Vinyl reissues quality

Have you noticed that it most often happens at the outer radius of the disc. I swear they don't leave the material in the press long enough to let the outer portion fully form in the stamper. Then it forms crystals instead of flowing properly and this causes that "rough road" for the first inch or so of inward play.

Even supposedly virgin vinyl is not very high quality these days. I read an article about a new pressing operation in New York City. They acknowledge that even the best vinyl stock they can find is quite inferior in quality to stock available in the heyday of vinyl. What they do is "regrind" the vinyl into a powder before using it to minimize the impact of impurities.

Experiencing the same; I stick with LPs pressed at RTI and Pallas in Germany; quality seems higher. Re done Dire Straits are good examples of what new pressings should sound like.

If one reads about the LP record production process from start to end, you end up amazed that any LP sounds acceptable. There are just a lot of points in the process for quality to deteriorate.

A lacquer coated metal master is cut, which is electroplated to form a negative, which in turn is used to make a new all metal mother, which then is electroplated again to make the negative stamper plates.

Impurities in the plating chemicals, dust, or sloppy handling at any stage can cause noise in the stamped record.

Stampers can also be used past their prime. Stampers also do not typically fail instantaneously, so LPs made toward the end of the stamper's life will not be quite as pristine as those made at the start even if stampers are replaced on schedule.

And, as others noted, the quality of vinyl is also an issue. There is good quality vinyl available, but like any other business, some companies will put quality control second to cost factors.