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Clear vinyl Records: Pros/Cons?
- Thread starter thebeez85
- Start date
iLUVanalog
Addicted Member
By expressing your disappointment BEFORE listening to the recording, you have set yourself up to be disappointed. Listen to the recording first and THEN let us know how it went. You said you have a "crappy" table. Do you have a friend who has a decent table? Listen to it at his house....it's possible you may NOT be disappointed.
Last edited:
Sleep
Well-Known Member
Got a couple of clear ones, and some opaque coloured ones.
Some of the clear stuff sounds excellent, the bad ones I have were not taken care of by the previous owner.
Has anyone noticed that when you watch clear records playing, there's a nauseating visual effect that makes it look like the record is playing backwards and forwards at the same time?
Something about the see-thru grooves see-sawing makes me sea-sick
Some of the clear stuff sounds excellent, the bad ones I have were not taken care of by the previous owner.
Has anyone noticed that when you watch clear records playing, there's a nauseating visual effect that makes it look like the record is playing backwards and forwards at the same time?
Something about the see-thru grooves see-sawing makes me sea-sick
Naptown Rob
Ponographer
Pro: You can see through them. :scratch2:
Con: You can't hide behind them.
Con: You can't hide behind them.
thebeez85
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Wow, Man...That's what makes Them so Cool to Stare At...
What's the second roller-arm thingy?.....Its must mean it's a nice TT
DustBug or modern analogue.
I have a couple dozen clear LPs. No issues with sound quality, they all sound fine.
Or manual override buttons.
That's probably just the music itself. Bowie's stuff wasn't known for its recording quality, unfortunately.
Over the years, I have acquired a few different versions of Willie Nelson's Stardust, an original A&M in 150g black vinyl, purchased new, Classic Records 200g Quiex SV-P at 33-1/3, and the Classic Records 200g Clarity SV-PII, in clear vinyl, at 45RPM.
I always thought the original was a magnificent recording, both musically and technically. Even my wife, who won't listen to Willie's country tunes, loves this album. I got out all three copies last night, and spun them, oldest to newest. In terms of play, the A&M has had many times more play than both the Classics, though the new ones are not previously unplayed.
If I never had either of the Classic Records versions, I would be mightily pleased. After all these years, my care regimen, though not as rigourous as some, has kept this album in great shape. I thought to myself, this is going to be tough to beat. Subsequent plays of the Classics bore out my initial impression. There was, however, a feeling that the Classics just "sounded better", though I couldn't identify a specific reason. As an aside, it was a bit disconcerting to cue up the Clarity, with its "flat" profile, in the clear lead-in area. It wasn't until I started playing at higher-than-normal-for-me volumes, that I learned that there was a slightly lower noise floor on the Classics, than on the A&M, and that the Clarity was lowest of the three. To be clear, I would not describe the A&M as 'noisy', in any way. I cannot say with certainty that this low-noise state is the sole reason for my perceived preference. There is the difference in playback speed, as well. I cannot discount that the difference exists, but I would not have noticed, save having performed this comparison, something I almost never do. (Usually I just compare an old copy to a new one, to learn how much, if any, audible wear a record may exhibit.)
A word about Clarity. The claim is made that the carbon in the black records contains enough trace metals to become slightly magnetic, and affect playback. Reviewers of the Demag units report having heard the difference in non-demagged and demagged LPs, and that the Clarity records exhibit the same lower noise as demagged ones. I have no way to test this, nor do I have the inclination. I will say that the volume levels necessary for me to identify this lower noise floor are not workable for me. I can get there, but, for various reasons, I choose to play music at lower volumes.
I have never been shy about buying Classic records, over the years, either to replace damaged originals, or as the only easily-available version. (Those who know me know how much I hate waiting.) I don't see me buying Clarity 45s over a Quiex SV-P, just because it is a Clarity, if both are available. If the Clarity is the only choice at hand, my limited experience is that they are stunning, low-noise-floor recordings, and I'll buy it, if I want that recording. My experience with the high quality of these may be co-incidental, relative to my music choices, and not statistically significant, when compared to the experience of others.
Maybe I just got "Hot Stampers".
