How would you contrast the Piros and RL HOTH? I scored a sealed Piros on eBay a long time ago but soon after heard that the RL is ‘superior’, so I’ve never really given it a serious listen. Also, believe it or not, the Piros is a cutout (cut upper RH corner, SD 19130). The only other LZ cutout I’ve seen was an early Piros LZ II, which had a tiny slice at the bottom edge left side. ETA: I just saw your post from 2018! Looks like you dig the Piros, it’s the exact pressing I have. I will have to listen to that album again (the Piros this time), dammit!
Oddly enough, both of the Monarch HOTH pressings I've owned, one Broadway and one Rock' label, had the top right corner of the jacket cut off.
Here is the graphic of the A side of my Led Zeppelin l Canadian pressing (a sonic wonder!). there was a few crackles and a big jump in the middle of the song "You shook me".
Before and after. The crunches are gone and the big skip too. Just keep a little pop instead. Without my gel, I think I would have reshipped the LP ... with a lot of regrets because its mastering is almost unique! Before "restoration"... ...After" restoration"
With sound it's more explicit! Samples available on my Google Drive in HD (24/96): Before : you shook me restored.wav After : you shook me not restored.wav
With sound it's more explicit! Samples available on my Google Drive in HD (24/96): Before : you shook me restored.wav After : you shook me not restored.wav
Let me qualify some of my past observations... The US Sterling RL of Houses is a forum favorite for good reason. However, I would strongly recommend hunting down an early pressing with lower stamper letters and the Broadway address on the label. In my experience, these sound better than the mid 70's pressings with higher matrixes. Finding an early clean one is key...the one I currently spin is a Presswell (PR) with the same matrix codes as the first promo's that were released. And it sounds marvelous. I really like George Piros and the work he did with the Led Zeppelin catalog. In my opinion these are absolute standouts that every one needs in their LZ vinyl collection to complement first pressings. Led Zeppelin I- SD 8216 Monarch (MO) with at/gp and CC in the runout Led Zeppelin II- SD 19127 Monarch or Presswell (PR) at/gp with an X ending the matrix code Houses Of The Holy- SD 19130 Specialty Records (SP) at/gp with a J ending the matrix code
I would just like to add that anyone looking to pick these up shouldn't skip a Presswell of the LZI Piros -C cut. I really can't imagine the Monarch being THAT much better. People comment on how great the Monarch is for that one, but I have never heard anyone compare a Presswell vs. Monarch and I can attest that the Presswells are awesome. Unfortunately I don't think HOTH Piros was pressed anywhere but Specialty. I've never seen one from somewhere else.
A rant? I don't get the mentioning of the Monarch when speaking of cuts. In this example they're all from the C plates. MO/SP/SP/RI/SO should not matter. Rant over.
Thanks for the reply -- Check, check and check for the pressings you have listed above (have them all, and they are excellent)! I have a few clean Rockefeller HOTH pressings but have not seen a Broadway HOTH pressing in the wild for years. I had a beat copy at one point but let it go.
In the specific example of LZI Piros -C cuts I'm speaking from personal experience at least. I had a Richmond for awhile and I tried my best to direct compare to the same Presswell. I recall hearing a slight harshness in the upper frequencies. The Presswell seemed to sound more smooth and natural compared to the PRC. All of these differences were very slight but I was trying hard to decide which was the king and which was expendable. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I just don't dig Specialty Records for some reason so I try to avoid them when possible. I feel like they also can have some harshness in the highs. It could be related to lesser condition copies I had early in my collecting days since I grew up in the same region as that plant so they were plentiful. I hear you that it typically doesn't matter but sometimes certain plants seem to be more consistent at least.
Hey guys, today came my Porky / Pecko -pressing from HOTH. I was excited like a little kid - I've been looking for it for so long. But what can I say ... I am not satisfied. First of all: I have a pretty good frequency response in my listening room. Not perfect straight but already very good. There was a room calibration and a room correction via DSP. So far - to my ears - all my current discs have also benefited from it. But now to the album: The string strokes in the intro to Over the Hills and far away are gigantic. The highs are so worldly present that you have the feeling you're sitting at a private screening with Jimmy Page. Then the following upbeat of the drums - what a rumble - and super precise! Cool! ... but - where are the mid-tones? Exactly this feeling accompanied me through the entire first and second side of the record. Even before I could say anything, my wife - who always listens to new arrivals together with me after i washed the discs - expressed exactly these feelings in words. So I am not alone in my impression. The mids are ... empty. The highs and lows for it very present (and crisp as well as precise - not annoying!). But something is missing. I hardly want to attribute this to my system. Not to my taste either - it's too clear for that. Where this hype comes from, however, is unfortunately not quite clear to me. I am a little disappointed - not at all because of perhaps too high expectations - but because I find the midrange so lacking that I don't really enjoy this pressing at all. The pity is: the search now continues. Which HOTH do you recommend? CR? LR? Any first pressing?
When I first got the 'Porky/Pecko' HOTH, I loved it precisely because it had more presence than the RL HOTH. However, over time, I found myself playing the RL more than the Pecko, because it was more balanced. My favourite pressing of HOTH, then, is the US 'RL'. I should add that I haven't heard the UK 'RL', but I suspect it wouldn't sound too different from the US 'RL'.
On HOTH, I found the Porky to be more dynamic/detailed, and with more air between instruments. True less mid range warmth than the RL. I found the RL more musical/melodic than the Porky. I enjoy both, but if I could only keep one, it would be the RL.
Thank you for your assessment. I have now found a US RL MO. This should be the following pressing: Led Zeppelin - Houses Of The Holy Judging from the pictures sent to me, the runouts say the following:: Side A ST-A-732783-E MR △̸ 778 / (31) AT STERLING RL Side B ST-A-732784-D ex MR △̸ 7787 (3) AT STERLING RL This doesn't quite match the descriptions of the linked pressing - or it seems like it's a mix of all possibilities. Do you think this would be a worthwhile alternative? Or would you rather look for something else? I would be glad about any help. I feel a bit overwhelmed in the jungle of all the RL pressings. Or in the end it doesn't matter which one you take? Better safe than sorry, so I'd rather ask once
Those 2nd issues (IMO) sound very close to the 1st issues. The earlier with Broadway labels would be more desirable, but no shame in the 2nd.
Thanks again for your help! You have helped me a lot. Am curious how the RL behaves to the P/P. I've also bought to my LZ I Classic the UK Plum 1st, because the CR sounds a bit too bright for me. But again, I'm just as curious how the much-praised GP compares. Unfortunately not available on Discogs right now.
IMO, The RL is richer sounding. On the debut and IMO, The UK plum is definitive. The Piros while punchy, is congested in comparison.
