Writing for Dangerous Minds, Richard Metzger recounts his journey though the world of audiophile equipment and his lifelong search for better sounding pressings of his favorite albums.
The first paragraph had me hooked:
“Sorry, but this is not going to be one of those analog vs. digital rants that goofball audiophile types like to indulge in at the drop of a hat. In fact I probably should have just called it something like ‘Why you should never buy new vinyl versions of classic albums.’”
Seems pretty clear he knows what he is talking about.
Later on he adds this bit:
“Nothing trumps empirically comparing a stack of different pressings of the same album in a shootout. This is why you should take what Tom Port of Better Records has to say very seriously. Whether or not you’re willing to pay his Hot Stamper prices, Port probably knows more about records than anyone on Earth and his On The Record blog is one of the very best repositories of hard won empirical evidence relating to audiophile vinyl that’s out there. It might take weeks to read everything, but it’s quite an education.’
I couldn’t agree more. The whole story can be found here. I suspect that if you’ve spent any length of time on this blog, you will get a lot out of it.
On a side note, I think “snob” is not exactly the right word he (or I) should be called.
“Connoisseur” (a discerning judge of the best in any field) is a better fit.
“Snob” (a person who claims to be an expert or connoisseur in a given field and is condescending toward or disdainful of those who hold other opinions or have different tastes regarding this field) implies that I disdain those who listen to music I personally don’t happen to like. But music is a very personal thing, so what you like is your business and nobody else’s.
I strongly believe that the more you listen to music, the more joy you will have in your life.
I hope to add a few comments of my own down the road, especially in the form of rebuttals to uncharacteristically bad advice such as this:
Michael Fremer’s Analog Planet website is a great resource for finding out about new and upcoming quality vinyl releases. He is one of the most knowledgeable people in the world when it comes to vinyl and he’s also produced a handy YouTube guide to AAA mastered new vinyl releases that you should definitely watch.