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Deep Purple – Made In Japan
Sonic Grade: D-
A Hall of Shame pressing and another DCC LP debunked.
Dead as a doornail sound. Disgraceful.
Pink Floyd – Atom Heart Mother
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Atom Heart Mother
- A KILLER sounding copy with Triple Plus (A+++) sound or very close to it on both sides
- The overall sound here is incredibly rich, full and dynamic with huge amounts of Tubey Magic and a solid bottom end
- This is by far the best copy we have played in years – it’s richer, bigger and more solid than practically everything we were able to throw against it
- While the music here may not be for everyone, if you’re a fan you’ll have a hard time finding a copy that sounds even remotely as good as this one does
This is an album that rarely sounds any good. We’ve spent a ton of money over the years chasing British originals and various other pressings looking for that Pink Floyd magic, but the early pressings were consistently disappointing, as are most reissues. If you like this music — admittedly a big if — I don’t think you can find better sound for it. (more…)
Dire Straits – Dire Straits – Our Four Plus Shootout Winner from 2011
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Dire Straits – Dire Straits
A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock Hall of Fame.
The best side one we’ve ever heard, so freakishly impressive that we awarded it the rare A++++ (Four Plus) grade! On top of that, side two earned an A++ grade and the vinyl plays unusually quietly — solid Mint Minus throughout. This is probably the best Dire Straits album (certainly our favorite) and definitely their best sounding album; on a copy like this one it has the power to BLOW YOUR MIND. Water Of Love, Down To The Waterline and Six Blade Knife are all STUNNING on this pressing. (more…)
Chet Baker & Art Pepper – Playboys – Our Shootout Winner from 2015
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A distinguished member of the Better Records Jazz Hall of Fame
Side one is White Hot, side two nearly so, and both contain swingin’ West Coast Jazz from 1956. These 1983 reissues on Boplicity are dynamic and lively, perfectly suited to the energy of the music. The 1956 All Tube mono recording here has this Hot/Cool jazz sounding the way it should.
The 1983 version we are offering here says stereo on the label, but the sound is pure mono, a good reason not to trust labels! (more…)
Miles Davis – Porgy and Bess – Our Shootout Winner from 2012
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A distinguished member of the Better Records Jazz Hall of Fame.
WOW! This Original Six Eye Stereo pressing does EVERYTHING we ever hoped for from this great album! We’ve been searching for a killer copy of this one forever but without much luck. Here’s the first one to ever hit the site, and it is a MONSTER. Both sides have KILLER A+++ sound — super tubey magical and tonally balanced with real depth to the soundfield. (more…)
Letter of the Week “Your Hot Stampers have returned that analog magic to my listening room.”
One of our good customers had this to say about some Hot Stampers he purchased recently:
Hey Tom,
I just wanted to say thank you to you and your team. Your Hot Stampers have returned that analog magic to my listening room. I am stunned by some of the albums I have gotten. Given my travel schedule, I don’t get to listen to all the albums I buy. I have been catching up over the holidays. You guys have taken critical listening to a whole new level and are consistent in your evaluations and accurate in your write ups. My listening skills and appreciation of great recordings has improved over this past year.
The attitude of your team has made doing business a delightful experience. Todd and Fred are always helpful and responsive. I equally enjoy your insights and advice as well. Fundamentally, at the most basic level after all the ” equipment upgrades” in my life, I am truly enjoying listening to music again. That may not seem very profound, but for me it is a revelation.
The only one not pleased with my new discovery is my wife. She does not appreciate the value equation of your product; my musical selections; nor does she like the amount of time I am spending in my listening room. Often she calls me on my cell phone from other parts of the house asking me when am I coming out!
Please keep up the good work; it is one of a kind.
Mike H. (more…)
Ella Fitzgerald – Ella At Duke’s Place
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A distinguished member of the Better Records Jazz Hall of Fame.
We have a very hard time doing the famous Ella Fitzgerald Songbooks due to the fact that so many pressings don’t sound good, and the ones that do sound good are usually noisy.
That’s why it came as a pleasant surprise that Ella At Duke’s Place had the potential for excellent sound and reasonably quiet vinyl on the best copies.
We hope to do more in the future but with the reissues from the ’70s being mostly awful and the originals being harder and harder to find we are not at all sanguine about our chance of success. (more…)
Gershwin / An American In Paris & Rhapsody In Blue
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A distinguished member of the Better Records Orchestral Music Hall of Fame.
I’ve always loved these performances, but the shrill Columbia sound has been hard to get past. So many copies suffer from upper-midrangy, glary, hard sound and blary brass. I’ve come to accept that this is nothing more nor less than the “Columbia Sound,” and as a consequence I rarely put much effort into surveying their prodigious catalog these days. (more…)
Massenet / Le Cid / Martinon – Our Shootout Winner from 2011
More of the music of Jules Massenet (1842-1912)
Le Cid / Martinon
A distinguished member of the Better Records Orchestral Music Hall of Fame.
Superb Super Hot Stamper sound for Les Patineurs, and the Le Cid is just a step behind at A+ to A++. We had a copy of the famous Greeensleeves pressing for our shootout, along with a number of Londons, and this Stereo Treasury had the highest overall sonic grades of all of them. The original Blueback pressing — true, we only had the one, so take it for what it’s worth — was a complete disaster: shrill, with no top or bottom to speak of.
Both these pieces are audiophile Must Own Demonstration pieces, full of depth, ambience, and wonderfully correct instrumental timbres, especially from the woodwinds. Add explosive dynamics and deep bass and you have yourself a genuine audiophile recording. (more…)
Michael Jackson – Thriller – Our Shootout Winner from 2010
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Thriller
A distinguished member of the Better Records Rock and Pop Hall of Fame.
A KILLER THRILLER, with an A+++ side one that’s going to knock you out! That gives you TOP SHELF SOUND for songs including Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ and the title track, which are going to BLOW YOU AWAY! So many copies of Thriller out there just don’t deliver, but this side one does almost everything right. (more…)