Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of Neil Young Available Now
Sonic Grade: B
We haven’t played a copy of this record in more than a decade [make that two], but back in the day we liked it, so let’s call it a “B” with the caveat that the older the review, the more likely we are to see things differently now.
In the early 2000s we wrote the following (please excuse the all-caps, I could barely type back then):
This is a SURPRISINGLY good sounding Nautilus Half-Speed mastered LP with AMAZING transparency.
The sound here is DRAMATICALLY more natural than your average audiophile pressing. Just listen to the phony top end found on most MoFis to see what we mean.
On this record you’ll hear none of the hyped-up highs that are MoFi’s claim to fame.
This Nautilus is sure to destroy the typical domestic pressing, which (before cleaning) will tend to sound opaque, thick and dull.
This Half-Speed wouldn’t really match up to our Hottest Stampers, but you could sure do a lot worse.
Although it’s a tad fat at the bottom, it still retains much of the warmth and richness found on the best copies.
Further Reading
- New to the Blog? Start here
- More on the subject of Half-Speed mastering
- More letters, reviews and commentaries for Harvest
Records are getting awfully expensive these days, and it’s not just our Hot Stampers that seem priced for perfection.
If you are still buying these modern remastered pressings, making the same mistakes that I was making before I knew better, take the advice of some of our customers and stop throwing your money away on Heavy Vinyl and Half-Speed mastered LPs.
At the very least let us send you a Hot Stamper pressing — of any album you choose — that can show you what is wrong with your copy of the album.
And if for some reason you disagree with us that our record sounds better than yours, we will happily give you all your money back and wish you the very best.