Hot Stamper Classical and Orchestral Imports on Decca & London
1961 just happens to be one of the greatest years for high quality analog recordings. Just check out this amazing group of albums, all recorded or released that year.
This London LP was released in 1961, right in the heart of the Golden Age, so we figured it had a good chance of displaying the kind of relaxed, immersive, smooth, rich, Tubey Magical Decca sound we absolutely cannot get enough of here at Better Records.
As we were preparing to do the shootout with the six copies of CS 6202 we had amassed over the years, we suddenly ran into a big problem.
(Cue sound effect of record being scratched here.)
We discovered that the sound was just not very good. There wasn’t much top end to speak of. The overall sound on even the best copies we auditioned was boxy, OK at best. It was crude and smeary.
You can be sure we will eventually be offloading these on Discogs when we find the time. Our advice in the meantime: Don’t waste your money.
And if you have one in your collection and think it sounds great, please drop us a line so we can find one like yours.
If you do have one in your collection, more than likely it is sitting on some shelf, not having been played in years. This is what happens to mediocre records — they just sit around, taking up space.
Yes, the classic Golden Age cover is lovely. But what good is a lovely cover when the record is as mediocre as this one?
The world is full of second- and third-rate records. As a matter of fact I am willing to bet they make up the bulk of most large record collections like the one seen here.
And if you just happen to be the proud owner of such a collection, how can you possibly find the time to play more than a small fraction of the records you own in any given year?
Or, for that matter, even over the course of a decade. The reality is that you can’t.
Which, on the upside, means that, as far as you know, all your records sound great! No need to buy another copy of [insert title here]. You haven’t played it in twenty years and chances are you won’t for twenty more to come.
Here’s hoping your kids like old records because they are going to inherit an awful lot of them.
We’ve auditioned countless pressings in the 38 years we’ve been in business — buying, cleaning and playing them by the thousands.
This is how we find the best sounding vinyl pressings ever made, through trial and error. It may be expensive and time consuming, but there is simply no other method for finding better records that actually works. If you know of one, please write me!
We are not the least bit interested in pressings that are “known” to sound the best.
Known by whom? Which audiophiles — hobbyists or professionals, take your pick — can be trusted to know what they are talking about when it comes to the sound of records.
I have never met one, outside of those of us who work for Better Records. I remain skeptical of the existence of such a creature.
If you’re an audiophile with an ear for top quality sound on vintage vinyl, we’d be happy to send you the Hot Stamper pressing guaranteed to beat anything and everything you’ve ever heard, especially if you have any pressing marketed to audiophiles. Those, with few exceptions, are rarely better than mediocre, and a great many are just awful.
And if we can’t beat whatever LP you own or have heard, you get your money back. It’s as simple as that.
Further Reading
