Is the Vinyl better ?

sSickmann · April 19

I actually love these songs so much, but my ear can't listen to the mixes I have got (deluxe CD edition) .. The parts are all fighting each other for space and cut each other out .. I noted this the first time when I heard the first single .. I was hoping I was wrong, but I can't take it. It's giving me the sensation of being ill.

Can anyone tell me that if I buy a turntable and the vinyl version will it sound any better?

Lifted · April 19

The Dolby atmos version seems to be the way to best listen to it. I think Apple music has it. I use Amazon. I haven't gotten the vinyl yet, but I've heard it doesn't sound great. Unfortunately it seems that this recording needs the right tools to hear it properly, and if you don't have the right tools it's not going to sound great. If you do, it sounds fantastic.

JG108535 · April 19

Sounds Tinny and Muddy at the same time.
Weird mix.
Miss that warm PJ!

New PJ albums always make me miss old PJ even more. The lead up is always exciting...like is this the one that they bring it back? Nope. That era is over.

Tim Simmons · April 19

I see the tri colors are pressed as CZ (Pass). I believe the US pressings are at Furnace (which is fine).

RC74272 · April 19

Lifted said:

The Dolby atmos version seems to be the way to best listen to it. I think Apple music has it. I use Amazon. I haven't gotten the vinyl yet, but I've heard it doesn't sound great. Unfortunately it seems that this recording needs the right tools to hear it properly, and if you don't have the right tools it's not going to sound great. If you do, it sounds fantastic.

^ This is my experience of it. I have the black vinyl, cd, blu ray and Amazon Atmos stream. Haven’t had chance to listen to the Blu-ray yet but the stream (thru decent headphones with the volume upped) sounds great. My vinyl arrived on Thursday so have a few spins already and it’s pretty harsh and flat, somewhat fatiguing to listen to in fact particularly when the band are on full throttle around Mike’s outro solos. Gigaton was pretty lush on vinyl.

tylerj · April 19

According to the fine folks at the Steve Hoffman forums, this is the most compressed, lowest dynamic range the band has ever put out. "Modern" production for ya!

BloodMeridian80 · April 19

tylerj said:

According to the fine folks at the Steve Hoffman forums, this is the most compressed, lowest dynamic range the band has ever put out. "Modern" production for ya!

This is very disappointing to hear. As others have pointed out, Gigaton was a step in the right direction as far as vinyl sound. Given their love of vinyl, I don't understand how they don't ensure a high quality product.

tylerj · April 19

BloodMeridian80 said:

tylerj said:

According to the fine folks at the Steve Hoffman forums, this is the most compressed, lowest dynamic range the band has ever put out. "Modern" production for ya!

This is very disappointing to hear. As others have pointed out, Gigaton was a step in the right direction as far as vinyl sound. Given their love of vinyl, I don't understand how they don't ensure a high quality product.

It's even more bewildering after reissuing Yield and VS in such a great way.

bicyclejoe · April 19

They compressed the heck out of this album. It sounds horrible. It’s very fatiguing. To my ears, the Atmos mix is the way to go.

mvw · April 19

It’s a shame the theater experience seemed to have it set up wrong in a lot of places or didn’t even have Atmos. I’ve been listening to the Atmos mix at home on my home theater system and it sounds incredible! Atmos is definitely how this album was meant to be heard. The difference is night and day.

Choska · April 19

I prefer the vinyl version, tbh.

mfc2006 · April 19

Vinyl sounds amazing to my ears

Showbiz78 · April 20

Is the 10C vinyl coming with a digital download and if so does anyone know which type/version of the digital album?

PJ_Soul · April 20

Lifted said:

The Dolby atmos version seems to be the way to best listen to it. I think Apple music has it. I use Amazon. I haven't gotten the vinyl yet, but I've heard it doesn't sound great. Unfortunately it seems that this recording needs the right tools to hear it properly, and if you don't have the right tools it's not going to sound great. If you do, it sounds fantastic.

I am not up on versions at all, but I can confirm that it sounds a lot better on Amazon Music than it does on Spotify, which I find really surprising.

mvw · April 20

Showbiz78 said:

Is the 10C vinyl coming with a digital download and if so does anyone know which type/version of the digital album?

Yes. I received an email last night with the download from 10C.

Lifted · April 20

PJ_Soul said:

Lifted said:

The Dolby atmos version seems to be the way to best listen to it. I think Apple music has it. I use Amazon. I haven't gotten the vinyl yet, but I've heard it doesn't sound great. Unfortunately it seems that this recording needs the right tools to hear it properly, and if you don't have the right tools it's not going to sound great. If you do, it sounds fantastic.

I am not up on versions at all, but I can confirm that it sounds a lot better on Amazon Music than it does on Spotify, which I find really surprising.

That's not surprising at all really. I use spotify and Amazon music....Amazon music presents the highest audio quality for their unlimited customers. Spotify is compressed and doesn't offer any high fidelity options. The only reason I use spotify more is because the Amazon app sucks and doesn't really even work in my car unless I connect via blutooth.

sSickmann · April 20

Lifted said:

The Dolby atmos version seems to be the way to best listen to it. I think Apple music has it. I use Amazon. I haven't gotten the vinyl yet, but I've heard it doesn't sound great. Unfortunately it seems that this recording needs the right tools to hear it properly, and if you don't have the right tools it's not going to sound great. If you do, it sounds fantastic.

