Led Zep Reissue on vinyl

Whart, it is true that some venders are out of stock and the next pressing is happening as we speak.

And thanks for the encouragement. And no dents in my appliances; that would be a hassle to return.

They were just released today. I'm waiting to hear as well.

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/led-zeppelin-2014-remasters-i-iii-vinyl-format.358819/

Those lucky Brits can walk into a B&M store and pick up their new LPs.

I'm not trying to stir up trouble; everyone hears music differently and each opinion is valid, but this user review has convinced me to order the new LZ I-III.

I picked up a used copy of Mothership for a song last year, mainly because I was underwhelmed by my OP copies of I-HH. Mothership vinyl was flat & quiet, which gave it a nice nod in listen-ability over my crackle-n-pop presses, but the sound was a bit dull overall. Not terrible, but not exciting.
These new presses blow Mothership out of the water, song for song, across the board. It's the difference between a flat-but-unengaging transfer and one that has the depth, presence, and "OOMPH" that comes from the best vinyl.

I don't care about numbers, but if I had to guess, I'd say Mothership was a lower-quality digital transfer with more compression and less concern for tweaking the vinyl details. It also proves that "digital transfer" means little when it comes to vinyl... It really depends on the details. Clearly a lot more time & effort went into these new reissues, and you can hear the difference.

The thing I do not understand it why Page decided to put digital into the signal path, very disappointing.

I take it you mean why didn't he use the original analogue tapes rather than using digital files/digital tape to create a new master. Possibly because it is a monumental task to pull the analogue sources and who knows what condition the tapes are in, or if they are even archived. Or the reason could be budget constraints.

We were lead to believe that "Mothership" was to be a great remaster supervised by Jimmy Page, but was only a remix from digital masters. I'll give them credit for eliminating tape hiss and using minimal compression, but in no way sounded like an original LZ recording; no bass slam, no soul.

The 30th Anniversary of Dark Side does sound spectacular. Possibly the finest Redbook I've ever heard.
All the record labels had to use the analogue tapes to create masters for the first generation of CDs in the 80s. So I assume that now they are all using digital workstations to create these new masters. Digital technology has come a long way since then.

We've been hearing that the LPs' sound surpasses expectations. I've ordered the vinyl, has anybody heard the Redbook CD versions?
Curious to know if they are joining the "Loudness Wars."

I am a little leery about the digital editing so I will wait to purchase

Hevac1, can you elaborate? As a former high-end analogue and digital editor, I'm curious about your statement.

Mikelavigne has explained a major reason why analogue tapes are not used in the digital remastering or reissue process. Also, you would not want to risk damaging these tapes rewinding and fast-forwarding on the various tape machines during a remix/remaster session.

Many original tapes were stored in less than optimal conditions (improper temp, humidity, dirty rooms) and may have creases or oxide peeling from the tape. In that case, the studio will have to try and have them restored before archiving them to digital.

It's the same deal with original film and videotape storage. The Library of Congress has a large department devoted to the restoration and archiving of all formats to digital.

I'm wondering if anybody here has found any manufacturing defects in their vinyl? Overall I've found quite a few defects in NEW VINYL that I have purchased.

My Led Zep 1 came with a major defect; as I removed the disk from it's sleeve, I saw what looked to be a hair hanging from the record. I went to pull it off the disk and found it was excess edge vinyl, so I pulled and off came a piece of vinyl from the edge to the lead-in groove. So it looks like someone took a little bite out of my record.

I've encountered records with rough edges before, but this is a new one for me.

Not being able to return new vinyl seems to be the industry standard now. When Music Direct asked me if my record will play and I said yes (even with a piece of the vinyl broken off), they said then it is not defective.

Even though it's missing the edge, if I can get the needle onto the first groove and play music, it is non-exchangeable. Pisses me off since I'm a collector.

I know the record labels are making it hard on venders to return a record, but after all the hype about high quality remastering and cutting at a world-class record plant, there's no excuse for defects that can't be returned.

Even before its first play, my mint state record has dropped to F if I decided to sell it.... Just venting.

Whart, it does seem just plain wrong.
This is their response to my email; mind you I'm looking for an exchange and not a refund.

"I am sorry to hear that you are having an issue with your copy of Led Zeppelin I. However, we only take returns on defective music. Since there is no issue with playback, the record is not defective and we will not be able to accept a return."

I will make an appeal to them, but I doubt they will reverse this decision. And I agree with you that even a damaged cover means a defective product. (I'm sure Amazon would have exchanged this record).

I'm very pleased with the sound of my I, II, III. I actually like that they kept some of the sonic characteristics of the original tapes. (Dave_72, of course I know there were no pops or clicks in the originals...manufacturer's defect in your case).

Music Direct are just being assholes.
I read on some forum where many people are having trouble returning NEW vinyl; something to do with the vender not being reimbursed for the return.