I have some colored vinyl and a few Japanese MFSL pressings that have see through brown vinyl. Here’s a gold (Looks more orange to me) EW&F Greatest Hits , sounds excellent.
Audiofreak71
Audiofreak71
Colored vinyl?
- Thread starter Madeline12
- Start date
RunOutGroove
Addicted Member
Funny, I own something like 1000 LPs in all kinds of genres and I think that I have less colored vinyl stuff than I could count on one hand. I do kind of like owing original runs of LPs and I have a few choice jazz titles (and some others) that are originals. On balance though this sort of thing really isn't all that important to me. I;d much rather go out and buy a handful of great titles that I'd be excited about listening to then spend my cash one a single more value thing that might be colored vinyl. Because though I am a collector, I don't have very much of a "collector's mentality," I don't have much in the way of colored vinyl or picture disks (or bootlegs)...
I've also heard, and I don't know if this is really true, that colored vinyl typically doesn't sound as good as what the plain black stuff is capable of...
I've also heard, and I don't know if this is really true, that colored vinyl typically doesn't sound as good as what the plain black stuff is capable of...
onepixel
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My colored vinyl collection probably quadrupled in the past 5 years. There is just more out there.
As to Black vs Colored vinyl. I don't think it matters. Had a new 2016 Blue Note release on 180gm, black and it sounded like crap. So did the CD. How it's mastered makes a huge difference.
I have a dozen or so vinyl that has color added and I’d say the majority of them sound good to excellent. Now the vinyl that has the print on it imo does sound horrible and the vinyl that is clear with no color does attract more static in my experience.
Audiofreak71
Johnny B
Well-Known Member
I don’t think that’s necessarily true. But mixed color discs if not done well can be noisier. And some colors (black, light solid colors) show pressing flaws on visual inspection better than others (white, clear, many translucent colors).
RunOutGroove
Addicted Member
The mastering job makes a huge difference, no doubt. The issue with vinyl though is not only the mastering but the physical manufacture that makes a lot of difference. An album could be perfectly mastered but of it's on cheap, very flimsy vinyl if could be really noisy on the very first play. I mostly buy old LPs so I'm not too experienced with the new millennium vinyl but it does seem particularly for the prices that they're charging that the format has become a sort of luxury product and that the stuff is for the most part made on very heavy, very clean vinyl... so there's probably less issue with the pressing quality. I have very old LPs too that are great pressings and even after many plays still sound very clean. I find that 80s era records are the worst for this. It's as if when CDs came out all of the companies that made records where trying to get folks to buy those. I bought some records in that era that were noisy and thin sounding right out of the sealed package...
This is one thing that I really hate about LPs, is that the quality of the pressing (and condition, if you're buying used and I always am) can be difficult to discern when you're buying the stuff.
I have an original SGC copy of that!nazz - nazz nazz
Probably my oldest example of colored vinyl. Early copies were on red vinyl, though I have a feeling that they're more common than the plain black vinyl pressing(s) which followed. An underrated album, IMO.
-Adam
onepixel
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My collection goes back to the earliest 10" mono, 33 LPs. The best sounding ones in my opinion are the ones from the late 50s to mid-80s. So I get the 1st pressings from that era. A bunch from the "Grunt" label are ridiculously thin, but still sound great. Most of this century's stuff, whether it's a remaster or new issue sounds mediocre (to me) and most of those are on heavy vinyl. The mastering and or the manufacturing isn't the same.
That said, I still prefer vinyl.
Crazy Gnome
Learn how to Love and forget how to hate
gizzyman47
Addicted Member
I've got maybe a dozen or so.
Also have two picture disc. Rocky Horror picture show...found this at a yard sale.
Also have RSD Blade runner soundtrack picture disc. I collect Blade runner memorabilia! I'm a geek!
Also have two picture disc. Rocky Horror picture show...found this at a yard sale.
Also have RSD Blade runner soundtrack picture disc. I collect Blade runner memorabilia! I'm a geek!
Bahamayellow
Super Member
I have more color vinyl than I care to have and wish they would stop all the gimmick pressings they are doing today.
The following is not old performance vinyl, that looked black but held up to a light it was translucent and could be amber and purple.
As a general guid line, old color records didn't sound that great, but a few colors did. Pure white and deep blood red could sound really good. Back in the day they didn't do that much color records, short runs on reissues and collectibles.
Today the best sounding still is pure white, deep red and clear I have a lot of luck with those. However if they make a pattern type record it can sound pretty bad, this is the pie slice I'm talking about. When they hand make the puck with two or three colors.
Record like this have a transition between colors and don't press or melt the same. Today it's almost unavoidable getting color records. As a collector and audiophile I like to have first pressings, many today are color. If it's a reissue I tend to just leave them sealed, or if they offer both color and black I'll get both, or even if they come out with the main run in black. Color vinyl is a pain in the butt, IMHO, you can't see dust, dirt, scratches on it, black is the best color for this.
The following is not old performance vinyl, that looked black but held up to a light it was translucent and could be amber and purple.
As a general guid line, old color records didn't sound that great, but a few colors did. Pure white and deep blood red could sound really good. Back in the day they didn't do that much color records, short runs on reissues and collectibles.
Today the best sounding still is pure white, deep red and clear I have a lot of luck with those. However if they make a pattern type record it can sound pretty bad, this is the pie slice I'm talking about. When they hand make the puck with two or three colors.
Record like this have a transition between colors and don't press or melt the same. Today it's almost unavoidable getting color records. As a collector and audiophile I like to have first pressings, many today are color. If it's a reissue I tend to just leave them sealed, or if they offer both color and black I'll get both, or even if they come out with the main run in black. Color vinyl is a pain in the butt, IMHO, you can't see dust, dirt, scratches on it, black is the best color for this.
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Madeline12
Super Member
I believe I have that same Alt-J album
Madeline12
Super Member
Interesting! What about marbled? I have a few that are like that.
Depending on how they do the marble you get different result. Some they mix the gains in the vat together, it melts together into a puck. Some of them they sprinkle grains on top of the puck that are not heated the same. Think of it as hard or soft transition, like smooth flowing or hard spots.
Doug G.
Lunatic Member
I have an original SGC copy of that!
Probably my oldest example of colored vinyl. Early copies were on red vinyl, though I have a feeling that they're more common than the plain black vinyl pressing(s) which followed. An underrated album, IMO.
-Adam
Yes, the black, second release is rarer than the red original release. Back in '69, my friend Duane bought a red copy and I later (not THAT much later) bought one and it was black. I was disappointed but later read how there were way fewer pressed for the black release.
It's a great album. The first time we heard "Hang On Paul", we thought Duane's parent's console turntable had died at the end.
Doug