45 RPM Remasterings

[Dave James]

I was just looking at some new vinyl offerings from Elusive Disc. They now have one of my all-time favorite albums, John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman, available on 45 RPM, 180 gram vinyl. At $60.00, I wouldn't exactly call this cheap. Can someone explain the advantages of remastering at 45 RPM versus the normal 33 1/3? Is this a gimmick or is there a demonstrable difference in the quality of the sound between a "normal" recording and one done like this?

If this has been discussed before, I apologize for re-threading. I couldn't find anything in the archives, but I confess to not looking that hard.

[Dan Gould]

Whether the difference is demonstrable or not probably depends on equipment, ears, and personal proclivity towards the disease that runs rampant on the Hoffman forum. But the concept is akin to the difference in sound between a reel to reel recorded at 7 1/2 ips or one recorded at 15: The slower the recording, the more information that must be packed into a limited space whereas at higher tape speeds the quality is better.

I bought Gene Harris Trio Plus One as an audiophile 45 RPM master on heavy vinyl. The CDR I created from it was indistinguishable from the original Concord CD. But maybe that was a function of my less-than-impressive TT.

[Teasing the Korean]

Yes, in theory it should sound better because it's spinning a little faster. Whether it sounds $60 better is another matter.

[Dave James]

Thanks Dan and TK. I think if this cost less I might go ahead and pull the trigger, but $60.00 is a lot to spend for a marginal improvement in sound. I have a pretty good TT, but I'm guessing you'd have to have one of those decks that run from $1,500 to infinity and a cartridge to match to make an appreciable difference. That won't be happening.

Edited February 24, 2010 by Dave James

[Man with the Golden Arm]

they appear to sound better as your elevated heart rate from getting up so many times increases your pleasure.

[RDK]

The 45s I've heard have sounded wonderful, but I'd bet it has more to do with the careful mastering these reissues are receiving on vinyl and the quality playback systems I'm hearing them on. Sure, the extra rpms help, but not that much imo, and it's a pain to get up and change sides every 8-10 minutes. But they do sound very very good.

[thelbc]

$60 a bit much....

they used to be $40/50....

what pressings of this title do you have?

i have a 3-4k set up bought used for 1.5k...

just about every 45 has been vastly superior to the 33...

if it's a title you really love...treat yourself...and check it out.

these guys do a good job.

sell it in a year for $99 if you don't like it...

anybody got an original? what do they go for these days? i see a BIN on ebay for

$250.00.

try to find an orig for $40...if not spring for the 45rpm.

i have 3 copies of this title...original...180 g and 200 g....

[Jay]

I have a Rega P3 and a Denon 60-L, which are below your $1500 threshold. These LP reissues (the Music Matters and ORG) sound superb on both. Who can find reasonably priced, Mint originals for less than $50-60 anyway? Besides, these arguably sound better. If you love the session that much, I'd say treat yourself.

Edited February 24, 2010 by Jay

[six string]

So far I've only bought one of these 45rpm albums. It was Out to Lunch (Dolphy) and the sound quality is really excellent. I have a Bluenote Liberty pressing already in near mint condition but this new one is leagues above it in SQ. Re:Coltrane/Harman album, I have an original pressing and a 180gm reissue from Impulse from the 90s along with a SACD of the album that has both the stereo and mono versions. I've never done a serious comparison between the three but if you wanted to save some money, try to find a copy of the SACD. It's a hybrid so you can still play it on a regular cd player but I only listen to the SACD layer so I don't know if the redbook layer is superior to the other digital versions available. I would imagine that the 45rpm SQ is to die for. For all the knocks he gets, he's good at his job.

[Claude]

I have many of the 45rpm pressings of Fantasy and Blue Note titles. I buy them mainly for the excellent mastering. When a SACD version is available (with similar mastering) I buy the SACD, which is my preferred format.

I don't think a "normal" 33rpm single LP version would sound significantly worse, but I guess those audiophile labels always have to include an extra feature which is visible to everyone and thereby justifies the high price even for those who are deaf: 45rpm double LP instead of one LP, gold CD instead of aluminium CD, etc