Month: February 2025

Bob and Ray Were Not Enough – We Needed the Tillerman Too

Bob and Ray Throw a Stereo Spectacular is my all time favorite test disc, the one test that every change to the system must pass: by making The Song of the Volga Boatmen sound better.

The danger in making the bulk of your sonic judgments using only one record is that you never want to optimize your system for a single record, only to find out later that it now sounds better but others you play now sound worse.

Here is the story of how I made that mistake long ago (and apparently did not learn my lesson): In 2005, I fell into a exactly this kind of audiophile trap.

The Right Way

So the right way to go about testing and tweaking is to get all your hardest test records out and start playing them, making notes as you tweak and tune your system, setup, room and whatever else you can think of.

This may take a long time, but it is time well spent when you consider that, once you are done, all — or nearly all — of your records will sound better than they did before.

In my review of the 45 RPM Tillerman, I noted the following:

Recently I was able to borrow a copy of the new 45 cutting from a customer who had rather liked it. I would have never spent my own money to hear a record put out on the Analogue Productions label, a label that has an unmitigated string of failures to its name. But for free? Count me in!

The offer of the new 45 could not have been more fortuitous. I had just spent a number of weeks playing a White Hot pink label original UK pressing in an attempt to get our new playback studio sounding right.

We had a lot of problems.

We needed to work on electrical issues.

We needed to work on our room treatments.

We needed to work on speaker placement.

We Repeated Our Mistake

(more…)

Shelly Manne – My Son the Jazz Drummer!

More Shelly Manne

More Contemporary Label Jazz Recordings

  • My Son the Jazz Drummer! appears on the site for only the second time ever, here with solid Double Plus (A++) sound or BETTER throughout this original Contemporary pressing – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • Tubier, more transparent, and more dynamic than most other copies we played, with plenty of that “jumpin’ out of the speakers” quality that only The Real Thing (an old record) ever has
  • The team of Lester Koenig and Howard Holzer insure that everything you want in an audiophile Contemporary jazz recording is here
  • “…drummer Shelly Manne and a sextet (with flugelhornist Shorty Rogers, Teddy Edwards on tenor, Victor Feldman doubling on piano and vibes, guitarist Al Viola and bassist Monty Budwig) perform jazz versions of ten Jewish and Israeli-based melodies. This long out-of-print historical curiosity is more successful than one might expect.”

(more…)

An Insult to Aaron Copland on Reference Records

Hot Stamper Pressings of Orchestral Music Available Now

Yet another Reference Record we’ve reviewed and found wanting.

In all the years I was selling audiophile records, one of the labels whose appeal made no sense to me whatsoever (along with their long-forgotten TAS list brethren, American Gramaphone and Telarc) was Reference Records.

Back then, when I would hear one of their orchestral or classical recordings, I was always left thinking, “Why do audiophiles like these records?”

I was confused, because at that time, back in the 80s, I had simply not developed the listening skills that today make it so easy to recognize the faults of their recordings.

I made the mistake of thinking that other audiophiles with more advanced equipment and more refined listening skills must be hearing something I was not.

I had trouble putting my finger on what I didn’t like about them, but now, having worked full time (and then some!) for more than twenty years to develop better critical listening skills, the shortcomings of their records, or, to be more accurate, the shortcomings of this particular copy of this particular title, took no time at all to work out.

My transcribed notes for RR-22:

  • Lean tonality
  • No real weight
  • No Tubey Magic
  • Blurry imaging when loud
  • No real depth
  • Bright tonal balance

Is this the sound you are looking for in an audiophile record?

Shouldn’t you be looking for audiophile quality sound?

Well, you sure won’t find it here.

On our current playback system, this Reference Record is nothing but a joke, a joke played on a much-too-credulous audiophile public by the ridiculously inept and misguided engineers and producers who worked for Reference Records.

This is a reference for something? For what?

As I wrote about another one of their awful releases, if this is your idea of a reference record, you are in real trouble.

It would be hard to imagine that anyone who has ever heard a good vintage classical recording — here are some of our favorites — could ever confuse this piece of audiophile trash with actual hi-fidelity orchestral sound.

(more…)

Destination Stereo, Gresham’s Law and the State of Reviewing As We See It

Hot Stamper Pressings of Orchestral Spectaculars Available Now

Explosive dynamics, HUGE space and size, with unerringly correct tonality, this is a Demo Disc like no other.

When “in-the-know” audiophiles discuss three-dimensionality, soundstaging and depth, they should be talking about a record with sound such as this.

