Blk plastic Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 (edited) I would like to hear from other members regarding your experiences.Is it unreasonable to expect new lp's to be pressed dead flat? It seems to me pressing plants feel 2mm outer edge sitting off the plater is ok. I disagree with this,flat should be FLAT, both sides. As much as I realise the whole problems with 180grm records thing has been done to death, it is with these that I take issue. How warped is too warped? If it doesn't affect the sound, does that make it ok? Buying new box sets has become a bit of a lottery these days, and that is concerning, particularly with some of the prices being charged. Cheers. Edited April 25, 2014 by Blk plastic2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krispy Audio Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I wonder where in the chain it becomes warped? I had assumed it to be between manufacturer and consumer (i.e. in shipping) rather than being pressed that way….. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal beat Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 (edited) What you are describing is dishing. This is generally a quality control issue at the factory. They are not allowing the adequate time for the vinyl to cool. Dishing is easy to fix. Buy a vinylflat and flatten the lp. Or buy a professional lp flattener. I probably flatten one in five 180gm vinyl due to dishing to some degree. Otherwise you may spend months waiting for replacements that may never be flat. Edited April 25, 2014 by turntable 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blk plastic Posted April 25, 2014 Author Share Posted April 25, 2014 (edited) Krispy, I'm referring to The Beatles Remasters EU pressing. So far 5 out of 6 are warped.They come individually shrink wrapped. I think the fault lies right there. Shrink wrapping is an abomination. These sets have been sitting in god knows what kind of climate conditions since 2012.I was hoping they would turn up in resealable outers like the mono cd box.Trying to decide my next move. I'll play the rest and see.Sound quality has been good besides the odd bit of static.Some mild surface noise between a couple of tracks on certain lp's.The thing is sending them back, there's no guarantee the next lot won't be as bad or worse. Turntable, I hear ya, I've just spent heaps on this box, now I've got to buy a flattener. Who sells those and where does it end? Edited April 25, 2014 by Blk plastic2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal beat Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Bill http://www.vinylflat.com. there is a thread here on a group buy, not sure if it has happened yet - organised by Candyflip. Shrink wrapping vinyl while it is still cooling to me sounds like a recipe for dishing. Did you get the Euro box set or individual LP's? I don't recall any issues with my box and don't think they were shrink wrapped - can't remember thou. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blk plastic Posted April 25, 2014 Author Share Posted April 25, 2014 I got the Euro box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidsss Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I find so many more new records are dished these days. It is a pain and I have no faith that flattening them will not alter the grooves. I suppose I just live with it although a record clamp helps a lot with dished records. DS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal beat Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Hi David If the lp is just dished, flattening works extremely well as the grooves are not deformed. However if the lp is warped, especially if it happens in one area, that can be problematic Bottom line. If the lp plays fine on the table even if dished/ warped, flattening will not harm it. Except GZ vinyl as the vinyl formulation is softer than normal and lp can almost fry and end up worse. I do not flatten GZ pressed vinyl, always ask for a replacement. Hate GZ pressings 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blk plastic Posted April 27, 2014 Author Share Posted April 27, 2014 So the question is do I live with the dishing on a $500 box set? The agitator in me says "this is rubbish and shouldn't be tolerated". The policeman in me says" they play fine ,the next lot could be worse".I am a bit sceptical about using what really amounts to a sandwich press to flatten brand new records for fear of making them worse,and then there's the added expense of buying the flattener. There seems to be many issues with this box set reported on line globally. The problem is returning them involves a 2 hour drive and then all the hooha that comes with trying to park in the Sydney CBD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gee Emm Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 If you are buying 'over the counter', in future, you could do what davidsss has suggested previously. Only buy them if you can verify they are flat at the time of purchase. Doesn't help you now, but... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal beat Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 99% of the issues with the Beatles box set have been the Rainbo US pressed vinyl. The Optimal Euro pressings have been seen as excellent. Sounds like you have been unlucky. Send it back and get a replacement, or a refund. