Don’t agree about the condition part. What does it count if you have a great first press or even a greater second pressing or reissue if it’s heavily used ?
Great sounding LP records that don't cost an arm and a leg
- Thread starter rajapaarvai
- Start date
I have the original UK pressing of Court of Crimson King. To my ears it sounds nice. Never heard the remastered version though. Maybe it’s better. 
Actually this is a pointless discussion because one buys what is available and what is affordable.
Actually this is a pointless discussion because one buys what is available and what is affordable.
What I meant to say was original pressing to my ears have a breath of life. Even a VG+ copy will have that. At least I can clearly hear it. It may have tics and some surface noise at some points which makes it undesirable. What I was trying to say was the new ones sound a bit dead to me. Mofi I think is the worst of the audiophile labels. Most of the titles are equalised horribly.
I too have a few audiophile pressings like DCC Elvis 24 karat and Elvis is Back. That’s because till date I haven’t found a quiet first press of Elvis.
Well if had limited funds, i would buy the best available copy of the albums I like. Instead of buying 5 average sounding albums in that money, I would just buy 2 of the best sounding albums from my list. That’s the way I have always bought. Be it CD or vinyl.No not a pointless discussion because lot of us are crazy enough to spend hard earned money on 2-3/4/5 copies of the same album just to reach the finest SQ.
True. But it isn’t always possible to know beforehand what sounds best. Myself - I have a horrible sounding LP of Fleetwood Mac Rumours and I had no clue beforehand. Had to shell out again to buy a different pressing that sounds better.
I agree. Most Rumors first pressings sound bad. The Steve Hoffman mastered 2 lp 45 rpm set is a safe bet. I had that till I finally found a first pressing I liked better.
true that. the new ones do sound a bit lifeless.. And i too buy a repress only for 2 reasons: 1. I want a clean, quiet copy and (2) the first press is coming at a price that i don't want to pay.....
If you have the money and want the best sounding version you can always buy from Better Records. The lps are really expensive but the stuff is very good.
better-records.com
Better Records: Hot Stamper LPs — 100% Guaranteed Great Sound.
A different kind of record store, specializing in finding LP pressings with unusually good sound.
better-records.com
I have come across this site before. Honestly I don’t understand what they are doing exactly. They are sourcing NM records of acclaimed pressings and simply cleaning them with some proprietary tools , then selling them at such prices !! Doesn’t make much sense to me.If you have the money and want the best sounding version you can always buy from Better Records. The lps are really expensive but the stuff is very good.
Better Records: Hot Stamper LPs — 100% Guaranteed Great Sound.
A different kind of record store, specializing in finding LP pressings with unusually good sound.
No two pressings made at the same time will sound the same. So what they do is buy 30-40 copies of the same album, hear them all and keep only those that sound good. They don’t have any proprietary cleaning process. They do the usual standard cleaning. So what they will do is buy 30-40 copies of the first press of say for example Rumors. And sell you only those that sound good. The rest are discarded.
I have to admit their copies sound wonderful. None of the first press NM copies I have sound anywhere near to their copies of the same album. Yes, it’s a huge price you pay for it.
I have to admit their copies sound wonderful. None of the first press NM copies I have sound anywhere near to their copies of the same album. Yes, it’s a huge price you pay for it.
This is mind boggling ... the fact that no two copies of same pressing and same batch sound same. Makes this black magic hobby so enticing and frustrating at the same time.
Got hold of a first pressing of The Burning Train yesterday. Not NM though. Pops and clicks are there. But since the music is loud with almost no quiet passages unlike jazz tracks (except the title track ) it’s not creating much of an issue.
The sound is sheer brilliant. Must have got the best of the batch.
A beautiful, well-constructed speaker with class-leading soundstage, imaging and bass that is fast, deep, and precise.