Restless Farewell" you could tell instantly, of his picking technique, if he caught the string 'clean', or if he hit it a little bit light. Or if his finger was holding the string firm on the fretboard, or a little loose for a muted sound. You could even hear the pick snap when a string was hit good.
That's the type of recording I wanted this "Who's Next" to be, but wasn't.
Maybe I'm just dialed in perfect for 180g thickness, and haven't found the magic spot for 200g? Believe me, I've been tryin...

Cheers
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