customer-shootout

Letters from customers who did their own shootouts using one of our Hot Stamper pressings.

This Is Not a Cheap Hobby If You Want to Get Very Far

Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of Paul McCartney Available Now

Some records are consistently too noisy to keep in stock no matter how good they sound. McCartney’s first album is one of them.

(We have a section for records that tend to be noisy, and it can be found here.)

Rick sent us a letter recently after having played his first Hot Stamper, the first record he ever bought from us. At $300 it wasn’t exactly cheap, but the best things in life never are, and certainly there is little in the world of audio that’s cheap and of much value.

This is not a cheap hobby if you want to do it right, and even tons of money doesn’t guarantee you will get good sound. It’s far more complicated than that. To quote Winston Churchill, you must be prepared to offer your  “blood, toil, tears and sweat.”

Churchill went on to say “You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory. Victory at all costs… Victory, however long and hard the road may be…”

Now, he wasn’t talking about audio, but he could have been, and I certainly am. It takes the serious commitment of resources — money and labor — to get the sound you want. That is the victory I am talking about.

On our Hot Stamper McCartney album, Rick no doubt heard the sound he was looking for — and then some — judging by his letter.

Hi Tom,

Well, I knew you guys were serious upon receiving the LP in 4 layers of wrapping and padding but when I put the disc on I was pretty stunned. Virtually everything was popping and so musical and rich sounding. Nothing like the 3 other pressings I’ve had of this recording in the past, the last of which I actually sailed out the window after 2 minutes of playing.

Every Night just sounds incredible, especially when he drops the bass an octave. And Maybe I’m Amazed gave me goosebumps for the first time since I bought it the week it came out. Also heard something on that track I never did (or could hear) before. During the guitar solo there’s a single high pitched vocal kind of buried in the background. Almost sounds like a mistake, making me think it could be Linda and Paul did what he could. Pretty wild.

My only very slight criticism is there is some surface noise but this is very overshadowed by all the positives. Overall it is superb. Can I give you guys a short list of LPs I’m looking for?

Thanks so much!

Best
Rick M.

Rick, we are so happy to hear you loved that record as much as we did. We have been touting McCartney’s first solo album for more than a decade. Ever read a word about it in an audiophile context elsewhere? Of course you haven’t! The audiophile world doesn’t know and doesn’t care about great albums like this one, but we at Better Records LIVE for  sound and music of this caliber.

It’s a permanent resident of our rock and pop Top 100 list for a reason: no other solo album by a Beatle can touch it.

As for surface issues, we wish we could find quietpressings of the album, but that is simply not an option, especially considering how dynamic the recording is. Mint Minus to Mint Minus Minus is roughly what yours was graded and that is certainly not dead quiet by any stretch. As we said:

(more…)

Letter of the Week – “I must say this is being quite an experience which I am enjoying very much.”

Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of Jethro Tull Available Now

Our customer Michel wrote to tell us how much he likes some of his Hot Stamper pressings after doing shootouts with others he owns, including a number of audiophile pressings.

Hi Tom,

I finally was able to spend the time to listen and compare my last three purchases. I must say this is being quite an experience which I am enjoying very much.

First up was Aqualung.

So here I did something backwards, as I listened to yours first, instead of the other way around. At first I thought it sounded thin and lacking. I discovered that this particular lp needed the gain controls to be turned up almost all the way in order to reveal itself. This was key. I did of course match volume when I compared the other pressings.

The more I put on the Classic 200gm or the DCC or the UK first press, or the MFSL, or another early US pressing, the better your LP sounded!

This is the very best I have ever heard Aqualung. Truly a stunning experience. This is how it is meant to be heard. Super happy with this one. Thank You.

Second was Stand Up.

Here I went back to normal and listened to my copies first which didn’t include anything of note except for the AP 45rpm. I found that for a UK Jethro Tull pressing the bass was indeed more boomy and warm than normal, which is nice.

I did find it lacking in oomph, but more importantly for me is the tone. The US LPs of the time have that warm deep fuzzy bass that oozes out of the speakers. I couldn’t find that with this UK copy.

It reminded me of the UK first press Aqualung in this regard. I would like to return it.

Third up was Let It Be.

