Why are people obsessed with 180g - Merged Thread

[pivot]

Pivot
So the guys that invented UHQR are not working at current Mo Fi.
Sometimes the superior form loses - like beta.

Jake

You have evidence that the current product is inferior?

My understanding was that Stan Ricker was a consultant on the "GAIN" system and had a good deal of input.

[jake]

UHQR is superior to 180. I don't have proof.

[Superbarands]

I always believed 180 gram new releases = better quality sounding vinyl. I guess I stand corrected then....

[bauzace50]

Hi,

I have not done A/B comparisons of LPs in respect to your question. But I can surely attest to excellent quality of several LPs i have with thin vinyl, as well as regular thickness, 180 gram thickness, and 200-gram thickness. Meaning my thinner-than-regular LPs seem just as good as my 200-gram ones.

Regards,
b50

[flavio81]

We have covered this topic before... MANY MANY times before.

As for the print article, the guy is also clueless when saying "records that have deep-cut grooves will sound richer..."

So much bullshit in print regading vinyl lately these years, some day i should write a free PDF setting things straight.

[Superbarands]

It was in the Times newspaper over here in the UK last week....

Sorry for bringing this subject up again. I always believed 180 gram was better and I thought that it was am interesting article that some of you non-UK peeps would have been interested in and therefore worth a post...

[Spyes]

180 gram. Is it really any better?

Nope. I definitely see it as a marketing gimmick, to make it sound appealing to people coming back to vinyl, or to people new to it wanting The Great Quality Of Vinyls(tm). I don't doubt that there are 180g issues that sound *superb*, and maybe better than the original. Is it because of the heavy material? I don't think so. So many other things contribute to sound quality.

[hagzo]

Is there such a thing as 'scientifically perfect'?

[pivot]

“The important thing here is to realize that it is merely a function of a small, accessory part and has nothing to do with the stampers or the pressing machines themselves. I often run into self-appointed experts who have built up a whole mythology about the relationship of the DG to the grooves, sound, etc., but it is merely an identifier caused by the use of these specific dies, mere attachments in the process that literally leave their mark on the finished disk."

from:

http://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/blue ... d-to-know/

"Deep Groove" has NO relation to the sound quality. It refers to a groove on the LABEL not the grooves where the music lies.

Does not matter how many misinformed folks repeat the myth. The music grooves on "Deep Groove" Blue Note are the same microgroove form as used on other contemporary LPs. They sound great because they are first gen recording of great artists recorded mostly by RVG. They are not magically better sounding because of the groove on the label.

[Audio_Man]

180 gram will sound better than a very thin pressing given the same mastering. This is of course hypothetical as 2 pressings like this don't exist to my knowledge. I can detect slight differences between audiophile releases on 140g v 180g (Warner) and 180g v 200g (Classic). So I conclude thicker pressings aren't a bad thing in themselves and are not a marketing gimmick when released by audiophile labels that use a proper all analogue mastering chain.

Unfortunately there is a proliferation of labels reissueing on 180g from inferior sources such as digital files and CD's. It is hard to identify these but if no claim made to be from original analogue tapes beware. Usualy info on SQ is posted on internet forums for most releases.

[pivot]

180 gram will sound better than a very thin pressing given the same mastering. This is of course hypothetical as 2 pressings like this don't exist to my knowledge. I can detect slight differences between audiophile releases on 140g v 180g (Warner) and 180g v 200g (Classic). So I conclude thicker pressings aren't a bad thing in themselves....

When you detect those "slight differences" are you correcting for VTA changes caused by the thicker media?

I don't think anybody is arguing that thick vinyl is bad, just that it is no gaurantee of better sound all else being equal, and, as you state, all else is never equal.

Unfortunately there is a proliferation of labels reissueing on 180g from inferior sources such as digital files and CD's. It is hard to identify these but if no claim made to be from original analogue tapes beware....

...and in the case of shoddy mastering would you not agree that 180 gram vinyl then becomes a marketing tool?

[Superbarands]

yea, what is the reason why a thicker vinyl would wear better ?

They cost more so the user is more likely to take care of them.

Heheeeee,..I'm buying this point!

[Fishtails]

Because it's nice and chunky!!!!

[mickb69]

i have a few new records on 180g vinyl,
rainbows "live in munich '77" and pink floyds "dark side of the moon" and "wish you were here"
they're bloody expensive! i only got the rainbow one because i'd been after it for years and could'nt find out if it even existed other than on DVD, and was brought out by back on black, it sounds like dog turd (my theory is that it was never made for vinyl, only video).
i got the floyd ones after repeatedly bidding and losing on old copies and getting naffed off with the ordeal (i also really appreciated that the artwork, fre posters and stickers etc. were completely reissued as they were, not made different to pull in new generations). i felt when i listened to that something was "missing", although i can't put my finger on it, maybe an ambience thing.

part of the attraction for me is finding hidden gems in odd places, old record shops, car boots, flea markets, the musty smell of old records as you dig through and strike gold, and get a classic record that you love for a quid or two.

i have old records, like floyds "relics" that is from EMI's cheap sister label MFP (music for pleasure) on flimsy vinyl, and it sounds GREAT.

i can't help but feel that all this re-mastering, and 180g thing is a load of rubbish and a complete money making con.
there were clearly nowt up with the old records and nothing has been gained from messing about with them.
£17-£25 for a record!? is it just me? am i mental?