The quest for the hot stamper or is it a myth

+1000, elizabeth.

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.

Ashamed to say it but I must now admit to having contributed to the misinformation that comprises the majority of this thread. My mistake was taking "hot stamper" literally and missing the meaning of the people who quite correctly pointed out that in this case hot stamper is a term of marketing. Now having educated myself let me make amends and share the news.

Some years ago this fellow Tom Port and a few other equally obsessed audiophiles began noticing that no two pressings, nor even sides, are ever exactly the same. Every once in a while lightening strikes, the heavens align, and one comes out the stamper sounding so close to the master tape you can hardly believe it. But, contrary to the majority of comments above, you cannot tell this by engineer, stamper, wax, or any other means whatsoever. Only way to tell is to play the damn thing.

Being competitive obsessed audiophiles they started getting together to see who had the best of what. Cream rises to the top, and eventually they have lots of cream. Not to mention, along the way, a whole system approach to it all. The exercise of meticulously comparing the sound of each side of each LP leads to scrutinizing cleaning methods, cleaning solutions, etc.

Now I yield to no man when it comes to skepticism. Grandma hails from Missouri. The Show Me state. Case in point, someone says they bought a couple of these didn't sound any better than what they had, I am equally as skeptical of their claim as Tom Port's. I look for revealing little details. One I found on the Better Records site really got my attention.

There's a lot of info on Better Records on how to listen, how to get the most from your records, etc. What got me the most was when they said go around and unplug as many appliances as you can. Now, okay, always possible they load their site up with stuff like that as bait to snare the credulous audiophool. Except, far as I can tell, most don't believe this and think its crazy. I've mentioned it a few times and have yet to hear from anyone who actually tried it. (Who hadn't already, I mean.) For Better Records to include it on a list of frankly really good recommendations (warm up your amp, play a few sides to warm up the cartridge, demagnetize your system- another bit of rare advice btw) is telling.

Also telling is the frankness. Buried in among all the other info is the frank admission that they pay less than $20, often less than $6, for the records they turn around and sell for up to $600- and more. They make no bones about it. They also make no bones about not being for everyone. You have to be able to hear the difference. There goes 90% of the market. You have to be able to appreciate the difference. There goes another 90%. And you have to be able to afford it. Clearly Better Records is marketing to the .1%ers. No wonder hardly anyone even bothers trying to understand what they're doing. Like FranknFurter said, "I didn't build him FOR YOU!"

Maybe not even for me. I spent hours combing Better Records, first trying to understand what they were doing, then trying to see if they had anything to offer a guy like me.

Along the way it dawns on me, I have lots of records with music I love that I hardly ever listen to because the recording, or the pressing, is crap. Almost all the recordings I really love, its because of the music AND the recording AND the pressing. Two out of three just don't cut it with me.

Which as luck would have it I came across the eponymous Fleetwood Mac. Already have one, a (maybe) early issue copy bought used for a few bucks. Kind of noisy and sounds like not the greatest recording although lately between the Koetsu and the Herron its been sounding pretty good. There's only a few others they have that I would even consider. Linda Ronstadt For Sentimental Reasons, Sinatra Francis A & Edward K. 

I went with Fleetwood Mac. Worth the money? Guess I will find out Saturday.

millercarbon-

At least you can return it if it doesn't play as advertised.

What grade is it...hot, super hot or WHITE HOT?

Unless the copy you purchased hasn't been taken off the site, I see a super hot for $250. Considering an average copy will go for at least $25+, it might be worth it to someone who doesn't have accessable B&M stores.

If indeed it IS a keeper, I would value it more than a perfect reissue.

I have mentioned in threads that Tom Port scouts have visited my neighborhood store for these unicorn presses.

Looking forward to your review. Please list pressing info-jacket # and any deadwax info if possible.

Its a White Hot Stamper Fleetwood Mac. Last I looked it showed as sold. 

I just checked and found a few dupes in my collection. Dreamboat Annie, Captain Fantastic, Tumbleweed Connection, Madman Across the Water, Equinox, and Aja. Mostly these were accumulated friends and family who tossed them years ago, which I hadn't bothered cleaning and playing because just looking at them it seemed the ones I had were in better shape. 

So I cleaned them up and last night after getting everything all nice and warmed up and demagnetized I compared a couple. Dreamboat Annie, the easiest thing is to say the ocean waves sounded on one like real ocean surf, with the full range including that subtle low-end component that tells you its far away and powerful. On the other it sounded like white noise. These two copies by the way, unless you know how to decipher dead wax script I don't know how you'd tell them apart- exact same cover, label, etc. Not so Tumbleweed Connection, one on the original MCA label, the other Uni. Not only did the newer Uni sound much worse, it was down a good 4dB in level!

Captain Fantastic, I really wanted the newer looking and much quieter sounding copy to sound better. But it was no contest. The noisy one that nevertheless sounds so much better goes back on the shelf. It really does sound good! I mean just amazingly good!

Madman, my older noisier original MCA is down a good 4dB in level compared to the new 180g, but the heavier one has a hard aggressive edge and lack of harmonic development and depth. Adjusted for volume its not even close.

Now while these differences definitely do exist the difference between the worst and best sounding of them is worth nowhere near $300. So Tom Port has his work cut out for him. On the other hand, all these examples are me comparing between just a few copies. Can't rule out that given enough examples a few might turn up that are far and away better than any that I have.

Seems to me I can't lose. If the White Hot Stamper sounds only a little better than what I have then great, I've got the satisfaction of knowing my copy is about as good as anyone's anywhere. Never gonna waste my time buying 180g or 45 reissues, they will only be more quiet not and really not sound any better, and I get my money back. But if the White Hot Stamper really does sound incredibly closer to the master tape then even better. Now I've got a real stunner.

Hard to see the downside here. Saturday night we will find out.