Wired article on Better Records: www.wired.com/2015/03/hot-stam... Analog Blog on the Scheherazade Shoot Out: www.analogplanet.com/content/w... Ron Beaudry's Channel: / @rocknronni Rockchica M's Channel: / rockchicavids
I'm a pretty simple guy with a modest vintage system. (Pioneer PL-115D with a Grado Blue, Marantz 2015, KLH Model Seventeen) I look for clean records and enjoy researching the matrix after the fact to discover its origin. In 48 years I've never been accused of being a snob. I certainly don't intend to start now.
Hello geertube. Great comment. There is a lot of snobbery in the audiophile community which is unfortunate and I am not a big fan of snobs. At the end of the day, it's the music that matters and no one should be frowned upon for what they play back their audio on.
When I star buying records, I didn't think about what kind of pressing I was getting, the important thing was if I like the music. And that is the fun part.
Interesting topic, Paul. Unfortunately I have not transacted any business with Better Records. As you and anyone with half a brain knows, records pressed between 10 and 11am on Tuesdays are the must-have versions. Statistics have shown repeatedly in many scientific studies that Tuesday between 10 and 11am feature workers at their most focused time of the week. They've returned from the weekend and shaken off the Monday doldrums, are not yet letting their minds drift to the next weekend, have shaken off the caffeine jitters of the morning and are not yet struck by the lunchtime hunger pangs. It is during this specific 60 minute range that workers are most focused and are also at their most happy/least disgruntled mood. When you measure the aura of records pressed during this time, they present the most favorable 'color' ranges. Despite their so-called 'expertise', Better Records are unable to guarantee me records pressed at this singular 'hot' time. As such, I have dismissed them as amateurs and I simply leave their records to the unwashed peasants. Cheers, Tom
I believe it was way back in the 80's when I bought some records from better records but the price back then was affordable. The records did sound good and were quiet but I would never pay what he's asking now for records.
Do you still have the records? Just curious if you have compared them with anything else. Thanks for responding as I was wondering if anyone had purchased anything from them.
@@sittertal I don't remember if he called them hot stampers back then but he did select them from a pile. I saw pics of the records with post it notes describing the sound of each one.
Those prices are crazy! What if he discovers a pressing that suddenly puts all his other hot presses to shame?! His hot pressings can only ever be HIS hot pressings! Personally I would always prefer a beat up first pressing, than any modern reissue; audiophile, 200g or otherwise! Take care Kevin
Thanks for commenting Kevin. I know there are many people that stick to the OGs and are purist in the absolute sense. With many of the Jazz albums I am into, an OG that's playable is well beyond my price range so I gotta go for the next best thing.
I´m glad I found your channel! Very interesting and detailed. I find the vinyl world an absolute jungle and I often feel cheated after purchase. My two favorites is "New york philharmonic" - Isaaac stern 60th annaversery celebration (Master CBS Works) Then "Sheffield treasury" - I´ve got the music in me (Direct to disc) I need way more old true to the music recordings. :)
Thank you for the comment sir and I agree it is a jungle. One of my personal aims is to share some of my bad experiences or do compares when I can so folks know what to avoid if they can.
Thank you for your response. I'm very glad you are so detailed and in to it. There's much knowledge here and that I appreciate. Also the nerd/tweak factor off course. 😉 looks like it's time for some upgrading on my 25 and some years old Rega rp3. And thanks to you and your app I now know it has problems running way too fast. I never knew!? So thank you for taking the time to do these videos. I deeply appreciate it. 👍💪
It's garbage, think about it, he picks a record that sells 1 million records, he listens to 20 or so and comes up with the best sounding (hot stamper), how can you listen to 20 records out of 1 million and say you have the best pressing?
Quality HiFi turntables use expensive bearings, motors and platters. Then when you see some mastering lathes with old looking tables, there looks to be a lot of room for improvement and upgrading the level of engineering to get better low noise cuts. Some of the pressing plants don't look too great either.
For me stampers are important with regard to spotting early pressings or different mixes. Like those of Bowie's Ziggy Stardust or The Beatles' Revolver.
For the Bowie's and The Beatles, with out a doubt, the stampers are good for identifying an early pressing since they were printed in such high quantity through the years. For Bowie, it should be easy to pick up a good sounding first press at a reasonable price.
