
A customer recently contacted us after making his first purchase and being disappointed with the White Hot Stamper pressing we had sent him.
Hi,
Wondered who I can talk to about this record that I purchased. I’ve listened to it numerous times and it just does not have that sound stage I was expecting.
I am not looking for a refund. In fact, I refuse a refund. However, I would appreciate the opportunity to speak to someone about the factors that make this a “White Hot Pressing.”
I’m sure you need to understand what amplifier, speakers, setting, etc. I am using. Without going into the details, I have a McIntosh amplifier and Focal 936 speakers. I know how much of a difference equipment makes in the sound of a record.
I love to hear amazing records, some of which I have in original pressings I purchased when they were released and can truly feel it when there is something special about the record. This one does not seem to have it to me, but I am interested in finding and purchasing one from you that gives that amazing feeling.
Please let me know if there is someone I can speak to about finding that record.
Thank you,
S.
I replied with an overwhelming amount of information (and opinions!) designed to help Mr. S understand more about records, as follows:
Dear Sir,
Tom here. Let me see if I can help.
The first thing I would need to know is what version of the album do you have that you think sounds better, or, if not better, comparable?
[He had no other pressing, not surprising as our White Hot copies are almost impossible to beat.]
Assuming you don’t have a better copy — we would be very surprised if you did — we would say that it’s likely there are two factors at play:
White Hot does not mean amazing Demo Disc sound. It means the best sound we can find for this recording, relative to the others we play. In other words, the best there is within the limitations of the recording.
We can’t fix the recording, we can only find you the best available pressing. If you were expecting more, something along the lines of Dark Side of the Moon, then I understand your disappointment.
For the band’s first album, we wrote:
It’s unlikely you will be demonstrating your system with this record, but you may find yourself enjoying the hell out of it for what it is — an early example of Roots Rock that still holds up today.
For Green River we wrote:
Green River isn’t ever going to be a knockout demo disc, but a copy like this allows you to enjoy the music as it was recorded. Most copies are so dull, grainy and lifeless that someone would have to wake you at the end of a side.
We have a section for great sounding rock and pop recordings, it’s this one:
There are no CCR records in this section and never will be.
The second point I would make is that some records are much more difficult to reproduce than others, and require the right equipment to do them justice. In the listing for your record, under one of the tabs, you can find all of this.
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