Heavy Vinyl

Several 180 gm lps arrived with warps, a few I had to return, I'm not buying them anymore. 

You are correct, I don't hear audible improvement.

One trend I have seen is selling double lps, and having content only on 3 sides. I really dislike that. Other, older content could have been included, OR, 4 sides at 45 rpm could have been provided.

grinnell

thanks for letting me know about those jokers tricks

wiki has some background

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monty_Python_Matching_Tie_and_Handkerchief

Background[edit]

The initial pressings were designed to resemble a box containing a tie and handkerchief, the concept being that the record was merely a ’free gift’ included with the package. It was also notable for its inner artwork, which was visible through a cutaway hole in the album’s outer sleeve. It appeared to be a simple Terry Gilliam artwork of a tie and handkerchief, but when the card insert was pulled out it revealed that the tie and handkerchief were actually on a man hanging from a gallows. A second insert featured the album credits and the text to "The Background to History" sketch. The US release had a different cover design with the two insert sheets printed on either side of a card inner sleeve. Later releases of the album would have just a picture of the clothing on the front cover, without the inserts.

The album’s original LP edition is particularly notable in that it was mastered with two concentric grooves on side two, so that different material would be played depending on where the stylus was put down on the record’s surface. For this reason it is sometimes referred to as a "three-sided" record. The cutting was carried out by George "Porky" Peckham, who became known for etching messages into runout grooves. This was the first of many Python albums to bear one of these so-called "Porky Prime Cuts" – a brief message on Side 2 which reads: "PORKY – RAY ADVENTURE". To further confuse the listener, both sides of the record label were labelled "FREE RECORD Given away with the Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief – Side 2" – only the matrix numbers identify which are the first and second sides.^[3] The album did not have a track listing, so that this feature would come as a complete surprise to listeners, who might on a subsequent listening hear material they had never heard before, creating genuine confusion.

Since the record had two concentric grooves, they were spaced considerably apart, halving the length of the playing time. Subsequent editions of the vinyl incorporated both grooves sequentially as separate tracks, eliminating the double groove. Likewise with promotional copies for radio stations, as they were banded for airplay. However, when Virgin reissued the album in the UK in 1985, the double groove was retained, but with the "Great Actors" sketch cut from the end of Side 1 and moved onto the start of the second side which previously began with "The Background to History". This meant the two B-sides no longer had equal length, resulting in a long silence following the "Phone-In" sketch at the end of the second Side B.

yes.

45rpm is better, LP needs to be quiet of course.

Less content per side, which is why 45 lost to 33 except juke boxes ...

Ry Cooder, by the river, with an Indian master, learned about it here.

https://www.discogs.com/master/225028-Ry-Cooder-VM-Bhatt-A-Meeting-By-The-River?format=Vinyl

I have 2008 reissue by Analogue Productions, original all analog recording by Water Lily Acoustics in 1993

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and Ry Cooder. Album notes are informative.

I have a couple other 45 rpm LPs, can't remember ....

Better, but I don't think I would spend the money for 45's anymore, and based on several warped, I'm not spending for 180 gram anymore either.

If well engineered, it's the content

other technical issues are involved, for simplicity:

Faster Speeds yield more physical material to record the content.

Tape: 3-3/4; 71/2; 15; 30 ips, each increase in speed yields twice the magnetic material to record the same amount of content, i.e. a violin note.

Tape: 1/4" tape: 4 track is 4 skinny tracks (less magnetic material). 1/4" tape 2 track has tracks twice the width of 4 tracks, thus twice the magnetic material to capture content.

1/2" tape; 1" wide tape, combined with the faster speeds: both factors combine to increase the magnetic material which increases recorded fidelity..

Physical Mechanisms: i.e. Cassettes, 1-7/8 ips (originally for dictation): the mechanism’s precision needs to progressively increase. Cassette speed and tape width stayed the same, it was the mechanism improvements (and cartridge improvements) that yielded acceptable suitability for music, along with improvements in the tapes formulation/material’s ability to more faithfully record and retain the content. Eventually 4 skinny tracks were successfully squished onto the same 1/8" width tape and same playback 1-7/8 IPS record/playback speed. Amazing.

8 track cartridges: take one apart, what a piece of crap. Originally made for commercials, discard when that commercial was kaput.

R2R machines: speeds involved, mechanism for 30 ips is no joke.

Back to 45rpm, likewise: it gives more material via it’s faster speed to capture the same content. Thus less content per lp side.

As for ’wider grooves’, that isn’t involved that I know of, 45rpm goes to the same phono stage/processing, and the same stylus tip is involved

think about RIAA equalization, which is what allows LP (long play). The Bass signal is ’electronically cut’ during recording to reduce the width of the bass grooves (thus more skinny grooves, thus more content per side), and the electronic cut is reversed via RIAA equalization, the bass is electronically boosted (back to it’s original pre-cut signal strength). Highs are electronically boosted, then RIAA electronically cuts the signal back to it’s original pre-boosted signal strength.

Now, bass and highs, properly restored, the signal is LINE LEVEL, (1 volt in the pre-stereo days), the amplifiers ready to receive AT LEAST 1 volt and boost LINE LEVEL signals. Pre-Amp’s Volume Controls allow more or less of the line level signal strength to get to the amp.

Original Ceramic Cartridges signal strength were stronger, and could go into any AUX input. My Vintage McIntosh Preamp has two phono inputs: one Phono Low (current MM cartridge signal strength); the other Phono High, to receive the higher signal a ceramic cartridge produces.

Modern content, like CDs output, i.e. their Line Level can be more, much more than 1 volt.