Welcome to Better Records, the Home of the Ultimate Pressing: the Hot Stamper
UPDATE 2026
This letter came to us in 2022.
An erstwhile customer (Conrad, where did you go?) had this to say about some Hot Stampers he purchased a while back. (I’ve edited it a bit.)
Hey Tom,
Curious your thoughts on Analog Productions reissues? From the few I’ve heard, they seem to be among the better ‘new records’ out there, at least when they’re not involving digital in the process.
Conrad,
How is it that you missed all my posts about their records? This link will take you to them: Analogue Productions.
I feel like I attack them too much, but apparently not!
Simply put, they may be the worst record label of all time.
Certainly no label is worse, some may be as bad, the Electric Recording guy in England is probably tied for most awful, Mobile Fidelity is up there too, but there are so many contenders for Worst Audiophile Record Label of All Time, how could you possibly know where to begin?
Not one record of AP I have ever heard was not awful, and if there are others that are not awful that I have yet to audition, those are very likely to be worse than a plain old copy easily found in a record store or on the web.
Curious to know what record of theirs you like. I find the very idea almost unimaginable.
TP
Ha ha, enjoyed reading some of that.
I’m in the odd position that I can both entirely see what your criticisms are, and to a good extent share them, and yet, at least with the jazz records I’ve heard from them, I’m also hearing things I like.