Well, I washed my Sibelius set today. With MoFi fluids, then 18 MOhm deionized water (distilled water is like a tap compared to this: the benefit of running a genetic testing lab for my hobby)
Same result: pops and clicks coming from the Left, then Right channels. Otherwise dead quiet vinyl. !!??? Is this a pressing/manufacturing issue? I have no idea but it does not sound like a scratched LP to me
CSPIEGS, please update what you are hearing once you get your box, now I am curious!!! |
I have this box, LPs "made in Holland", box "printed in the Netherlands".
The first thing you will notice is that LPs are paper-thin, I even weighted one today, it is just 105g. Vinyl itself is what must have been called "virgin vinyl": very-very quiet. But with lots of clicks annoyingly reproduced by my Lyra/Sondek. Most of my LPs, some with noticeable scratches, play beautifully. This set clicks pretty often although looks Mint.
I hate washing my LPs, but I will pull out VPI-16.5 for a spin and shall report if a good bath helps
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The OP mentioned Italian pressings in connection with Philips records, and I replied that my own experience with these pressings was less than ideal. I should have mentioned that there are some Italian labels that are superbly pressed - notably those by Black Saint and Soul Note. I have several dozens of these records and am amazed at their quality/quietness. |
@bdp24 - Italy has long been a hot bed for record piracy, the largest in Western Europe, according to an IFPI study circa 2002, when the hardgoods market started to diminish in favor of Internet access, see [url] https://books.google.com/books?id=JQ0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA43&lpg=PA43&dq=italian+record+piracy...[/url] But, a lot of the stuff I’m talking about was released on major labels in Italy by the likes of Polydor (now Uni) or Ricordi (now Sony). Granted, there are some really nasty "unofficial" copies (love that euphemism), but that shouldn’t put one off of Italian pressings as a whole. I’ve bought the King Records Seven Seas (Japanese) imprints of some, simply because of price. (The going price for an original italian pressing of Museo Rosenbach- Zarathustra as an example, is easily 4 figures). |
Also, Italy does not observe copyright laws, and the country's record companies don’t pay royalties to recording artists. That alone should stop one from supporting those companies. |
I’d come at this a little differently. Philips, back in the day, often did it all, including the mastering as well as the pressing.
I was on a Vertigo Swirl binge a few years ago- a label Philips formed to enter the ’psych/prog/folk’ rock market. Those records were made from roughly 1969-73 and are highly desirable. I have quite a few-approximately 50. What I found was not much different than the general rule regarding mastering and manufacture. If the source country of the recording and mastering was the UK, the UK pressings typically sounded better. In certain cases, Vertigo Swirls originated from Germany- so-called Krautrock- there, the German pressings tend to shine. Going outside of the country of origin of the master tape/mastering was uneven- in some territories, Philips didn’t press locally, but imported from another country; and in a few cases, where I have multiple copies, I found that some, although manufactured locally, e.g. New Zealand/Australia, were comparable to the original UK.
I have a few U.S. copies that are entirely different masterings (and not very good ones) that were done here in the States, but one in particular I actually prefer to the original UK (I have both, but the UK is easily 8X the price of the US copy, mainly due to collectability).
So, the question, to me, is where the recording was made and mastered. That gives you a greater likelihood of getting something made off the original master rather than a safety and a mastering that is closer to what was originally intended.
@bdp24 - some of the deep prog I own on Italian made records is very good quality. Quiet, good playing surfaces. Go figure.
One of my friends at Island back from the beginning always got German pressings of their catalog even though he was based in the UK. They were quieter. (The UKs generally sound better though, subject to the above rule).
Hope that helps.
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Italian LP's are renown for being some of the worst in the world. Utter trash. |
I never heard anything quieter than some Japanese pressings. Quite incredible, in fact. |
Italian pressings do tend to be a little noisier than Dutch, assuming you are talking new. Never can be sure with used. |
My (limited) experience with Phillips Italian pressings was not good in terms of surface noise. In the 70's I briefly subscribed to a record club known as the International Preview Society. Got a few issues, including an Italian pressed Phillips box set of Chopin piano works performed by Claudio Arrau and the LPO, which I still own. The pressings were noisy and the overall sound was somewhat "thin." Didn't stay a subscriber very long. |
German pressing is good, in my limited experience, I only have a few German records. |
My thoughts exactly. But I occasionally hear people telling me that collectors look for Italian pressing. Not sure why though. |
Yes, I always look for pressings from Germany or Holland.
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Not familiar with this recording, but all Dutch pressings that I tried were good. |
Since Philips was a Dutch company known for high quality pressings, it makes sense, if given the choice to go with Philips Holland.
I don't own this particular release, but the original master would have been produced by Philips Holland. |
