Simply Vinyl records

hey g-funk,

i have a few simply vinyl records, nice packaging (i love the thick protective sleeve), 180g, collectors items, but be wary since many of their releases are off digital masters. its very hit or miss with the company, although they can be emailed to check if a certain record is off an analog or digital source there can be lags in responses and the fact that they don't say the source on the packaging irks me.

i have the regular vinyl release of version 2.0 but haven't heard it in a while (don't have it at my current location), can't recall if the sound was flat. cool that your simply vinyl issues are so strong in terms of sonics. for what its worth, sundazed is probably my favorite current reissue company, 180g records, fantastic mono versions off analog masters, and cheap prices (about half to a third of simply vinyl's prices).

word.

carlo.

As far as sound quality Simply Vinyl is indeed hit-or-miss but the pressings are first rate.Keep in mind that this company does not do true remasters.They release titles that have not been issued for a while or not at all by the regular record labels.

g-slice,

i sincerly doubt that simply vinyl uses a cd as their source, but i do know that they have an annoying habit of sometimes using digital masters. you know those "digitally remastered" cds that generally suck? it sounds like that except its on vinyl. a big giveaway in a digitally sourced piece of wax is a flatness (2 dimensional, no depth) to the sound... its not pretty.

its important to note that none of simply vinyl's packaging claims superior sound quality (all of mine that i've checked says "simply vinyl limited edition vinyl lp - classic albums, 180g virgin vinyl pressings, heavy quality sleeves"). while i collect multiple pressings i do it for quality not quantity, and because of that i don't actively seek out simply vinyl releases. essentially its a limited ed. import with questionable sonics.

sundazed is at sundazed.com - think of them as the criterion of vinyl, only better: they do excellent work on excellent albums, there's no crap in their catalog. classic records (classicrecs.com) has good stuff but its pricey. there's some killer company redoing dylan's entire catalogue in mono but hell if i can figure out who it is. big black sticker that says its a original master tapes all analog transfer 180g pressing, and damn they're great (and cheap, $12-14 in these parts). i don't know who they are (nor does anyone i've asked) but their catalog number starts with a "pc" - hell it may even be columbia/sony thats doing it, although i doubt it.

of your new purchase list the only one i've owned is nirvana's unplugged in new york. its okay, nothing special in terms of sonics but its the only available vinyl pressing (there was a very limited uk only pressing on, if i recall correctly, white vinyl but its also priced into the stratosphere).

totally with you on the taxi driver soundtrack man.

keep it real yo.

(carlo leaves with his 40oz malt liquor)

edit: btw, amusicdirect.com is a great retailer on the web.

i've got a couple of simply vinyl lp's (in utero and some frank zappa), and i am not impressed with what i got. the packaging and pressing all look impressive, but as others noted they sound flat and lifeless. if they are using digital masters this explains it. i'd rather just get the cd and be rid of the record noise.

is there a website that lists which lp releases are from analog masters and which are digital? i get so frustrated shopping for new vinyl when i can't tell if i'm getting digital or analog... why don't they just put it on the record sleeve?!? at least all those new rolling stones lp's have "D I G I T A L M A S T E R" written across the back.

Don't completely pan Simply Vinyl yet.I love some of the analog titles and all are pressed on the very best vinyl.Try the Classic titles and the Telarc and Sundazed stuff is first-rate as well.

And what about 4MWB or Light in The Attic ?

Do they use digital source too ? Or the original analog source ?

Well, it's been 10 years since this post but I have to reply to this.

I received an e-mail direct from Simply Vinyl today after I wrote asking about thier recording and prssing processes.

Here is what I received:

 

Simply Vinyl is two things: a retailer of vinyl LPs in the market place from many, many labels; and also a label with releases of its own.

Our own releases on the Simply Vinyl label, which can be found under 'exclusives' on the website, are mastered using the best available audio masters at one of the finest vinyl manufacturing plants in the world - The Record Industry in The Netherlands, which combines modern technology with traditional machinery and incredible quality control and attention to detail.

There are currently only four LPs available on the Simply Vinyl label all on 180g vinyl. More are in production.

Simplyvinyl.com currently has around one thousand other LP titles for sale. I cannot give you any details about other labels production standards.

 

So don't think that all of the LPs on their site are analog or audiophile pressings, they are not.

 

Most LPs on Simply Vinyl website are NOT audiophile pressings. They are a retail seller of LPs of all sorts. Most are not produced/pressed by Simply Vinyl but are simply being sold by them. They range from standard pressings to high-quality audiophile grade pressings. So do your homework before spending $14.00 for shipping to the US from the UK.