A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory

Very disappointing pressing. The whole package just seems below par, and the sound quality is no different.

This new 2 Lp set arrived in cheap paper inner sleeves. Vinyl was flat with generic white labels. Uneven soundstage with plenty of bass across the board, but the pops & clicks, and surface noise still existed even after a pre cleaning before the initial spin. Switched to MoFi anti static sleeves. The cheap thin Lp cover is lame. This classic t deserves a proper gatefold. At any rate, search for an original pressing and keep your CDs.

My copy also shows very uneven quality control, but despite some alarming issues, it plays very well. It's quiet throughout (except where noted below), dynamic, and displays no obvious sibilance or other distortion. The mix is a bit boomy, but not out of character.

In my case, disc one is nearly perfect. It has more surface scuffing and dusty debris than I expect from a new album, but plays great after a good cleaning. Disc two almost doesn't seem to have been made at the same factory. The edge doesn't appear to have ever been trimmed, and tapers to a jagged knife edge. Parts of the edge had actually folded over and adhered to the face of the disc, onto portions of the first track on side C. I was able to peel off most of the excess and roughly trim the edge. It isn't pretty, but except for some light surface noise for the first minute of side C, it plays and sounds every bit as good as the first disc.

I agree with another review that mentioned disc 2 sounds way better than disc 1. Disc 1 was very loud and somewhat unbalanced sounding. Also, my copies came with spindle holes very tight, light scratches, and slight warpage. With that said, its still a great sounding record. Sucks we don't really know what we are buying until it's open. Took me a min to figure this was my version.

Like others have said, United/NRP are not exactly known for putting out the best pressings, so I was a little hesitant when I picked this one up. After a thorough wash with Tergikleen and rinse with distilled water, I gave this one a spin. It sounded great to my ears. Vocals were clear, bass was pretty booming but still tight, and there wasn't a pop or click to speak of. You should clean every record you buy, new or used, and although I don't always adhere to that recommendation, I certainly wash every United/NRP record before putting it on the turntable. Maybe I got lucky and got a good copy. Maybe the thorough washing helped. Whatever it was, I'm very happy with this release and don't feel the need to track down a different copy.

Clearaudio Concept with Ortofon 2M Blue
Jolida JD-9
KEF LS50W

Received my sealed copy today. Little debris and few scratches on the records but the sound is incredible. No distortion or sibilance, PHAT bass and wide soundstage.

It’s solid. The bass sounds pretty bloated on my system, and the soundstage narrow. But it does have a nice punch, and plays very quietly after cleaning with RCM. I enjoy this pressing, even though NRP/United scares the shit out of me typically
Equipment used:
* Rega Planar 6 w/NEO PSU
* Rega Exact cartridge
* Rega Elex-R
* Dali Oberon 5
* Blue Jeans Cables + interconnects

This release does have a slight sibilance as reported by others however it is very listenable.
The issue is the state of the records from new, caked in debris and required a proper cleaning.

While Disc 2 plays better than the first, there is underlying distortion and vocal sibilance on both discs. That being said, the mix is pretty solid and there are very few pops and clicks. An enjoyable listen.

My runout is:
01241414181-RE / MRP01033 - A. @JW160510
any ideas on which version this is? just picked it up new.