2. analog
  3. 1375503272

Do you know why

the vast majority of today's records are warped regardless of where they are pressed? This has come to a boiling point with me in the recent months. I've bought numerous records, most of them heavy vinyl as is the trend these days, and the vast, vast majority of them are seriously warped, to the point that I would not play them without my periphery ring. Warped heavy vinyl records have to me now become the norm. I suppose my anger and frustration have been particularly fueled by warped records pressed at RTI or QRP, which are considered and hold themselves to be the best pressing plants in the business.

I recently returned a Norah Jones album pressed at Kassem's QRP as it was horribly warped (in addition to being pressed off center), which I find absolutely unacceptable at a price of almost $40. Then I put on a brand new Black Sabbath album (Heaven & Hell with the late Dio) pressed at RTI and the record has warps and bumps throughout so bad that I can't even stand the thought of subjecting my Delos' suspension to over an hour-long torture test. Julie London superb sound-wise 45 rpm $50 reissue by BoxStar? Warped. Most of my MoFi albums, which are pressed at RTI as well, are also warped to some degree, although easily tamed with the ring, thankfully. So seriously, WTF?!!!!

In contrast, the vast majority of my used records from the '60s, '70s, and '80s, all of them pressed on the thinnest vinyl, are perfectly flat with a rare exception here and there.

I simply do not understand this phenomenon. Do you?
actusreus
jjrenman
279 posts
 
Actusreus, I do not disagree in the least. The record labels could reject poor pressings or pay extra for more quality control.

What we don't know is how much that extra cost would cost the consumer.

Ultimately, if the labels are selling out quickly they will not feel any pressure to improve the situation.
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rauliruegas
12,784 posts
 
Dear Jjrenman: ++++ " we don't know is how much that extra cost would cost the consumer. " +++++

IMHO we are paying more because that non-existent QC. How much we paid for cartridges, protractors, tonearms, TTs, electronics and the like and how much time we invest to fine tune our audio system trying to achieve the best quality performance level from it? only for when the stylus tip hit the LP and ride it through warps/off center holes all our investement falls showing not the real quality performance of the audio msystem neither what is in the recording and all those because the LP imperfections.
This works as computers: " if you give BS at the input you will have BS at the output ".

Why we take care on the cartridge/tonearm set up that is almost useless against those LP warps/off center holes because the whole cartridge/tonearm set up: overhang, VTA/SRA, VTF and the like changes by those LP imperfections.

++++ " Ultimately, if the labels are selling out quickly they will not feel any pressure to improve the situation. " +++++

that's the subject and almost no one is doing nothing to change that trend.

I think that one of the main responsabilities of the analog reviewers ( music/audio products. ) is to ask to demand the LP manufacturers/marketing sector to take serious actions to fix once and for ever those " criminal and critcal " LP problems.
I think that those reviewers and the audio magazynes after asked to those sources of the LP problems to take actions to fix it must stop to permit any kind of advertasing in the magazyne and LP music reviews.

We customers must stop to buy LPs to help the problems be fixed.

I think that we have to stop paying money for that kind of mediocrity till they fix the problems.

I think that each one of us must be a promoter to stop buying LPs till the industry fix those critical problems and if the audio magazynes does not take its responsability about then stop to buy magazynes too.

All the audio industry lives because our money and we have the right to ask and take actions to improve the audio products we invest for and the audio industry must take care about.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,838 posts
 
"The record labels could reject poor pressings or pay extra for more quality control. "

YEs, they could pay extra and not raise the prices even further as a result.

Pardon me while I attempt to smother my laughter at the chances of this happening in this day and age........
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,838 posts
 
A good ear cleaning to get wax and other crap out of the ears from time to time is pretty good tweak as well to go along with it.
actusreus OP
733 posts
 
I agree with Raul. Reviewers from Stereophile, et al, should make physical evaluation of the records they review, or listen to while reviewing equipment, part of the review. Pulling sponsor ads will never happen since money talks too loudly, but given the awful quality of new pressings all around, this is the least we should get.

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