Old RCA Dynaflex albums

[Mr Boochie]

Hard to find any other sub-brand with so much warp issues. Kinda too bad, as this era produced several good albums, under this trademark.

Looks like a large potato chip, on the platter.

 

[olddude55]

We used to call them "Dynawarp." It was RCA's way of cutting down on the amount of vinyl used during the oil shocks in the early 1970s.
Getting a perfectly flat one is problematic but they can sound pretty damned good.
RCA reissued a lot of Dynaflex stuff on platters of normal thickness, if you look around for it. I have a lot of yellow-label RCA pressings that say "Dynaflex" on the label but are standard thickness. By that time, RCA and the other domestic labels were using mostly recycled vinyl, so they're noisy.

 

[Mr Boochie]

We used to call them "Dynawarp." It was RCA's way of cutting down on the amount of vinyl used during the oil shocks in the early 1970s.
Getting a perfectly flat one is problematic but they can sound pretty damned good.
RCA reissued a lot of Dynaflex stuff on platters of normal thickness, if you look around for it. I have a lot of yellow-label RCA pressings that say "Dynaflex" on the label but are standard thickness. By that time, RCA and the other domestic labels were using mostly recycled vinyl, so they're noisy.

Were the Dynaflex made from recycled albums?

 

[damacman]

I have one Nillson Schmillson - it's perfect in every way and sounds just sublime. Likely snagged it at a yard sale having no idea what Dynaflex was.

 

[olddude55]

I have one Nillson Schmillson - it's perfect in every way and sounds just sublime. Likely snagged it at a yard sale having no idea what Dynaflex was.

That was one of the titles that I was thinking of. It was reissued later as a Super Saver on thicker vinyl, but noiser.
I've got about 3500 LPs so there are a lot of Dynaflex LPs of every genre except classical. None of them are badly warped, most of them sound pretty good depending on how they were mixed. They were quieter than the later pressings too, for the most part.

 

[Mr Boochie]

That was one of the titles that I was thinking of. It was reissued later as a Super Saver on thicker vinyl, but noiser.
I've got about 3500 LPs so there are a lot of Dynaflex LPs of every genre except classical. None of them are badly warped, most of them sound pretty good depending on how they were mixed. They were quieter than the later pressings too, for the most part.

Was this because Dynaflex process used virgin vinyl?

Thanks!

 

[KeninDC]

RCA Dynaflex ain't bad. For David Bowie, you can always get the UK LP pressings which sound a bit better and are "regular" vinyl if you are obsessive like I am.

 

[olddude55]

Was this because Dynaflex process used virgin vinyl?

Thanks!

I don't think they did--you should be able to see through them otherwise, right?--but they weren't sweeping up scraps from the pressing plant floor and reusing them. That came later.
FWIW, I think Capitol was the worst in that regard.
According to Wikipedia, Dynaflex used a purer formulation of vinyl than the typical regrind of the era.

 

[twiiii]

I have two or three that are just fine and of equal quality to other pop records from the period. No warps or wrinkles. One the label is off center which looks strange, but the disc itself is fine.

 

[Mr Boochie]

Well, the Dynaflex I found is translucent.

 

[olddude55]

Well, the Dynaflex I found is translucent.

View attachment 1863806

Maybe they did use virgin vinyl, just a lot less of it. It was definitely a cost-saving move though.

 

[bimasta]

Well, the Dynaflex I found is translucent.

View attachment 1863806

The music must have great "transparency" and an almost "see-through" soundstage! That means Dynaflex was the Audiophile ideal, and we should go back to it, and stop the current 180-gram silliness... and silly high prices.

 

[Greenie]

RCA Dynaflex ain't bad. For David Bowie, you can always get the UK LP pressings which sound a bit better and are "regular" vinyl if you are obsessive like I am.

I was really fed up in the early/mid 70s when I got into Bowie as RCA were mainly re-issuing his back catalog on Dynaflex type discs over here in the UK. I think I was really feeling a bit cheated by the lightweight nature, as actually they sounded pretty good. You had to hunt down 'full fat' versions.

I do agree with bimasta though, the current fad for 180gm lumps of often poorly pressed vinyl needs to pass.

 

[patient_ot]

The music must have great "transparency" and an almost "see-through" soundstage! That means Dynaflex was the Audiophile ideal, and we should go back to it, and stop the current 180-gram silliness... and silly high prices.

 

[Vinylmasters]

I've had some good, some bad. Oddly, they sounded absolutely horrible on my JVC QL-Y55f, but can sound sublime on my metal body Technics tables when clamped (and especially with a good original Stanton or Pickering).

 

[KeninDC]

I was really fed up in the early/mid 70s when I got into Bowie as RCA were mainly re-issuing his back catalog on Dynaflex type discs over here in the UK. I think I was really feeling a bit cheated by the lightweight nature, as actually they sounded pretty good. You had to hunt down 'full fat' versions.

I do agree with bimasta though, the current fad for 180gm lumps of often poorly pressed vinyl needs to pass.

Agree. Thick makes no difference really. I love those UK orange label RCA LPs.

 

[AdamAnt316]

I've had fairly good luck with the few Dynaflex albums I've owned, though maybe the ones I've had weren't from their low point; they aren't quite to 'flexidisc' levels of thinness, though some of them make good wobble-boards. Most of them have been David Bowie albums, though I've also had a couple of copies of The Best Of The Guess Who. Here's the blurb from the inside of the sleeve of said compilation:

 

[mhardy6647]

both warpage and slippage decreased!
No mention of shrinkage though...

 

[dysmike]

All the dynaflex I have is relatively flat, that is that any out of flat conditions do not affect playback. Donno. Maybe I'm just lucky.

 

[Ilikevinyl]

Well, the Dynaflex I found is translucent.

View attachment 1863806

That could be an '80's reissue. Many albums from the '80's are translucent when held up to the light. The most I have are on the A&M label.