Hot Pressings

Johnny Vinyl

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Proprius' Cantate Domino. I've heard all 4: Original Swedish bought in the 80s, JVC half speed Made in Japan, The Super Analogue 180g Made in Japan, and the ATR mastercut Made in Germany. Sonically, I prefer the original but over time the vinyl has worn to the point of too much surface noise. That has been a problem of Proprius vinyls, they deteriorate after many plays. The JVC sounds too clean and at times can be clinical, lean, and lifeless. The ATR has very quiet vinyl and plays almost as well as the original Swedish. The Japan Super Analogue version sounded a bit veiled and also a bit lifeless. Am still hunting to an original mint Swedish original but that's a tall order now. There has been various re-issues of this claiming to be Swedish original which are not, in terms of manufacture and sound.

I have a white label Proprius (not original one) of JATP and I agree about the deteriorating sound. I've sadly noticed the same on my Speaker's Corner issue of Feliciano....most annoying.

Good luck on your chase......

John
 

jadis

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I have a white label Proprius (not original one) of JATP and I agree about the deteriorating sound. I've sadly noticed the same on my Speaker's Corner issue of Feliciano....most annoying.

Good luck on your chase......

John

thanks, john. though first time to hear this happen on a speaker's corner or any new re issues. it is indeed most annoying to have bad vinyl quality on our favorite albums. i noticed the quietest vinyl happens to be the japanese pressings. and very few warpage on japanese pressings too.
 

naturephoto1

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Hello everyone. When I read "Hot Stampers" in the post title, I thought this might be a thread about Better Records. Just thought I'd mention this in case anyone hadn't heard of them.

I have quite a number of "Hot Stampers" from Tom of Better Records. Generally I am quiet pleased with these but after some communication with Myles about them I decided it was better not to bring it up.

Rich
 
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garylkoh

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Oops. Sorry, I hadn't heard of Tom at Better Records. Googling, I realize belatedly that it's quite a controversy. I tried changing the title of this thread to "Hot Pressings" but realize that I can't change the title of the thread.

I have never bought anything from Better Records...... but considering the time, effort and expense I go to finding some of these hot pressings, some of those records might be worth paying for.

It just takes some time and effort, but with over 1million LP's on eBay - I just buy a bunch of the same titles from various sources and from various pressings. Then, sell off the rest. My other good source here in Seattle is the Half-Price Bookstore warehouse sale. Once a year, a yard of LPs for $50.
 

Steve Williams

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Oops. Sorry, I hadn't heard of Tom at Better Records. Googling, I realize belatedly that it's quite a controversy. I tried changing the title of this thread to "Hot Pressings" but realize that I can't change the title of the thread.

I have never bought anything from Better Records...... but considering the time, effort and expense I go to finding some of these hot pressings, some of those records might be worth paying for.

It just takes some time and effort, but with over 1million LP's on eBay - I just buy a bunch of the same titles from various sources and from various pressings. Then, sell off the rest. My other good source here in Seattle is the Half-Price Bookstore warehouse sale. Once a year, a yard of LPs for $50.

I'll change it for you Gary
 

garylkoh

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I'll change it for you Gary

Thanks, Steve.

I have a white label Proprius (not original one) of JATP and I agree about the deteriorating sound. I've sadly noticed the same on my Speaker's Corner issue of Feliciano....most annoying.

Good luck on your chase......

John

Thanks, John and Jadis. This is what I am hoping that this thread will be about - chasing down the best sounding pressings, and sharing our knowledge with the rest.

You don't have to pay the prices that companies like Better Records charge if you put in some time and effort, but at the same time, if you can't wait I don't think that $200 is unreasonable for a good pressing of Steely Dan Katy Lied. I have 5 copies because I haven't found a good copy yet. So, my investment would probably get to there before I find a good pressing - they have all had way too much surface noise which then detracts from dynamics.
 

garylkoh

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2. Casino Royal. I've had the 1s and 3s pressings. The 3s is slightly ahead in terms of image focus. It is more evident on 'The Look of Love'.