But are they? The so-called “glorious, life-changing” sound of one Heavy Vinyl reissue after another seems to be the only kind of record audiophiles and the reviewers who write for them want to talk about these days.

Even twenty years ago reviewers noted that tracks on compilations such as this often had better sound than the albums from which they were taken, proof that they were listening critically and comparing pressings.

What happened to reviewers of that caliber?

I can tell you what happened to them: they left audio, driven out according to the principle that underlies Gresham’s Law:

Bad reviewers drive out good ones.

Which leaves you with the type that can’t tell how mediocre-at-best most modern Heavy Vinyl reissues are. A sad state of affairs if you ask me, but one that no longer impacts our business as we simply don’t bother to buy, sell or play most of these records.

(more…)

Letter of the Week – “…as if I were sitting in that Southern California recording studio all those years ago.” 

Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of The Eagles Available Now

One of our good customers had this to say about some Hot Stampers he purchased back in 2022:

Hey Tom, 

First a short thank you. I was slow in ordering a record I needed for an audiophile’s friend’s birthday this week, and you guys got it to me. There is a personal service aspect of your team that just adds to the quality of the product. As to that…..

This morning I went to my record collection looking for the right one to listen to with morning coffee at the start of a beautiful Friday. I came across the very first Hot Stamper I ever purchased from you. A copy of Carol King’s Tapestry. I remember the nervousness I felt when making that first “investment”…. Have to tell you, it sounds even better today. The dynamic range, the lingering cymbal clash, the clarity of James Taylor’s acoustic guitar…as if I were sitting in that Southern California recording studio all those years ago. 

BTW… I had a very cool experience last week. My boss is friends with a guy who’s name is Herb Tobin. Herb bought an ocean front house in a small berg north Miami called Golden Beach back in 1982. He bought it from a Miami recording studio that use to be called Criteria, later changing their name to the current The Hits Factory. My boss arranged for us to have lunch with Mr. Tobin on my birthday. By now, you no doubt have guessed the address….461 Ocean Blvd. Not only did Eric Clapton stay there and was so inspired at the turning point in his life that time meant he named the album, and used the image looking back from the beach at the back of the house in 1974 as the album cover. The Eagles also stayed there while recording Hotel California.

We met Mr. Tobin out for lunch and he told me many stories of all the strange, and some unwelcome visitors he has had since 1982. One most welcomed visitor was in the 1990’s he got a call from Clapton’s agent and Eric wanted to bring his wife by and show her the house. They ended up having lunch out on the back patio, where the palm tree is on the album cover. Eric autographed 10 records for Mr. Tobin that day and he had 4 left plus one he had framed. My boss made arrangements with Mr. Tobin in advance and he gave me one…. I am having it framed. I have always loved that record, since ’74. Not looking for agreement, but I have never been able to warm up to any of the Cream, Derek and the Dominos, etc. and anything after what are for me the 4 best (461; Backless; No Reason to Cry; and There’s One In Every Crowd), is simply not my cup of tea. But 461 for me is not only Clapton’s best work, it is one of my top 10 albums of all time. Something totally authentic about it.

Wanted to share a little with you of the impact all your good work makes. (more…)

Chopin – Piano Concerto No. 2 / Rubinstein

More Classical and Orchestral Recordings

  • Chopin’s 2nd piano concerto returns to the site for only the second time in four years, here with stunning Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) sound from start to finish – just shy of our Shootout Winner
  • The reproduction of the piano on this exceptional Shaded Dog pressing is clear, solid, and present – in other words, hard to fault
  • The sound was simply bigger, more transparent, less distorted, more three-dimensional and more real than practically all the other copies we played
  • We were also impressed with the vibrant orchestra surrounding the piano, with plenty of the Living Stereo Tubey Magical strings we audiophiles swoon over
  • There are about 150 orchestral recordings we think offer the best performances with the highest quality sound. This record is certainly deserving of a place on that list.
  • 1958 just happens to be one of the truly great years for analog recordings, as evidenced by this amazing group of albums, all recorded or released in that year.

The original version of LSC 2265 as pictured above is known as The Rubinstein Story. It comes with a deluxe gatefold cover and a lovely illustrated booklet tucked into an inner flap with biographical information about Rubinstein and commentary about the music of Chopin. The second picture is of the reissue of the album which came out soon thereafter, still with the Shaded Dog label.

Those of you who know your Shaded Dogs no doubt have had a few problems with your Rubinstein pressings in the past being too midrangy and forward, a sound that Rubinstein supposedly insisted on for his records. Not so on this pressing, I am happy to report. The sound is overflowing with Tubey Magic.

