Justice (3) – † (Cross)

No complains with this pressing, sounds great and is LOUD

I’m really sensitive to sibilance and distortion. My setup: Marantz TT-15S with a AT-OC9XSL MC cartridge aligned to a micrometer of its life. A Primare R35 Preamp and a Topping A90d headphone amp going to a pair of Meze Elite headphones. That’s about $10k of gear. Not super high end but enough that I’m confident I know I shouldn’t be having any issues from the setup.

First thing, the center hole wasn’t cut large enough. Usually not a good sign of things to come. Next I noticed how noisy it is. Lots of pops and crackles. Not off to a great start.

As others have commented here, DANCE has sibilance on the vocals. The digital version already had peaking, but the sibilance on this record is unmistakable. Really disappointing. Mine also has skipping issues on this track.

If I had to guess, it’s because they made it so loud. By my measurements, it’s about 6-7db louder than the digital version. Vinyl has inherent limitations, and going quieter is usually the safer bet. Going louder is a recipe for distortion.

On to side B. Lots of pops and crackles still. Hard to tell if there’s sibilance on this side because it’s just distorted synths all the way through. I feel like there may have been some but it was hard to tell, even when comparing to the digital recording. So I’ll say this side was “ok” besides the noisy pressing.

Side C. Less noisy, but still some noise. This record wasn’t as flat as the 1st record. 1st track is a little more mellow, so I could watch for sibilance a bit better. No issues to my ears. The Party is next, another track with hotly recorded vocals. Definitely some added harshness on consonants for this vinyl version though. Not quite sibilant but definitely hotter pressing. About halfway through the song though on the right channel there’s some strange artifacts playing that isn’t part of the original recording. Like a slight whirring sound. It plays through the rest of the song, along with some more sibilant vocals for your enjoyment!

DVNA next. This will be the last song I listen to because I’m already just gonna return this trash pressing. Whiring sound continues all the way through this track too. It’s one of my favorites of Justice though so I wanted to hear it. Half way through the song it’s like the vinyl starts breaking up. I’ve never even heard that before, it’s similar to pops and crackle but more intense. More sibilance.

Alright, verdict? Don’t buy. Horrible pressing. Real shame. Such a good album.

the BEST sounding record in my collection. the listening notes do this release 'justice', enticing the listener to crank it up: LOUD. super easy as this is quite a loud mix. love it!

Very interesting listen compared to the standard CD version. My copy has zero warping, plays perfect. Yes the CD version may be more "accurate," but this is easily more "fun" - - I'll let you decide what fun means, but for me it's: more depth to the synth textures, more textured bass drum, more exciting soundstage. Overall 10/10!

Absolutely blown away by how good this sounds. Aside from some very minor sibilance during Tthhee Ppaarrttyy, this is absolutely flawless. It is INCREDIBLY loud, so you probably won't need to turn the volume up too much. Found this for $20 and I definitely do not regret the purchase

Just spun my copy of this and it is simply fantastic. Just the right amount of punch & presence. It definitely elevates my opinion of VMP's approach & platform. If your copy has issues, get a replacement because otherwise yes, you are missing out on great sound.

400 limited copies and 466 have this one?
It's very strange..

Mine just came through. Not perfectly flat, but by no means detracts on playback or causes any issue, just being rather picky.
Mine sounds absolutely spot on, absolutely no distortion that isn't supposed to be on the recording. I would agree with collinmcfarlane, very loud pressing indeed, doesn't need to be turned up too far. The packaging is the usual exceptional quality from VMP. Very high quality all round for me, this is a fantastic one for the collection.

By the way, if you're getting static sounds, that's nothing to do with the record as such, there's something wrong with your table, it should either be discharging static through the cartridge pinouts and tonearm on say a Rega type, or through the ground earthing from the table itself.

This is the best you'll hear this album, incredible sound quality! One of the best pressings I've ever heard of a digitally produced album. So loud, punchy, and crisp; while also being very full and has a ton of depth. Idk how the VMP pressing compares, but I honestly don't think there's anyway this could be improved upon. Get it! Also, you can get it way cheaper than the VMP pressing

Slight warp which I could care less about but first disc is really noisy. Some of it covered over by the loud music but lots of bad pops I couldn’t get out with static brush or a simple cleaning. Sides A and B. Second disc is fine.