I bought an Argon TT-4 (not the MK2, but the MK1 is no longer available) two years ago and while my taste in music is somewhat limited/one-sided, I love listening to records!
Now, sometimes, I come across records that are thicker and heavier than others, for instance two of my Nancy Sinatra albums and Madonna’s Immaculate Collection, if I remember correctly (=too lazy to reach down for it now…).
Why is this? Does it signify a change in the manufacturing process over the ages, as in, thinner records are newer simply because technology evolved? Or was it a conscious choice to make some thicker? I can’t quite distinguish any difference in sound quality, since I’m using a pretty high fidelity Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge with some sic Adam A5X monitors…
Please advise! 😊
It’s mostly a matter of quality, vinyl records are weighted in grams, heavier being thicker records. The thicker vinyl allows the vinyl cutting lathe to cut deeper into the record so it is more durable and will last longer. Usually for things like special editions or that sort of thing, they will have heavier vinyl for collectors, where as a normal pop record you buy at a store will be a thinner, quicker cut record that is not as durable to more and more replays but is cheaper to produce. I’m sure someone has a more detailed explanation but that’s my understanding.
180g don’t have deeper grooves. The groove depth is set by the mastering engineer before pressing, and will be the same at any weight. A thinner standard record will have exactly the same groove as the 180g version if they are from the same master.
Thank you! Goes to show how little a know about the technical aspects of vinyl records… How interesting that they are weighed in grams!
I forgot to mention as well that the thicker/heavier vinyl is also less susceptible to warping, sounds like you have a lovely setup though :) and nice records!
I’d love someone to test this theory.
Feels like many of the records in my collection with (minor) warps are the 180g ones!
Recently mark from sound matters was casting doubt too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0EFmGJ9BaA
Right, I mean, that’s what the idea is in theory… who knows, it feels like it should be right but maybe the heavier ones warp more. Then there’s all the funky clear and color ones which are even more expensive
Thanks! :D On Tidal, I listen to everything from Blind Guardian, Ensiferum, Brothers of Metal, Eluveitie, Paramore and Linkin Park to Anette Askvik, Broadway musicals, Eivor, bôa, Diana Panton, Aimer, Perfume, Sheena Ringo, Tokyo Incidents, Yorushika, Dir en grey, and Perturbator. On vinyl, I exclusively listen to female singers, such as Madonna, Carola, Cindy Lauper, Patty Smith, Nancy Sinatra and Dolly Parton. No idea what this divide is… xD
Although, Running of The Desert Rose Band is on it’s way and is my first ever vinyl featuring non-female singers. xD
Do you listen to vinyl?
Wow that is a very diverse selection indeed and your media divide is a bit fascinating lol. Any reason, do you find female singers sound better on vinyl or is that music you are willing to pay more for?
Yes :) Most of my music collection is flac and mp3 I have collected through the years but I have some cassettes, CDs and vinyl as well. I wanted to be a dj for a while so I have some electronic records, mostly from a local record label in the 90s called Drop Bass Records, that is pretty hard acid/hardcore techno, but I have some other electronic music as well. Recently I bought a re-pressing of the Fires of Ork and Dreamfish, two ambient albums, also from the 90s, which incidentally is where I learned about the vinyls weights and such. :) I have some other from Panabrite, Bluetech, and I have some records that were my folks, Simon and Garfunkel, Creedence, Beach Boys.
I don’t listen to much metal these days, I guess mostly new wave, synth pop, electronic, alternative, getting back into some industrial though as far as heavier music, Skinny Puppy is always a favorite, I kind of poo-poo’d VNV Nation when they came around before because I was more into industrial like Einsturezende Neubauten, but they have some good stuff as well, and Covenant, Frontline Asssembly, Front 242, Thrill KIll Kult :)
I guess I should listen to some new music, but honestly I have a lot I haven’t listened to yet and haven’t really found myself wanting lol. Sorry for the wall of text.
Mad respect for still having cassettes! How do you listen to them?
As to why I insist on buying female centric vinyls, I’m not quite sure, but it could have something to do with my gender dysphoria. I believe the psychological mechanism is too complex for me to even begin to understand, but I think I listen to what I want to become or what I would have wanted to be in the first place, gender-wise (voice, body, clothing, etc.). Maybe vinyl, being an older medium, brings me back to and helps me imagine a childhood that I wish I could have had? I just spitballing here though…
My father loves Einsturzende Neubauten! But, speaking of Deutsche Musiker, you just reminded me: I need to get my hands on some Kraftwerk.
I don’t right now :( I have a small mini system that has a tape player but I don’t trust it, I’ve been meaning to buy a proper nice cassette deck like a Nakamichi, Denon, Tascam or something like that, like the old component stereo ones with decent transport mechanisms and play heads, but I keep putting it off for other things I guess. I don’t really wanna risk mangling them as some of them have recordings of music I made ages ago lol.
That makes pretty good sense to me. I think that’s part of my attraction to 80s new wave and synth pop so much, it was a time of such androgyny and gender line blurring, not needed to be defined, maybe part of it was for band image but it was still there, and a lot of the songs had more hopeful messages as well. It’s so poppy and fun to dance and sing along to as well :) So I totally get where you’re coming from, music is so powerful in that way how it can really transport you, and even choosing which medium to listen to it on makes a big difference in the mood which is a cool effect
I’ve semi-recently re-discovered my love for singing so Madonna, Tina Turner, Donna Summer, Steve Nicks, Cyndi Lauper, Blondie, Pat Benatar/the GoGos, The Bangles, Tiffany, Bjork, Siouxsie, Eurythmics/Annie Lennox, Bananarama etc. are all some go-to’s, so many amazing, talented ladies.
Haha weeeell, I don’t listen to it so much anymore, it’s a tad noisy for me these days, but that’s rad that your Dad is a fan, any fan of EN seems like they must be a pretty interesting person, it’s so visceral and raw