I just heard the 45rpm Classic Records version at Mike Lavigne's place last Friday night with The Beat, Talea and A09. WOW! It wiped out my first pressing. The black vinyl version is no longer available, but I just ordered the clear vinyl version.
 

flez007

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I have had the need to replace some of my LP titles and in some cases I had to do it for re-issues, and I have never attained the same quality in the recording compared to the original one. ( just endorsing Gary's original comment)
 

Johnny Vinyl

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thanks, john. though first time to hear this happen on a speaker's corner or any new re issues. it is indeed most annoying to have bad vinyl quality on our favorite albums. i noticed the quietest vinyl happens to be the japanese pressings. and very few warpage on japanese pressings too.

I have some Korean pressings and they are as good. (Sade, Enya, Elton John and a few others I can't quite remember at the moment)
 

jadis

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Thanks, Steve.



Thanks, John and Jadis. This is what I am hoping that this thread will be about - chasing down the best sounding pressings, and sharing our knowledge with the rest.

You don't have to pay the prices that companies like Better Records charge if you put in some time and effort, but at the same time, if you can't wait I don't think that $200 is unreasonable for a good pressing of Steely Dan Katy Lied. I have 5 copies because I haven't found a good copy yet. So, my investment would probably get to there before I find a good pressing - they have all had way too much surface noise which then detracts from dynamics.

My pleasure in sharing here, Gary. I had developed a habit of listening to LPs with very little or no surface noise. I frequent the place of a good friend who had tons of LPs and each time he played them, I would hear crackle and loud pops that distract and prevent me from hearing the rest of the music. Since that time, I went on a crusade to find the cleanest sounding album that I wanted, long before the word 'near mint' came into existence. LOL I bought multiple copies as back-up for my playing copy because I figured groove wear would set in and render the LP full of noise. At that time, I had no idea then of using those extra copies as 'hot pressings', I only wanted clean sounding vinyl. Then came the time when I realized that some other pressings, like Super Analogue, ATR, etc. created pressings that sounded different from the originals, some better, some worse sounding in my system.

And now I just remember another title - "Salamandra", by Claudia Gomez, from Clarity Records in the 90s, they produced 2 versions for this, a single LP, and another they called 'Premium Vinyl Edition' using 'one step plating' on 2 single sided discs, 180g heavy vinyl. There's lot of technical talk inside the liner notes and during those times, the price of the 2 single sided LPs was twice that of the single LP. I have them both. And interestingly, both are not perfect. The 2 single sided LP has a tad more sibilance in Clauda Gomez' voice than on the single regular LP. But in terms of dynamics, punch and overall clarity, the 2 LP set is more superior. That's my reason for keeping both. I alternately play then depending on my mood. LOL
 
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jadis

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Weavers Reunion at Carnegie Hall - Vanguard VSD2150. I've heard the Mid-line yellow label, the original first press grey stereolab label, and the original orange/yellow rimmed label. The Mid-line sounded the hardest among the 3. The grey stereolab is the most 'analog' sounding, mellow, relaxed and laid back, and the multi-colored label is a bit more up front than the grey and sounds clearer and more transparent than the grey although not as sweet and mellow as they grey copy. I presently own the grey and the multi-colored pressings, for 2 'perspectives. :)
 

jadis

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Was playing the original Odin LP of Radka Toneff yesterday, and I recall a few years ago a couple of friends invited over to do a blind A/B test with one of their re-issue by Audio Advancement. We just used the first cut, The Moon's A Harsh Mistress for maybe 2 minutes each. I told them that I liked the first copy better than the second one without knowing which was the original, and I made a guess that that first copy was the original pressing as it was more open and less veiled than the second. They told me, 'you're good, because the first one was the original copy.' Whew. LOL
 

garylkoh

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Weavers Reunion at Carnegie Hall - Vanguard VSD2150. I've heard the Mid-line yellow label, the original first press grey stereolab label, and the original orange/yellow rimmed label. The Mid-line sounded the hardest among the 3. The grey stereolab is the most 'analog' sounding, mellow, relaxed and laid back, and the multi-colored label is a bit more up front than the grey and sounds clearer and more transparent than the grey although not as sweet and mellow as they grey copy. I presently own the grey and the multi-colored pressings, for 2 'perspectives. :)

I ripped the Classic DAD of this - 24/96. Man, it's far, far better than the flat and lifeless CD. The space and ambiance of Carnegie Hall is no where near the Analogue Productions re-issue I have (haven't liked the music on this one enough to hunt down the original pressings). Nevertheless, having not heard the original Vanguard pressings, IMHO the 24/96 DAD is worth having for being slightly greater resolution (the tambourine seems to be more nuanced in the digital than the LP).
 

