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The quest for the hot stamper or is it a myth

I have looked at Better Records and their belief is  they have actually found the holy grail of vinyl geeks. The mysterious hot stamper. A record that has no outside evidence what actual number pressing it is. 1000 records can be pressed from a stamper before it degrades the sound. Some manufacturers go up to 1500. I have a DCC Van Halen # 778 on the record jacket and it sounds phenomenal and it should by DCC. Of course if you have Led Zep II and Bob Ludwig is in the dead wax you have a winner. I bought a Marvin Gaye "What's Going On" this year and its sounds really amazingly good. I have the 2 CD extended set and best of on record and SACD. The record not only slays them but cuts it
them up into little bits pieces and feeds it to the wolves. No contest. The sax is smooth and detailed as silk and the intro to "Inner City Blues" just makes me want to hear that over and over again. Ok I assume it was a well engineered album to begin with. Chime in on the engineering. Does anyone else believe in the hot stamper and do you think you have one in your collection???????
blueranger
tablejockey
743 posts
 
iopscrl  sums up Tom Port' business.

https://www.better-records.com/product.aspx?pf_id=yes__yesal_1812
https://www.better-records.com/product.aspx?pf_id=steelcount_1812
https://www.better-records.com/product.aspx?pf_id=john_elton_1812
https://www.better-records.com/product.aspx?pf_id=beatlwhite_1812

Many of us have copies of these timeless classics. All my copies have been through 2-4 copies  to get to my "hot stamper." Totaled, I may have spent up to....$150? I wonder if any of my copies are "WHS" grade? My Yes and EJ had an Audio Desk cleaning, they are quite impressive!

$1000.00 for the White Album...ouch! 

I'm sure whoever purchases it, they have the system to appreciate it.
tzh21y
1,377 posts
 
iopscrl

I agree, time is money.

For me, half the fun is the search.
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
Up until recently I doubt I would have noticed differences among LPs of the same title and pressings.          
However with the upgrades to my system this year I can now hear much more easily,wear on records, and differences in quality of the record sound. So I can see how someone with a lot of money to burn might want to skip the tedious effort of checking many copies of an Lp to choose the one that sounds best.   
that some DO SOUND BETTER, particularly with used LPs no question.  
Would I pay $500? not a chance.
mr_m
1,087 posts
 
+1000, elizabeth.
stevecham
3,298 posts
 
I totally agree with the above that the deadwax will only take you so far. The point being that you never know where a copy was on the pressing number of a stamper. If at the end of the run, it cannot sound as good as the first few pressed with that metal. Yesterday I found what visually, in good light, appeared to be an excellent, clean UK import of a Roxy Music album, and when I go it home, vacuum cleaned and played, despite it being absolutely free of pops and ticks, much of the high end was missing, implying that someone had played it with a very heavy VTF and likely a conical stylus. Even after swapping out for one of my shibata stylus carts, the highs had been significantly wiped. Oh well.
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