Vinyl - 180gm, 200gm, or ignore it?

[jldeni 439]

I love listening to my vinyl recordings. Most of the records I have are classic originals that I have owned since they were first released. Quality is variable, but most are very listenable. My question is, if I bought a recording on 180 or 200 gram vinyl, should I expect a superior product, or just the same results I'd get if I purchased a new pressing of "regular" weight vinyl?

 

There are likely a lot of variables - quality of the pressing, the original production, re-mastering quality, etc..., but, what I'm interested in are the results/opinions of people who have tried the products. Further, what I'm wondering about are the critical issues of sound quality and surface noise of the records as well as physical aspects such as warpage.

 

Any input?

 

 

[SteveFord 1,125]

From what I've been finding, the 180 and 200gm albums are usually remastered and it seems as if more care goes into the actual pressing.

The majority of them have very little surface noise and they're less likely to warp simply because there's more vinyl there.

Many people complain of skips in the new albums and I think I know what the deal is. 

As time progressed from the 70s-90s, albums kept getting progressively thinner as record companies began making them the cheapest way possible.  VTA (vertical tracking angle) and STA (stylus tracking angle) really didn't matter all that much.

With the 180 and 200gm albums, VTA and STA are very important.  Without adjusting the VTA, you will get skips as the stylus is cocked at an extreme angle so the actual needle is at a bizarro angle.

It's easy enough to check: get a strong light and a strong magnifying glass and take a look at the angle of the needle.  It should be sitting in the groove at 92 degrees (slightly tilted back from straight up and down). 

I have my VTA scale set at zero for thin (normal) albums, have to drop the arm 10mm for 180gm albums and 12mm for 200 gm albums.

Without doing that there's loads of surface noise and quite a few skips on brand new albums, especially on the inner tracks.

 

[jldeni 439]

Thanks for that feedback Steve. Like I said, most of my collection is standard weight, but I do have one vinyl record that I purchased on ebay that may be heavier weight vinyl. I've never been able to get my TT to track it properly - and it's the only one I've ever had a problem with. I'm beginning to understand why that might be the case.

 

Other opinions, etc, on heavy weight versus standard thickness are welcome. It's a real point of curiosity.

 

 

[dokblues 101]

Guy`s I have to pretty much concur with Steve`s findings. I have a number of 180 and 200 gram LP`s. These for the most part Do seem to be better and Carefully re-mastered. I have one dud in the bunch...but hey you can`t win them all. Most have been well worth the Extra expense. Some I have even found used in Excellent condition for Way cheaper than they Originally sold for.