So I had previously determined that the SHS [A++] Let it Be I had purchased prior was indeed the best copy I’d ever heard. So now I bought the WHS and have finally put it to the test here in the mountains.

OMG the woods cried out “play it again, play it again”!

This indeed is one truly amazing pressing. Its like listening to the master tape. I don’t know what else to say… speechless.

Simply dramatic warmth, clarity, punch, dynamic range, and the vinyl is so quiet.

This is truly super worthy of the WHS badge… it just took all the good stuff from the SHS and dialed it all in perfectly and then gave it a little caffeine.

What an amazing discovery BR has made here. I’m so glad I was able to purchase this one.

Who would have ever known it could get this good.

As an individual trying to figure this out, my experience says the chances of success are less than 4%, which is why your business model is working. Like one of your customers wrote “I now have twelve copies in total… eleven of them are useless”.

For every BR lp I’ve purchased there are multiple copies going in the sell pile.

Once again, many thanks!
Michel

Michel,

Glad you liked your Hot Stamper pressings of Aqualung and Let It Be.

As for Stand Up, it has been more than a decade since we played a domestic pressing of Stand Up that could do what the better imports can do. Here is an old commentary to that effect.

Down the road, as you continue to improve your playback, at some point you should probably try another one of our Hot Stamper import pressings of Stand Up. On our system it’s no contest.

And of course we stand behind the copy we sent you with a money back guarantee, so of course you can return it.

Best, TP

(more…)

Letter of the Week – “Smokes the best of my three UK 1st press red apple covers I have collected.”

Hot Stamper Pressings of Let It Be Available Now

Our customer Michael S. wrote to tell us how much he likes his Hot Stamper pressing of Let It Be.

Hi guys,

The Let It Be 3+/3+ I bought from you few weeks ago is an absolute stunner that smokes the best of my three UK 1st press red apple covers I have collected over the last few years. Thanks again and keep’em coming!

All the best,

Michael S.

Michael,

Thanks for writing. That’s great to hear.

You could buy fifty of those original pressings and the White Hot Stamper pressing we sent you would smoke every last one of them.

We don’t bother with them because we know which pressings can beat them, so why waste the money for the so-called “original” when the reissue is — as you now know — superior sounding?

The conventional wisdom that the original is the way to go with most Beatles records is something we learned was mistaken more than 30 years ago and nothing has changed our minds about it since then, and that’s after having played literally hundreds and hundreds of Beatles records in the ensuing years.

(more…)

Letter of the Week – “The White Hot stamper just pulled you into those songs, so you could feel every little dynamic shift and tonal change…”

More of the Music of Steely Dan

More of the Music of Cat Stevens

One of our good customers had this to say about some Hot Stampers he purchased recently. [The bolding has been added by us.]

Hey Tom,   

A friend and I just did a shootout of 16 copies of Aja, plus one of your White Stampers, which easily trounced them all (including some DJ 12″ singles from the album) [1], and in exactly those areas that you cover in some of the WTLF descriptions you have for that album. Just a great big, open and lovely-sounding record–what a thrill!. And thanks very much for those notes–they help clarify the critical listening process.

We also listened to 16 copies of Tea for the Tillerman. Among those (UK pink rims, German, Japanese, and many US labels) were two excellent early brown label A&M pressings, which I saved for the end of the shootout.

And we had the Analogue Productions 33 rpm pressing, which has been a big disappointment since I first heard it. [2] Those two original A&Ms both sound so much more natural, with more delicacy, extension, air, presence and energy than the AP version. My listening buddy said they sounded as if they were cut at 45 rpm; and neither of us really expected your White Hot UK pink-rim pressing could be a significant improvement over those.

But, as good as those are, it was also obvious that your WHS brought the music several steps closer. The A&M brown labels both added some thickness and over-emphasized the low range of his voice–which (until we heard your WHS) was a pleasant coloration.

But as you frequently mention, the biggest issue, once you’ve heard a great copy, is how much more energy and flow the music has. The WHS stamper just pulled you into those songs, so you could feel every little dynamic shift and tonal change that the musicians were bringing to the table. It allowed that music to breathe in a way I’ve never heard before. What a record!

