Does 180gram vinyl matter?
Spiritual_Chaos
Posts: 30,567
With the decision by Mondo to stop releasing vinyl on 180 gram --
-- Does the gram matter?
We’ll also switching to 140 Gram vinyl wherever possible. There are several reasons for this, but the main ones are that it uses less plastic (obviously), but also that the majority of the presses used to this day are still optimized for 140 Gram. The industry pivoted toward 180 Gram for collectability, when vinyl was struggling, and it stuck. But, after chatting with our production partners, we believe that good mastering is the basis for a solid record ... and not the weight of the vinyl it is pressed on. (Some us long-term collectors still have 100 Gram vinyl from the 80's that sounds great!)
-- Does the gram matter?
"Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
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There are no kings inside the gates of eden
Durability and less warping yes. If it’s not warped then I suppose you can make a sound quality argument
does it really use less plastic if I have to replace it more often?
Durability - Yes
Decreasing Wow & Flutter - Yes
To me, what's more important is the source (preferably analog, of course), lacquer mastering vs direct metal mastering (DMM) (I prefer lacquer masterings), and quality of materials and production. I've had 180 and 200 gram vinyl that sounds like crap. My honest opinion is that weight is lower on the totem pole.
-Eddie Vedder, "Smile"
Then again I've only ever had 1 records (original pressing of down on the upside) that warped to the point it would send the needle up inthe air.. lol. So even with thin records it hasn't been that big an issue in my collection.
Isn’t PJ self titled reissue 180? I had several copies warped to the point of being unplayable (LP 2) then I figured out how to flatten them
the only downside to the increased durability is they are harder to flatten. If they are packaged badly (with thick booklets/tight shrink) I’ve found it still happens. Probably less frequently though
I usually just flatten anything that isn’t perfectly flat now
-- is 180 gram or not a factor when you decide to buy a LP? Or isn't that a factor in the end o f you picking it up?
I've heard that a lot, especially on the Hoffman music forums. And that surprised me because I have a few older (mostly 80's) mildly dish-warped LPs that are standard 140 gram, but I don't think I've ever had a warped 200 gram LP. I must be very lucky that way.
Yeah, I have a couple. Seems like overkill to me.
-Eddie Vedder, "Smile"
RUSH's reissues are 200 gram slabs
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not a factor at all. The weight of a record has never impacted my decision on whether I'd buy an album or not, and in my experience, it makes no difference in terms of sound - some lightweight records sound spectacular, especially from the old days.