UHQR records

mantis

Well,
Here we go. I have the original Steeley Dan Can't Buy A Thrill. You can stream it as well. I also have the UHQR version of this record and now I can compare the digital version , the original release version and the UHQR version.

Man , the UHQR versions are a bit pricey but I think I'll save them for just special records. Honestly, I don't see myself buying tons of Records but buying Albums that are special to me only. So any UHQR versions that are dear to me, I'll fork out the cash. This will also make me want a higher end table, external Preamp, you know the rest of that story and where that all will go.

msg

I recognize Audiophilia Masochismia when I see it. Welcome! You'd be better off financially spending weekends with Charlie Sheen.

mantis

I hear yeah,
It's new to me, something to get excited about etc.

mantis

Ok,
So last night I did a full 3 way shootout. I used 2 different Turntables and an Apple TV4k as my streamer to listen to Steely Dan Lossless.

I used my Focal Chorus 826V's with Audioquest rocket 33's running a Niles SI2125 amp wired with Red River Analog interconnects. The preamp was my Integra DRX 4 running in Stereo so I can use my Velodyne DD10 Plus pair for the low end.
The Focal's are running in Small 80hz and tuned to the room.

Turntable is a Thorens TD-170 and a Sony Auto Drive model which is probably 30 years old. Works great.

Media was the UHQR record , an original release from the 70's and the lossless version from Apple
Music. The Album is Steely Dan "CAN'T BUY A THRILL". This is an excellent album and one of my favorites from Steely.

So I listened to the Streaming version first . I only played the first 2 songs only so I didn't get lost in the album and lose myself in my comparison. The very first thing I noticed was not the actual quality of the music but the speed. The streaming version plays slightly slower then either LP. I thought ok maybe my Thorens is playing it to fast and I have to adjust the speed. Then I decided to break out my 30 year old Sony just to compare the speeds and that table played both records exactly the same as the Thorens did. So I don't know why one media is playing this album faster or slower to the original speed, I don't have the CD or I would break that out and see what speed it played at.
But I sat and listened to "DO IT AGAIN" and DIRTY WORK " which are 2 of my old favorites from him.

SO once I got the baseline for how the Streaming sounded I put the original version LP on the Thorens and listened to those 2 songs about 3 times. My wife at this point is like " I know they are good songs , why not let the rest of the Album play out?" I had to inform her I was in Demo mode LOL.

Anyway the LP has a more forward upfront sound. It was actually more natural and detailed sounding. TO confirm , I tried my best to SYNC the 2 Medias to each other so I can go back and forth just by changing the input in real time. I was off my about 2 to 3 seconds but I was nice as I got a 3 second repeat which really allowed me to hear the small but forward differences.

So after I got use to the Original LP, I put the UHQR LP on. At first I thought something was really wrong, It played stupid slow and then I realized that I had to play it at 45 not 33. The record is very cool, it's clear.

Anyway, the UHQR I was expecting SACD to CD like differences, it's not. It's barely different at all. I'm sure some of you are thinking my system isn't revealing enough to hear the differences but on this very system, I can hear differences between CD Streaming and SACD of the same recording so I don't think it's that. The High end is where it was slightly different. There are chimes in these songs that stand out slightly more on the UHQR version. I couldn't fast swap them as records go, everting is slow to go. I didn't like that as I had to switch back and forth for about an hour to really find any real difference.

So really I'm not thinking the UHQR version of this Album is worth paying $150 for. If it was like $30-50 Maybe. I look back at when SACD came out and how that version was slightly more which is fine IF it sounded better or was in Multichannel. But for the exact same recording which no real benefits other then lets say 3% better, I don't find it worth it on my system and I love this Album.

tratliff

Flippity floppity….

Emlyn

There's a 180g pressing that was released last year for $30. Different vinyl and packaging but same master source. Hybrid SACD is also an optioin for $35. It would have to be something super special for me to spend $150 on one album but the subtle differences may be worth it on a high end system.

https://store.acousticsounds.com/d/171983/Steely_Dan-Cant_Buy_A_Thrill-180_Gram_Vinyl_Record

mantis

I think that is way more reasonable price for an album than $150.00.

Joey_V

I have not compared and contrasted a repress to a UHQR, I understand it is expensive so I choose my albums wisely (or the best I can). With my equipment, I can appreciate good sound. Whether I’m fooling myself, that’s a totally plausible story as well.

All I know is there is a difference in playback, whether it’s just at the stylus or the arm or the table. I have done enough comparisons to know that each unit matters prior to the phono stream. A record which is the source of all that is analog can make or break the reproduction quality. I just don’t know how much of that is to be gained by going UHQR.

mantis

Joey_V wrote: »

I have not compared and contrasted a repress to a UHQR, I understand it is expensive so I choose my albums wisely (or the best I can). With my equipment, I can appreciate good sound. Whether I’m fooling myself, that’s a totally plausible story as well.