The BIG thing your Hot Stampers do is present the music in a perfectly balanced way — no frequency range is emphasized, which also means none are compromised. I think this is why you can always turn up the volume on a Hot Stamper. If you’ve got a bad mastering or bad pressing, at some point, turning up the volume only make parts of the recording more unlistenable. Turning up a Hot stamper makes it a bit louder, sure. But it also brings you further into the studio, and closer to the music — and that’s we really want, right?

Ivan

Ivan,

Quite a shootout! I see you learned a lot. That’s what shootouts are for, to teach you what the good copies do well that the other copies do not do so well. As you well know, going deep into the sound the way you did is a thrill, one we get to enjoy on a regular basis. Maybe not every day — not every record is as good as Tea for the Tillerman – but multiple times a week. It’s what make the coming to work every day fun for those of us on the listening panels.

(more…)

The Beatles 10 Copy Shootout – “I was near a nervous breakdown.”

More of the Music of The Beatles

Reviews and Commentaries for The White Album

Our good customer Erik in Germany purchased one of our hottest Hot Stamper White Albums ($700) and decided to do his own shootout with the ten — count ’em, ten — copies he had on hand.  

He makes a point to mention that it’s worth the seven hundred bucks he paid (plus international shipping and customs, let’s not forget, so add another 20-25% on to that figure). Some skeptics may think he’s suffering from Cognitive Dissonance, but we say there’s nothing dissonant about the kind of sound Erik describes hearing in the testimonial he sent us, as follows.

[UPDATE: We should note that for about the last ten years we have preferred the right UK pressings of the album over our previous favorite, the right German pressing. A textbook case of live and learn.]

Hello my friends,

I want to say THANK YOU for the Beatles White Album Hot Stamper. I’m so amazed and lucky – I can’t describe it. You graded it correct (A+/A++/A++/A++ to A+++) and it is worth the price, the sound is exactly “sweet, breathy vocals; well-defined bass; stunning clarity; warmth and richness; immediacy; astonishing transparency and spaciousness; clear transients; loads of ambience and more.”

I’m at the source here in good old Germany concerning the German Apple pressings, collected 10 copies (also a UK first issue and one in a box). 4 were crap, half a dozen had the condition for a shootout. But not one single side reach a rating above A-, I was near a nervous breakdown. Now this problem is solved and I can simply enjoy the album in the future.

Kind regards

Erik

Erik, so glad to hear our copy of the White Album so easily vanquished all comers. We live for letters like yours!

We love it when our customers take the time and make the effort to do their own shootouts, especially when we win, which is what happens about 99% of the time.

It is not the least bit unusual for our customers to take another listen and become more aware of the superior sound of the Hot Stamper pressings the second time around.

When we do lose a shootout, we promptly refund the buyer’s money and wish him or her a nice day.

What do we do with the record, assuming the customer had no problem with its playing condition?

(more…)

Letter of the Week – “The WHS made the music sound more natural and more involving.”

More of the Music of Steely Dan

One of our good customers recently bought a Super Hot pressing of Aja, and wasn’t quite sure if he loved the music enough to keep it, so he wanted to try a White Hot Stamper pressing to see if that would win him over, the idea being that the better sound of the White Hot copy would communicate the music better. This is his story.

Dear Tom,

Probably my favorite thing to do in audio these days is putting on a record of yours for the first time. When the Aja White Hot Stamper came, I had to wait a few hours until after the kids were all tucked in. I listened with headphones for a change, and right away I could tell how clear and intricate this copy was. Knowing how my other copies sounded, I knew no shootout was going to be necessary.

I also really love doing mini-shootouts of my own. It’s a great way to really sink in to listening for a while. I don’t have 16 other copies of Aja, the way your other customer described, but I could still stack your WHS up against three other ABC pressings with identical-looking labels and nearly-identical deadwax, along with a MoFi and a Japanese pressing.

It proved to be the most beguiling shootout I’ve ever done. Each copy had merits, and among the ABC pressings, I was hearing clear similarities to the WHS. This is such delicate and full music, so obviously well-recorded, that I guess it’s hard for any pressing to completely muck it up.[1]

I’ve heard you say that a white hot stamper is a copy that just does everything right, and that was completely true in this case. The differences were subtler, but also more important, than they usually are in my mini-shootouts. The WHS made the music sound more natural and more involving. All those crazy details, present in the others if you really pay attention, came right up to the surface when the WHS played.

