Hot Stampers (Better Records) - One more question...

Wurd!

 

Wha!!!!!!!!

 

Vinyl is a lossy medium with variations between pressings. I'd take a 96/24 bit digital file any day instead of vinyl if the sound quality was the only factor.

 

Exactly. People who have the time to beat the pavement can find plenty of great sounding records, but like Tom says, his service is catered to those people who don't have the time or patience to find the best ones. I don't need his services, but I can see how others don't mind paying him to find the good ones.

 

You may prefer it, but to state it stomps all over physical media...well....I'll not take this parlor talk there.

 

I agree. Anything on SACD / DSD from original analog source beats snap, crackle pop vinyl any day.

 

I thought he lives in his mothers basement, and is permanently single?

 

Only the ones in the middle of that lucky day, like after 200, so the next dozen after 200, are going to be prime. The rest later in the day are not as sharp.

 

Must be time to send in the clowns?

 

That is really cool!!! The clunky edit bugs me, but love the look and feel and the joy!

 

Haha, sounds like the theory to never purchase a new car that was made on a Friday as the factory workers are in a hurry to get home and may cut some corners in the manufacturing process.

Or maybe someone's hair follicle feel into the hot vinyl during the pressing.

 

Can you take this to a different thread? There are likely 50 others where you can do the tired and very circular “analog vs. digital” thing until you wear out.

Ed

 

People have paid A LOT more than that!

https://www.popsike.com/php/quickse...&thumbs=&currsel=&endfrom=&endthru=&ipp=&sdc=

 

Yes go to another thread please!!!!

 

Just to clarify your position, do you have experience with vinyl records, as far as comparing many different pressings of albums? You are clearly a skeptic, and that's fine. I'm just trying to find out if that comes from experience and learning, or it's just something you just can't see as being true.

 

Does Tom ever offer WLP's? I checked the site and didn't see a single one for sale.

 

Yes, I've been collecting vinyl and comparing since the 70s. Yourself?

 

He only lists the artist and title, not which pressing you will be getting.

 

NERD FIGHT

 

Actually I told him I had a great sounding copy of Santana Inner Secrets in an e-mail conversation. He wrote me back and proclaimed, "My copy could beat the pants off your copy any day." He clearly thinks no one else can find great sounding records, or maybe he feels he has to take that attitude as part of his marketing. I was actually thinking about buying something from him, until he said that.

 

What's really sad is dropping $700 on a use vinyl, finding out that the band is doing a reissue with better audio and much lower price.

Tons of people paid over $150 for Pink Floyd's WYWH on SACD since it was a limited run. Analog Productions have reissued it in 2018 for $30. DOH!!!!

 

Thought you might like it, with your posts and stuff.

 

On the contrary it is totally based on 'science.' No two vinyl pucks will contain the exact same amount of material, the temperature its heated to during the press (as well as the metal stampers) will vary in micro amounts, and will never be uniform throughout, and the stamper wears; the molecules of its constituents are bonding with those of the materials they're associated with and vice versa. And Port isn't comparing a bunch of new records; every one has a prior life. Each one will have had different wear.

The lacquer code part of the matrix gets us to a certain sound that is pretty uniform on records bearing it. But if you get a bunch of records having that code, a discerning ear might hear some differences. My take (based on decades of experience) is these are usually too small for me to care about. The other thing is you have access to a bunch of copies of the record you like, in a condition thats acceptable. Getting harder and more expensive these days!

So the Hot Stamper service goes to a cost versus time issue. I can see why some folks find it practical to just order and receive. Port has plenty of happy campers so there ya go. I like to go dig up my own records but I'm also in a city loaded with them. And I'm not at that level of pipe 'n slippers audiophilia where the kind of differences are worth. I was listening to a UK of Machine Head the other day and chuckled at the notion of discerning its nuances and ambiance.

 

Well Zep won't be doing any more and not really the same game with digital. Bu yeah, that would suck!