First pressing LPs

Pbb, "how can a record be noisier and sound better?" The least noise is caused by not turning your sysem on at all. Does yours sound better that way? We all know that surface noise is but one of the myriad distortions in analog playback, why even you have been able to name a few sources of distortion in the mastering, plating and pressing process. Very good. You're finally learing. Just rather slowly. Oh, BTW, I'm not a "vinylite" (great word), I also use a tuner, CD player, open reel tape deck (Revox A77 modified, quite nice) and a Wollensak 8-track player, also modified, of course. No cassettes, yet anyway. Hey, maybe I'm an 8-trackkie.
Marty

"Can I always identify first pressing just by looking at the record?"

I can just by looking at the label. I have been buying and collecting lp's for so long now I can tell that way.

Thanks Marakanetz
I never new about the p or c thing I new there was a code too ,but I never paid much attention to them, only when I knew the code (not often)

Lugnut is right this is a easy way to learn "Goldmine and Jerry Osborne's record price guide books."

I like a lot of old UK progressive groups hence the UK first editions sound much better.
Germany, Holland and yes Japan have wonderful pressings but be sure you are comparing first editions. A first edition domestic will most times sound better that a third reissue Japanese release.

"Also,does it sound better in almost every case?"

The easy answer is yes they do, but the new audiophile labels like DCC and Classic Records reissues can't be beat.

Whats up with this whiny digital geek "get digital master tapes" that is a joke right? because if you have heard good analog you would not say such a dumb thing. Ask Albert Porter, go ahead and e-mail him if you want the truth. Albert has spent thousands on Digital and has given up because he says it is no contest.
Anyway this is a old topic and has been settled long ago.
Some I see are still in denial

Viridian, I started learning long ago and hope to continue on with the process. Noise is noise. Your reductio ad absurdum is delightful, if a bit off the mark. Oh, BTW, to Rockinroni: 1) a sample of one is great, but I wouldn't ask Albert Porter anything, his mind's been made up long ago, and 2)is analog better as an archival medium than digital when one considers that the sound degrades with each dub made? The only thing that has been settled is that audiophiles are a strange lot indeed. Good day.

Pbb, I would take issue with the "noise is noise" argument. It has been consistantly shown that the ear is more sensitive to certain types of distortion than others. IM being a good example of a distortion that is more grating than low order harmonic distortion even when it is an order of magnitude lower. This stems from harmonic distortion being related to the signal musically and IM being unrelated to the signal. I can personally tolerate very large distortions in loudspeakers but not very small ones in electronics. This is surely personal. I find loudspeaker distortions to be consonant with the music and electronic distortions amusical. You raised a great point though. After the signal has been through two dozen cheap op amps and pots in the mixing board, not to mention all of the other violence done to the signal before it even hits the storage medium, wheather analog or digital, why is it that a meter of interconnect makes such a difference?

"How can a record be noisier and sound better? "
Try to compare simple cassette tape with no noise reduction and with and than judge what sounds better even with higher noise. Same with vinyl indeed.
As to import pressings, the ultimate for me is german ones.
As to country of origin having in mind mass pressings I guess neither of the pressing were made of original tape so it doesn't mean that country of origin must have the best quelity.