I have gotten quite a few audiophile recordings in the last year. I have not even had a chance to listen to some of them. I may do a video review in the future. The only "Pricey" records I have purchased are those. Ron Beaudry(GA not Canada) recently did Steely Dan's "Can't Buy A Thrill". I knew I had recently picked that from the dollar bin so I was anxious to hear it. Vg++ and I don't need a better copy. With that in mind sometime in the past our Kris had mentioned he played "Aja" to hear how his system sounded. I had a dollar copy of that. First press vg++(cover was poor) So I put that on - Fantastic sound so I read the notes - mastered by Bernie Grundman with two of the recording engineers having learned their trade at the Mastering Lab. I think a big part of the fun is finding "treasures" There are probably a "very few" records that I would pay those prices for. I collected piano rolls for a long time, I had a saying- if you want 100 good rolls, you have to start with a 1000. I think that applys to vinyl as well. Maybe 1 out of 10 records are going to sound great. Stack 'em up.
Thanks for the correction on Ron. I don't know why I thought he was up in Canada. I tried reaching out to him before I posted this and had a draft video out there to review but he never responded. I'll have to annotate the video. Aja is a fantastic album to test a system out and you're right about finding that album just about anywhere. Your philosophy on record picks is a sound one.
Yeah, those are crazy expensive! I use a Monster Sigma Genesis 2000 in my rotation, which is a distant ancestor the the ZYX cartridges and it sounds great, but I try to conserve it because no way am I going to shell out for a new ZYX when it is spent.
I think it might be up to the buyer/listener what suits their tastes. I have a 1st pressing of "Nashville Skyline", by Bob Dylan, that was bought from ShopGoodwill.com. About 10 records for 10 bucks. I was leafing through the freshly opened box, and there I saw the Dylan album. The glue had come undone, so it opened like a gatefold. The record, on the Columbia "360 Sound" label, has the infamous "Goodwill smell" - like mildew. So does the jacket. Anyway... I started listening to side 2, which I've always preferred. I was stunned. It sounded much warmer and clearer than any CD version I'd previously heard, and most vinyl copies I'd heard were pretty beat up. The record had it's glossy shine intact, so I suspect it hadn't been played very often. Like I said, the dynamics were incredible. In the deadwax on side 2, the coveted "1A" designation was clearly visible after the regular numbers. Side 1 sounded good, too, and featured the "1J" designation. Whether or not side 2 could be considered a "White Hot Stamper" is unknown, but it certainly is the best sounding pressing I've ever heard of this album. So good that I am writing this now! Would I have paid $500 for this pressing? Well, if I could afford to do so, and it didn't have that faint "Goodwill" odor, I might. But I am happy having paid about a dollar for this album, and THAT, to me, is what makes the search for great records appealing: Scoring something cheap that is pretty amazing!
That's an amazing find indeed and is one my favorite Dylan albums. I have always preferred side B myself. What I love about Columbia was that they were the best at denoting the stamper being used. Moreover, they mostly stuck to their own plants for pressing records unlike someone like Atlantic which used multiple plants...even Columbia plants to press their records. Like you said at the end, sometimes its the thrill of the hunt that makes it so worthwhile. Thanks for commenting on your thoughts.
I'm returning to vinyl, with knowledge I didn't have decades ago, and I'm feeling more and more discouraged by the complexity and levels of obsession people have to develop for the hobby. No wonder why CDs replaced vinyl and no one batted an eye, or most people, because mass productions of CDs were not that much confined to stampers and pressing companies. Germany, the Netherlands and Japan always ahead of the game, as ever. Now with new pressings being allegedly inferior than old pressings, there's not much will power to go through that. I'm more driven by nostalgia so I, like most people, conform with a brand new pressing, or old pressings as long as they're in good conditions, or to seek for that one pressing I had when I was a kid or a teen because that brings good memories back. I wish I had the same carelessness as the young people today who are buying Crosleys and not worrying about a damn thing else. Something I'm very sure of is that I once bought an MFSL CD of Dark Side of the Moon and ditched it as soon as possible because the sound was so weak, flat, low almost non existent volume, and poor. I was amazed that piece of crap was considered an audiophile pressing. I had the very first CD AAD pressing, and the first, great remaster, and a Discman to compare all 3. The MFSL was a goner. I guess mileage may vary for everyone, but I never looked back and I never ever purchased another audiophile pressing except one Sound Master from Brian Eno's company (SBM), a Wish You Were Here copy and, unlike the MFSL, it sounded amazing. I still have that CD . I rather buy more albums for that price of audiophile recordings .
Great comment and at the end of the day for me, the music is the most important part. It is also the number one goal for me as a music collector. The audiophile take always comes second to that. Not everyone sees it that way though and I do wish the labels would invest in good sound. I do have to say, the Mofi's today are far better to their predecessors for exactly the reasons you describe. In the 80's, Stan Ricker in particular, liked to cut the Mofi's very low. It's my assumption he did that to preserve the dynamics. When I racked and stacked several different pressings of Led Zeppelin II, here on RU-vid, most no one likes the Mofi at all. It just goes to show, sometimes the hype in audiophile pressings is exactly that.
