Do 45 rpm 12" LPs really sound better than 33 rpm?


Increasingly, one can buy 12-inch 45 rpm LPs. Theoretically, they provide a wider dynamic and frequency range, but I come across a strange effect... Yes, the bass strings seem to be tightened stronger, but in general ... Imagine you have two cars with a power of 250 hp, but one is equipped with an honest atmospheric V6 or V8, and the second has 2 liters turbo. 

Tell me, is it just my impression? Or maybe I need to change the cartridge or settings (for example, impedance) of the phono preamp?


128x128mishan

Showing 1 response by mishan

Dear friends, thank you all so much for the response, and special thanks to anthonymaw, 6t5-gto, chakster, edgewear, shadorne, mikelavigne.... In general, as I got it, with a small margin, the opinion wins that, ceteris paribus, 45 rpm is better. Although, of course, there are a lot of factors ... As for me, the last straw before putting my question on the table was the purchase of Ed Sheran’s Divide - 45 rpm Double LP. The piquancy of the situation was that I wanted to show my 19-year-old son (of course, nihilist with an iPhone headphones), how one of his favourite artists can sound like. The expected triumph was blurred ... I do not think that there is any reason to blame my set up for not being able to reveal all the charms of 45 rpm... Just in case, this is Michel GyroDec, SME 309, Benz Micro SL, Benz Micro phono preamp, Audio Research Gsi 75 and Sonus Faber Serafino. By the way, as a sign of gratitude to all who answered my question, I promise to buy some more 45 rpm 12’’ LPs - with the same content that I already have at 33 rpm - and make a detailed report here. True, I’ll have to wait: I have just ordered these records in the USA, but I live in Russia, in Moscow - and delivery can take several weeks.
Along the way, another question, but to those who have a real experience listening to a Benz Micro SL cartridge (or its heir, Benz Micro Z ). In my country house I have a simpler set (Thorens 350 with Thorens tonearm 92) - and now I choose a cartridge for it that sounds no worse than Benz Micro, but maybe a little sharper (this house allows to listen loudly, sometimes). Can you advise something within $ 3.5 k? Once again, thanks everyone!