Live Audiophile Roundtable: News, Picks and thoughts on the One-Step process - worth the $?

[@CraigJ-NZ]

That's the love for Weezer Blue 30th I was expecting 💙💙!! Then to follow up with Rage S/T (which I obtained late last year also) is a great double header. Great show, glad to have you respond to your viewers so actively. Keep up the great work!

[@stevewestman7774]

Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@latheofheaven]

And YES, it is extremely rare and almost never happens, but yes, this time Patrick is right... ... about the first Ambrosia album... 😁 It is a fantastic album that really kicks some serious @ss! The reason I have it is due to Patrick recommending it.

[@stevewestman7774]

I have the Ambrosia self titled. Great album. I did suggest it for the Rhino Hi-Fi Series. Maybe the Rhino reserve label? Will ask again.

[@MrLovell1971]

Great episode Steve that Kevin Gray was so cool to listen to on his take on One Steps . Steve great Rage find I have that same pressing it sounds amazing . Tim found that White label Led Zep that was a killer price I’ve never seen a white label cool stuff . I can’t wait to hear Patrick review on the AP Yes .I enjoyed the talk .

[@stevewestman7774]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@latheofheaven]

Very nice find Steve on that Rage album! FWIW, the recent S/T and Battle for Los Angeles releases sound pretty damn good on my system. Extremely dynamic, if they are from digital sources they are among the very best I've ever heard.

[@stevewestman7774]

Great album. This OG just sizzles.

[@AeroModule]

The only way to settle* this is have somebody cut a one-step lacquer and also do the normal process at the same time, with the same mastering. Then press them at the same place at the same time on the same vinyl formulation. Then compare. My guess is that nobody could tell the difference. Sure, if you enjoy the one-step, then good. But I do think there is a problem, and it's audiophile snakeoil. They can charge more for these records for the perception that they're better, and that drives up vinyl prices. * - yes I know it would not actually settle it 😁

[@stevewestman7774]

Kevin did this with 6 other engineers in the room years ago as we heard in the interview. The 3 step process sounded better.

[@Jeemo51]

Very interesting conversation about the Cure album Steve. I have the single version and because I live in the UK I bought the double album half speed mastered version. It is better but not hugely so. I then noticed on the single album hype sticker that it is made form 'BIO-VINYL'. According to Discogs the double album is made from 'BIO-PLASTIC' ! Any thought about that from you and your colleagues? Was the test pressing you got from Miles made from normal vinyl? Great show as always though Steve

[@stevewestman7774]

Yes. Bio-vinyl and Bio-plastic. 😳 The test pressing is on regular vinyl.

[@latheofheaven]

Wow, Holy Smokes man, I had no idea! I thought it was just a brief comment like, 'It's a scam' and that was it, but dude that was a complete tirade! Wow again... Well, FWIW I've never been a huge 1-Step fan. No specific reason other than the price and just not being sure and hearing varying opinions about different albums. Now, I DO have the recent 1-Step of Meteora, and you KNOW I've raved about how F'n fantastic that sounds. Like Michael T said about American Idiot, perhaps now Levi and company have a better way of doing it, because as fantastic as the recent standard release was, the 1-Step buried it in power, detail, and sheer dynamics. I probably won't buy any others because I simply don't like the albums as much as I love Meteora, but man... quiet, reserved, thoughtful Kevin... He must've had his F'n Wheaties that day! 😃

[@stevewestman7774]

I'm glad you enjoyed the show.

[@dozo99]

Another thing, The difference between 1step/3step is in the numbers. 1stap gives you max 1000(or 500 or whatever) LP's. You can only get 1 stamper of a lacquer) . 3 step gives you a theoretical 100.000 LP's. Laquer after plating gives you a father, 1 father can be plated again up to 10 times(producing 10 mothers). 1 mother can be plated again up to 10times producing 10 stampers So if everything runs flawless and in a perfect world, 10x1000 x10 gives you 100.000LP's Ofcourse there is no guarantee you get actually 100K but this is how the 3step method works and always have worked.

[@GIBKEL]

Crazy…. Kevin would know. I’ll trust his ears.

[@dozo99]

According to Kevin, It takes an X number of pressings to Clean the silver from the stamper. So, you throw away 100, and the rest , up to 1000? (which is the normal number that come of a stamper). are clean. so your One step can play pretty awesome.

[@annawilson8742]

That's not exactly what he has said. His point is that a chemical solution is used to "etch" the silver off all the records and that process deteriorates some of the "highs, lows, and air". Even so, that doesn't mean that the mastering and vinyl used for, say "Abraxas", aren't still better-sounding. If we got the exact same mastering and vinyl compound on the new Mo-Fi, then we could compare, but I don't know if that's the case. Both are 33.