More or less related: I bought a used Sheffield Lab's "Lincoln Mayorga and Friends III" and it is awesome. Even though it's not my usual genre, I could listen to it over and over. If you want to show off vinyl to someone, these Sheffield direct-to-master LPs are unbelievable. Personally, I think the production and mastering makes the biggest difference. It would be hard to make this stuff sound bad :)
Thanks for the tip. I don't have anything by Sheffield in my collection. The Mastering does make a big deal and for the general public, most don't know how critical it can be.
@@BarakaPDub Check out Linn as well they have a lot of great music and the quality is the same as Shef labs, also top notch but classical is Duetche gramaphone .
Hi Paul, I think that Better Records should have called themselves 'Greedy Records' instead. I am sorry, I am not going to spend $200 on a copy of Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours'? I would be willing to bet they are charging a lot more for any Mighty Blimp album besides 'Coda' of course. And to have different levels of the hot stamper? How can you tell if one hot stamper sounds better than the others unless you buy all three or four pressings am I right? Informative as always Paul. But company's like this are going to kill the vinyl boom. Kind of like what happened to baseball cards when the greedy companies started charging $25 a pack. ~ Rob/Boston
When I came to the Classic Records boat late on the Mighty Blimp, that's when I first stumbled upon them by accident. I was looking to find cheap sealed versions of the Classic Records Zeppelin stock and hit their website by accident. As I read more through their reviews of the Classic Records pressings, the more irritated I became. They have multiple Zeppelins on their site but I think an individual would be better off buying 40 copies off of eBay and finding their own Hot Stamper
Very well balanced video/opinion, Paul. The discussion is part of the times we live in. People take less and less time to learn their own preferences, and just want to know what is best. With audio and vinyl this is just not so easy, as there is no real best and can change over time as your taste and preference change. Cheers. /Paul
Thanks Paul. My bottom line is, if my ears like it, then it should be good enough ;) I mean, I have some represses that I am satisfied with because originals are far too expensive in good condition. The original might sound better but for me, it's likely not worth spending hundreds of dollars more.
Really good comments on this topic. I was curious about this as well but now I feel more informed to avoid BR (not like i had that kinda dough for an everyday record bin find anyway lol)
Thanks Corey. Rockchica asked and I had been following this topic online for quite sometime so I thought it would be good to cover my impressions in a video.
ya know I love my records and I love music. Records, or pressings, are like stereo equipment, very subjective. Sometimes the question becomes "what are you willing to "settle" for. I know a $10,000.00 system is going to sound better than what I have. I can't afford that, so I try to get the best sound possible with what I have. Same with records. I buy new or used, in mint condition, clean well and play. I won'y pay $100.00 for a record. Like you said, I would rather buy 5 or 10 for that price. Great video...cheers..
Thanks Robert! In a lot of cases, people with have a grade A system but people with a lot of money with throw buckets of cash at something only to get a marginal gain to an A+ system.
For me too, it's very rare to spend over $100 on one record. It would have to be exceptional for me to do it anymore and for a lot of things, I am content with a good reissue.
Damn, when I saw that F for sonic grade on Led Zeppelins Classic Records version of HotH, complaining about the sound I just disregarded this entire site. The folks over at Classic Records got the original master tapes, got Grundman and made him go to town on it, effectively making another FIRST pressing of the same album. How that can be an F is beyond me.
Yeah. He is just trying to promote his brand. Michael Fremer from Analog Planet/Stereophile dispelled the rumor of a hot stamper in a head to head shoot out. If you dig through his website, you can find the old article which had some blind sound samples you could download.
Reading the article gives the impression of a man that's basically taken snake oil to an entirely new level and I agree with the person they quoted as saying he represents the worst of the hobby by conning crazy audiophile types. It's pure snake oil.
It can also affect the product, how much recording time is used. The 20 song samplers with 30 to 40 minutes per side has a frequency range between 80 and 12,000 Hz, to save space. Contrary to this, a record like the maxi singles, what has 7 minutes per side, can contain much more bass, less noise. Sometimes special low price editions has a sound, that sounds weird, this is intention to justify the original edition. Also in some cases re-releases can sound better, when the original was optimized for piezo pick ups and the later edition hasn't a high cut.
