[Aman]

Hey guys,

I am listening to Yes - Close to the Edge as we speak (the vinyl).

I am noticing a lot of distortion in the uppers - with the organ and the group singing at the end of the first side.

Is this normal for this album, because I do not hear this on other records. This is simply a Yes - Close To The Edge problem, not even other Yes albums have this issue.

Is this album just not mastered well for Vinyl? The MP3 version I listened to didn't have this problem.

Are others experiencing this? The record is Near Mint quality, so quality and scratches and such should be disregarded, as there are hardly any scratches on the record. It was also cleaned quite well

Any ideas? TIA!

 

[Publius]

Allegedly vinyl has a notably worse response at 33rpm on the inner groves. Some crazy ideas: a) this was a late pressing and the treble got attenuated; b) to compensate for a), the treble towards the end was boosted, raising distortion in the process; c) the vinyl is of inferior composition or otherwise has not aged well; d) really bad mastering.

 

[Aman]

The album was made in 1972, so it shouldn't have been part of that dreadful 1975-1980 phase where LPs didn't sound good

What I also noticed is that the distortion also happens in the second side, right near the same place where it starts on the first side. Is possible that there is something wrong with the vinyl, but only in that specific part?

What gets me is that the problem starts VERY close at the same times. However, both sides also end very similarly, with lots of group singing and lots of bright instruments playing together.

I tried adjusting the weight and tracking on my TT a little more accurately, but this didn't help at all in this regard.

 

[goldenear]

My album plays without distortion all the way through and mine is a 1st pressing so its more likely the previous owner or owners played the album on an inferior player and or needle. Could also be improper tracking,bias or needle placement setting. I've heard of the later being hard on the inside grooves.

 

[fyrfytrhoges]

www.stevehoffman.tv

a great resource for vinyl and any other music questions you have.

a HUGE number of very knowledgeable people, a large majority are older and they really know what theyre talking about. id go there and do a search, if you dont get the answer that way, just start a thread and ask the question, id be willing to bet that at least 10 people will be able to answer the question and theyll back it up with facts, figures, dead wax numbers, etc.

give it a shot...