I really can’t claim it trounced the others, but I can certainly say that it had the best aspects of each of them, while in turn not being improved on in any aspect by any of the others. Sure, it would be fun to get to hear one of the sought-after pressings, like a Cisco, but with prices verging on hot stamper territory, it’s not like I’m going to go track that down. I’ll just content myself with your word that this one would beat one of those.[2] Since I’m not feeling anything lacking here, I have no reason to keep going.

After almost every purchase from you, I ask myself, “is it worth what I paid?” This was a funny one. I don’t love Steely Dan, even though all indications are that I should. I’ve always dug Aja, but not to the obsessive levels I know others to be (and that I am with other records). I was curious to own a WHS because I know it’s such a well-recorded album, I knew I’d love the sound, and as you suggested when I asked you about it, I wanted to see if a great-sounding copy could help me get into the music.

So far so good. I appreciate the virtuosity of the musicians, the touch they’ve got on their instruments, the clever wordplay (now that the vocals are so easy to make out), and the communication among them, like a great jazz session. Is it worth what I paid? Well, I’m not sending it back, even though I know you wouldn’t mind if I did. So, thanks for another gem in my collection.

Thank you,

Aaron

Aaron,

Thanks for your letter. A few thoughts:

[1] Yes, an early ABC pressing is unlikely to sound wrong or terrible in our experience. Of the hundred or more that we’ve played, a don’t remember one that did not at least sound good enough to sell, earning perhaps our lowest Hot Stamper grade.

You’ve recently upgraded your system quite a bit. If you keep going that way, in five or ten (or two!) years you may want to revisit the WHS copy relative to your other three ABC pressings (forget the others) and see what changes you have wrought, although I do not recommend you use Aja as a test disc, for the simple reason that extremely artificial recordings can often sound amazingly good, but when your system goes off the rails to some degree from a new tweak or change, they will sound different, but not necessarily better or worse, not more right or more wrong, and then you don’t know whether the change was a good one or a bad one.

Different means nothing. Things sound different all the time.

More right or more wrong should always be your test.

Test discs like the ones we recommend should make it easy to distinguish better from worse, right from wrong. Test discs that don’t are simply not good test discs and should not be used for that purpose.

[2] Don’t take my word for how bad the Cisco pressing is. We have letters from customers who say the same thing.

The Cisco is so bad we call it a pass/fail record.  We describe pass/fail records this way:

Some records are so wrong, or so lacking in qualities that are crucial to the sound — qualities typically found in abundance on the right vintage pressings — that the advocates for these records, reviewers and audiophiles alike, have clearly failed to judge them accurately.

Tea for the Tillerman on the new 45 may be substandard in almost every way, but it is not a Pass/Fail pressing. It lacks one thing above all others, Tubey Magic, so if your system has an abundance of that quality, the way many vintage tube systems do, the new pressing may be quite listenable and enjoyable. Those whose systems can play the record and not notice this important shortcoming are not exactly failing. Audiophiles of this persuasion most likely have a system that is heavily colored and not very revealing, but it is not a system that is hopeless.

(more…)

We Get Letters – “I now know how the Beatles ACTUALLY sound, and cannot bear to listen to any substandard versions.”

Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of The Beatles Available Now

One of our good customers had this to say about a Hot Stamper pressing he purchased recently:

I just received the Super Hot Stamper copy of the Beatles Oldies and would like to thank you for selecting a very nice copy that is in the surprisingly good condition. On the first listen, the outstanding tracks are “She Loves You” (super sweet, crystal clear vocals), “Day Tripper” (incredibly soft, yet energetic sound), “Eleanor Rigby” (powerful voice and strings), “I Feel Fine” (crisp, powerful drums), and “A Hard Day’s Night” (oooh, those vocals and those chiming guitars bursting out of the speakers!)

The only somewhat disappointing track is “Help.” Hard sounding, even harsh, with boosted highs and insufficient bass.