Not to forget, as long as they had to be compatible to cheap player units, the record couldn't sound good as possible. In shellac age they tried to increase frequency range, but these records couldn't run properly on machines without any electricity. They could began to get rid the shellac plastic, when the light weighted pickup was developed and released (in 1938) and established (what was in the late 1940's) and people were willing, to play records at home via the radio. Also therefore, two formats with micro groove and pressed in PVC came on market. Later, they would be interpreted as two sizes of the same format.
I agree with all your point's Rob. I know there are people that obsess over 90's vinyl for example but in the era of the CD, many recordings exceeded 40 minutes. Companies making vinyl then pressed everything on one record in most cases so the vinyl versions sound terrible. Better Records has asked me to do a shoot out but I am trying to find a recording I can get away with playing on RU-vid. Most of what they sell will be blocked due to copyright. I am hopeful I can try and do a shoot out someday.
Total schiester! He won't reveal the provenance/ origin of the records he sells, not even the pressings. He wants to be the vinyl sommieller for wealthy schmucks.
Interesting. No, I wouldn't pay that much for one of his pressings. I have only bought one new audiophile pressing earlier this year and it sounded absolutely great! It was a double album of an original one album release. I had only heard songs from it on RU-vid so when I bought it for $20 it was well worth it. It's a 180 gram pressing and it yeah it was very clean. Not gonna rush out and buy out a store of them, but maybe a selected few.
That's a good safe approach to take. Sometimes it is good to wait until all of the reviews are in before jumping on something. Not all audiophile pressings have been a hit but most of the ones I pick up sound phenomenal. Again, that for you plethora of comments these past few days.
I have bought records that Tom has recommend.....Jazz and Jazz vocals and have found them for cheap with excellent sound.....no need to spend lots of money from him....now I have many audiophile records that are amazing which are for keeps.....but I got many records that Tom reviewed which are excellent but at a great price from 5 to 20 bucks.....hello.....tjanks for sharing.....Ed....in New York....be safe !!!!
Thank you Heriberto. You're absolutely right about the Jazz! Most Jazz albums are generally well recorded to begin with so I think the differences, it not screwed up during the mastering, shouldn't be too far apart in terms of the overall sound. Hope things are going well for you in NY! Texas is on the decline because the village idiots were put in charge.
@@BarakaPDub ....Hi Paul....yes if the recording was great to begin with why mess with it....Just got in the mail a bunch of Blue Note records from the Tone Poem series and the 80s series and some Vital vinyl on Impulse...Roy Haynes Out in the Afternoon....great sound and enjoying my music during this lock down and as for me no work for a long time.....Im a self employed musician...but at least I'm receiving unemployment....as for New York the governor waited until the curve was flat and it's now that people are getting out but with restriction....sorry to here about the up tick in Texas....got a friend in Texas Larry Spence that bluids turntable plinths....hope all is good with....be safe and take care....Ed....
And again, very good information, Did not know of Better Records, But what matters to is several things,The pressing plant, the original recording, the mastering engineer, I dont want some guy who comes in a punches a clock and says "Well I gotta master 14 lacquers today."i want some one Like Bernie Grunman or a Robert Ludwig or some one who really cares what the final product will sound like, I also don't think record companies should rush that master engineer,anyway great info my friend
Thanks for the comment. I wish I could find the video here on RU-vid but I found a video awhile back with a mastering engineer citing some of the problems of working with a major and having to hit a deadline.
Thanks for doing a video. Good information and comments. I think a lot what a record sounds like has to do with your system as well. Why spend hundreds of dollars on a record to play it on a so so system? Granted the system that Better Records uses is no high end audiophile set up but it's better than a player you can pick up at your local record store with speaker wire from Home Depot. And what is you have a tube amp versus a non-tube amp? How about your stylus? Fresh out of the box or with 1,000 plays on it? Does it sound better when your amp is cold or warmed up? So many variables! So with that said I am going to carefully analyze my 4 copies of Aja, keep the best one and sell the others for 3 figures on discogs. ;) Always great videos, keep'em coming. Thanks!BTW my handle on discogs is Rockchica.
Glad you liked it and thank you so much for the question. You're correct, his system is far from the best but it is somewhat real-world. I think your track is right on Aja. Steely Dan was so well recorded in the studio that even a bad press will sound better than a bad band on a well pressed record. As for Aja, if you ever run across it, the Cisco pressing is really good.
He's commented recently asking me to take the Pepsi challenge. I am debating doing it and putting audio samples online to let the audience be the judge.
Reason needs to prevail. I'd never heard of Better Records but am astonished at their prices. As far as I'm concerned, places like that take a lot of the fun out of record collecting. You can find great deals on a lot of those titles that are going to sound fantastic for a fraction of the price by digging around at your local store. I would way rather do my own research and digging than pay those prices. I fail to buy into the belief that new reissues can't sound as good as well. You gotta do your homework, but there have been some fantastic new pressings as of late that are still a fraction of the price of those.
76sagi, you said it quite well! If you do your homework, you can find some great pressings and sometimes even the original purists, are not always correct. Some of the remasters are fantastic and can exceed the originals.
I can't help but laugh at those prices. If someone is willing to pay that much for an inherently flawed medium, they're most likely not in it for the music. I've never paid more than $25 for a record. That's pretty much my limit.
I think the folks that pay that kind of money are banking on some type of unique experience. I hate to totally rip into the concept of trying to find that 'sound' that makes you feel like you're there but I am pessimistic, these products deliver the goods. I think folks are better off spending the money elsewhere. Thanks for watching and commenting Gregory. Still contemplating doing a response video on the 'musical crushes' thread.
Dude people who pay that kind of money for a record are lunatics. Omg. Well I'm still waiting for my p6 so I have no records yet so il let you know bro
The problem is that the term "Audiophile" doesn't mean what it use to. Today, Audiophile means everything under the song. You can press wav files, flac whatever on an 180 gram virgin fresh martian vinyl record and its considered Audiophile.
Hello. This is a very thoughtful and accurate report about the topic of Better Records. Yes I‘m one of the crazy guys who has bought quite a view of Tom Ports LPs over the last 15 years. I’m still happy with most of them. Of every Steely Dan LP I accumulated 4 - 6 copies but I was never satisfied. Over a period of about 10 years I replaced them with copies from BR. I never regretted it. Of course this only makes sense for music I really cherish. I also used to own a lot of MFSL, Classic Records, Speakers Corner Reissues I sold all of them.
Thanks Paul for chiming in. Your one of the few that I has actually commented about buying one of his records. I have plans to do that one of these days out of curiosity. If and when I do, I would like to see if I could post some sound samples here.
The biggest problem this guy at Better Records is going to have is that the 45 rpm re-issues, for the most part, are so far above what he is trying to sell. Not that those can't sound great but the 45s are next level.
You're preaching to the choir my friend. I have found much the same thing with my 45 rpm editions. Maybe I should start a business and call it 'better than better records' and find 45 rpm hot stampers ;)
I've checked out the site before and always found the idea to be a little silly. More so the vinyl that he uses more than anything, as he seems to stick with the cheapest pressings as opposed to getting a number of Japanese or German pressing which are generally of better quality. If I find 10 $2 and spend time comparing them to find the best sounding of the 10 does that make that album worth hundreds of dollars. It's just the best you found and will not likely compare to those Japanese pressings.
You actually bring up a really good point. Some of the Japanese pressings had their plates made in the US based on their specifications and then pressed in Japan. Germany likely would be getting a good first gen copy of the tapes or I am sure they would have plates made here. The pressing process can play a big factor in the end.
Interesting that Wired covered Tom Port six years ago, and he top of mind again with the Washington Post article. Odd. Nothing has changed in his business model in six years. But he trash talked certain people who trash talked him back.
Somewhere in this chain, he offered for me to do a compare but what was frustrating is he wanted me to pay the premium to do it. Really??? No he hasn't changed and people that don't know any better will continue to feed his business.
I just found out about this company. I really want to buy one from them and buy a $10 copy in the same condition and compare. I feel like my audio system isn't quite up to par in terms of an honest comparison. Although I guess technically according to their business model, you would be able to tell a difference no matter what system you have(obviously not talking about a crosley).
If you do end up buying a copy and doing a compare, let me know. I am still tempted to do the same thing and put the audio out there to see what others have to say about it but in all honesty, I think they just a bunch a hype. The price point of what they are charging for their records always gives me second thoughts on doing a compare. I can't see forking over three figure sums for a common record. Most comparisons I have done, even with different masterings, the effects are only subtle. Most are not like a night and day, trans-formative experience. That's just my opinion though...
Wow!! What a great video one of the best on the internet :) how can a old domestic pressing from a non audiophile Label compare to say something produced by Analogue Productions. Well I don't care how many records you listen to you cannot find a better sounding old press than a new remaster from Quality records. its like saying A truck is a car they were made completely different. One was made vastly superior sonically to the other Period. Awesome video as always, I think you know my favorite part LOL Cheers Ron
If I ever win the lottery, I might buy a pressing just to do a straight up compare on the net. Even his cheap records are expensive and I would rather use the money buying more records or buy in parts to the system.
