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Poor quality brand new Fleetwood Mac Rumours


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Just bought a brand new Fleetwood Mac Rumours album from a Record shop in Melbourne. It's a Warner music 'made in EU' pressing and physically looks excellent, however sound quality is abysmal. Even low bitrate mp3 sounds better. The highs are almost nonexist - cymbals for example sound pretty realistic on my CD and I thought the Vinyl would be a step up so a bit surprised at just how dull and muffled this is. Might check with more knowledgeable members here what the reason for this might be? Since it was a shrink wrapped brand new record, the store's response was tough luck unless its faulty.

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This is not an isolated case. I no longer buy new LP's for this reason. I have heard horror stories of LP's being cut from CD rips.

 

I bought an Aussie pressing of Rumors somewhere early 80's and It's fantastic better than my CD copy and the CD is no slouch.

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The problem is I bought online - even though the shop is local - and there were no details about the pressing on it's website. I suspect it's not an isolated case and its a real pity - it looks like there are many players in the vinyl production chain happy to exploit the 'fad' and and not even deliver the basics. Well I'll just have to learn my lessons the expensive way like many people here no doubt have.

 

Or get a Crossley:)

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Re-issues are a bit hit and miss these days and not exactly cheap.

My solution has been to source VG+/VG+ or better originals. 
Apart from anything else they’re usually mastered from the analogue studio tapes.
There some issues here of course, many recordings from the 70s and early 80s lack defined bass cos that’s what they did then.

Some (many?) reissues are mastered from CD digital files. Just saying...

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Yep. Brand new classic album on vinyl from the Temptations bought online cos i can't get out.

 

Looks like it's a legit current pressing and looks fine but sounds like complete rubbish.

 

Sourcing a vintage copy by mail means risking misgrading etc.

 

It's expensive either way and a lot of CDs are going cheap.

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4 hours ago, notsobitperfect said:

Just bought a brand new Fleetwood Mac Rumours album from a Record shop in Melbourne. It's a Warner music 'made in EU' pressing and physically looks excellent, however sound quality is abysmal. Even low bitrate mp3 sounds better. The highs are almost nonexist - cymbals for example sound pretty realistic on my CD and I thought the Vinyl would be a step up so a bit surprised at just how dull and muffled this is. Might check with more knowledgeable members here what the reason for this might be? Since it was a shrink wrapped brand new record, the store's response was tough luck unless its faulty.

Yeah its crap. For an album that was so popular and the huge amount of used originals available just hunt down a good used copy. A NM one wont cost a lot.

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Sadly I have experienced the same terrible sound quality consistently with Vinyl pressed in the EU. This of course means it could be pressed anywhere in those participating countries on any crappy old press from CD ripped masters, or not much better. Sourcing will depend on price, not quality,...... and remember, the majority of buyers have low to medium performance equipment and won't know the difference.

 

I now have about 10 Albums pressed in the EU and they are consistently garbage. Flat, lifeless, rolled off,.....just junk. My Sota wants to spit them off the Platter! They were all bought at JB Hi Fi, as JB are riding the wave of sales in Vinyl and have a huge range (by today's standard) that present well, and look promising, but consistently disappoint once they hit the Table Mat. 

 

No more EU Vinyl for me. I only buy quality pressings now and just pay the premium, it's worth it in the end because if I like the recording/pressing, then I'll play it instead of it becoming "shelf filler" like the 10 EU worthless pressings I currently have taking up space. Buyer be warned.

 

Cheers, Mark.

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I'm afraid poor pressings have been with us always.  I recall buying  UK import Punk and New Wave 45s in late 70s that due to the genre, the oil crisis and general economic conditions were sometimes restamped over unsold discs, even so far as to have the original label still evident! Definitely not virgin vinyl.

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7 hours ago, notsobitperfect said:

Just bought a brand new Fleetwood Mac Rumours album from a Record shop in Melbourne. It's a Warner music 'made in EU' pressing and physically looks excellent, however sound quality is abysmal.

