"Better Records" website and their business practices as they apply to our hobby*

Uh, oh! When most hobbies start bringing out these kinds of marketing techniques it's usually near the end! I truly still believe that many buying vinyl now are doing it for the feel good reason that they think they will be worth more someday soon. I also think this is good because many records will get back in circulation and prices will drop. I see this beginning to take shape in the next few years.

 

Be sure to notify me at the absolute apex of the market so I can unload

 

@Eric Weinraub: would Greg's method work for all crappy vinyl?

 

Haha, just my opinion. I don't have a clue if I am right or when it will occur but my gut tells me that people are speculating with vinyl now and driven by a little of the " beanie baby" , " Thomas Kincaid painting" , " sports cards "kind of mentality with vinyl right now. Again, just one mans opinion.

 

Well, just look here on the forum and some of the -frankly ludicrous- comments regarding Beatles mono boxsets!
People plan to keep it sealed, caress it -presumably without anybody looking!-, take it with them to bed, make love to it, anything but play or enjoy the damned music.

 

I think all the "I'm buying two sets, one to keep sealed" is silly. I see sellers on eBay and now including Better Records seemingly getting scared. They're now including "Better than the new Mono vinyl" in their descriptions. I would bet money that most if not all of them haven't heard the box yet.

 

All Beatles hot stampers are on sales ... they are a bargain

 

Thats fine if he doesnt like the mono mixes. But its kind of silly to state something like "guaranteed to beat the new mono pressings" when hes comparing them to stereo pressings.

 

There's quite the knee jerk reaction with pushing the notion that something is "guaranteed to beat the new mono pressings". Lots of eBay sellers selling mono originals are changing their listings to say that they sound better than the new vinyl. Sellers selling the original stereos weren't doing that when the 2012 stereo vinyl came out. Wonder why?

 

I agree. Although I do wish I would have bought two instead of just one of the Stones 64-69 box sets and kept one sealed because they sold out fast and sealed, or even mint, sets bring a good price.

 

Michael Fremer weighs in on Better Records and Tom Port with a shootout between two Living Stereo Scheherazades, one a "Hot Stamper" original and the other an Analogue Productions reissue (files included for download).

Here's how MF introduces the post:

Over the past few years a few audiophile/record collectors have played for me records they'd purchased, some at considerable expense, from Tom Port's Better Records, which advertises on this website.

The business model is to scour the world for used records and select the very best sounding for resale at what some would consider to be very high prices that some find outrageous. I don't. Going through dozens or more pressings of a given title to find the very best sounding is a time consuming process. You have to listen all the way through especially if you sell the records with a money back guaranty.

You could do likewise if you have the time, inclination and money but those with money it's easier to let someone else do the work and pay for it. Anyone who's sat down with a stack of say, Crosby, Still & Nash knows pressing quality and sonics are all over the map, with specific lacquer cuts and pressing plants producing the best sound—but not always. So while cynics will say they can buy clean copies all day for a few bucks of CS&N, getting a great sounding copy (beyond just "clean") takes perseverance and a great deal of knowledge. No doubt over the decades Port has been doing this he's gained plenty....

That said, though I believe the company's term "Hot Stamper" is a marketing ploy (like "Living Stereo", or "Living Presence") most of the "Better Records" records that I've heard have been sonically superior for whatever reason or reasons so it's no mystery the company has thrived and prospered over the decades its been in business even though, as some of you may know, Mr. Port and I have not always seen (6) "eye to eye" on everything.​

 

I have so many Hot Stampers in my collection, it's silly.

 

Hot Stampers can be found everywhere.

 

If we look beyond the term "hot stamper" and look at what Tom did back in the day there is no doubt it has credence. There was a time when better pressings were subject to overly broad generalizations that didn't hold water on a case by case basis. (actually that still happens) e.g. Japanese pressings are the best or original pressings are the best. Or original Deccas are better than British Londons or later pressed Deccas or RCAs need a shaded dog to sound great etc etc etc. He was ahead of the curve on getting to the real things that make one record of a given recording sound better than another, the mastering, the plating and the pressing.

But here is the catch. Much of the audiophile world caught on. And....we started sharing information. Tom has simply lost his advantage due to audiophiles catching up. I think that put him in a tough situation. It's hard to sell free and easily accessible information. And of course since he started his business the audiophile reissue business has boomed. There really weren't many truly excellent audiophile reissues in existence back in the day. AP, Classics and DCC kind of reinvented it and that happened after Tom was already in the hot stamper business. Hard to sell a hot stamper when an audiophile reissue comes along and stamps it into the ground.

 

He doesn't like their records but loves their water.

 

That is the fun of the hobby, if you ask me.

 

Hmmm. For me it is part of the "work" of the hobby. For me the fun is enjoying the results of those searches and comparisons. If I could find someone who has exactly the same taste in sound quality as me and is willing to do the leg work I'd be happy to skip that part and cut to the fun part, listening to the best sounding versions of my favorite recordings.

 

Michael Fremer over at AnalogPlanet.com has set up a shoot out between a Hot Stamper direct from Better Records and an Analogue Productions reissue using a 90 second needle drop from each record. Should be interesting to eventually see the results of this.

 

I like the original better, even though the AP has its advantages. I'm not crazy for the way it's presented/mixed/etc. in the reissue - like the details and too prominent. The music doesn't flow as well for me.

 

Yes, hidden quietly among the non-hot stampers...

 

Here's my problem with what you're saying. You're 1) assuming that there hasn't been a corresponding increase in the desire for hot stampers along with the entire vinyl resurgence 2) assuming that records are like CDs and that all records pressed from the same metal are the same, and 3) most recent audiophile releases are the equal of or better than "non-audiophile" standard pressings.

#1 is unproven. #2 is definitely not true. #3 is, arguably and subjectively, not true.

 

hopefully it works out a bit better for Mr. Fremer than did the Pear Cables shoot out

 

I'd prefer a comparison between one of Tom's hot stampers and the same pressing of an LP found in a dollar bin.