All I know is there is a difference in playback, whether it’s just at the stylus or the arm or the table. I have done enough comparisons to know that each unit matters prior to the phono stream. A record which is the source of all that is analog can make or break the reproduction quality. I just don’t know how much of that is to be gained by going UHQR.

On my Entry level table , I didn't notice that much of a difference especially if you factor in the price. For $150 a record, I find that to be expensive. Maybe if you compare it to what we spend overall on our rigs, maybe it's not that bad especially if your selective about what you buy.

Keiko

I have yet to hear a UHQR or One Step pressing, but the reviews I've read have all been positive. I have heard that the DMM masterings can rival some of these pricier records, but I reserve judgment on that claim until I can A/B them for myself.

Emlyn

mantis wrote: »

On my Entry level table , I didn't notice that much of a difference especially if you factor in the price. For $150 a record, I find that to be expensive. Maybe if you compare it to what we spend overall on our rigs, maybe it's not that bad especially if your selective about what you buy.

The thing with some of these limited press runs of special LPs with the fancy packaging job is as soon as they go out of stock the secondhand market doubles the price. The drawback is the price is based on the item not having been opened. The packaging on the UHQR sets is special to look at.

mantis

Keiko wrote: »

I have yet to hear a UHQR or One Step pressing, but the reviews I've read have all been positive. I have heard that the DMM masterings can rival some of these pricier records, but I reserve judgment on that claim until I can A/B them for myself.

Over the decades of trying new formats, many times I have been pleasantly surprised on how good they can sound. What I also have noticed is when you get a good recording, it sounds good on all forms of media and it takes away from the higher end media's that are supposed to sound better. My current findings on this is the original Record of Steely Dan " Can't buy a Thrill". I compared 3 different media's and streaming was the worse one in lossless. According to what lossless is supposed to be is that what went in comes out. When you compare this recording compared to the original Vinyl, the Vinyl reviews more detail on the top end, has better forward sound in the mid range and has nicer warmer low extension.

Now when you compare these media's to this JVC UHQR , your expecting a SACD like jump up in performance. Now mind you , some will say my system isn't high end enough to hear the differences since I only have a $700 table with a stock cartridge but I would think I still should hear better performance. Well It was so small it was barely noticeable unless I really listened and then I could pick out a few things that seemed to sound slightly better.

My thinking now that I have lived with these medias for awhile now comparing back and forth, I don't see value in spending $150 on a single album. One of my deciding factors is when I use Streaming and really enjoy skipping around, being able to hear anything I want and it still sounded pretty damn good. When you get out of DEMO mode, these so small differences for me , don't matter at all. I really enjoy high quality sound but sometimes I find it mad to keep seeking better and better everything everywhere when I'm actually very happy with the performance I get now. Sure it's really fun exciting etc to tweak and all, but at the end of the day, I question money spent for such small differences. I much prefer to have larger differences.

mantis

Emlyn wrote: »

mantis wrote: »

On my Entry level table , I didn't notice that much of a difference especially if you factor in the price. For $150 a record, I find that to be expensive. Maybe if you compare it to what we spend overall on our rigs, maybe it's not that bad especially if your selective about what you buy.

The thing with some of these limited press runs of special LPs with the fancy packaging job is as soon as they go out of stock the secondhand market doubles the price. The drawback is the price is based on the item not having been opened. The packaging on the UHQR sets is special to look at.

It is, I agree to that. After going through the entire album and everything it comes with, I see some more value in it. But for me I think I might tap out as Vinyl is a lot of constant work . I'm still questioning getting involved in this part of our hobby.

msg

mantis wrote: »

On my Entry level table , I didn't notice that much of a difference especially if you factor in the price. For $150 a record, I find that to be expensive. Maybe if you compare it to what we spend overall on our rigs, maybe it's not that bad especially if your selective about what you buy.

It *is* a lot for a record, Dan, but whether it's worth it is up to you. As others have noted, I also came to the realization that I'd only be buying my favorite albums as vinyl records, and it took me two tries at re-entering vinyl to finally come full circle to that realization.

Overall, I think it's good to be aware of where you are and what your goals are when messing with turntables and records, otherwise you can wind up in limbo, down some meandering, directionless rabbit hole.

• Are you prepared to spend to explore as part of the fun? (I did this without being prepared. I don't recommend it, ha)
• Is there a budget?
• Building a system for vinyl resolution, or just for fun and involvement, nostalgia, or any other myriad benefits?

I went through the exploratory phase (go ahead @Hermitism, a lobber) to come to the realization that vinyl would never be a replacement for streaming for me, that I'd not be replacing my entire collection with records, but that exploration was expensive.

I've settled on my vinyl setup for the most part. It's not at all highly resolving. Instead, I've found myself spending money on extravagant accessories that I enjoy as part of the process, like an edge clamp and center clamp kit, for example, for coupling and addressing warps. This was a *huge* source of frustration, now resolved, and so it's a pleasure to use and worth the cost.