I didn't get through the full Youtube video but he may well touch on this.  Unfortunately there are so many pressings of Rumours that it becomes really hard to ensure you secure a good pressing.  When I went looking for a 'good' 45 RPM pressing to update from my well worn original it seemed the Pallas pressed, Hoffman/Grey version is well regarded.  But it is damn hard to work out you have the right copy.  The labels on the vinyl itself and the cover artwork say Pressed in EU - so nothing useful in distinguishing.  After much reading it seems the Pallas version is forensically determined by:

  • The gold label on  the outer plastic wrapping has rounded corners and states Pressed and Pallas as below; and
  • The Hoffman/Grey initials are carved is the run-out area of each vinyl disc.

Very subtle and very easy to miss!! 

 

Rumours.png.17d8a97795e083cec89b83fe6dc67be7.png

Edited by gibbo9000
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Yes, anything pretty much JB spruik as a reissue, I now avoid. New releases, pending on codes you can research on discogs to establish where they been pressed, cut etc.

Brother recently purchased Roxy Music - Flesh and Blood "exclusive " red vinyl. Well, to my ears sounds ordinary, of which I've established anything reissued by Universal Music will most likely be rubbish,  as others have stated, ripped from CD. 

I'm pretty satisfied anything from MPO or Optimal. Analogue Productions (QRP), well they are a sublime even on my modest system. GZ vinyl, can be hit and miss.

Have been looking at Japanese original pressings, from research King Records seem to be acceptable. Recently purchased ELO - Out of the Blue, (King Records -JP)and yes sounds very good.

 

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1 hour ago, mloutfie said:

Romours Pallas pressing is from the original master tape. The 45 rpm version especially sounds amazing. 

 

Yep, that's the one I have and worth the money, it sounds excellent.  I can't compare it to other pressings because Pallas 45 is the first one I bought.

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Thanks guys for your input... this is learning for me. I knew there would be quality differences between pressings, but what i didnt realise was just how dramatic the differences were... the in groove video was helpful. The key seems to be researching a pressing thoroughly before buying a record which kind of takes the shine off. Otherwise It's a bit like paying $50 for a bottle of fine wine and getting grape juice. Pretty sure no other industry can get away with treating it's customers like that.

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4 hours ago, notsobitperfect said:

Thanks guys for your input... this is learning for me. I knew there would be quality differences between pressings, but what i didnt realise was just how dramatic the differences were... the in groove video was helpful. The key seems to be researching a pressing thoroughly before buying a record which kind of takes the shine off. Otherwise It's a bit like paying $50 for a bottle of fine wine and getting grape juice. Pretty sure no other industry can get away with treating it's customers like that.

The wine industry for one !!

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5 hours ago, notsobitperfect said:

Thanks guys for your input... this is learning for me. I knew there would be quality differences between pressings, but what i didnt realise was just how dramatic the differences were... the in groove video was helpful. The key seems to be researching a pressing thoroughly before buying a record which kind of takes the shine off. Otherwise It's a bit like paying $50 for a bottle of fine wine and getting grape juice. Pretty sure no other industry can get away with treating it's customers like that.

Agreed. It takes a whole lot of fun out of it and throws in a whole load of frustration and waste of money with the way prices have gone.

 

I lost an excellent collection and in some attempt to recover I've got more records in my rejects pile than in my keepers.  So I'm pretty disillusioned with it. This is with some knowledge of pressings and fine print.

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1 minute ago, eman said:

Agreed. It takes a whole lot of fun out of it and throws in a whole load of frustration and waste of money with the way prices have gone.

 

I lost an excellent collection and in some attempt to recover I've got more records in my rejects pile than in my keepers.  So I'm pretty disillusioned with it. This is with some knowledge of pressings and fine print.

 

What happened?

 

Fire............divorce.............?

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