Hot Stamper Pressings of The Band Available Now
One of our good customers recently took our advice to turn up the volume on this classic by The Band.
Hi Tom,
Wow. another winner! But first I have to completely agree with you that this album has to be turned up! When I started listening at a lower volume the soundstage was congested and small and the highs were hidden.
Crank it up and all of a sudden the entire room fills up with the Band.
I would not have imagined what a difference it would make by just turning up the volume. The air around the vocals, as you pointed out, makes this album sing (pun intended).
A good test for me is when I don’t notice the speakers in my room but just hear the band on stage with no fake boundaries, and this is another one of those good examples. The uber-talented horn players on this album also add tremendously to the entire vibe of the album.
I seem to recall buying this record on CD decades ago and being so disappointed that there was no bass and no dynamics to the music.
Fast forward 3 decades plus and I feel I finally hearing this album for the first time and understanding why all of the reviews were so positive back in the day (but I bet most reviewers did not hear it the way it should sound!).
So glad you told me to take a chance with this one. If I were to just buy one album by the Band this would be it for sure!
Rob
Dear Rob,
The differences you heard are the same ones we heard, and it’s the main reason we never tire of imploring audiophiles everywhere — not just our customers, but everybody — to acquire the biggest dynamic speakers they can find (or horns; although I am not a fan, they will probably do the job) and turn them up good and loud.
How on earth is a speaker system like this one going to reproduce a live rock concert with a horn section blasting behind them?
If you want to hear Rock of Ages sound the way it should, you need big speakers that can play at loud volumes.
Thanks for your letter,
TP
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