Jubal
02-15-2014, 03:01 PM
Over the last several years, I have discovered that the quality of vinyl pressings has dramatically improved over the noisy crap I was used to hearing in the 70s and 80s. I got a fairly decent (some would differ) turntable set up to digitze the 40 or so albums I was unable to find on CD.
About a year ago, I decided to buy a 180G vinyl of Close To The Edge in mint condition from a used record store (Fantasyland). Keep in mind I have I now have all the recent remasters of this particular album- the Hoffman SACD, the Wilson DVD-A AND Blu-Ray, as well as three different CD masters and the HDTracks 192/24 and 96/24 wav files.
I am still very surprised how well that vinyl compared to the various recent digital "re-offerings"
RTF was an album I recall especially enjoying on vinyl in spite of the crappy Bellaphon pressings. So I decided to go for the Purple Pyramid/Cleopatra 180G pressing. Was very happy with the packaging and mildly surprised to see the orange/gold vinyl. My previous experience with colored vinyl was not good, so I was a little apprehensive. After a proper cleaning, I applied needle and was amazed there were no discernable pops or clicks and absolutely no warp. The mix was as good or better than I remember on the original.
The outer sleeve, gatefold, and insert are all absolutely beautiful. Roye's guitar sounded properly balanced in the mix, and the overall mix was full and warm. Remember The Future is just one of those albums that sounds great in this format.
BTW, I do have the SACD. While I generally prefer 4.0 and 5.1 mixes, I honestly prefer this vinyl mix over the SACD Quad mix. I am still being selective about which vinyls I am purchasing. I can definitely recommend product from this label.
About a year ago, I decided to buy a 180G vinyl of Close To The Edge in mint condition from a used record store (Fantasyland). Keep in mind I have I now have all the recent remasters of this particular album- the Hoffman SACD, the Wilson DVD-A AND Blu-Ray, as well as three different CD masters and the HDTracks 192/24 and 96/24 wav files.
I am still very surprised how well that vinyl compared to the various recent digital "re-offerings"
RTF was an album I recall especially enjoying on vinyl in spite of the crappy Bellaphon pressings. So I decided to go for the Purple Pyramid/Cleopatra 180G pressing. Was very happy with the packaging and mildly surprised to see the orange/gold vinyl. My previous experience with colored vinyl was not good, so I was a little apprehensive. After a proper cleaning, I applied needle and was amazed there were no discernable pops or clicks and absolutely no warp. The mix was as good or better than I remember on the original.
The outer sleeve, gatefold, and insert are all absolutely beautiful. Roye's guitar sounded properly balanced in the mix, and the overall mix was full and warm. Remember The Future is just one of those albums that sounds great in this format.
BTW, I do have the SACD. While I generally prefer 4.0 and 5.1 mixes, I honestly prefer this vinyl mix over the SACD Quad mix. I am still being selective about which vinyls I am purchasing. I can definitely recommend product from this label.