Alex followed up in more depth with this:

Just wanted to send you compliments on picking a very good pressing of the The Beatles “A Collection of Beatles Oldies” (Super Hot Stamper). I am a massive Beatles fan and have a number of various copies of their LPs in my collection. I received your hot stamper yesterday, and spent some time doing side-by-side shootouts comparing the tracks on your hot stamper to the same tracks on my other LPs.

I’ll just quickly comment on “Ticket To Ride” (one of my all time favourite Beatles songs): I compared the hot stamper pressing with my original UK pressing of the LP “Help.” After playing “Ticket To Ride” (last track on side one of “Help”, I said to myself “hey, no way this track could ever sound better than it already does. The sound is big as a house, loads of energy, the guitars are cutting, shimmering. and leaping out the right speaker, Lennon’s voice is searing, Ringo’s drums are rocking!”

Then I played the hot stamper version. Wow! What a stunning difference. It’s as if someone pulled cotton wool out of my ears. Such presence, such clarity, such musicality. The sweetness, the razor sharp imaging and precision in the soundstage. I mean, I’m speechless.

I then dutifully went on to play “Ticket To Ride”, comparing the hot stamper with my Japanese pressing of “Help”, my Capitol pressing, etc. Of course, all those other pressings fared much worse than my original UK pressing.

I am kind of in disbelief now. How’s such a stunning difference even possible, given that they’re pretty much coming from the same (or similar) master tape. My 1965 UK pressing [1] was obviously cut from the fresh master tape, and yet it sounds muddled and blaring compared to the 1966 [2] pressing of the hot stamper.

Another interesting thing to note is that, prior to hearing the hot stamper, I honestly thought that the UK version on the “Help” LP sounded fantastic.

This experience sounds and feels like witchcraft. It took me a while to follow Robert’s advice [Robert Brook the man behind The Broken Record] and get to listen to a hot stamper, but here we are.

Whatever it is, I know I’m now in trouble because I will have to start selling some guitars in my collection to be able to afford your Beatles super white hot stampers.

Alex

I wrote back asking about Help.

Alex,

Thanks for writing. Did you have a change of heart on the song Help from the first letter you sent? Or does that track still sound bad and it’s the others that now sound good from Help, the album?

Best, TP

Alex replied:

Actually, on subsequent listening I changed my mind. “Help” does sound good. I had to listen to it side-by-side with a few other pressings to realize how much better it sounds on your hot stamper. I think I mistook white heat energy on that track for hard sounding, even harsh. My ears needed recalibrating.

In all fairness, the entire LP sounds stunning. So much so that it now breaks my heart to play any other Beatles LP. I now know how the Beatles ACTUALLY sound, and cannot bear to listen to any substandard versions.

So, you spoiled it for me. I now have to chase after other hot stampers of the Beatles LPs. Just when I was planning to prepare the budget for a tonearm upgrade…

He then added:

I must admit I’m incapable of understanding how it is even possible that this hot stamper sounds so good? It’s as if the Beatles came to life in my listening room. Playing any other of their records that I have in my collection now sounds as if I’m hearing them through some thick glass pane. All muffled and distorted.

Whatever the reason for such sonic brilliance, I am now over the moon to be given this opportunity to rediscover my favourite band. What still puzzles me is people who continue insisting that your hot stampers are a hoax, snake oil, etc. Have those people got ears? The difference in sound is literally day and night. Only a deaf person would not be able to hear it.

And to think that if you did not have this passion for good sound and a business acumen to offer good products to us, we’d be still sitting in Dark Ages and listening to substandard vinyl. And we’d be deluding ourselves thinking that it’s as good as it can get.

Thank you for opening our ears, Tom!

Alex

Alex,

We love it when our customers take the time and make the effort to do their own shootouts, especially when we win, which is what happens about 99% of the time.

It is not the least bit unusual for our customers to take another listen and become aware of the more correct sound of our Hot Stamper pressings the second time through. We’re glad to know that was the case with the song “Help.”

As for those who insist our Hot Stampers are a hoax, we simply encourage them to find their own, using the methods we have pioneered.

I would be surprised if anyone who actually starts doing serious shootouts remains skeptical of the dramatic differences to be found among seemingly similar pressings.

