Analog Productions, Rhino High Fidelity, Original Jazz Classics - comments

I tend not to purchase audiophile reissues, preferring original, or early, pressings with provenance. Now there are records that are unobtainium or usuriously priced, in which case I am glad that there is a reissue to purchase.

The reissue game is pretty limiting as well, if you want to hear bluegrass, country, bossa nova, tropicalia, reggae, samba, ragtime, international or many other genres, there are certainly some audiophile reissues out there, but pickings are slim and, generally, very safe. I just don’t want sound quality, or convenience, to define the breadth of music that I listen to. And I find nothing more distracting than having a record that I know well on a single disc spread out over two discs at 45rpm, which just breaks the spell for me, YMMV.

The Electric Recording Company and Speakers Corner may be of interest to you for sound quality. SAM records, from France, has some adventurous product in audiophile sound quality as well.

@viridian I agree with you in every way.  There are a few records that i have where the best issue was an Original Pressing and the cost was stupid high. Most of the older releases that I have from many years ago were not the best SQ so if it a must listen I will buy the best I can find - new or old.  I still keep the other.

As for 45RPM.  That is another decision all together.  The are very few 45RPM records in my collection that I do not have in 33 1/3 also.  Which one i choose to play depends on my mood, but I find the 45 RPMs to be stunning.

Thanks for the suggestions as well. 

@slaw I did not see Dreamboat Annie when I was buying Marley! I have the original DBX encoded pressing of that album. I’m too lazy to connect the DBX decoder to my rig to listen to it properly. Lol  I’lll have to try it one day though. 

I’ll buy the Vinylphile version. 

@audphile1 @viridian @slaw @whart 

If you like the hunt, I recommend using Google's AI as one of your tools.  Simply ask it to tell you "What is the best vinyl version of XXXXX?"  The response is very interesting. It will review all of the versions from the original pressings to any remasters, reissues and Box Sets - and tell you which are the top 3 or 4 to look for.  If prompted, it will also tell you which alternative is best if the OP is rare and expensive.

@maam522a yep I use Gemini as part of a research process all the time.