Thank you .. I have given that one another go and experimented how to properly use my equipment .. Finally I can listen to it without retching!!!

DC29940 · April 20

mvw said:

Showbiz78 said:

Is the 10C vinyl coming with a digital download and if so does anyone know which type/version of the digital album?

Yes. I received an email last night with the download from 10C.

The ALAC sounds so good! Way better than regular MP3s, which I know is the point, but really impressed by how much better.

darthvedder · April 20

This thread makes me feel a whole lot better. I bought the HDTracks Hi-Res download and couldn't believe how bad the mix was. The production is downright criminal on this album. They want us to play it loud? I had to turn the volume way down just to stand it.

AA295481 · April 20

Showbiz78 said:

Is the 10C vinyl coming with a digital download and if so does anyone know which type/version of the digital album?

I have bought other albums by other artists, sometimes they include a download of the vinyl on "we are vinyl" , you go to a site , enter the code and you can download the vinyl version.Not sure if its in the new album or not, some artists do it, others don't

sSickmann · April 20

darthvedder said:

This thread makes me feel a whole lot better. I bought the HDTracks Hi-Res download and couldn't believe how bad the mix was. The production is downright criminal on this album. They want us to play it loud? I had to turn the volume way down just to stand it.

Yep I agree

beano.79 · April 20

darthvedder said:

This thread makes me feel a whole lot better. I bought the HDTracks Hi-Res download and couldn't believe how bad the mix was. The production is downright criminal on this album. They want us to play it loud? I had to turn the volume way down just to stand it.

I agree, I listened to the vinyl loud for my first listen, the song I like most (Stevie) sounds the worst, that snare! And squeezed the life out of the bass on that track.

I listened again when the Family were upstairs, quietly this time and it sounded better!

pjpjpaul · April 20

The band opted for a producer they knew used a lot of compression on his work and who uses digital means of recording. This is not inherently a bad thing given that they did so to save time and capture that lightning in a bottle energy together in the same room but it does so at the expense of the analog warmth and the dynamic range our ears grew accustomed to with earlier PJ records. Part of the issue with modern music is that it has to be mastered in such a manner that it can be played back on multiple analog and digital formats. And while less dynamic range and more compression may help our speakers and headphones by keeping them from extreme sounds on the spectrum, it unfortunately also takes some of the magic and life out of the sound. I’m not knocking the band for using Andrew as a producer because I love Dark Matter and I’m glad he was able to get what he got out of the band. But at the same time, the end result of the sound is a modern trade off we have to live with. I’d love it if they went back to all analog with a more dynamic sound but that’s just not feasible for the band these days when they can just go in with Andrew and knock out a record in a much shorter time and still sell a bunch of copies why would they labor for months when it could only take a few weeks? They can save that energy for touring and family now.

chicagojammer06 · April 20

Im digging the new album but it’s pretty harsh listening on my dac/amp planar setup. Speakers not so bad but I got a newborn in the house so my head fi setup is my only option. It’s too bad, some tracks are worse than others, Waiting for Stevie is particularly harsh and that’s one of my favorite tracks. This reminds me of the Metallica St. Anger album.

edit… ok not as bad as St. Anger after I loaded that up lol

covered in bliss · April 20

sSickmann said:

I actually love these songs so much, but my ear can't listen to the mixes I have got (deluxe CD edition) .. The parts are all fighting each other for space and cut each other out .. I noted this the first time when I heard the first single .. I was hoping I was wrong, but I can't take it. It's giving me the sensation of being ill.

Can anyone tell me that if I buy a turntable and the vinyl version will it sound any better?

Thank you for asking this! I'm going to try an mp3 download. Music is 👌. Very exciting times!

Benz · April 20

It is really sad that such a beautiful album is mixed that badly. I cannot understand how this can happen.
I have played it to some friends and family and they all agree that it sounds really bad.
I have the Vinyl, CD and Atmos Apple Masters version. Only Atmos is OK but not great.
Here is me hoping for a remastered/remixed reissue 1 day after the release.

WhyNotSweden · April 20

Tim Simmons said:

I see the tri colors are pressed as CZ (Pass). I believe the US pressings are at Furnace (which is fine).

My RSD was pressed in CZ as well

Tim Simmons · April 20

Got a Chicago Cubs copy.

woof.

Sounds thin. Has all the hallmarks of a non MOV CZ pressing. bummer.

bicyclejoe · April 20

I'm listening to the RDS vinyl. Yes, it is better than the high-res digital mix. The mastering and mix seem to be better on the vinyl.

tylerj · April 20

Got the standard black vinyl pressed by Furnace. They did a good job. Flat and quiet.

But the mix and mastering are lifeless. Wreckage, and more quieter songs, are better but whenever all three guitars are going big it's a wall of flat sound.

This was mixed by Serban Ghenea, who does Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato and other big pop stars. Why PJ picked this guy to mix a rock record, I'll never understand.

Big step backwards after the Vault Series and recent VS and Yield reissues, which all blow this out the water.

Haven't listened to the Atmos Blu Ray yet.

mookeywrench · April 20

48 minutes on a single LP won't do it any favors.

Is the Vinyl better ?

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