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blk plastic Posted April 27, 2014 Author Share Posted April 27, 2014 If you are buying 'over the counter', in future, you could do what davidsss has suggested previously. Only buy them if you can verify they are flat at the time of purchase. Doesn't help you now, but... Doing that with a box of this magnitude would surely test the patience of any retailer/counter staff.But yes, I take your point. 99% of the issues with the Beatles box set have been the Rainbo US pressed vinyl. The Optimal Euro pressings have been seen as excellent. Sounds like you have been unlucky. Send it back and get a replacement, or a refund. I've read a stack of stuff regarding the US version and it's mostly bad. I'm going to give the guys at the store a call tomorrow and see what we can work out. Still, it's disheartening,primarily because of the distances involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidsss Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 It sure sucks that you have to check new records when purchasing. Dished and warped records just shouldn't be on the market. If you return it I suggest you complain directly to the record company, in fact you should just do that anyway. DS 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tubularbells Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 When I first started buying vinyl in the early 80's I never had an issue of warped LP's. Out of the 100s purchased I can only recall returning 1 (bad pressing where the needle couldn't track the groove) Obviously somethings changed since then as these days im always holding my breath when unwrapping any new vinyl as its such a crap-shoot... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hergest Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 Obviously somethings changed since then... 180, 200 and 220 gram records is what's changed. I too would rarely have a faulty record. Those that were faulty would be something like a label accidently stuck on the playing surface or where the stylus would jump over the first minute of the record but really they were 1 in 300 or so. A warped lp, especially dish warped just didn't happen. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal beat Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 180, 200 and 220 gram records is what's changed. I too would rarely have a faulty record. Those that were faulty would be something like a label accidently stuck on the playing surface or where the stylus would jump over the first minute of the record but really they were 1 in 300 or so. A warped lp, especially dish warped just didn't happen. 180gm vinyl suks. Gimme 120gm vinyl anyday. The cutting lathe certainly does not care about the thickness of the vinyl. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blk plastic Posted April 27, 2014 Author Share Posted April 27, 2014 When I first started buying vinyl in the early 80's I never had an issue of warped LP's. Out of the 100s purchased I can only recall returning 1 (bad pressing where the needle couldn't track the groove) Obviously somethings changed since then as these days im always holding my breath when unwrapping any new vinyl as its such a crap-shoot... Exactly! It's such a lottery buying big lp box sets these days.At this price point though,the entire box being either dished or warped is unacceptable.I'm going to return it.Not so keen on another one now. The fact that it was every album and not just the odd one has really put me off this set.It's also a 2 hour trip each way into the city which makes it a pain.I will also be voicing my disappointment with the record company as David suggested.It's got to be the cooling time /quick shrink wrap process. There's got to be a better way than shrink wrapping. I guess I'll simply enjoy the stereo and mono cd boxes. They were both stunningly presented. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David.M Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Except GZ vinyl as the vinyl formulation is softer than normal and lp can almost fry and end up worse. I do not flatten GZ pressed vinyl, always ask for a replacement. Hate GZ pressings l wasn't aware of this, good to know. I have though successfully flattened several GZ pressings over the last few months in the Vinyl Flat, I think they went in for 3.5hrs, I'll make sure to be extra careful with them in future. One thing I've found with just about all GZ pressings is they look like sh#t under my LED tt lamp but actually play quiet, which is all that really matters I guess. Blk plastic2, get yourself a Vinyl Flat/Groovy pouch and you'll no longer stress about receiving warped LPs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blk plastic Posted April 28, 2014 Author Share Posted April 28, 2014 (edited) Sorry guys, having to buy a device to fix a problem with a new product doesn't sit well with me. It's the principle of the thing. Box returned, money refunded, problem solved.At store level I was told it was within tolerance,well the thing is on an acrylic platter with no mat these records were unplayable.Suffice to say the world ain't what it used to be,and in future I'll be thoroughly checking every aspect of any box set before purchase. Cheers Edited April 29, 2014 by Blk plastic2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts