Half speed masters. Are they worth the extra scratch?


I just purchased a Dire Straits Brothers in Arms half speed master. I'm using a Pioneer PL530 TT. Can this album be played successfully on my TT? I put it on 45 rpm but there is no way to tell if it is spinning at the right speed. The speed control is working but not keeping a steady reading like when I play a normal 33 record. It sounds good but I'm wondering if they should be played on a different table. Also is it worth it to pay extra money for these? I payed 50$ for this album. Thanks for any information.
knighttodd

Showing 2 responses by fiesta75

That was funny MC, but... In general half speed masters do sound better, but I only have 33 rpm versions, no 45's. One 1/2 speed of Blondie Parallel Lines sounds worse the original Chrysalis version. MC would tell you to buy a $500 selected "white hot stamper" from Better Records. Not all of us can afford that unfortunately.
The first pix I saw of the PL530 only showed 1 line of squares on the platter, so I thought that's how they were made. Subsequent pix show 4 lines of squares. You should be able to get one of them to be stationary at 45 rpm. Look at MC's system, he's probably a 1%er in the audio world. Very good share MC, knowledge is good.