(more…)

Steve Winwood – Talking Back To The Night

More Rock and Pop

  • Talking Back To The Night makes its Hot Stamper debut with INSANELY GOOD Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound throughout this original Island pressing
  • Here are just a few of the things we had to say about this amazing copy in our notes: “big and rich and punchy”…”breathy vox”…”jumping out of the speakers”…”full and warm”…”open and solid”
  • Guaranteed to be a huge improvement over anything you’ve heard, this Brit is big, punchy, and full-bodied – Winwood’s leads really soar
  • Forget the dubby domestic pressings and whatever crappy Heavy Vinyl record they’re making these days – the UK LPs are the only way to fly on Talking Back To The Night
  • Problems in the vinyl are sometimes the nature of the beast with these vintage LPs – there simply is no way around them if the superior sound of vintage analog is important to you

This vintage UK Island pressing has the kind of Tubey Magical Midrange that modern records can barely BEGIN to reproduce. Folks, that sound is gone and it sure isn’t showing signs of coming back. If you love hearing INTO a recording, actually being able to “see” the performers, and feeling as if you are sitting in the studio with the band, this is the record for you. It’s what vintage all analog recordings are known for — this sound.

(more…)

David Clayton-Thomas – Self-Titled

More Rock and Pop

  • This original copy (the first to ever hit the site) boasts two KILLER Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sides or close to them
  • Here are just a few of the things we had to say about this incredible copy in our notes: ” big and tubey and weighty”…”wide vox”…”3D and sweet and tubey”…”jumping out of the speakers”…”fully extended from top to bottom”
  • You get clean, clear, full-bodied, lively and musical analog sound from first note to last
  • Don’t waste your money on whatever dead-as-a-doornail Heavy Vinyl record they’re making these days – if you want to hear the Tubey Magic, size and energy of Clayton-Thomas’s 1973 release, a vintage pressing like this one is the only way to go

(more…)

Hearing Is Believing

More Advice on Improving Your Critical Listening Skills

Below you will find some ideas on becoming an expert listener from back in our early shootout days. Those shootouts, like this one, are the very thing that taught me how to improve my underdeveloped listening skills in the first place.

UPDATE 2025

This commentary was written in 2006, about two years after we started putting Hot Stampers on our website. This classic release by Cat Stevens took the honors of being the first, and deservedly so. It is one of the all time greats. Sometimes we even have one in stock.

Many of the commentaries from our old site have been transferred to the blog you are reading.  This is one of the earliest ones that we’d written, one we credit with getting the ball rolling for the concept of Hot Stampers and the practices required to find them.

(For those new to the idea, here are the short versions of what they are and how one might go about acquiring them.)

For years we’ve been writing commentaries about the sound of specific records we’ve auditioned. We described their exceptional attributes in detail in order to put them up for sale at admittedly high prices.

By now there are literally hundreds of pages of commentary in which we’ve tried to explain exactly what we listened for and exactly what we heard when playing these pressings. We’ve tried to be as clear as possible about which qualities separate the better sounding LPs from their competitors — what they were doing right, and how we learned to recognize those qualities.

As we’ve gained a better understanding of records and their playback, we’ve made every effort to share with our readers what we’ve learned. (This link will take you to some insights we gained from shootouts for specific titles, complete with notes.)

(more…)

Eric Clapton / Just One Night – An Exceptionally Good Album of Classic Blues Rock

More Eric Clapton

More Live Albums

  • With superb Double Plus (A++) grades on all FOUR sides, we guarantee you’ve never heard Just One Night sound this good
  • This one is bigger, bolder and richer, as well as more clean, clear and open than most of the other pressings we played
  • Sure to be the best live Clapton sound you’ll hear on vinyl – and the music is wonderful as well
  • 4 1/2 stars: “The most notable difference between Just One Night and Clapton’s other live albums is his backing band. Led by guitarist Albert Lee, the group is a collective of accomplished professionals who have managed to keep some grit in their playing. They help push Clapton along, forcing him to spit out crackling solos throughout the album.”
  • If you’re a Clapton fan, this title from 1980 is surely a Must Own live rock album

With so many bad sounding Clapton albums from the mid- to late ’70s out there in the bins, it’s refreshing to hear this material sounding lively and clear for a change. The performances seem to hold up as well. If you like the “Tulsa Time” era, this record is going to be hard to beat.

Many of his best songs are here, including Lay Down Sally, Wonderful Tonight, After Midnight, Blues Power, Cocaine, Further on Up the Road and plenty more.

(more…)