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Back in the 2000s, we felt we owed our Hot Stamper customers a more complete picture of the good and bad qualities we heard in our shootout for practically every record we played.
The idea was that the buyer could listen along for what the record was doing well and what it might not be doing so well. If you noticed that the top end was a little soft, well, that’s what we might have heard too. We would put that shortcoming, and any others we thought worth mentioning, right there in the listing.
Over the years, in order to avoid having to write every listing from scratch, we streamlined the process and dropped the criticisms.
Below you can see a typical example of an older listing. This is how we used to recognize when a record was Super Hot as opposed to White Hot.
This commentary on the famous recording of The Firebird with Dorati discusses the same issues in more depth.
Side One
A++, with good balance and lots of rockin’ energy. It’s transparent — just listen to how clear the drums are on the first track. It’s a bit dry and doesn’t have all the top end extension of the best, so Super Hot is a fair grade we think.
Side Two
A++! Big and clear, yet rich, open, and Tubey Magical without being compressed or thick. None of the smear that plagues the average copy either. Could use more top end to help the harmonics on the percussion and guitars, but this is still a STRONG A++ side.
Further Reading
Basic Concepts and Realities Explained
Record Collecting for Audiophiles – A Guide to the Fundamentals