Half-Speed Masters - are they worth double dipping?

First, and foremost - EVERYTHING matters.

By reducing the rotational speed of the disc by 2x, you double the amount of time that the cutterhead has to remove the material.  Consequently, there is an inherent increase in cutting accuracy.  When a stylus traces the same groove, it is more often exactly where it should be to reproduce the given frequency/sound - again, more accurate. 

This principle applies to the entire recorded spectrum - highs, mids, and lows.  In the attached article (below), an Abbey Road recording engineer states that cutting at half-speed is 'mind-numbingly dull ', but the process results in a much better sounding LP. (> @bdp24 - perhaps Bernie Grundman has concluded the boredom is not worth the time it takes for the improvement in SQ ;-).

That being said, if a crappy recording (say, compressed, dull microphone, cheap wires) is re-cut at half-speed, you may be disappointed in the result.  Remember, EVERYTHING matters. I have both fantastic -sounding and crappy-sounding half-speed LPs.

Yes, there are many other techniques to improve LP SQ, including direct-to-disc, 45 rpm, better quality vinyl, etc. and each can be independently employed.  In theory, you could have a half-speed mastered LP, pressed on uber-vinyl, that plays at 45-rpm.  

Regarding the digital vs. analogue issue, I find the transducer plays a prominent role in the SQ. 

For example: I have the same recording in both formats - simultaneously recorded on Analogue tape and Digital tape. I find a very good TT cartridge (my Hanna ML) can transform the soundwave-medium (mechanical to electronic) better than an average CD player (my OPPO, digital to electronic).  Consequently, the LP sounds better than the CD every time I compare the two. (of course, I am also hearing differences in tape-heads, etc.)

As an aside, my main system has a pretty good CD player as well (Ayre), and the SQ is closer to that of the LP.

Now the aforementioned link (begin reading at "What exactly is half-speed mastering?" 

All You Need To Know about Half Speed Mastering | uDiscover (udiscovermusic.com)

Best,

@mahler123 

Perhaps the answer lies in the mastering process for the intended audience.

For example, 'Redbook' CDs reportedly have a dynamic range of 96dB.  While I own hundreds of them, only a few of them come close to the dynamic range of a decent LP.  Why... compression.  Like cassette tapes, CDs were strongly marketed for use in cars, where significant compression is required.

Of course, other digital formats may lessen this constraint.

P.S. - going full circle, many Half-Speed Mastered, uber-vinyl pressed LPs have a noise-floor that is below (my) hearing at elevated SP levels.  This could/should also be considered when comparing CDs to LPs.

Best,

mahler123

While your logic is correct-CDs have a very low 'noise floor', your premise may not be correct. 

Please consider that if a CDs 'sound ceiling' is dramatically lowered - via compression (even more than the noise floor) - the Dynamic Range will be smaller on CDs, often much smaller.  Afterall, we are discussing a Range, and not just the noise floor value.

Best,

@ mahler123

"Vinyl adoration is a religion.  Like all religions its worshippers are impervious to reason."

Sadly, it seems that you have exhausted the facts of your assertion (that CDs have, in practice, a higher DR than LPs) and retreated to ridicule. 

This generally happens only when logical arguments fail.

I hope all readers of this have the same reaction that I do.

Yet the question remains, are Half-Speed Masters worth the extra cost? 

Yes, most of mine are worth the extra cost, and no, some are still low SQ (because of what happened upstream).