Bought all kinds of cleaning tools, too, to figure out in part what works best, and what fits me best and what I enjoy working with as part of the involvement. This is all stuff that I thoroughly enjoy as part of the process before I even listen, so I have no regrets there. I like playing where mechanics, logic, and process meet art and creativity. It's kinda like enjoying using a nice camera, lenses and software for refining photography, or nice tools for building engines or working on vehicles.

At my level of base gear, though, and with the mostly limited quality of the somewhat underground recordings I enjoy, it doesn't make sense for me to go much higher end. An audiophile cop out? Absolutely, but also valid, because I had to draw a line somewhere.

I'm using Technics 1200 tables with modest carts (carT for @jdjohn lol), and maybe one day I'll make the jump to something more beautiful to look at, but I have to admit, the driver would be more for just that - the aesthetics and love for beautiful machines, not for the expectation of huge refinement in the presentation. Would a $10k table, arm and cart combo make a difference? Probably some, but again, for me, not wise at this point due to the media limitations. A decision based on financial limit.

Back to media cost - I'll spend the UHQR kind of money or more on a very rare favorite maybe once or twice every year or two when I can find them, but other than, it's looking for deals on original presses because modern ones are a 50/50 crap shoot. Or $30 to $50 special quality represses to replace criminally horrible ones. Or accepting a crappy, noisy, accidentally-purchased-in-earlier-more-ignorant-days bootleg, likely made from a CD, just because it spins and is still fun.

joebass3

I contemplated buying the UHQR version of Jimi Hendrix - are you experienced, but settled on the 2014 version for a fraction of the price. I doubt I would hear any difference on my modest (low budget) vintage rig anyway.

msg

^^^ sweet setup!

jdjohn

Nice mixture of vintage gear!

Joey_V

Usually what I do is if I like the album enough to want to archive it, I’ll buy the one step or UHQR. I just close my eyes and press the buy button. Hurts but atleast I have peace of mind that I did the best I could.

Most of the time I do this a couple times during pay day. It reminds me of going to the toy store when I get my allowance as a kid.

jdjohn

A little late to the game here, but I recently popped on the Steely Dan Aja UHQR pressing from Acoustic Sounds, for $150.

My 'reference' vinyl version of Aja had previously been the CISCO pressing, but IMO, the UHQR version surpasses the CISCO. I have not compared either of those versions to an original 1977 ABC AA-1006 pressing, which I've read is very good, but I really like this UHQR pressing. Here is a link to a review on Analog Planet, comparing a few of these different pressings/versions: https://www.analogplanet.com/content/steely-dans-200g-45rpm-2lp-aja-pride-analogue-productions-uhqr-neighborhood

The Acoustic Sounds UHQR offerings have been somewhat limited, with more Steely Dan albums than anything else. I think most folks hoped for more offerings, but it is what it is. I will admit that I initially thought the 'clear' vinyl feature was a gimmick, and the 200gram weight But now, I think the omission of (black) carbon particles in the vinyl is a good thing. In the end, the clear vinyl may require more anti-static treatment, but I think I'm prepared for that, if that even turns-out to be an issue. The packaging for the UHQR issues is impressive, but bulky. I'm still not sure how I will store this.

Wardsweb

For me this latest UHQR of AJA is the best. More than the Cisco, more than an original pressing, more than the Geffen Japanese pressing, and I could go on but you get my point.

txcoastal1

@Wardsweb
Luther, Upgrade your TT or get a different one

Wardsweb

txcoastal1 wrote: »

@Wardsweb
Luther, Upgrade your TT or get a different one

Will one of these do? JVC, Pro-ject or Technics

pitdogg2

That's funny Luther!
Take your pick Ron 😝🤣

txcoastal1

Wardsweb wrote: »

txcoastal1 wrote: »

@Wardsweb
Luther, Upgrade your TT or get a different one

Will one of these do? JVC, Pro-ject or Technics

lol, I knew you had the Clear Audio, just didn’t recall the heavy platter

Wardsweb

txcoastal1 wrote: »

lol, I knew you had the Clear Audio, just didn’t recall the heavy platter

Not a problem, it's all good. Keep on spinning.

mikejedi0619

Very nice setup dude. ! I enjoy all of the Steely UHQRs I own

Aja
Can’t Buy a Thrill
Pretzel Logic

CBAT and AJA are awesome.

Pretzel not quite as good as those two but still pretty good. !

Also own A Love Supreme UHQR
and KOB UHQR

Imo ALSupreme is the best I have ever heard it on any piece of vinyl or anything else .. it’s that good !!
KOB is nice but my originals are very comparable.

Jimi Hendrix AYE UHQR quite well done but I haven’t heard an original to compare it too yet

These UHQRs overall are pretty awesome. To me the mastering and the vinyl itself seems to bring out a lot of nice details

My SL1200G and Denon DL301mkii is quite happy playing these