MylesBAstor

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Weavers Reunion at Carnegie Hall - Vanguard VSD2150. I've heard the Mid-line yellow label, the original first press grey stereolab label, and the original orange/yellow rimmed label. The Mid-line sounded the hardest among the 3. The grey stereolab is the most 'analog' sounding, mellow, relaxed and laid back, and the multi-colored label is a bit more up front than the grey and sounds clearer and more transparent than the grey although not as sweet and mellow as they grey copy. I presently own the grey and the multi-colored pressings, for 2 'perspectives. :)

Pretty much agree with your assessments of the Vanguard recordings. Same goes for most labels-the earlier the LP, the better the sound all things being equal. The orange/yellow pressing is very edgy and harsh to my ears while the black is the smoothest and has the most information.

BTW, have a 15 ips 2 track copy of the tape and Vanguard emasculated the tape. They totally eliminated the lower octaves since they probably thought the system/front-end couldn't handle the information. To wit, there's a whole lot of scary stomping around on stage that will give all woofers a workout. In fact, the first time I heard the tape, thought there was something wrong ;) And you should hear the "hall" sound. Simply amazing.
 

jadis

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BTW, have a 15 ips 2 track copy of the tape and Vanguard emasculated the tape. They totally eliminated the lower octaves since they probably thought the system/front-end couldn't handle the information. To wit, there's a whole lot of scary stomping around on stage that will give all woofers a workout. In fact, the first time I heard the tape, thought there was something wrong ;) And you should hear the "hall" sound. Simply amazing.

Myles,

From your description of the sound of the tapes, then it means we ain't heard nothin' yet over here in these islands. LOL. I hope to hear them someday. I expect to be 'blown away'. :)
 

jadis

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I ripped the Classic DAD of this - 24/96. Man, it's far, far better than the flat and lifeless CD. The space and ambiance of Carnegie Hall is no where near the Analogue Productions re-issue I have (haven't liked the music on this one enough to hunt down the original pressings). Nevertheless, having not heard the original Vanguard pressings, IMHO the 24/96 DAD is worth having for being slightly greater resolution (the tambourine seems to be more nuanced in the digital than the LP).

Gary,

When I first bought the LP of this, I only liked 'Guantanamera' because I heard it somewhere previously. But as I listened more, I got to like all the cuts of Side 2, now my favorites are 'Michael Rows..', 'If I Had A Hammer', and 'Goodnight Irene' (the cut always used by HP/TAS writers as reference). To me, it developed into a case of loving the music and the recording; but then again, I have been a folk music lover for a long time.
 
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garylkoh

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Gary,

When I first bought the LP of this, I only liked 'Guantanamera' because I heard it somewhere previously. But as I listened more, I got to like all the cuts of Side 2, now my favorites are 'Michael Rows..', 'If I Had A Hammer', and 'Goodnight Irene' (the cut always used by HP/TAS writer as reference). To me, it developed into a case of loving the music and the recording; but then again, I have been a folk music lover for a long time.

Jadis,

You are right. Listening to the 24/96 version, it's growing on me. Far more than the LP!!
 

jadis

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jadis

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In the late 80s when it was first released as a CD, Clair Marlo's Let It Go album on Sheffield Lab was quite popular in this city. After this came the LP version. Sheffield did not do this on D2D, and they had both digital and analogue of this. The CD was great, but the LP was not, imo. The LP was kinda flat sounding and had much sibilants spitting out of Clair's voice, which does not show up on the CD. In 2003, CISCO Records released another pressing of this, and what I was hoping to be in terms of sound quality became a reality. This pressing is more dynamic, has a better 3D sense of space, and best of all, the sibilants are reduced to very very low levels. She's quite popular over here, and both versions of her album is now OOP and very much in demand.
 

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