An. Prod. reissues: 45RPMs vs 33RPM test pressing.


Hello friends,
about the Analog Production reissues: in terms of sound quality, you think should be considered better the 45RPM's or the 33 1/3's test pressing ones?

Best.
Ezio
eziodoc
There is no doubt the 45rpm pressings offer better sound. The tradeoff is the higher price and the hassle of needing to get up to change the record more frequently.
specifically regarding 33rpm test pressings; they are rarely much different from the regular pressings....i have maybe a dozen of them and the corresponding regular pressing. a couple are possibly a bit more vivid. in no case are they close to the 45rpm pressing.

so if the choice is to pay a premium for the 33rpm test pressing or the 45rpm......buy the 45rpm every time.

now if you talk about a 33rpm direct-to-disc then that is a different issue. but of course; it would be unlikely to find a 33rpm DTD and a 45rpm of the exact same recording.....i've not seen that.
Ok, I understand, thank you.
But... Why AcousticSounds sells the J. Warnes box (3 45RPM lp's) at $79 (now $99) ant same Famous Blue raincoat reissue, test pressing, at $299 ?? It's crazy..
And the cynical among us would additionally say that there now must be hundreds of "test pressings" given how many I see offered for sale over such extended periods of time. As Eziodoc says, "It's crazy.." Keep in mind that real test pressing are just that: TEST pressings. They may not be as good as the final production press run. There are reasons they make these.
Amen! I'd rather have a copy in the first few hundred pressings that a test.
In the case of the Acoustic Sounds Fantasy 45rpm "Test Pressings" they are the same sonically as the regular 45rpm records. According to Chad Kassem they were pressed prior to the first number "001".

In my view they sould not be called "Test Pressings" rather a more accurate term is "Pre-Production Pressings". Chad indicated 50-100 TP's were made for each of the Fantasy 45 titles.

Johnny