Some questions about vinyl

You should be looking for many things.

Sometimes a perfectly good looking LP will have groove wear but the only way to spot this is by play grading it. Other problems include warping, mold and off-center pressings.

Aside from the physical, you may also want to do some research as not every pressing is created equal. Usually you can tell by the numbers/letters in the dead wax. These usually denote the mastering engineer or pressing number/plant.

Good luck and most importantly - have fun!

1. Condition. Just like you were going to buy a car or house or somesuch. Ask yourself, does it look like the previous owner took care of it? If not, there are usually more problems to be had and not worth your trouble. Dust and dirt and fingerprints and scratches etc. If all of the above are present and accounted for, just walk away. Cleaning a record can get rid of dust and dirt, but not scratches or the damage causes by mishandling or misplaying. Do you think that the person who gets fingerprints all on his vinyl is going to be taking special care with his stylus and turntable setup?
There no magic to it, although turning the album to the light, like you do with the cds, will help to see some scratches. The type of scratch does matter as the playing surface is a series of grooves, deeper scratches are trouble. They actually cut into the groove walls and can cause skips and jumps or unplayability. Light scratches or scuffs can be merely cosmetic.

2. Generally, the newer, heavy pressings are good quality. The labels are spending more on quality vinyl, and more of it, in a 180 or 200 gram release (usually even 2 discs) and they are being produced in far fewer numbers than in the past and sold to a niche, collector market that they Better be good. This type of vinyl is no longer just being mass produced by the hundreds of thousands for some pop bands that the average consumer won't remember in two weeks. Of course, this reflects in the high end prices on alot of these items. In the 70s and 80s, so many albums were being produced that shortcuts were taken. The vinyl pressing were super thin and many labels used recycled vinyl (i.e. scraps that got remelted) that even a brand new album tended to sound crummy.
Yes, like most things, a case by case judgement is called for. Most of those answers can be found online. (like whether a particular pressing is mastered well, or a better sounding press than the original, etc.)

3. Yes, some of the newer vinyl releases are even being pressed using the master from the cd. Here is a really good article that sorts through the variations. Mastering Vinyl | How to make vinyl records and what it takes to mix and master for vinyl music.

Is it "worth" it to buy vinyl over cds is a very personal decision. Some people rave about the sound quality, some about the resale value, and some about the size and heft and art quality or the experience that having to play an album gives you. For most people, they just want to hear something and the easiest way to do that is the default. For a while that was cds and now they can just go online. Albums create a commitment (size, storage, time, care) that most people do not care about or have the time for.

Feel free to send me a note if you have any more questions.

Mark

These answers matched your original post which seems to have been recently changed.

Yes. Mold usually looks white and is easy to spot. Sometimes a little green.

Warping: Put LP on platter and spin with hand. If the vinyl seems to warble, it's probably warped. Check by playing.

An off center pressing is an LP whole spindle hole was made off center, thus the record won't play properly and will cause groove distortion not to mention stylus wear.

Try the following:

www.SteveHoffman.tv

One of the joys of vinyl is that you go to antique stores, junk stores, thrift stores, and garage sales that are jammed with vinyl. A lot of it is deservedly forgettable, but you can find many stunning and surprising things. These might seem to have some scratches, or to be dirty, or moldy, or even slightly warped. But if the album and the artist look good, take the chance and spend the $.99 or the $2.99 or the $7.99 on the album. Clean it carefully: there are lots of techniques that involve nothing more exotic than decent quality paper towels and the Pepsi brand bottled water (which is discount, cheap, and *distilled*). Try the crazy impulse albums and don't be afraid to get rid of the rejects.

THEN, when you have a strong sense of which albums you are most stunned by, go check for the availability of master-tape based, heavy vinyl, half-speed reproductions. Just remember that the Golden Age of vinyl created a whole genre of music that was phenomenally-well produced to show off a system, but was garbage, forgettable music.

My records have been purchased from 1976 to the present time. Though out my learning process there has and still is a lot of chance. Now days I really only buy new records as I have all the used I could ever want. New is out there in numbers now. I have never seen so many 180 gram records. They make some major pressing mistakes now as it kind of has become a lost art. Even with that the quality is great. I love what has been out on sale in new LPs.

You can now get small portable players too, that if they are cool at the shop will let you use. This way you can demo the music too. If you have to use your eyes and hands look at the side for warp. You can spin a record on your index finger and when you get good at it much can be found. As you get more in touch with the labels you will learn which are thick deep and which thin. Sometimes a thick scratched record will sound perfect.. Some thin perfect looking records will sound like hell. Welcome to the record world.

If a record has been played with a bad needle or too much tracking or down force you may be in store for a let down when you get home and put it on your table. A cleaning machine can get the grime out which is the cause of so much noise. Your claim to ultimate winning is to buy from one collection where you know how the person was with their records and they only purchased new. One collection had tiny labels and holes drilled threw the disks but they all where hospital clean.

@ Bohemianism: Yes, if given the opportunity to purchase new vinyl for new releases, I'd choose that over a cd every time.

Give me a old LP over any remaster anyday on cd. I understand the step they now do not have to do when mixing down and that a cd remaster today is one step closer in the process line. The sound of LPs rule. So I have 4x more money in my LP setup than cd setup. Im sure the whole turntable way of playing music is rickety from some standpoints. LP just have better sound to me. I guess I need to try an expensive cd player or computer rig with a good DA converter?

most often, yes! I don't know what kind of music you listen to, or your system...but just get a TT. If you're on this site and asking this question, just do it. Go to a friend's who has a TT and sample a fave cd next to the vinyl version. Almost always, the vinyl kicks it. It's like a frozen pizza vs. your Italian grandma's homemade pie-kinda difference, if you've got a good pressing.

It depends. Sometimes the vinyl is clearly much better than the CD. Other times, the CD trounces the vinyl. It really varies. It all comes down to the source and who mastered them.

Vinyl is not capable of playing in the loudness wars category because of the way vinyl works. If it is too loud, then the needle will jump out of the groove.

However, some vinyl, like the RHCP's Californication is sourced from the CD master. When it comes to modern bands modern day releases, you really have to see who mastered it and if it's the same source or not. Some Neko Case vinyl albums and Feist albums are sourced from the CD masters as well. In some cases they sound worse than the CD.

All things being the same though, the vinyl will usually sound superior than the CD. Steve Hoffman has said that the next best thing to the master tape is the lacquer that is used to make vinyl. However, if you hate those pops, clicks and surface noise, then the CD is a great compromise followed by SACD. All you lose is a little bit of ambiance.

I would say to just jump in and get started on vinyl. It's cheap and you can usually find some nice turntables like a Technics B3 or SL-1200 rather cheap. Newer vinyl re-issues are pricey but you can find a ton of goodies for under $2.00 at your local thrift shops. Moreover, you'll find hundreds of vinyl albums that will never see the light of day on CD. Take the plunge. You'll be glad you did.