• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Alert: Potential Stupid Question!

M

mwicks

Active Member
I couldn't find anything concrete online about this, but do 45s generally sound better than 33s? I know everything I have on both formats (usually an EP on 45, album on 33) sounds better on the 45 by, well a lot. Has anyone else noticed this, or is it just a fact?
 
Register to hide this ad
I believe the faster speed has something to do with the sound quality being better. A 45 should sound quite nice if it's a guality pressing. Of course, there were many 45's pressed on styrene that degraded in quality after only a few plays.
 
I actually found the reverse to be true in my experience. However, I have some 12" singles that are 45rpm that sound incredible. Of course the pressing has a lot to do with it as well as turntable/cartridge setup. Good question though...:scratch2:
 
7" singles generally sounded lousy in my experience. But I've heard some 12" singles and EPs (especially audiophile pressings) that have sounded truly amazing.
 
45 rpm

Wasn't it great when you could go to your favorite record store and buy "that new 45 you just had to have"?

We had a small Kmart-like store called "Millers" within bicycle distance. I used to buy 45s for 77 cents each! :yes:
 
Lots of the radio station singles were 12" 45's. They did that to get the S/N as high as possible. I run across them from time to time. They can sound very nice :)
 
Because a 7" 45 rpm disk begins 2.5" farther in than a 33-1/3 LP, there will always be a greater residuum of inner-grove distortion. This detail is frequently overlooked. Another reason why the 12" 45's are to be preferred.

Fred
 
45 Engineering

I've read that 45's were the first disk media designed from the ground up using purely scientific principles, in no way associated with legacy formats other than the basic disc and groove.

Their size was designed in a way to minimize tracking error. The speed was scientifically calculated for maximum fidelity. The proximity to the inner and outer groove minimizes velocity changes.

See: http://diamondcut.com/vforum/showthread.php?t=2152&highlight=theoretical+frequency
for a scientific discussion of theoretical frequency response of different record formats.

My experience indicates real world variations preclude generalizations between 33 and 45.

Doug
 
Well, one generalization I comfortable making is that 45rpm 12" records almost always sound great. Almost, but not always. I was actually surprised and disappointed just the other week when a 12" single I bought just to have a top-quality version of the song actually sounded worse than the album version.
 
Guess I've just been lucky with my 12" 45s then. The fact I only have like 6 doesn't give me a lot of room to judge though :).
 
Again, in my experience very few 12" 45s are not excellent quality, so you may never come across one.
 
I've have a limited collection of 45's but I have these two 7" singles from "The Zutons" that I found in the radio station dumpster on campus. They sound REALLY good. I dont really even care to much for the music, but the sound quality is so great.
 
On the topic of 12" 45rpm records, I have the Devo 12" single "Peek-A-Boo" and it sounds great as well. It sounds really good at high volume too. I don't know if the record speed has anything to do with that though. Very quite playback as well.
 
Here's what I've noticed...A 45 in the "classic" sense (a 7" disk running at 45) will probably not sound as good as the same cut from a 12" 33 LP for a number of reasons (wear, mastering, vinyl quality). BUT, all things being equal, I bet they could SOUND equal. However, if you have two 12" disks, one at 45 and one at 33, and everything else is the same, the 45 disk will BLOW THE 33 AWAY. Unfortunately, 12" singles of the 80s don't always sound better but merely just equal... pressing quality was on its way down.
Again, just one man's observations.
 
Sure, it should sound better on principle, assuming it's made from quality, low-noise vinyl. More groove velocity, better sound. The few well-pressed, well-recorded 12" singles I have sound very, very good.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom