hs-letter

Hot Stamper letters.

Letter of the Week – “All four records exceeded my expectations and in my opinion are the best copies I’ve ever heard.”

Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of The Beatles Available Now

One of our new customers had this to say about some Hot Stamper pressings he purchased recently:

Just wanted to say Thank You.

All four records exceeded my expectations and in my opinion are the best copies I’ve ever heard.

I will continue to follow your site and be a future customer as well.
Whit

Dear Whit,

We should be thanking you! That was a chunk of change you spent with us, but it seems you are quite happy with your purchases, so that’s a win-win, right?

Four truly great albums, all personal favorites and Desert Island Discs, albums that I have listened to from beginning to end hundreds of times over the last 40+ years and still play to this day.

Now you can hear and enjoy them the way I have, and you can do so for as long as you live. Hope you are young enough to spend the next forty years of your life playing this wonderful music.

You now own the pressings that show just how well-recorded these albums were. If you want to hear the magic of analog, your best bet is to go back to 1966, 1967, 1969 or 1973. That’s when they knew what they what they were doing.

Three of the titles below are reissues, and none of the four pressings you bought were mastered after the decade of the 70s.

Why the 70s was the peak decade for mastering quality is a question no one can answer, not to my satisfaction anyway, but after playing tens of thousands of records, I long ago learned to accept it as a fact, one that is supported by mountains of evidence.

Thanks for writing,

Best, TP

(more…)

Magical Mystery Tour – “I agree with you about Baby You’re a Rich Man – when you turn it up it really comes alive.”

Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of The Beatles Available Now

This is Part Two of Aaron’s letter about the White Hot Stamper German pressing of Magical Mystery Tour he acquired from us recently.

Part One can be found here.

Dear Tom,

Strawberry Fields was the standout for me on side 2.

I agree with you about Baby You’re a Rich Man. As with I Am the Walrus, when you turn it up it really comes alive. The bass is dazzling. The warbly texture it has is unlike anything else. In my room it’s sounding really balanced. Distinct bass, not boomy. Balanced with the top.

Tom, as you know, my room is small. I am sure it’s holding me back in some ways, but I really don’t mind. Someday I dream of a proper listening room, but if I never get there, I can still enjoy the crap out of my records. Citizen Kane also sounds huge in here, so I think I’m not really suffering.

Last thought listening to this record brought up – surface noise, and how totally irrelevant it usually is.

The biggest, most breathtaking records I have (balance of sound and music) are If Only I Could Remember My Name and Zep II. Both WHS copies have surface noise.

The way it just melts away once the music really gets going is just such a cool auditory illusion. Surface noise really has minimal impact on my listening experience, if any at all.

It is a nicety to have a copy as clean and quiet as this one. To think, this thing sat around for nearly 60 years, probably nearly ever played. Who owns a record that sounds this good and never listens to it??

Aaron

Aaron,

Glad to hear you found side two to be every bit as powerful as side one. The copy you now have really knocked us out over here too.

As for surface noise, you hit the nail right on the head. The biggest, most powerful and exciting records, played at good loud levels, will always have some surface noise if you’re listening for it.

But it disappears almost completely when you focus your listening on the music and the sound of the recording.

On a big speakes system like mine, in a big room with a high ceiling, the surface noise seems to occupy a different space relative to the space of the recording. Smaller systems often seem to jam the noise and the sound together. Big systems do a better job of separating them out.

That has been my experience anyway. Glad you are hearing MMT the way we did. What a thrill.

(more…)

Magical Mystery Tour – “When John sings, ‘I’m crying,’ I’m right there with him.”

Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of The Beatles Available Now

Seems like our friend ab_ba heard some truly amazing sound on his latest Hot Stamper acquisition, a White Hot Stamper German pressing (the German true stereo pressing being the only version of the album we offer) of Magical Mystery Tour.

Dear Tom,

My WHS of MMT just arrived. This record is a true treasure.

I’ve wanted to hear a copy ever since I read your commentary on how the cellos dig deeper on the best copies of “I Am the Walrus.” [See here.]

I played the various copies I already had, listening to see if I could hear the string section really sweat on any of them. Nope.

But on this copy, the whole sound of that song is simply stunning. When John sings, “I’m crying,” I’m right there with him.

After I Am the Walrus ended, I turned up the volume and played it again. It only got better. The room was filled with sound, everything present, nothing harsh, nothing lacking.

(more…)

Letter of the Week – “Are Hot Stampers the only way to get my system to sound this good?”

Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of Steve Winwood Available Now

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

Hey Tom, 

Yesterday I was marveling at the bottom-end and overall clarity of my new Stevie Winwood album. I think it’s right up there with Miles of Aisles, which sounded so good it made my wife cry (seriously).

But as always, I came up with a dark thought: Are Hot Stampers the only way to get my system to sound this good?

I have VERY few personally-selected LPs that can compete with a Hot Stamper. Even though I usually buy the “Budget” stampers, it looks like a future of hundred-buck-plus albums for me.

Gordon R.

Gordon,

Yes, our records are expensive, there is no denying that fact. I think you would agree they are worth what we charge, which is typically much more than a hundred dollars each these days. The average record on our site runs about three times that much.

Fortunately, if you want more records that sound as good as our Hot Stampers do, we tell you how to find your own.

We recently added some sections to our site for our “less expensive” titles:

(more…)

Letter of the Week – “For me it is like the difference between 2-D and 3-D”

Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of Led Zeppelin Available Now

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

Hey Tom, 

As a newcomer to your business, and to the entire concept of “Hot Stamper” records, I was naturally skeptical. Many of us have invested in a wide variety of vinyl that simple failed to live up to expectations. Initially I was going to order one and only one record from you, and test your bold promises. Instead, I ended up ordering a nice variety to truly put it to the test… investing a couple thousand dollars on faith. In short, I am now your customer for life.

As a point of reference, my system includes a pair of Wilson Audio Alexia powered by 2 monoblock McIntosh tube Amps and a Mc-tube preamp. Most importantly, a Brinkmann mag drive turntable with a Sumiko low output moving coil cartridge. So, not the world’s best system, but enough to discern what is to follow.

I ordered the following:
* Carole King Tapestry, ((White Hot Pressing)
* The Doobie Brothers, What Were Once Vices (White Hot Pressing)
* James Taylor, Sweet Baby James (White Hot Pressing)
* Paul McCartney, McCartney (Super Hot Pressing)
* Led Zeppelin, Houses of the Holy (Super Hot Pressing)
* Steely Dan, Countdown to Ecstasy (Super Hot Pressing)
* Donald Fagen, The Nightfly (White Hot Pressing)

I warmed up my amps with the tuner for an hour or so and then sat and listened to some of my other records and reacquainted myself with the music from my system. First up was “What Were Once Vices…”. It was immediately apparent that I was getting a range as wide, if not wider than anything I had ever heard from my stereo. Then when I got to the last song on side one, “Road Angel” the guitar and drum interplay in the instrumental jam completely blew me away. Midway through I took the volume from loud to louder, and it exposed nothing but pure, sweet rock and roll. Literally gave me goose bumps.

I then listened to “Countdown to Ecstasy” and in this instance I owe a clean original copy, so I put it to the test. Back to back. I did not have to go past “Bodhisattva” to know it was no contest. If I had to apply a percentage, something like 20% more music comes from the Hot Stamper, and this (like all of my orders) is one of my all time favorite albums.

I won’t go on and on, suffice to say that the experience repeated itself on all of the above.

Even the Fagen copy was WAY better than the 1982 MoFi copy I paid an arm and a leg for. I have always thought that record had a true analog quality, was surprised the first time I learned it was laid down on a digital track. The Hot Stamper even adds to this great sounding record.

(more…)

Letter of the Week – “Where should everything be on the ‘stage?'”

Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of Pink Floyd Available Now

One of our good customers had some questions about the Hot Stamper pressing he had purchased:

Hey Tom, 

Hope you are fine! Please let me ask for a bit of help/advice. It may seem to be a stupid question, but it is essential to me to get clarity about my room and treatments.

It is about Wish you were here, the song on side two of the album. Got the white hot and it is sounding phenomenal.

Now my questions: It is about 1) the „huuhh“ followed by the 2) harrumph and the following 3) two tunings of the guitar.

1) Until yesterday the „huuhh“ was coming out between the loudspeaker, with small changes in the room treatment it is now coming from right, which sounds good. The accoustik guitar intro came before and comes after the changes from between the speakers. So my question: Should the „huuhh“ come from the middle or from the right. When coming from right the sound in general sounds more dynamic to me.

Hans,

Let me tell you what I can say without having to go back into the studio to play the record. These are some things I believe are generally true about recordings that have a bearing on your situation.

I am guessing you are probably correct. The reason for that is that the guitar is close-miked but not the vocal, meaning the vocal may be displaced in the soundstage due to phase issues. It is off-axis to the mic, and therefore “out somewhere,” not where the guitar is, because only the guitar is directionally miked.

2) The harrumph comes from the right side, right?

3) The two guitar tunings: first comes from the upper middle of the stage, the second comes from the right upper side, correct? Especially those two guitar tunings are in my opinion extremely fragile to changes, really minor changes in room acoustic and speaker placement, I would say half of a cm or so are enough for changes where they come from.

Would be great, if you can give me some input here. All in all, if half a year ago somebody would have told me my stereo sounds like it does now, I would have told him, that’s impossible. Now, I want even more, and the more I do, the more I am convinced that the room with the treatments together with speaker placement are the critical point.

All of this gets at the same questions – where should everything be on the “stage?”

The danger is making these judgments with one record is that you never want to optimize one record, only to find out afterwards that it sounds good but others you own don’t. Here is an old commentary about that.

BS&T is a tough test too.

So the best thing to do is get all your hardest test records out and start playing them and making notes as you make changes to your system.

You are correct that speaker placement is very important. Room treatments too. I would add electricity to that list.

I said so in my review of the 45 RPM Tillerman:

Recently I was able to borrow a copy of the new 45 cutting from a customer who had rather liked it. I would have never spent my own money to hear a record put out on the Analogue Productions label, a label that has an unmitigated string of failures to its name. But for free? Count me in!

(more…)

Letter of the Week – “I kept putting the volume up little by little and it just got better and better and better.”

Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of Pink Floyd Available Now

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

Hey Tom, 

I got around to listening to The Wall last weekend, a 3+ / 3+ / 2+ / 3+ copy. It was yet another of those cannot-concentrate-on-anything-else experiences, simply astonishing.

I kept putting the volume up little by little and it just got better and better and better.

The quality is mind-blowing.

I want you guys to know how much pure pleasure you’re able to generate, and it’s priceless. Thank you all.

Rich 

Rich,

So glad you liked the pressing we sold you as much as we did!

Of course we agree with you wholeheartedly about the joy of turning up the volume on a record that sounds as good as the one you played.

The Wall has long been a member of our Top 100 and a true Demo Disc, especially if you can play it on big speakers at loud levels.

One obvious reason that the turn up your volume makes such a great test is that the louder the volume, the more obvious the problems with the sound become, and the harder it is to ignore them.

If you turn up the volume on the copy of The Wall you now own and it gets better and better, I think we can safely say it passed the turn up your volume test.

Some folks complain about our pricing, a subject we discuss here, but the question our detractors have the most trouble answering is, “What’s a priceless record worth?”

Thanks for writing,

Best, TP

(more…)

Letter of the Week – “Wish You Were Here is maybe the best sounding record I’ve ever heard…”

Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of Pink Floyd Available Now

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

Hey Tom,  

I want to say a big THANK YOU for the Hot Stampers you sent to me.

Wish You Were Here is maybe the best sounding record I’ve ever heard (as you know I have a lot of Hot Stampers). I’m so amazed and lucky – I can’t describe it. The copy sounds out of this world with soooo well-defined bass, stunning clarity, warmth and richness, immediacy, astonishing transparency…

It murders my old copy.

Another Passenger and Honky Chateau are also Demo Discs of the highest order. 

Erik S.

Erik,

Glad to hear it, all great albums in my book.

Another Passenger is unfortunately one of those records that should be more popular with audiophiles and music lovers but just isn’t. It’s been years since we did a shootout for it. If any of you out there want a good Carly Simon record, pick that one up, it’s well worth a listen.

(more…)

Letter of the Week – “It realized what I was imagining when I read your description on the website.”

Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of Elton John Available Now

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

Hey Tom, 

You got me again. After hearing the Elton John record I was thoroughly pleased.

It realized what I was imagining when I read your description on the website. I can only imagine what the Super Hot Stamper LP would sound like as a White Hot Stamper.

Andrew S.

Andrew,

Glad you are enjoying that amazing pressing of Madman. We thought it sounded great too, and naturally that’s why we had so many nice things to say about it in our review. We discussed what separates the White Hot winners from the Super Hot second place finishers here:

(more…)

Half-Speed Mastering – A Technological Fix for a Non-Existent Problem

Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of Joe Jackson Available Now

UPDATE

This commentary was written many years ago. We had a Hot Stamper Section back then, because we were selling lots of other kinds of records including direct-to-disc recordings, Heavy Vinyl, Half-Speeds, OJC‘s and various other pressings which we thought would appeal to those in search of higher quality sound.

In 2011, we officially stopped selling anything other than records we had cleaned, evaluated, and found to have superior sound.

We do a lot of MoFi bashing here at Better Records, and for good reason: most of their pressings are just plain awful. We are shocked and frankly dismayed to find that the modern day audiophile still flocks to this label with the expectation of a higher quality LP, seemingly unaware that although the vinyl may be quiet, the mastering — the sound of the music as opposed to the sound of the record’s surfaces — typically leaves much to be desired. 

Hence the commentary below, prompted by a letter from our good friend Roger, who owned the MoFi Night and Day and who had also purchased a Hot Stamper from us, which we are happy to say he found much more to his liking.

In my response, after a bit of piling on for the MoFi, I then turned my attention to three Nautilus records which I had previously held in high regard, but now find deserving of a critical beatdown. (We actually have a section for bad sounding records I once liked. Live and learn, right?) This one is entitled:

(more…)