Tool (2) – Lateralus

As a lot of others have said- there is a good amount of surface noise. Noticeable in the quieter parts of the album. I did not have any major pops or anything that took me out of the experience. I didn’t read any reviews before I purchased this 2005 version so in doing so I was worried before I actually listened through. After having done so I’m glad I picked it up. If you love Tool and this album then I think you’ll appreciate the depth and dimension that are present here versus a cd or digital file. I was really worried that this might be the worst sounding LP in my collection based on what I read. If this is the worst sounding album I’ve got then I’m doing really well. If not on picture disc then this is an easy full 5 stars as far as playback. Picture discs are beautiful though. Glad I have it.

Vinyl on this is atrocious. Don’t buy it. The printing on the vinyl actually ruined some of their best tracks… schism skips at the start… parabola skips at the heart of it. Just avoid. Buy on CD if you must collect it.

This is not nearly as bad as some people say! The mastering is dynamic and crystal clear. No problem whatsoever with transient peaks. Yes there's some surface noise but so do my Led Zep, Pink Floyd and Sabbath records, lol.

I thought this album sounded really bad upon purchasing used for about 30 bucks, and soon realized that was probably just the status quo for this pressing, being that it’s a picture disc and likely poorly pressed taboot. However, after upgrading my system for the past year, (Fluance RT 84 with Nagaoka MP-110, Fluance preamp, Marantz PM 5004 receiver, and EPI Model 120 speakers), and spinning this for the first time on this setup, I have to say….. still a bit of surface noise, but leagues better and actually quite enjoyable to listen to all the way through. I went from wondering if I should trade this record in, to being really happy that I have it in my collection.

I honestly didn't want to believe it, but this record really is the worst pressing I've ever had. Only possibly interesting for collectors, you can't listen to this record. It's really outrageous to sell such poor quality.

Love the album. One of the best looking vinyls I own, unfortunately the sound quality is pretty bad. Constant static throughout the album brings you out of the experience.

It’s a beautiful picture disc. The art is amazing, but a little lacking for how much I paid for it. It’s also completely unplayable, but that’s on me for not knowing what a picture disc is before buying.

To open a sealed purchase and on 1st listen thinking is this a joke? It sounded like an old dirty copy from someone’s party collection.
Totally unlistenable and won’t put on the platter again unfortunately as it’s a great album.
Opening 10,000 days was 100% the opposite reaction. Excellent recording.

Sounds awful. Lots of noise and crackle. Shame, it needs an official repressing (not another picture disk). Surely there is enough demand…

Amazing album, amazing artwork on the LPs. HOWEVER, keep in mind since this is a picture disc, the sound quality will not be top notch. I heard a lot of crackling and popping noise on the 2nd LP. Other than that, no skips on my end, no distortion. Despite cleaning and static brush I used, it still pops, bothersome but nothing crazy