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Analogue Productions Jazz, Blues and Classical 33RPM vs 45RPM advice needed!!!

Hi, I know there’s been much discussion on whether the sonic improvement of 45RPM pressings warrant their added inconvenience over their 33RPM counterparts. I understand that this boils down to personal preference. With that said, I need some BUYING ADVICE! I’m about to invest several thousand dollars in purchasing most of the iconic jazz and classical Analogue Productions QRP and Music Matter reissues while they are still available. Sonics being equal or very close to equal, I’d purchase the 33RPM version for their added convenience. However, I understand that this is rarely the case, and for those albums where the 45RPM pressings are noticeably sonically better, I plan to purchase the 45RPM pressings. With that said, for those listeners on the forum who own both 33RPM and 45RPM versions of the same AP album (or if not “own” have gleaned from others), are there specific AP reissues where the sonic improvement of the 45RPM version is so subtle that you often find yourself only playing the 33RPM version? Any input from forum members would be greatly appreciated before I place my order!

Thanks so much,
Battles
brbattles
rshak
417 posts
 
As you may know, some years ago Music Matters reissued a lot of Blue Note jazz titles on 45.  These were done at the same time APO reissued its own Blue Note titles.  There was no duplication between the MM and APO titles, and I subscribed to both - which I still listen to and enjoy.

Then . . . Music Matters reissued some of its previous Blue Note titles on 33, and I bought several of them.  They sound great - some would say better than the 45s, but why?

Here's a link to a Fremer site which offers an explanation:

https://www.analogplanet.com/content/music-matters-returns-33-13-and-some-mono-new-blue-note-reissue... 

I tend to prefer the Blue Note reissues in 33 format - the sound is excellent, and its more convenient than messing with two 45s. But I'm not letting go of of any of these titles (45 or 22) any time soon.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,788 posts
 
There is also the matter of some album sides being created to be experienced as a whole, an interruption halfway through destructive to the music itself. In those cases, a bad trade-off imo. 
brbattles OP
2 posts
 
All,

Thanks so much for your responses. This is very helpful feedback. Sounds like some of the more recent AP pressings on 33 may be sonically superior to that of same pressings on 45 which makes the decision that much easier. Much of my vinyl listening will be in a swivel chair on my new reference headfi system which is 3ft away from my turntable so flipping records isn’t too much of a nuisance for me. But if we’re talking about a 5-10% improvement in quality, I’d just assume purchase the 33. If the 45 presented a greater improvement than that, I’d be okay purchasing the 45. Do you all know of specific AP pressings where the sonic verdict clearly falls in the 33 or 45 camp?
whart's avatar
whart
3,031 posts
 
The Analogue Productions (Chad) versions of Sonny Rollins "Way Out West" are markedly different in presentation: the 33 has the typical hard panning left and right that was characteristic of early stereo. The 45 cut actually has a center image. Steve Hoffman, who worked on those, commented somewhere that with the 45, you are hearing sound reflecting off the back wall of the room that contributes to the center image.
I don’t listen to many of these records much today. I do have a few of the Music Matters, but haven’t compared them.
I can generally hear differences in the 33 v 45 presentations of many records, including the out of print Classics. I’m still not sure those are better than original pressings, but finding an original in mint playing condition is virtually impossible in some cases, leaving aside price. Even some of the out of print audiophile stuff is now expensive.
I wouldn’t necessarily buy something simply because it is cut at 45, rather than 33.
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Brbattles, 
When I've had the chance to hear 45 versus 33 RPM  of the same title the 33 was as good and in a few instances better sounding. I find myself in agreement with the sentiments expressed in the above posts that the 45 RPM  records    are not sonically superior. Their inconvenience is justified IMO.
Charles 
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