Warning: Major Rant ahead!
Don't get me started... I have wanted to believe the reviews, but like you, I've spent too much time and money shopping for, cleaning, playing and almost always screaming bloody murder at those liars who betrayed my trust, again. The new Beatles' LPs can't touch my old garage sale pressings, in fact, there are so few exceptions that it's almost a given that a new pressing will pale in comparison to even a second or third pressing from way back, let alone the originals. This is not system dependent. Comparing any two pressings of the same LP on the same system is a valid way to discern the better of the two.
And what about deceptive wording by the record labels? "Mastered by Joe Shmo from the original Analog tape!" What they're not saying is that they killed it. All they had to to was reissue the LP, insuring they made it the best pressing possible and not to F*** with the sound. But no, these deaf technicians have to make it "better" by digitally remastering a perfectly good recording and then trying to hide the fact that they did that so we would buy it.
Here's what's going to happen: over the next few years, vinyl in its pure AAA analogue form will win the hearts and ears of the thousands of newly converted turntable buyers... How? Eventually, they will stumble upon a good 30 year old original pressing of an LP for $0.25 at a garage sale, which they also just bought as a reissued 180g new pressing. They will compare it to the new, heavyweight vinyl, digitally remastered $50 version of the same album and they will be stunned. Game over.
Soon, the buyers will speak their disgust with their dollars, and record companies will stop trying to deceive us with sneaky misleading language. Shame on them. Just give people what they want and stop trying to trick us! By the time the needle hits the groove it's too late, $50 down the digital drain.
As for exceptions in the new category: Shelby Lynne doing Dusty Springfield (get the AAA version, not the AAD), Anything Chesky is usually great, Both LPs from Bob Attiyeh's Yarlung Records (possibly the best classical recordings ever! Really)... OK, I just had to get up to look at my Reference collection of the most beautifully made recordings, and out of about 100 superb LPs, I have only a few new ones: Cheskys, Yarlungs and not much else.
Well, I really needed to get that off my chest. Now I'm gong to listen to some old records.