(more…)

Letter of the Week – “I wonder if you’ve ever had another customer who doesn’t own a turntable buy a White Hot stamper from you?”

Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of Fleetwood Mac Available Now

Aaron has been trying to help his audiophile friends learn the differences between good records and Heavy Vinyl records. This first story concerns Chuck, who sold Aaron the VPI table you see pictured.

Aaron writes:

Chuck’s a real record guy. I played him some hot stampers, alongside the same record in heavy vinyl format.

First up was Rumours – white hot up against the Hoffman 45 mastering. He wanted to hear “you make loving fun,” so we did.

The drums on the Hoffman are more prominent, and they grab you right away. Way out of balance to my taste.

He said, “Hoffman’s done a great job with the drums. But it comes at the expense of Christine’s voice. That’s okay, I never loved her as a singer anyway.”

Next I busted out my holy grail, and played him my Zep 2 WHS. Followed up by the Jimmy Page remastering. The latter is indeed a decent record, Tom, as you say. But the clarity on the drums is superior on the Ludwig. [Clarity is not the word I would have chosen, but that’s another story for another day.]

As Chuck put it, “I never thought of this as a vocal record.” Plant’s voice just has so much more emotion on the hot stamper than on the Page version. He said, “the Page version takes out some of the humanity.” I totally agreed with that. Chuck was amazed that you were able to find and sell me a RL copy with such clean vinyl. I took the record off the table and showed it to him – he was amazed to see how scuffed it looked. It’d grade VG at best visually, but man does it play clean.

So, record after record, Chuck could hear what the hot stampers were doing. And, no doubt, the VPI table is making the hot stampers sound better, and in comparison, the heavy vinyl sounds even duller.

That said, this turntable is so much more revealing than my Clearaudio was, that there is always something delightful to listen to on my heavy vinyl records. They don’t sound worse, they sound better than they used to. It’s just that the gap between them and the hot stampers is only continuing to grow wider.

So, my man Chuck, who sold me his VPI turntable, saw the light. But then he shielded his eyes from it. Even though Chuck’s got a stack of 25 benjamins in his hand right now, I don’t think any of that is headed your way, Tom.

(more…)

Letter of the Week – “I now have twelve copies in total… eleven of them are useless.”

Hot Stamper Pressings of Led Zeppelin’s Albums Available Now

We love it when our customers take the time and make the effort to do their own shootouts, especially when we win, which is what happens about 99% of the time.

Hey Tom,   

I’ve really been enjoying the LPs that I’ve gotten from you. Especially the Led Zep 3 most recently. Mindboggingly good. My first copy of that record I got Christmas 1970, I now have twelve copies in total… eleven of them are useless.

Think of all the money wasted on bad pressings, which 98% of them are! If not bad, then certainly mediocre.

I want to thank you for this invaluable service. I tell my friends about your service but so far it falls on deaf ears.

All the best,
Fred

If you want to convince them of the reality of Hot Stampers, play them that Zep III you bought. Ask them to bring over their best pressings and then blow that shit right out of the water. That ought to do it.

As I wrote to a customer not long ago, explaining doesn’t work. Only hearing works.

(more…)

Letter of the Week – “I love Blood On The Tracks, I have 6 copies of it and none of them come near yours”

Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of Bob Dylan Available Now

One of our good customers had this to say about some Hot Stampers he purchased recently:

Hey Tom, 

Received the LP a few days ago, and thank you. I love Blood On The Tracks. I have 6 copies of it and none of them come near yours. I can stop looking now. Thank you.

Arun,

We love it when our customers take the time and make the effort to do their own shootouts, especially when we win, which is what happens about 98-99% of the time.

It is not the least bit unusual for our customers to take another listen and thereby become convinced of the superior sound of the Hot Stamper pressing we sent them.

Seems our copy of Blood on the Tracks was clearly so much better there was no need to listen further.

When a customer says we lost the shootout he conducted, we promptly refund the buyer’s money and wish him or her a nice day.

What do we do with the record, assuming the customer had no problem with its playing condition?

We put it right back up on the site to sell to the next person who wants it. In only two or three cases that I can recall did it ever come back to us again. Two or three out of thousands and thousands of Hot Stampers sold. Not bad.

Further Reading