Praise for Rhino

One of the unfortunate aspects of the vinyl revival over the past few years has been terrible quality control at pressing plants.

Many companies seem to be focused on pressing as many records as possible to meet increasing demand without much regard for surface noise, defects, warps or cleanliness.

This is frustrating enough when it’s a cheaper record but it’s particularly infuriating when it’s a so-called “audiophile” pressing that is supposed to be made with greater care and attention to the demands of discerning listeners.

The frustration and anger is compounded by the fact that most record stores will typically not accept returns on vinyl. (Online stores do seem to be much more generous with returns when it comes to vinyl.) It’s understandable because in many cases the store has to eat the cost of the returned product. With the regularity of poor pressings, many stores would quickly go broke if they made a habit of accepting returns.

Fortunately, some companies seem to be responding to the problem by stepping up and making themselves accountable for their product.

Take Rhino, one of the most prominent re-issue labels, for example. I had a recent incident with a purchase of Rhino’s 180-gram re-issue of Ornette Coleman’s The Shape of Jazz to Come, sourced from the original analogue master tapes and pressed at RTI.

When I got the record home and put it on the table, I noticed a loud buzzing coming from the left channel a few seconds into the opening track “Lonely Woman”. The buzz returned a few times during that track and at various points across side one of the record.

I was especially annoyed because, apart from these buzzing noises, the record sounded absolutely wonderful and I thought it such a shame that it was spoiled by what was obviously a pressing defect.

And, it has to be said, I’ve had a lot better luck with Rhino’s re-issues than most others on the market. In most cases they do an excellent job of sourcing from analogue masters (when possible) and delivering quality pressings.

After doing a bit of research at the Steve Hoffman audio forums, a place where record lovers congregate to discuss various pressings, including known quality control issues, I found a thread about this particular re-issue. A number of people had, indeed, experienced the same problem I had. A few suggested that Rhino had been receptive and responsive when contacted about the problem.

Before contacting Rhino, I decided to buy another copy of the record to see if I could get one without the defect, as some people on the forum had reported positive results with their copies. Much to my delight, the second copy sounded flawless throughout with no pressing defect whatsoever.

Emboldened by the knowledge that my first copy was undoubtedly a defective pressing, I wrote an email to Rhino, explained the situation, and asked what could be done to rectify the problem. After a few days, I received an apologetic email asking me to send the defective record back for a full refund (including shipping).

Ideally I would prefer if the quality controls at pressing plants were improved but, failing that, it’s refreshing and encouraging that companies such as Rhino are willing to be accountable to their customers.