I always thought the original was a magnificent recording, both musically and technically. Even my wife, who won't listen to Willie's country tunes, loves this album. I got out all three copies last night, and spun them, oldest to newest. In terms of play, the A&M has had many times more play than both the Classics, though the new ones are not previously unplayed.
If I never had either of the Classic Records versions, I would be mightily pleased. After all these years, my care regimen, though not as rigourous as some, has kept this album in great shape. I thought to myself, this is going to be tough to beat. Subsequent plays of the Classics bore out my initial impression. There was, however, a feeling that the Classics just "sounded better", though I couldn't identify a specific reason. As an aside, it was a bit disconcerting to cue up the Clarity, with its "flat" profile, in the clear lead-in area. It wasn't until I started playing at higher-than-normal-for-me volumes, that I learned that there was a slightly lower noise floor on the Classics, than on the A&M, and that the Clarity was lowest of the three. To be clear, I would not describe the A&M as 'noisy', in any way. I cannot say with certainty that this low-noise state is the sole reason for my perceived preference. There is the difference in playback speed, as well. I cannot discount that the difference exists, but I would not have noticed, save having performed this comparison, something I almost never do. (Usually I just compare an old copy to a new one, to learn how much, if any, audible wear a record may exhibit.)
A word about Clarity. The claim is made that the carbon in the black records contains enough trace metals to become slightly magnetic, and affect playback. Reviewers of the Demag units report having heard the difference in non-demagged and demagged LPs, and that the Clarity records exhibit the same lower noise as demagged ones. I have no way to test this, nor do I have the inclination. I will say that the volume levels necessary for me to identify this lower noise floor are not workable for me. I can get there, but, for various reasons, I choose to play music at lower volumes.
I have never been shy about buying Classic records, over the years, either to replace damaged originals, or as the only easily-available version. (Those who know me know how much I hate waiting.) I don't see me buying Clarity 45s over a Quiex SV-P, just because it is a Clarity, if both are available. If the Clarity is the only choice at hand, my limited experience is that they are stunning, low-noise-floor recordings, and I'll buy it, if I want that recording. My experience with the high quality of these may be co-incidental, relative to my music choices, and not statistically significant, when compared to the experience of others.
Maybe I just got "Hot Stampers".
thebeez85
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I just did a search, and found that there are "Comparison" sets, Clarity vs Black vinyl, of the sides of Stardust. The Music.com has side 3 of the four-sided set, at 200g and 45 RPM, from the same press and plate, for $15. The set was produced for this very exercise, permitting reviewers to compare the difference in the records, when the only variable is the vinyl compound, Clarity vs Quiex black.
Interesting. Anybody game?
http://www.themusic.com/detail.cfm?id=9010423
Interesting. Anybody game?
http://www.themusic.com/detail.cfm?id=9010423
you mean "snake oil"?
I really hate it when my sarcasm is wasted.
thebeez85
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
If I insulted, believe me 'twas not my intent. I've just read that "hot stampers" was something of a misnomer..I was under the assumption that they were a gimmick..
jntit
Super Member
I did a service call to a new customer, he was setting up a listening room. Naturally we got to talking he told me that he was getting a Clapton box set on clear vinyl, I asked why clear. He said that there was a small amount of metal in what was used to make it black and could interfere with his mc cart. Just putting it out there.
Overpriced, maybe, but records vary in quality, according to the service life of the stamping plate, among other things. The Clarity sets are pressed in low numbers, relative to the usual service life of plates, so there is not supposed to be any discernable degradation from first press to last in the series. I've never compared two of the same, one low-numbered and one high-numbered. Still, low-numbered pressings command higher prices, in part, perhaps, because of long-held biases.
No offence meant, none taken. Sarcasm doesn't always work in print, as we have seen.
Note to my Faithful Readers: Watch for smiley as a potential sarcasm indicator.
similost
Rockin and Rollin....
Exactly what I was going to say.. I've got probably 5 or 6 clear ones and they all sound good, except for one or two that are more of the loudness war engineered ones... over amped... you can' hear anything between tracks, so it plays well.
I've got a lot of different colored vinyl, and picture disks.. most all sound just as good or better than black. I've got picture disks that sound better than a lot of black vinyl.. It's all a crap shoot.