I have NO experience with Better Records, but his theory of HOT STAMPER is questionable, but if he just said the BEST STAMPER, it would be fine... he is another facet of audiophilia that I think is trying to make things more mystical than they just are - if he just said he listens to a bunch of pressings to find the absolute best, and that isn't always 1st press/country of origin, I think all would give him much more credence. Having said that, unless you were drinking shots off of supermodels, you wouldn't buy more than one record from this guy at these prices, and you probably could just buy 10 of different presses and do your own shootout for the same price.
Dammit, I dream of drinking shots off of supermodels and finding my own good pressing. Your destroying my picture of utopia Kris ;) I think with any hobby you'll find people there to take advantage. Shall we start our our supermodel shots company? We can claim they are Ultra HOT and clean for the right price ;)
He does the work. So makes sense. Just finding a special sounding album. He is wrong about modern represses. There are some great ones. Some beat og s. The new Piper mono sounds awesome. As detailed by other You Tube rs the Tone Poets can be excellent in comparison to originals. It all depends. Some originals are amazing. No set answer.
Your right about, 'it all depends' because that truly is the case but some of the modern represses like the Tone Poets are giving a different experience. They are not looking to replicate the sound of the original but get the best out of what was on the tape.
Hi Paul. Sitting at home with gout, I at least have the time to check out most of your video's, which is a great way of spending time. Anyway, I know this guy's site. And as much as I like what he writes and/or reccomments, I still think it is all a matter of too many variables. I mean, I have so called audiophile pressings that are ony mediocre and mainstream pressings that sound how an audiophile recording should sound like. Then there is the fable of the blessings of heavy weight vinyl. Just another marketing strategy, mainly aimed at the novices I guess. Those who have been around long enough know that waferthin "Dynaflex" RCA's from the 70's can sound just as good......An audiophile heavy weight record that is off centered is a useless slab of plastic. In short, the public is only informed properly by watching this kind of information on YT and doing the neccessary homework. And if they want to spend hundreds of dollars on "first choise" records, please do so. Count me out......!
Love the comment! Your absolutely right on all of the variables. I have 180 and 200 gram pressings that have been off center and have not been mastered well. The 180/200 gram pressing can be a marketing gimmick for some. It is nice though to have a record that is less prone to warpage but even a 180/200 gram pressing will warp.
I have bought many records from Better Records. I can tell you without a doubt they are the best sounding records out there. Yes expensive but you have to listen to one to hear the difference from a normal sounding record and a hot stamper. They can be found on your own but it takes a lot of copies to clean and listen to. If you want to take the time and do the work yourself be my guest but I would rather just buy one good copy from BR and be done with it. Be aware if you don't think the record you buy is worth the money they will take it back and refund your money. I'll bet most of you who think it's a scam have never even heard a hot stamper before. Try one , you will become addicted. I am just a buyer and have nothing to do BR. I just think you should listen before you say it's not worth it or it has to be a scam.
How about $150? You can get a record at BR for that and it will put every record you have to shame. If you don't have a reasonably good sound system then maybe you won't want to spend more than a few bucks. But if you do then why not use the best media you can afford. You would'nt want to spend a lot of money on a sound system and put the el cheapo records on the turntable would you. I don't mean every record you buy has to be $300 or even $150 but certainly you would want a few records that are demo disc quality wouldn't you? Can you afford $100? BR has some of those too. I have never bought a record from BR that didn't sound better than one that I bought somewhere else. Remember if you are worried that you will be scammed they will take the record back and give you a full refund.
Thanks Steve for commenting as I haven't had anyone comment that they had purchased one. While there is some truth to what Better Records states, I don't agree with how they advertise their product; nor what they charge but I understand why they may charge what they do. I may bite the bullet some day but I find that there are better options out there. Micheal Fremer even did a blind test with one of Port's records and a modern audiophile repress which kind of dispelled the hype behind these. Moreover, when you get beyond their Classic Rock albums, which is their bread and butter, albums that maybe only had one or two pressings are now practically hot stampers by default. Blue Note records for example, are priced virtually the same on their website as they would go for in the aftermarket. Most of these had tiny runs and while some may have been pressed as a stamper was about to die, a good portion of them would fall under the 'hot stamper' category. Anyway, thank you for chiming in with you point of view as I do like to have people comment that disagree with my opinions.