[@dozo99]

@@annawilson8742 You're absolutely right. He also said that if you just start pressing records there are traces of silver in up to the first 100. I only wanted to point out that despite all the problems there are a few great sounding One steps out there. Would they even sound better if done the "classic" way. we never know.

[@annawilson8742]

@@dozo99 I agree with you, that many one-steps I own are still the best copies I've heard. But my understanding is that they do the chemical treatment to the silver-plated lacquer and it's then contaminating all the pressings not just the first 100. In other words, it's the chemical doing the sonic damage, not flaking silver, and that way they can get 1,000 records off one lacquer. -Scott

[@91pastor]

Just curious do the panelists use Moving Magnet or Moving Coil cartridges?

[@stevewestman7774]

I have an MC Stratos cart on my Pure Fidelity TT and Ania pro MC cart on my Rega 6 TT.

[@91pastor]

@@stevewestman7774 It has a fairly high output for a low output cartridge, am I right? Great video by the way!

[@91pastor]

@@stevewestman7774 I am using a LInn LP12 with Well Tempered Tonearm and Dynavector 17D3 moving coil cartridge, with Croft Acoustic Monoblock Tube amplifiers, Croft Acoustics Tube Preamp and Croft Acoustics Tube Head Amp all into Quadral Chromium Style 8 loudspeakers.

[@Universityofvinyl]

Nagaoka MP 200 here (MM)

[@michaeltrochalakis6526]

Michael T. here....I do own moving magnet and moving iron cartridges, but I primarily use moving coil. Used a wood Benz Micro for about 20 years (retipped a couple of times at Soundsmith), then for the past two years an Ortofon Cadenza Black (retipped by VAS Audio with a Microridge stylus). In the past month, I have been using a cartridge that is on loan to me, as I am using it to help evaluate a new prototype arm from the Wand in New Zealand. Loaned to me by Gary Koh of Genesis Advanced Technologies. It's a rare Swiss made cartridge called the Magic Diamond, made by MicroMagic (BlueElectric). It was rebuilt by a guy in Germany who also rebuilds Neumann cutterheads for lathes.

[@michaelgreene5703]

my last 3 pressings from fidelity pressing plant have easily visible scuff marks, please fix it fidelity pressing plant (higher quality control, please)

[@dazzleships]

@Stevewestman Who is putting out the K.D Lang ‘Ingenue’ one-step? I can’t find any info anywhere. Thanks

[@drumvc8060]

I'm pretty sure that It's 'Because Sound Matters'

[@dazzleships]

@ Thank you 👍

[@stevewestman7774]

Yes. Because Sound Matters.

[@davidmartin1455]

Nice, that Tim found an RL Promo. Knowing that the LP is worth thousands of $, I think it's kinda sleazy that he he talked them down just my opinion..

[@toddsmolar]

Hey man, I got a white Promo Neil Diamond Serenade puts Led Zeppelin 2 to shame

[@stevewestman7774]

Whoa. The gauntlet has been dropped.

[@latheofheaven]

😃

[@jptabja]

No matter what Kevin Gray says...Yes - Fragile One Step beats by far...and I mean by far.....both previous Kevin Gray's cuts - The Classic Records and the standard 33 RPM Atlantic. Now there is the new AP Atlantic 75 2 x 45 RPM. I don't have this new one but I am really happy with the MoFi One Step of Fragile which again...beats easily Kevin Gray's versions. How Kevin Gray would explain this?

[@onsenkuma-l2p]

Well by all means 'listen with your ears', but keep in mind that by age 50, most people have trouble hearing frequencies above 14 khz at all, and that at average volume the top end is usually closer to 11.2 khz. The audiophile ideal is, in some ways a matter of diminishing return over time. It's tempting to lapse into an 'oh to be young again' reverie, but as we all know, youth is wasted on the young.

[@dirtharris]

You are so right. All those classic dog-whistle records I used to so enjoy as a teenager are completely silent now. All us over 50s have now is bass, guitar, keyboards, brass, woodwind, vocals and drums and strings. Damn those inaudible frequencies!!!!! All's I can enjoy now is the music's imaging, depth, height, detail etc etc

[@onsenkuma-l2p]

@@dirtharris Cute.

[@dirtharris]

@@onsenkuma-l2p Thankyou! mwa!

[@onsenkuma-l2p]

@ If you happen to like her music then those dog-whistle records you used to enjoy might just include everything Joni Mitchell released prior to 'Court and Spark'. Ba-da-boom...

