There are "normal" pressings of vinyl and then there are the audiophile releases, where the record label/artist attempt to provide the best possible media and audio material to the listener.
To get the best from this type of recording, you need VERY GOOD equipment in your audio system, beginning at the styli, the cartridge, the turntable, the preamp, the amp, speaker cabling and finally the speakers and after all that, the audio system environment is also critical. It's of no benefit to have an absolutely fantastic audio system but placed in a small room with multiple sound reflections etc - your music will always sound bad, no matter how great the source material is.
That is not to say "normal" vinyl is no good, but these audiophile releases have the potential to take the listener up to the next level in musical enjoyment.
My current setup is all about Dual, NAD and VIFA loudspeakers and sometimes I use my Tannoys for nearfield work - nothing too special but I can tell you with all honesty, this audiophile album release "jumps out" at you, the recording is extremely clean and seems to have a very wide dynamic range - the instruments that Steely Dan are playing sound like they have come alive!
Sure this vinyl is not cheap but it cost me a great deal more than this originally, its still a bargain for this release.
Original masters (analog) transferred by Soundworks Digital
This is a compilation release, songs taken from various albums (see details below) over the years 1975 - 1982, analog was the domain used so these recordings have been transferred to the digital domain for mastering by Mr Ludwig.
Digitally mastered by Bob Ludwig (Masterdisk)
Virgin vinyl used for the pressing (Teldec)
No, virgin vinyl is not a record personally handled by a virgin but instead is the highest grade, pure vinyl with very low impurities used in making vinyl records.
This usually sounds quieter with less clicks and pops than standard vinyl - subject to normal wear n tear. So although "virgin vinyl", to be truly better sounding it must also not have been mistreated or poorly handled.
Steely Dan - Gold
MCA Records
Cat# MCA 16016
1982
USA release
Cover is in very good condition, no front tears, edges have very light handling wear (normal), no writing.
Quality inner plastic sleeve
Vinyl is in very good - excellent condition, inspected under a white halogen light source I can see a couple of extremely light scratches on each side. I then played both sides, and listened very, very carefully. My goodness, what a fantastic album. So clean, so real - it really does sound quite unlike a "normal" vinyl release. I played both sides a number of times (fantastic music, I couldn't stop listening) and I heard maybe 1 or 2 very light clicks in total. Surface noise is very very low, very nice.
NOTE: The photograph I took has light patterns on the vinyl - I took those photographs outside, under a gumtree, the vinyl surface is so shiny that it acts like a mirror and reflects the gumtree into the image.
New outer protective plastic sleeve
TRACKS: Hey Nineteen, Green Earrings, Deacon Blues, Chain Lightning, FM, Black Cow, King Of The World, Babylon Sisters
The above songs originally appeared on the
following MCA or ABC albums:
Countdown To Ecstasy (MCA-37041)
Katy Lied (MCA-37043)
Royal Scam (MCA-37044)
Aja (AA-1006)
Gaucho (MCA-6102)
FM (MCA2-6900)
