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Clear vinyl vs. regular black vinyl

I just got my second clear vinyl record yesterday, the Stones Hot Rocks on 180g, not from any special manufacturer like MFSL or Analogue Productions and the like. The first one was Donald Fagen Sunken Condos. These albums sound particularly good for not being pressed by a "special" audiophile label.

Is this just a coincidence or is it better, and if so, why aren't more records produced this way? I heard that eliminating the dye in the vinyl could improve the sound, but I was wondering if there is a consensus out there. 

I'm not talking about other dye colors or ones with pictures on them, just plain clear vinyl.

Thanks.
sokogear

Showing 2 responses by bdp24

bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,412 posts
 
@sokogear: I started a thread here about the Acoustic Sounds UHQR Kind Of Blue LP, and info about the panel discussion on YouTube related to that release. The video provides all the details one could want, the participants being Chad Kassem of Acoustic Sounds, Mike Hobson of Classic Records, mastering engineer Bernie Grundman, the AS LP production master (I forget his name), Michael Fremer, and the panel host Michael Ludwig, whose 45 RPM Audiophile YouTube "channel" is where the video may be viewed. 
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,412 posts
 
Clear vinyl makes it IMPOSSIBLE to see any pressing imperfections in the LP surface, as well as scratches and scuffs, and even dust. The same is true of lighter-colored PVC, just to a lesser extent.

On the other hand, the new(ish) Clarity vinyl---which is a translucent milky white color, not clear---makes possible the quietest LP's ever made. That's not so important with a lot of Rock music---which doesn't have extended periods of quiet passages---but IS with music that does.

The black color of traditional LP's is indeed a result of the carbon being added to the mix. Why not just add black dye to the PVC? Does black dye also contain carbon?
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