Reviews and Commentaries for Close to the Edge
Letters and Commentaries for Led Zeppelin IV
One of our good customers had this to say about some Hot Stampers he purchased recently:
Hey Tom,
A good friend of mine came over today to take a look at my cartridge setup now that it is properly burned in. I was still getting some brightness in the right channel and we found that the cartridge was not seating properly in the groove. A few adjustments and now perfection!
My litmus test, Yes Close to Edge now sounds absolutely unbelievable! You can’t hear the speakers; the sound fills the entire room, including the back walls.
As you stated, everyone should own a copy of this record to determine if their setup is correct.
I went through several of my hot stampers and I feel like I am in audio heaven now.
Morning Has Broken also sounds amazing; Piano definition, Cat’s voice, etc. Another 3D sound extravaganza!
Finally, I had a chance to compare Led Zeppelin 4 (your hot stamper vs. my 200g Classic).
Before the cartridge tweaking I was hard pressed to tell the difference.
Now that the stylus is properly seated in the groove, with the Hot Stamper I can hear more detail in Jimmy’s guitar, more airiness in Robert’s voice and just an overall more listenable experience.
The entire soundstage is about 3 feet higher than the Classic version.
Well, I am spoiled again and loving it!!
Thanks again
Rob
Rob,
Glad to hear your turntable is working better. As you say, differences between Hot Stampers and Heavy Vinyl pressings are not much more obvious, and that’s a good thing. We think audiophiles should learn to do all these sorts of things for themselves, and have written about it at some length:
Tweaking and Tuning Are Essential to Improving Your Critical Listening Skills
My friend Robert Brook has gone into in even more detail on his blog:
Turntable Set Up Guide Part 1: Why You Need to Do It Yourself
FURTHER READING