Vinyl weight

[Song4uman]

what weights does/did vinyl come in. I heard that the original Carpenters albums were 120 grams and of course the new ones are 180.

I bought a couple Steisand albums at a vintage store. Just cleaned them and one of them is very light and flimsy feeling.

We’re there different weights or did different companies use different weights?

Jonathan

 

[jaredjohnfisher]

RCA invented DynaFlex vinyl records. I own several. Those can almost be rolled like a burrito! Very light but very flexible.
I think the weights just depended on the record label and the particular release (and perhaps the current supply of vinyl). Someone else would surely know more than I.

 

[AM Matt]

Also RCA Victor invented Dynagroove as well. Matt Clark Sanford, MI

 

[Kristopher]

I have flimsy records I own 3000 of them it’s disgusting. In my experience it doesn’t affect sound quality. I’ve had more warped “standard size” albums then anything else. I’ve gotten warped 180 Gram records NEW. Its all quality control.

My Time record from the UK has the white and yellow A&M label from the mid 70s. Very flimsy indeed but sounds amazing like a brand new 8track

 

[tomswift2002]

I don't recall every seeing DynaFlex records before, but I have seen Eva-Tone Sound Sheets. On modern record players the tone arms seem to be alright as I've never had to put a penny or other coin on it in order for it to play properly. (Were any Carpenters songs ever released on Eva-Tone Sound Sheets as a promotion in a magazine or something else, as from what I've read, Sound Sheets were primarily designed to be inserted into magazines and be flexible to bend with the magazine.)

But really, the only time that I've come across poor sound on a record is either when it has not been pressed correctly (especially if the stampers are heavily worn when the record was pressed), or the record company just "LOADED" the record to the max. I have a copy of the Beach Boys 1974 Endless Summer LP from both the US and the UK, and I find the UK version sounds worst than the US version, since the US version spread the album across 2 LP's, whereas the UK version has both records crammed onto 1 LP. So the sound is compromised due to thinner grooves. Even the Carpenters 1978 Christmas Portrait I find is not that good sound wise on vinyl because both sides run nearly 30 minutes, so the grooves are really narrow, and especially the inner tracks, the sound quality really drops. Had the Carpenters had time to finish a 2-record set in 78, I think it would've improved the sound quality of the vinyl release.