Do 45 rpm 12" LPs really sound better than 33 rpm?


Increasingly, one can buy 12-inch 45 rpm LPs. Theoretically, they provide a wider dynamic and frequency range, but I come across a strange effect... Yes, the bass strings seem to be tightened stronger, but in general ... Imagine you have two cars with a power of 250 hp, but one is equipped with an honest atmospheric V6 or V8, and the second has 2 liters turbo. 

Tell me, is it just my impression? Or maybe I need to change the cartridge or settings (for example, impedance) of the phono preamp?


128x128mishan
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I'll have to go along with "mikelavigne" and here's why: When I was a young man doing my thing in the lounges where a state of the art jukebox contained all the top jazz plus R&B hits that were all on 45, I recalled how good the music sounded; it was not one bit antiseptic or bleached, like in top home audio, but those 45's engrossed you in the emotion and meaning of the music; it communicated. Even today, I'm not satisfied until I have reproduced the nuances I recall.

Agree with Mike L...if all else is equal, the 45rpm will typically sound better. However, is all else is not equal, then all bets are off! As an example, i own several excellent Music Matters Blue Note reissues on the 45 and the 33 label. The 33 in many instances sounds better than the 45! The reason, is that Music Matters changed their studio/recording cabling when they did the 33 reissues, and to my ears, this made a significant and beneficial difference! Therefore, in this instance and with these particular pressings, the 33 sounds better than the 45 issue.

Now that I recall, the sound of the jukebox 45 was "always" superior to the 33 of the same record in the 60's; now we are comparing apples to apples, and not apples to oranges.

While there are two factors involved: the superiority of the jukebox rig, as opposed to the average home audio rig playing the 33, I am accounting for that; plus, keep in mind we are talking about only one cut off the 33 LP that was specifically pressed for the jukebox.

I'm positive there were cuts off "Kind of Blue" that were 45's made for the jukebox.
Perhaps there's a valid comparison to tape machines operating at different speeds. Higher tape speed means more 'headroom', as in more length of tape to enscribe the same signal. Likewise on vinyl  higher speed rotation and more space between the grooves means better dynamics. This usually results in more output, which subjectively sounds better if you don't compensate the volume setting. But I'm not entirely sure this really does translate to better sound quality at the exact same volume level.

To escape more inconclusive anecdotes, it might be interesting to compare the Music Matters Blue Note reissues. Their first series were on 2x45rpm, their recent issues are back to 33.3rpm. It seems reasonable to assume they initially made this choice in order to get as close as possible to the huge dynamics that the originals were famous for. It makes you wonder why they went back to 33.3rpm, but this may have been just a way to reduce cost.

I have a few titles, but not the same titles on both speeds. So I haven't been able to make a direct comparison myself. But with use of the same master tapes and mastering engineers on both these series, the comparison might yield more conclusive results.

For what it's worth, to my ears the 2x45rpm titles I own do NOT sound more dynamic than the ones I have on 33.3rpm. In this respect nothing compares to RVG's originals.