Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of Dire Straits Available Now
UPDATE 2026
These comments are taken from a reddit thread that Geoff Edgers and I were on years ago talking about Hot Stampers. I would add that the audience seemed to have very little experience with high-end audio. Based on the comments I read, most of them, like most audiophiles, especially audiophile record collectors, thought I was selling snake oil.
(Doesn’t it strike you as odd that no one ever seems to bring up the fact that we make a point of explaing to you exactly how to find your own snake oil?)
Someone asked a question about vinyl for digital recordings. Discussing the difference I typically hear between CDs and vinyl pressings, I offered the opinions you see below. (We might have been talking about Brothers in Arms; I honestly don’t remember and don’t think it matters anyway.)
For those of you newer to the blog, please keep in mind that, unlike a great many fans of analog, I actually like the sound of the hundreds of CDs I own and make a point to play them regularly for enjoyment. Properly mastered CDs can sound shockingly good.
In my experience, a good CD will wipe the floor with the vast majority of Heavy Vinyl records being made today. If you are buying modern remastered records, I highly recommend you stop doing so and instead make the effort to find a good CD player and buy vintage — and even gold — CDs.
My comments:
Well, a too short version would be something like:
On the vinyl and on the CD the tonality should be identical.
If it is not you have problems and you need to do some work to find them and fix them.
Assuming correct tonality, the CD should be big, lively and clear, assuming you have a good CD player and a good CD.