First pressing LPs

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.

""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."

Really? Can you tell us how if you do not have all matrix numbers memorized?

""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.""

The easier answer after a LOT of comparisons is that they can be beat especially Classics.

"The only thing that has been settled is that audiophiles are a strange lot indeed."

Only those that look in the mirror.

"Vinylites always floor me."

Because they insist on making you hear their analog rigs compared to your digital?

"I havn't had that good luck with imported pressings. The surfaces are usually quieter but the sonics have not always been to my liking. I have most problems with Japanese pressings, though there are some very good ones out there."

This is very true. There are some good ones but a guy can drop a bunch of dough buying Japanese pressing expecting them to ALL be the best pressings like some on here say.

"There are some good ones but a guy can drop a bunch of dough buying Japanese pressing expecting them to ALL be the best pressings like some on here say."Motdathird

"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." Rockinroni

Are you talking to me, digitvites always floor me
yes I can pretty well tell the edition buy the label. This is a general rule,(don't be so picky) they change them every time they re-issue their inventories of non-deleted items. It is I know, a little more complicated than that, but it works for me.

You may be right about the Classic records reissues. I have not done as much comparing as you. The ones I have compared, I liked the classic Records reissues a lot, very nice stuff.
I only used this to illustrate that the first ed is not absolutely the best sounding edition.
Rockinroni