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Vinyl Weight/Density With Regards To Sound Quality?

pioneervato

pioneervato

Lunatic Member
Some questions regarding vinyl pressings of today. I have read several posts where 180 gram vinyl is mentioned and I know there is 200 gram vinyl as well. However, I don't recall of having a choice when I was buying LP's back in the '70s and '80s. What is the weight of the vinyl that was readily available then vs. what is being pressed today? Do the heavier weights produce better sound? I am assuming then that the heavy weights are less prone to warping which would be an advantage to just the standard every day LP?
 
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Most 70s or 80s vinyl was probably 150 gram or less (I have some very, very thin vinyl records from then).

I'm not sure that sonically heavier vinyl is better. I have some very good sounding thin vinyl. That said, the quality of the chemical mix of vinyl is more important than the thickness of the pressing. For example, MOFI pressing on Quiex vinyl (some weird mixture) that is definitely quieter than other types. And of course, I'd be more inclined to place a higher value on things like the quality of the recording and the quality of the mastering before the thickness of the vinyl.

Thicker vinyl is certainly less likely to warp in theory but there seems to be limits to this. Many folks have reported warpage problems with Classic Records 200 gram vinyl. Again, the pressing quality is probably related more to the quality of the plant the record is pressed in as opposed to the thickness of the vinyl itself.

My 2 cents.

Jeff
 
I still hear/read about folks buying the 180 or 200 gram vinyl, and having warps. I've purchased a few of the 180 grams disks, and found the quality control to be all over the map. Pops/clicks/scratchiness on some of these newer "state of the art" disks is not uncommon, unfortunately. I do have some that are spectacular sounding too.

I think A LOT MORE goes into the making of a quality pressing beyond the weight of the vinyl.
 
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