Increased durability is perhaps the most obvious benefit of heavyweight vinyl.
Why 180 gram vinyl is better.
Because they are stronger 180 gram vinyl records also resist warping better than records of conventional weight.
The better 180g or higher pressings do not have this.
Second i find the extra weight makes me more prone to dropping it.
180 gram vinyl does not necessarily sound better than vinyl of more standard thicknesses.
Which in itself will have no real sound quality benefits over standard 140 gram vinyl or 180 gram vinyl.
I m sick of 180 gram vinyl.
If the 180 gram sounds better i ll get it however if the 180 gram copy is only a crappy re mastering using digital techniques rather than the original analogue mastering which had nothing that needed fixing i ll leave the 180 gram album al one and go for the original.
To my ears i hear less background noise from 180 gram pressings than others.
Having said that there are still many benefits to heavier weight vinyl records here are some considerations.
First off i notice no difference in audio quality from a lesser weight record.
Anything new is on audiophile quality vinyl and it s flat out ridiculous.
I have a number of beefs with it.
200 gram vinyl is heavyweight vinyl taken one step farther than 180 gram vinyl.
Warped or bent records can distort the music pressed upon them and cause the stylus to jump skip.
Sure 180g lps ride more smoothly on a turntable thanks to their weight but the benefits end there.
I would qualify the above poster s statement that other factors have more importance everything up to the point of actually stamping the vinyl to state that all factors can have an important impact on final sound quality.
A 200 gram vinyl record will have extraordinary good sound quality only if high quality source material mastering vinyl and manufacturing process is used.
These are poorly mastered vinyl pressings often sourced from a cd or even poor digital sources.
The impact of vinyl weight in comparison is negligible.
180 gram vinyl records are stronger and more durable so they tend to last longer and resist breakage.
The quality of the sound derives from the vinyl compound as opposed to the weight of the disc.
180 gram is a heavier grade of vinyl that many believe coaxes a richer audio palate than lighter standard grades.
In other words 180 gram vinyl isn t any indication of a better sounding record.