Paul, I know the people that do this. Better Records is literally 15 min from me here in North Los Anglese (Thousand Oaks, CA)... they're ridiculous. One of my closer friends who is the manager of one of the better record shops in north L.A. used to work there at Better Records as well, so needless to say I'm decently well versed in their false Hype machine... they're absolutely absurd...ABSURD. They use this hype that they have created in this "hot stamper" B.S. and charge prices such as $150.00 - $200.00 for a copy of Anita Baker's "Rapture".... REALLY??? It's a royal scam... please believe that. I'm sorry, I just get really irritated at the mention of that ridiculous company
I hear you. They are getting a good savaging in the Steve Hoffman forums. I tried to go with a non-biased track as best as I could but when I read through his reviews of the audiophile pressings, I could see he was aiming for the ignorant crowd that has a lot of disposable income. I would hope that even they wouldn't fall for the Rupture album but I could be wrong.
The people they actually try to target are people with boat loads of endless money who want and think they're getting the best possible pressing ever, who don't have time to look for records themselves... that's their main target clientele. That irritates me more because now knowing that, they are blatantly offering pressings in the hundreds of dollars per record just because some random celebrity has that kind of money to blow on one record; and moreover, records that should never ever see a price tag near $100, yet are selling for $400 +++ They're crooks, and I'm being mild :-) On a lighter note... had any good fried chicken lately?? ;-)
You nailed it on the head. When Better Records trash AAA audiophile LP's that are mastered and cut by top engineers and pressed at the best facilities, get rave reviews by the audiophile press and on forums, Better Records loses credibility in my opinion.
Thanks. It's a lot like fear mongering. The smart people can look past the smoke and mirrors to see how the factory is really run. Businesses that pull that stunt are rarely successful but some do find enough of an audience to keep them going.
Would there be anyone game enough to admit that they have forked out $600 for a record with magic pixie dust sprinkled on it? I'd like to hear from someone who who's curiosity got the best of them.
I plan to keep this video up for awhile in hopes that someone that has used them before can chime in with their thoughts. I am open to hearing anyone that has forked over that kind of cash but I think they are definitely in the minority.
I would never give Better Records a red cent. Unless your time is so expensive that you can't buy multiple copies of a common LP and do a "shootout" yourself, I see no reason for this company to exist. Collectors have been buying multiple pressings of an album and deciding which one they like best for years.
I would say that most vinyl collectors do it for the simple passion of amassing the things that appeal to them. Yes there are those elitists out there who prefer to engage in the comparison war but for vinyl to keep its momentum the vast majority will crate dig, shop, trade and enjoy an affordable hobby. Finding clean, quiet and wanted vinyl is all it ever was about for me. Not at those prices!
Amen to that. Clean and quiet is exactly what I want as well. If I had more money, I would rather drop the coin on more records or equipment upgrades. Thanks for chiming in Kurt.
I personally find Better Records are not worth the money. Do Hot stampers really exist? In my opinion yes. I have a copy of Bela Fleck's " Cosmic Hippo" That is just the finest recording I have ever heard. And no I will never part with it. That said I will also never pay in the Hundreds for a Hot Stamper. I say I like my Audio " UN- Colored" But what I find UN-Colored you may find too laid back or too detailed and analytical. I agree with You, I and also Micheal Fremer. Most recordings that MoFi and Acoustic Analogue put out are of the highest quality. I will for the most part stick with those and some of Japans or Germanic recordings. I hope this added to the conversation and again Paul very good video.Peace my friend.
Cosmic Hippo is a fantastic album which I have had on CD for a long while and if I had it on LP, I wouldn't want to part with that one either. It seems like everyone is basically in agreement. I tried my best to be as unbiased as possible in the video but there are some real things that bother me about their set up. Thanks for contributing to the conversation as always.
Oh..Better records and their "Hot Stamper" BS. My one experience with them can sum it up. They had a copy of Bellybutton by Jellyfish. According to them it was a Hot Stamper, amazing sound, blah blah blah. What they didn't realize was that album was DMM. So every pressing should sound just about the same. When i asked them about it I got some kind of BS but they knew they were nailed. Con artists.
You hit the nail in the head! While I do agree there will be some difference between the beginning and end of a stampers life, anything in between is probably not going to make that big of a difference in the long run. I know some purist my dispute me on it but I want to see the data for it to be believed.
Hi,well since better records doing re-sales normaly he pays 1$ at garage sales for an lp trying to sell it for 400$.On the other hand Classic records are quite expensive to buy and i m guessing you cant find everyday at garage sale for 1$ per lp.So he hype the stuff he can find easily and cheap .You can find many of his 250 -400$ lps on ebay up to 10$.IF better records was fairy enough it should have writte down the exact matrix of each album.Since he doesnt do it this is pure snake oil.Cheers!
I asked them by email what they do with the records they do not like. They said they sell (used record store), or donate them. Somehow that bothers me. It is like the bully on the block keeping the best for themselves and throwing the rest back to the masses. I choose not to do business with them.
