I’ve been selling records for over two decades, and here’s something I don’t think we talk about honestly enough: vinyl pressing quality in 2026 is inconsistent, and for the prices being charged, that’s not acceptable.

Before you accuse me of being a grumpy audiophile with unreasonable expectations, let me be clear about what I mean. I’m not talking about the difference between a $500 original pressing and a $45 reissue. I’m talking about basic manufacturing defects — warped records, surface noise on brand new pressings, off-centre spindle holes, non-fill (where the groove isn’t fully formed) — appearing at rates that would be unacceptable in any other consumer product category.

The State of Play

Vinyl has had a remarkable commercial resurgence. According to ARIA, vinyl revenue in Australia has grown consistently for over a decade, and 2025 numbers showed continued growth. New pressing plants have opened worldwide to meet demand, including several in Australia and New Zealand.

But demand has consistently outpaced supply, and when plants are running at maximum capacity with pressure to deliver on tight timelines, quality control tends to suffer. I’m seeing this reflected in what arrives at the shop.

Over the past six months, I’ve kept informal notes on quality issues with new stock. Out of roughly 800 titles received, about 60-70 had issues significant enough that I’d hesitate to sell them to a customer without disclosure. That’s roughly an 8% defect rate. Some of these issues:

• Warping: Records that won’t sit flat on the platter. Sometimes minor (a slight dish that doesn’t affect playback), sometimes severe enough that the tonearm visibly bounces.
• Surface noise: Brand new records with audible clicks, pops, or sustained surface noise that isn’t caused by dust or static. This suggests contamination in the compound or debris on the stamper.
• Non-fill: Visible and audible sections where the groove isn’t fully formed, creating distortion or dropouts. Usually caused by insufficient heat or pressure during pressing.
• Off-centre pressing: The spindle hole isn’t centred, causing audible wow (pitch variation) that’s most noticeable on sustained notes and piano passages.

Where the Problems Come From

The quality issues aren’t coming from one plant or one region. They’re spread across pressings from Europe, the US, and domestically. But there are patterns.

Recycled PVC compound. Some plants use a percentage of recycled vinyl (regrind from trimmed edges and rejected pressings) mixed with virgin PVC. Recycled compound is more likely to contain contaminants and can produce noisier pressings. The percentage of regrind used varies by plant and often isn’t disclosed to the label ordering the pressing.

Stamper wear. Metal stampers — the moulds used to press records — wear out over time. A stamper might produce excellent results for the first 1,000 pressings and gradually degrade thereafter. Some plants change stampers proactively; others push them until quality visibly deteriorates. For popular titles with large press runs, late-run copies can sound noticeably worse than early ones.

Speed over quality. When plants are running multiple shifts to clear backlogs, the temptation is to increase press cycle speed. But vinyl pressing is a physical process that requires adequate heat-up and cool-down time. Rush it, and you get non-fill, warping, and surface noise.

QC staffing. Quality control at pressing plants typically involves visual inspection and test listening of sample copies from each run. When plants are understaffed or rushing, QC gets abbreviated. Defective runs that should be caught at the plant end up shipped to distributors and then to shops like mine.

The Price Problem

Here’s what makes this particularly frustrating: vinyl prices in Australia have climbed to $45-65 for a standard new release LP, and $70-100+ for gatefold, coloured vinyl, or limited editions. We’re charging premium prices, and customers understandably expect premium quality.

When someone pays $55 for a new record and it’s warped out of the box, that’s a terrible customer experience. I’ll replace it — because that’s what a good shop does — but I’m then eating the cost of a second copy (which may or may not have the same issue), plus the shipping and admin to return the defective one to the distributor.

Some distributors accept returns for defective product; others make the process so bureaucratically painful that it’s not worth the staff time for a single LP. The cost often ends up being borne by the retailer, which is exactly the wrong incentive structure.

What Good Pressing Looks Like

The quality variation makes the good plants stand out even more. Pressings from plants like Pallas in Germany, QRP in the US, and Zenith Records here in Australia consistently arrive flat, quiet, and well-centred. They use high-quality virgin compound, maintain their stampers properly, and have rigorous QC processes.

The difference is audible. Put a Pallas pressing and a budget pressing of the same album on a decent turntable and you’ll hear it in the first 30 seconds. Less surface noise, better dynamic range, more detail in the quieter passages.

Labels that care about quality specify their pressing plant. If you see “Pressed at QRP” or “Pressed at Optimal” on the jacket or marketing materials, that’s a good sign. Labels that don’t mention the plant are often using whoever had the cheapest quote or the shortest lead time.

What Buyers Can Do

A few practical tips for getting the best quality vinyl:

1. Check before you leave the shop. Open the sleeve and visually inspect the record. Hold it at eye level and look for warping. Check the label alignment (off-centre labels often indicate off-centre pressing). If it’s not right, exchange it there and then.

2. Research the pressing plant. Discogs user comments often note pressing quality. If a particular release has multiple complaints about surface noise or warping, consider waiting for a different pressing.

3. Buy from shops that care. A good record shop will QC incoming stock and flag or return defective copies before they hit the shelves. That’s what we do — I personally check every high-value title that comes through. It takes time, but it’s part of the job.

4. Support labels that specify quality plants. Labels like Analogue Productions, Mobile Fidelity, and locally, labels that press at Zenith, are investing in quality because they know their customers care. Buying from them sends a market signal.

The Industry Needs to Do Better

The vinyl revival is one of the best things to happen to physical music in decades. But if the industry treats vinyl as a commodity product — racing to the bottom on pressing costs while raising retail prices — it’ll eventually erode the goodwill that brought people back to records in the first place.

Nobody’s going to keep paying $55 for a warped record when streaming is free. The physical product needs to justify its price through quality — the tactile experience of a well-made record, the sound quality that rewards good playback equipment, the satisfaction of owning something worth owning.

That starts at the pressing plant. And right now, not all of them are holding up their end of the deal.