45 rpm soundstage

Yup, I enjoy spinning some of my old 12" 45s.  They can sound really good too - not only because of the increased speed but also the much increased area that allows for wider groove spacing and a more punchy cut.  The 7" singles can be a bit hit or miss - many were pressed quite poorly, and they haven't survived years of use (and some abuse) quite so well. However, it's also worth bearing in mind that many singles were not quite the same mix or mastering as the track on the LP , and often the sound was a bit more hyped for play in clubs etc. so an exact like for like comparison is not always possible.

Me too.Theres definatly increased sound quility with the wider grooves.Funny enough I have alot of import House singles which play at 33 so with 2 tracks a side with difearant mixes of the original track they are like mini albums and very collectable as they often change hands for £10 + now and brought back in the day (1989 -1993) for £ 6 ......so excuse the pun a sound investment 

Out of interest are 12 " still being pressed ?

Thanks for the answers guy's....I havnt actually got that many 12 in singles....might have try a few out!.

Clive

Very pleased to read that it has all worked out, Clive. It was getting a bit tortuous with 'can my Nait3 take a MC cartridge?' and 'is my Planar 3 up to the job?' etc.!

I think I might need a few more 12"singles too

The greatest aspect of 45 rpm for me is reduced pitch variation, most notable on sustained strings like piano chords. When I first came to this forum I heard folks talk about pitch variation in discussions of vinyl versus digital and I didn't get the gist. One day I played some old 45s of Beatles tracks I was mostly familiar with via LPs. The difference in the consistency of the opening piano chords on 'Hey Jude' was striking. The premise of pitch variation in vinyl replay suddenly hit me. Not suggesting pitch variation vanishes at 45 rpm, but is audibly reduced.

Thats really interesting....ill have to hunt through my 45s to see if I can replicate it. 

Clive

One other obvious difference between 'old' 45s (not 12" 45s) and LPs is that old 45s were released in mono rather than stereo. 

I can understand that when playing mono records over a pair of speakers the soundstage might be perceived as being wider. One or two people in this forum have expressed a preference for mono over stereo reproduction,  and quite a few Naim users have stated that the 'accurate' placement of instruments or voices within a soundstage is not important to them by comparison with a number of other attributes of music reproduction.

Could it be that you just prefer the sound of mono reproduction over that of stereo. 

I dont actually have any mono 45s,  so cant comment on tbat one. 

I think its more to do with the compression/size of the groove personally.

Interesting point though.

Clive