'Time Out' 45 rpm from AP -- so disappointing

GreatTone

Super Member
I received the Analogue Productions 45 rpm reissue of Dave Brubeck's "Time Out" this weekend, and it was very disappointing. Both discs were badly dished, and disc 1 was pressed off center so there is a lot (a whole lot) of wow. The piano warbling in and out of tune is not what one expects for $50. Also, after spending untold hours getting the azimuth right on a cart, to put a bowl-shaped record on the platter kind of defeats the purpose.

It's nice that AP is at least making an effort to step up their game with the gate-fold jacket, yet it still doesn't have quite the printing quality and graphics reproduction of Music Matters. The colors on the iconic cover are kind of washed out looking, and the inner photos are lower resolution than you would expect.

In the same order from Acoustic Sounds, I received the "Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson" reissue, also from AP, also on 45 rpm. Same thing -- both discs badly dished, one pressed off center. And with the cover they didn't even try, falling back to the horrible single sleeve that has marred so many of their "high-end" reissues -- very thin stock printed on directly (no tip on), poorly glued, barely able to hold the 2 discs. It's just heavy paper stock, not even cardboard. Cover graphics pretty horrible -- grainy and looking like a bad scan job. For $50 it's completely unacceptable, insulting even. Weird also that the Getz/Gilberto reissue from the same Verve series gets the nice gatefold.

So I'll be returning both of these. I'm not sure if I'll try for replacements or just get a refund.
 
That's interesting. I was just about to place an order with a couple of AP's. Sorry you got some junkers.
 
That's a shame. I thought that AP pressed at their own Kansas factory, which is supposed to be state of the art.

Fortunately the Legacy CD of "Time Out" sounds particularly excellent (especially on a player that can decode HDCD) and original 6-eye pressings are plentiful and cheap in both mono and stereo.
 
That's a shame. I thought that AP pressed at their own Kansas factory, which is supposed to be state of the art.

Fortunately the Legacy CD of "Time Out" sounds particularly excellent (especially on a player that can decode HDCD) and original 6-eye pressings are plentiful and cheap in both mono and stereo.

Yes, their Quality Record Pressings plant is in-house, but I have found it to be only marginally more consistent than when they used RTI. When you get a good one, though, it's very good, but getting there can be very frustrating. I haven't received any QRP records with deep scratches or covered in greasy fingerprints the way some RTI and Pallas records have arrived though, so I guess that is progress.
 
i've read alot about them. i'd send it back and tell them they need to induce some sort of quality control. they claim to be the best...
 
In other news, my AP Waltz for Debby sounds weird on headphones.


Ben aka MacKat
 
"Dusty In Memphis" Off center and warped. Looked to me that it was pulled out of the stamper while still hot.
I have a Mile Davis on AP that has always been fairly noisy. Also have one of their CCR "test pressings" that isn't anything to write home about either. My old Fantasy 45's sound better.
 
"Dusty In Memphis" Off center and warped. Looked to me that it was pulled out of the stamper while still hot.
I have a Mile Davis on AP that has always been fairly noisy. Also have one of their CCR "test pressings" that isn't anything to write home about either. My old Fantasy 45's sound better.

That stinks. I had to return both discs from Dusty in Memphis -- terribly warped and noisy. The replacements were good though, but it's really not an audiophile recording to begin with, so I don't listen to it much. I also got the QRP-pressed Stravinsky, and it's way too noisy. The only ones that have been good first time are the Getz/Gilberto (a present from my wife) 45 rpm reissue and the Shelby Lynne album. The Shelby Lynne is stunning, I must admit.

I thought the fabulous QRP was supposed to fix all these problems with their super high tech plant. I've never understood how a record could be pressed off center to begin with. Would an operator really mis-align a stamper before pressing 1000 copies? How is that even possible?
 
Is it normal for off-center discs to sound more out of tune the closer to the center you get? That definitely happened with that Time Out disc. Makes sense, since the eccentricity happens more frequently toward the center (?)...

I've been buying albums since the 1970s, and I've actually never had an off-center disc before.
 
It just sounds exaggerated, the audience doesn't bug me. Like the tone controls are all the way up.


Ben aka MacKat
 
It just sounds exaggerated, the audience doesn't bug me. Like the tone controls are all the way up.


Ben aka MacKat

I can see/hear that even w/o the headphones. The recording always strikes me as a muted recording that was goosed a bit too much to bring out the detail. I'm guessing that's on the original and not the fault of AP.

I love Bill's playing on "Debby," so for me it is essential (the recording and not necessarily the AP version).
 
The off-center thing is just pure sloppiness. Either the stamper wasn't secured properly or it was just inserted into place half-assed.
No excuse for it on high dollar pressings.
 
I really love Sunday at the Village Vanguard, which is from the same concerts as Waltz for Debbie. I have the OJC version, which sounds really good, but the sound is a little weird, specifically the drums, which are spread so wide it's just strange. But it's still a great sounding record, and one of my favorite Bill Evans records.
 
The off-center thing is just pure sloppiness. The stamper isn't secured properly or was just inserted into place half-assed.
No excuse for it on high dollar pressings.

I couldn't agree more. No excuse for that one.
 
I can see/hear that even w/o the headphones. The recording always strikes me as a muted recording that was goosed a bit too much to bring out the detail. I'm guessing that's on the original and not the fault of AP.

I love Bill's playing on "Debby," so for me it is essential (the recording and not necessarily the AP version).

Hmmm...possibly, but the iTunes preview sounds fine to me. I wonder.


Ben aka MacKat
 
Anyone on the Shelby Lynne AP LP? I want to get it but not if it's bad. Fremer likes it.
 
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