Vintage vinyl or new reissues?

I'm with Pops. Very few, including the 45RPM reissues, are as nice as the originals.

I have about 3 dozen reissues and for the most part it was money I could have spent more wisely.

jazz is even worse
those original blue note deep groove lps are now all the collectors rage going for $300-$500 for mint copies
collectors are taking music lovers out of the equation on rarer jazz lps
the reissues are good but some high end dynamics have been lost on those old mastertapes over all the years

for rock - buy original first edition pressings from the country of orgin (generally U.S. or U.K.)
some Japanese copies are quite good
usually you can go to an artist discussion board website and ask on vinyl details

I agree with Pops completely. Hardly any reissues IME sound as good as the originals. True, the reissues are often quieter and they don't have the mistracking damage that the originals have often suffered. And you can buy them without having to leave the comfort of your home. But if we're talking only about sound quality, a clean original is nearly always better. There is a natural, effortless flow that so many recordings from the 50's and 60's possess, and it doesn't come through to the same degree in a reissue.

I know these are blanket statements but this has been my experience.

Dave

I second the notion that the 45s add a whole other element into the equation. All the ones I own are astounding if not always mastered to me liking.

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