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AUDIO FORUMS >> Vinyl >> Venus Record Label Impressions
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Message started by Dominick on 10/31/23 at 14:33:08

Title: Venus Record Label Impressions
Post by Dominick on 10/31/23 at 14:33:08

I’ve been on a vinyl purchasing spree lately and have been focusing on the Venus Record Label Masterpiece Collection Series.

Here’s the wiki on them…..

Venus Records is a Japanese jazz record label. It was founded in 1992 by Tetsuo Hara, who had worked as a producer for RCA Victor. It mostly works with a select group of artists from Italy, the United States, and Japan, and uses a signature 24-bit mastering process, named "Hyper Magnum Sound," that produces "very powerful sound with strong presence". It is also known for its album covers, which use well-known photographers and frequently feature nudity.

With the Eddie Higgins Trio being a favorite… I have now collected almost all of his albums on this label. I have now also acquired some Barney Wilen and Art Pepper from them as well.

I can say that i have been VERY PLEASED with what I have acquired thus far. I get great sound out of my modified Rega P2. All the vinyl is 180 gram Japanese pressing, with almost no pops or clicks, no warping, and the sound is very full and dynamic. I have noticed that I’ve had to dial back the ZROCK2 just a tiny bit in comparison to other albums.

For those who own this label, I would be curious on your thoughts. For those who are looking to explore…I would recommend this label and to give it a try.

Dom

Title: Re: Venus Record Label Impressions
Post by CAJames on 10/31/23 at 16:04:46

Thanks for posting Dom. The last LPs I bought were early in lockdown and I wasn't impressed with either the quality of the masterings or (esp.) the quality of the pressings. I had pretty much decided I was done buying vinyl but this is an interesting development, esp. with the Yen being practically free these days.

FYI: https://www.venusrecord.com/v2/index.html

Title: Re: Venus Record Label Impressions
Post by Lon on 10/31/23 at 16:20:38

I haven't been buying many Venus recordings even though I like many of the artists.

I have bought only cds. .. and they master these very hot and compressed and I really don't like the sound very much. And. . .I hate the art direction of their covers. So. . .silly reasons perhaps but as there are so many options to buy I rarely buy Venus.

But if the sound is better on vinyl, which I can believe that it may be, I can see why others do.

Title: Re: Venus Record Label Impressions
Post by Dominick on 11/01/23 at 02:46:26

CAJames…when it comes to mastering….I will buy almost anything that is done by Kevin Gray. He’s phenomenal. I’ve heard that Bob Ludwig who does a lot Springsteen is pretty good as well…though I don’t have any LP’s that are mastered from him.

Like I mentioned…I can only comment on the Masterpiece Collection Series. If I had to give a description on the Venus recordings… I would say that they are a bit “fat” by comparison….hence the reason for dialing my ZRock2 back a bit.

Lon…I don’t own any Venus recordings on CD…but I can see how you would classify them as being “hot”….probably the same way I see them as being a bit “fat” on the LP’s. One thing is for sure….I am not a fan of their album art covers as well. There is only a few of the album covers that I like out of all of the ones I own.

What’s crazy is that the Masterpiece Series albums fetch a good chunk of money, with th majority pushing in the $60-$70 dollar range.

Once the 2nd part of my exam is over next month… I plan to hook up with Kamran to have him come over, and vice versa. It will be nice to get a second opinion on my system.

Dom

Title: Re: Venus Record Label Impressions
Post by Tony on 11/01/23 at 14:53:10

Dom,

Once the 2nd part of my exam is over next month…

I'm sure you have mentioned this before, but exam are you taking next month? Good luck, and whenever unsure of an answer, goes with "All of the above..." :)

Tony

Title: Re: Venus Record Label Impressions
Post by The other Lon on 11/01/23 at 16:09:04

100% agree with you Dom on Kevin Gray. The mastering work he has done at Cohearent Audio, especially on the Craft Original Jazz Classics reissues, is phenomenal.

Title: Re: Venus Record Label Impressions
Post by Dominick on 11/01/23 at 21:24:51

The other Lon…I see Kevin Gray as the gold standard to which everything else is compared. With that being said… the Venus Record Label mastering is not like Kevin Gray’s work. If I rate the mastering at Cohearent Audio a 10…then I would give Venus a 7 1/2. I still enjoy the Venus label… it’s just different.

Dom