I just referenced the above pressing with my 2014 John Davis vinyl reissue. The reissue just doesn't have the same punch as my pressing listed above, it sounds more thin and less engaging.
One thing that keeps me up at night (this is important stuff) is the relativity of good sound. Do "hot stampers" exist? Is the competent, name-brand pressing that I love(possess) pressed with a worn-out stamper? Are there versions of the exact same record that are way better? Sometimes I wonder if my favorite pressing is really crap compared to totally random really great pressings that are only distinguishable by trained ear. And would I even know if I was hearing it? This is the moment when I reach for various intoxicants and spin something.
Actually, although I feel your obsessive pain you DO make a very good point. I do not know how much the 'Hot Stamper' thing is indeed genuine, but I can say that when my friend gave me about 3500 albums before moving to Hawaii, I took like a month and compared every duplicate pressing of albums that I really liked and then I would note which one sounded better. Granted, it was before I was a member here and didn't know squat (more accurately the result of a good squat) But, before knowing ANYTHING about pressings / stampers / cutting engineers, NOTHING, I was amazed at how records that looked exactly the same could indeed sound differently. Of course, if I understand correctly, Tom Port mostly disallows any importance at all in the deadwax or stampers or anything and claims that each pressing can be totally unique and can randomly be a 'Hot Stamper' I don't know how much credence to give to that claim because it kind of strikes me as VERY self-serving in his case and results in 100's of thousands of dollars of sales each year. BUT, I do believe that there can very much be differences in pressings, even coming out of the same plant. Recently I compared 3 copies of Frank Zappa's 'Ship Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch' (an album that I REALLY like) all with the same deadwax information and all pressed from the same place (there were a couple of numbers after the main deadwax information that may have had a bearing, IDK, such as one having T1 after the catalog number and one having T2) But, one sounded a tad limp, one sounded very good, and the other sounded about 85% of the good one. So, there you go... And, YES... I do believe that you have the right idea...
A most excellent question Showtime. I wish I had a more informative and reliable answer for you, because I have wondered the same. For instance, the pressing that I referenced in my previous post is the best and most dynamic of LZ IV in my posession. But is there a lower stamper of this pressing that sounds even better? There are so many variables that determine the sound and sonics of vinyl, that I don't think we can compartmentalize them entirely into a scientific formula to discover the best combination (or vinyl pressing). That being said, I do think stamper frequency is a factor in vinyl dynamics, but I have no idea to what degree. Happy hunting Showtime
I've taken to the philosophy that the only reliable indicator of good sound before you buy something is deadwax and condition. Stamper frequency is the boogie man.
That same thing happened to me when someone gave me 350 records, that would have been crazy with 10 times more. I think that was when I really started drilling down into the deadwax because what else can you do when you suddenly have doubles of all the Zep and Floyd and Yes records. I'm sorry I dropped the HS buzzword, and I do think Mr. Port's business is shady as hell. I think it's total nonsense that they ignore provenance of a record and I believe that is done to hide the truth from people. I understand why they would try to monetize the type of information we share freely here but I don't agree with it. But there's always that nagging doubt... what if they're right? I don't think they are and I don't have the money to prove it. The $5 LZII RL I found is more infinitely more valuable to me than the one I bought for $95.
I bought a really nice VG+ LZII RL from a forum member for $95 and I was very happy about it; decent price considering the market. Most I've ever spent on a vintage record. Slick Willie was literally cheering me on when I bought it! Then a few months later I found one in the wild and snuck it out of the store for $5. The jacket is in worse shape but the vinyl is almost exactly the same condition, both Presswells, one has a C instead of an A on one side. But they are practically identical. So I feel like I've paid $50 for both copies. I'll probably trade one of them someday, but I can't decide which one is better. Just a few crackles here and there in different places.
I've got one of these coming soon. The UK plums are getting too expensive for me, so I'm hoping this will be a more affordable alternative. Thankfully I already own the 1st 3 UK plums!
I just got myself a sealed 180g Classic Records copy. I prefer it to my 1971 SD 7208 pressed by Columbia Santa Maria Pressing and the 1971 P-8166A Japan pressing. Although a tad less hard hitting, it has an overall clearer presentation, sounded more coberent and natural.
If you can keep two it would be the US 1841 Monarch Press & the UK Plum. If you could only keep one it would be the UK Plum. The Monarch has excellent detail and air. The Plum has presence, warmth and actual low frequency information on it.
For those who are gonna take the plunge with the plum, be a gangsta and get one with the inverted feather label.
Tom Port doesn’t disallow the importance of matrix info - in fact the opposite is true. Just go back and read some of his old posts here. You can bet he targets certain matrices and labels for many albums. But I think his philosophy - which is not invalid in my experience IMO - is that the matrix info only points you in the right direction. In the end, some copies from the same lacquers are better than others. From experience, I have absolutely found this be true (and it appears your findings concur with this). Now whether they’re $599 worth of true is another question...
The one with the inverted feather label is just for collectors purpose, no SQ differences at all with the "regular" one of course. In my experience I have had many copies in my hands, with or without inverted feather label, A3/B3 or A3/B4, all play exactly the same...this by my system and my ears.
Just got an „transitional“ UK A3/B4 Porky pressing and it sounds great except for IGD on Stairway and WTLB. Anybody else experiencing this? It‘s fine on Levee but quite prominent on Stairway.
Hola, I've been reading this forum for years but... this is my first post. So first of all thanks to all of you for all the things I've learned from here. Now, the question. I'm cataloguing my lp collection and arrived to this Led Zeppelin IV. My copy is an Atlantic 19129 circa 77 repress. This According to discogs matrix, mines would be variant 3, these: ST-A-712 2 85- J J ETEY H (PR)PSP O-2 SML 3 ST-A-712286 H ATGP O-/S MI-2 SP-PR I already know that sometimes the info from discogs is not totally reliable. And reading matrixes sometimes is really complicated, but I don't know if what's etched on side A deadwax is "ETEY" or sth to the George Piros Signature. Any hints? I attach a couple of pics.