Thanks for chiming in Dave. Honestly, while there is a little science behind their methodology, I think their claims are full of hot air. When you start comparing to pressing to pressing, it gets to be very subjective and that's what I'm finding in my audio comparison videos. For Pink Floyd, people are all over the map in what they prefer on that one.
Personally, I would not spend $200-$400 on a "hot stamper" common Rock record. I've been collecting records for many years and have done plenty of "shoot outs" on my own, enough to know that sound quality can and often does vary from one copy to another. So there is something to the whole concept. However, Port's continual condemnation of "audiophile" pressings makes me question his credibility. I understand why he slams audiophile pressings, that's his competition. Of the audiophile pressings I own, most of them sound great and when Port says they're crap, he's basically insulting my judgement and decision to buy them. High cost aside, that's why I wouldn't buy his "hot stampers."
I am with you 100%! I think the guys that really know how to master, cut, and press records well can put out a release that rivals or betters an original. More often than not, I am going to go for the audiophile version of an album if there is one because finding NM originals of records pressed 20 years ago or more back are a big roll of the dice.
I was skeptical of their claims, and tested their claims by purchasing a Super Hot stamper of ELP's first album. Why not? They offer a no questions asked, money back guarantee. That record was the best sounding copy I have ever heard, from any ELP recording. Down the road, I upgraded my copy to a White Hot (highest rating) pressing, and it was better, still. It no longer sounded like a great recording. Rather, it sounded real -- the band was there. To those that bash them, without testing them, I say: You are both the judge and jury, finding them guilty, and have not listened to the evidence. I cannot afford to purchase pressing after pressing from their site. But that does not mean that my envy, for those that can, makes me bash them. I cannot buy a Ferrari (or any high end car). But I admire the cars, just the same (I do not poke fun at what I cannot afford). When I see an album that I love, I will occasionally treat myself. That much I can afford. Paul, you said that Better Records should not have a negative attitude..., as it turns people away and is bad for business. Yet, this entire video is a Better Records bash fest. Better Records is the real deal.
Thanks for the comments Perhaps. I do intend to try them out at some point but I think they lose credibility if they're just out bashing others without being respectful. Whenever I do acquire a pressing, I do plan on doing a comparison if possible. With comparisons though the results are very subjective because then you get into preferences in mastering.
@@BarakaPDub Do you have a quality turntable, tone-arm, and cartridge, as well as a good phono amp? Did you professionally dial in the above? Meaning, proper stylus pressure, anti-skating, vertical tracking alignment, overhang, and azimuth? I am asking, because in order to really hear what is in the grooves, the stylus must negotiate the grooves, and do so with absolute precision. Otherwise, the difference between an ordinary sounding record and a great sounding record will be less telling. To use an extreme example: If you face your speakers in the wrong direction, you will still hear the music. But how would that affect you being able to evaluate the sound quality of the music? The stylus is a microphone, of sorts. And you want your mike to be exactly where it needs to be. With a good turntable, tone-arm, and cartridge, properly dialed in, the difference between most every record, and the white hot stampers from Better Records, will be compelling. Thank you for being open minded.
Hi, Tom Port here, can you believe it!? This is the first time I have responded to anything on the internet in close to twenty years. Be that as it may, we would be happy to loan you one of our Hot Stampers for you to audition. We are up for the challenge. Compare it to any record you have, on any equipment you have access to, and tell your subscribers exactly what you think, good or bad. If you pay for the record in advance by Paypal, we are willing to send you a pricey title. Paypal will of course guarantee your satisfaction, as do we of course. Feel free to contact me at tom@better-records.com. Pick out a selection and I will try to steer you in the right direction. Best, Tom
Tom, Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. Especially, since you've never responded to anything before. Let me hit your website here in the next few days. I think it would be fun to do an online shoot out with one of your pressings with another non-hot stamper pressing and I'll contact you in advance of my selection. The challenge is trying to find a song or songs that certain artists/RU-vid will let me get away without a copyright strike. I find it best to do a rapid A/B so one can gather the difference in the audio quality. While I will concede the RU-vid audio quality is compressed and not necessarily as good as being in front of a good system in person, I have done several A/B comparisons to great success. I would also be upfront about the compression in the video. With COVID though, my video production and record playing time has slowed to a bit of a crawl due to work and family obligations but I am game for doing this. Regards, Paul
@@BarakaPDub That sounds great. We have a lot of obscure music that should present no problem for youtube but of course it's better to do the stuff everybody knows. I leave it in your capable hands.
