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Vinyl?

I have a Rega P6 and have been listening to some vinyl to break it in but one thing I noticed is that vinyl is not always a better choice. I listened to, for example, Dave Mason's It's Like You Never Left on vinyl and it clearly shows that the original recording was poorly done.  Contrast this with Johhny Hodges Blues which is amazing on vinyl. 

My advice? Some recordings are worth the investment in vinyl but others aren't because the original recording just wasn't that good. 
naplesrich

Showing 2 responses by johnnyb53

johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
A bad-sounding record can also come from bad mastering--too much compression, rolled-off bass, etc.

If the original recording was 16/44.1 digital on a home computer, you're not likely to get good sound from it. I have a 2007 REM album that was pressed as two 45rpm 12" LPs. The form factor is just like a cost-no-object audiophile pressing, but it sounds like it comes from a low-res digital recording.

In general my experience matches wlutke's--as I improved my turntable damping, cartridge quality, and downstream electronics (esp. the phono stage), I got more enjoyment out of far more of my records than before.

johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
^^^ True enough, and it also depends on the quality of the DAC between the digital file and the cutter.

Quite often my digital-sourced LPs sound better than the CD version on my home system because the DAC London or EMI used to cut the master is way better than what's inside my CD player.

Still, I hear a kind of edge to the 44.1Khz mastered Beatles albums that I don't hear on some of the classical ones (Angel, EMI) from the same label.

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