ashley,
You said;
quote:
a 45, if all other things are equal, will sound better than a 33 down to the speed the vinyl passes past the cartridge.
While on the surface this sounds like logical thinking, it is not the case. The reason a 45 can sound better is usually because it is treated different and "unequal".
First-off, there are two sizes of 45s: 7 and 12 inch(though I've seen 10-inch before). I have yet to hear a 7-inch 45 sound better than an LP. There is good reason for this; after once visiting a MoTown cutting and pressing plant, I was appalled at the dirty surroundings(they were giving a tour!!) and lack of care. Seven-inchers are produced by the thousands and the pressing plates are often used beyond what they should be. Often the tapes used to master 45s are of 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc. generation as well as being over used. Also, the cutters used for 7-inchers are of a lower quality and generally come with amps that provide extra compression for ease of use. There are exceptions to the rule but this is the norm. If anyone has heard a 7-incher which is musically better than an LP, give me the name and cutting, as I'd like to hear it for myself.
Regarding 12-inch 45s, that is a different story. "All things being equal", a 33 sounds very much the same as a 12-inch 45.
Here are reasons why 12-inch 45s sound better than their 33rpm counterparts;
1) Most of the time the 12-inch 45 is cut with a better quality master-tape or second generation copy. This master is used less as most 12-inchers are produced in limited quantities.
2) Many 12-inchers are re-mixes and actually are remixed better musically.
3) 12-inchers sometimes use better quality vinyl or "virgin vinyl". How to tell? Hold the 45 vs. its LP counterpart up to direct light and see if you can see through it. Though this isn't a tell-all test, it allows you to see impurities in most mass-produced LPs.
4) Often the 45 version is a thicker vinyl(nuff said).
5) The main reason is most 45rpm 12-inchers are cut without compression or very little of it. If a 33rpm record was cut this way, one song would take-up almost as much room as a whole side of a record.
Because of my reasoning above, I think a 33rpm 12-inch single sounds as good as 45(and I have several examples to prove it).
Setting The Record Straight,
Ron The Mon
P.S.
I thought Chris meant 7-inch 45s when he said "vast collection of 45s". Who is this guy if he has a vast collection of 12-inchers? I find it hard enough finding music on vinyl, let alone 12-inch singles!
Made me realise just how good real music really can be.