[@75SakoHunter]

When is Boston's debut going to be done in HiFi/UHQR?

[@stevewestman7774]

Would be epic. 🙏

[@75SakoHunter]

@@stevewestman7774 Money is burning a hole in my pocket.......😁 Great pun btw!

[@91pastor]

Are ye sure about the UK original of America album. Discogs is saying Porky (George Peckham), PBTHAL said HTM (Harry T Moss)???

[@vinyl4all]

I believe I said History:Greatest Hits was HTM :)

[@91pastor]

@@vinyl4all My bad if I misheard!

[@alanabentrod3963]

Kevin Grey is so concerned about the silver flaking off on to the vinyl, but he said nothing about the silver flaking off onto the mother?

[@stevewestman7774]

Good catch! That's a great question.

[@ghn5ue336]

Tracking Angle has a decent video of the whole process . kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqjSmaief9d9bKMsi=6EMvZnmNPZCKG2c9

[@alanabentrod3963]

@@stevewestman7774 Better put my flame suit on. But if the silver flaking compromises the father in a one step shouldn't it compromise the mother? which is used to make the stamper? what we need to know is what you asked was he talking about one steps of the past or current one steps. I have only 1 one-step being Thriller and though many don't like it, on my system it sounds amazing.

[@alanabentrod3963]

@@ghn5ue336 Great video considering they treat lacquers like last night's dishes its amazing how good they sound.

[@annawilson8742]

That's because in a three-step, the silver lacquer is nickel-plated, so the silver is completely encapsulated.

[@tlar9572]

I cringed at Tim's story about the Led Zep II purchase. Maybe it’s one thing to buy a record that’s mispriced, but to haggle the price down further, then brag about it, feels like crossing a line. Running a record store isn’t easy-we should be supporting them, not taking advantage.

[@anthonyburke223]

I’m really glad I bought the one step American Idiot

[@jeffreysobczynski7113]

I treat my record store owners just fine - the majority of the records are overpriced. There is one store (out of three) that I regularly shop that has fair and accurate pricing - which gets most of my business. Pricing is always subjective, but my experience is that if pricing is off market it is typically high, rather than low.

[@R3TR0R4V3]

Lol, that's on them.. If they're not on top of it, and of all things, don't know what a WLP is, then I don't feel bad whatsoever. They robbed themselves. 🤷

[@ghn5ue336]

Do we know what the record store paid for it in the first place?

[@toddsmolar]

Tims the man!

[@jerrycoffey1782]

Kevin Gray just killed vinyl

[@stevewestman7774]

lol. 😂

[@johnloper5740]

All subjective to listener.

[@stevewestman7774]

Music is just that.

[@johnloper5740]

Also if 1 steps sounded bad do u really think they would sell like they do. I love 1 steps myself.

[@91pastor]

I always thought GZ Media was a pressing plant???

[@stevewestman7774]

www.gzmedia.com/en-GB/Homepage.aspx

[@michaeltrochalakis6526]

They are a pressing plant, but GZ also does in house mastering for vinyl. They have a total of 6 lathes, 5 are DMM, one for lacquers. GZ recently expanded, buying Precision in Canada and Memphis Record Pressing in the US.

[@thomashertl3037]

Hopefully GZ will be able to master, cut and press more hits than misses going forward. Never been really happy with their Czech plant output.

[@thomashertl3037]

One step inferior to three step pressings provided the same mastering and cutting = same original lacquer and vinyl formula used? Oops! Another marketing scam following the fall of Mob Fid. I guess this may be the end of them. Curious if and when the other reissue labels like Craft and Impex will discontinue their one step series. The tapes to be protected from unnecessary wear and the increasing price sensitive music on vinyl buyers would be thankful. Another good „… Gate“ for the community. Off that train, too, since a year or so.

[@vinylsolution2522]

Look I'm not spending over $40 bucks for a single LP, unless it's a vintage pressing. I've got over 4000 LPs, I have nice copies of most of my favorites. I'm more in an upgrade mode in my collection, and that's all I want... Nice Examples. Audiophile Equals AudioFools. Wasting your money. Throwing around Money on ridiculous priced Gear air at a Wealthy Minority. Wavering your Wallet around for all too see. 100k Speakers? 30k turntable? 5k speaker wire? It's all HORSESHIT. and those who say they can hear a difference are SNAKE OIL SALESMEN. IMHO. Cheers

[@stevewestman7774]

Tell us how you really feel. Thanks for tuning in. 👍

[@Groover71]

Another clown