Yes, interesting interview with someone we've all heard about, but never seen interviewed. Not as important as 45 RPM Audiophile interviewing Mike Sarazin of Vinyl Storage Solutions, but close.
Hi Steve. Before the Washington Post story I had never heard of your guest. I can't say that he left me desiring more. The hr wasn't very structured, I I found it basically to be him just speaking about what he wanted (which is fine). My impression though is, for me, that I seem to be turned off when someone constantly builds themselves up by knocking everyone and everything else- which is what I started to feel listening to Mr. Port talk. Thanks for taking the time to arrange this.
Great video Steve, I hadn’t even heard of Tom Port until his name came up in the recent live stream, so it was good to put a face and voice to the name. For good or for bad, and for wrong or for right, the impression that Tom leaves ME with, personally, is that he truly believes that he knows what’s best for everyone else. HE knows what a great sounding record is, not Bernie, not Kevin, not Chad, and not anyone else. And HE is the definitive voice when it comes to determining what sounds like crap, not anyone else. Now, that’s not to suggest that folks like Fremer are any better (not so convinced that he is), but for me, it’s enough to convince me that with Tom, it’s less about opinion and personal taste, and more about him being so wrapped up in his own ego and arrogance, that in his world, no one else’s opinion or taste has any relevance to the discussion, only his. And that’s a shame, because it only strips away that much more of any credibility that he might have otherwise had… in my humble opinion 🤷🏻♂️
Well, prove him wrong. Buy one of a title you have from AP and listen. If you honestly think the AP sounds better then send the hot stamper back. Tom sees much as very objective. I tend to agree. There are sound quality parameters that are objective. That bass on the Mofi Yes One Step? That is not the natural sound of Chris Squires bass. That is an objective fact. Now, maybe one likes the wooly bloated bass sound of the Mofi One Step. Thats fine. But that is subjectively what one likes and not a fact as to what the bass should sound like. So as opinionated as it may seem there are things you learn to listen and educate ones self on that are objective. Problem is folks want to make it a personal ideology instead of realizing it can be objective and teachable what one should listen for.
@@FleagleSangria we’ve all got opinions, that much will likely never change. 😊 Even you suggesting that the MoFi One-Step bass is “wooly bloated” infers that you too have decided, on behalf of everyone else, that the bass on the One-Step sounds inferior, when we could (well, hopefully) all agree that it’s just your personal opinion, and not fact. What if it sounds pristine, and superb to others (as I’m sure it does)? Does that mean their hearing sucks, or that they lack experience in hearing discernible defects? I would argue that no, it absolutely does not. Just means that they aren’t hearing what you’re hearing, and vice-versa. Too many people in this hobby think that they know what they and everyone else is hearing, and what is inferior, as opposed to just accepting that it is ALL subjective, because my personal tastes will never be the same as yours and everyone else’s, and the same is inevitably going to apply for each individual listener. We all hear what we hear, and have our own personal opinions and distinctions about what it is we are hearing, no? Seems like if folks would stop trying to tell everyone else what’s good and what’s bad, there’d be far less to grumble about, and far more to agree upon 🤘🏼
@@FleagleSangria Whether a bass sounds “natural” is not an objective determination. If you want to show a chart with frequency ranges, that’s objective. Everything else people blather about in the vinyl community is mostly subjectivity masquerading as objectivity.
@@Azerrmon Its not a matter of telling others what is good or bad, its a matter of knowing what Chris' bass sounds like. And it dont sound anything like the Mofi. Thats a fact. Not an opinion. Objective fact. Now if you like it, cool. I would never tell you that you are wrong for liking that sound. That is subjective. The Mofi IS wooly and bloated. That isnt an opinion. You may like that. Cool. But it isnt natural or right sounding as to what that bass should sound like.
@@xentakis That isnt true. There are definitely objective sound parameters that are experienced audibly. Sounstage. It exists. Period. Bass cloud. Its either there or not audibly. Brickwalled sound. Thats is an objective sound that one can hear. Noise reduction. Objective. Now if one likes the results of NR more that its detriment, then that is subjective. I could go on and on with absolutely objective sound parameters. Now I will agree, measurements are even better to determine these. But not required always.
Steve - thank you for letting him talk/great interview! First time i have watched your channel as I have followed this Tom Ports site for many years and always curious and then noticed this interview. I will be back to your channel based on this.
This was excellent and Mr. Port makes several important points. The most important one is that you have to listen to the records. You can triangulate with pressing plant IDs & mastering engineers but the true test is how the record sounds. 👍🏻
Exactly. Listening is it. And we might all have different opinions on what sounds better in the end. I actually do think Tom does provides a real service for people who don’t want to or cannot do the work themselves. And the holy you get from him will most likely sound fantastic. But it will sound different when passed around to different people played in different rigs. That where the subjectivity and taste come into play imho. But if someone you trust tells you a specific record sounds awesome, you usually agree and are already primed to really enjoy that record.
One man’s Hot Stampers are another man’s Hot Steamy Pampers? Very insightful video, Steve! WOW! Deep intense thought provoking interview about the sound quality of vinyl! Tom is clearly a very discerning listener of vinyl. He’s invested a lot of time and money into carving out his niche and believes strongly in what he’s discovering. The ears are to vinyl what the palate is to wine. Taste and preferences differ from person to person. Audiophiles are the sommeliers of music, in both knowledge and personality lol! I think it’s cool and original that Tom is making some collectors very happy. Will I ever spend that much on his records? I might but it would have to be a grail record for me. I would never attempt to build an entire collection of Better Records pressings for the same reason I don’t fill my wine cellar with prized vintages of DRC and Château Pétrus. Nevertheless Better Records seem a great fit for those who can afford those luxurious investments. All the best to Tom Port in his continued quest for the best (according to him & his company) audio sound quality money can buy. Keep up the great work, Steve!
@@rabarebra Come on!! Give the guy a break. You want to talk about scammers? How about $1,400 cell phones and overpriced crappy coffee from Starbucks. Tom Port is just a record guy. He’s NOT forcing anyone to buy his records or his philosophy. If he was scamming people his business model would’ve failed before it even got off the ground.
@@Cookingwithsteveg He's a scammer. Simple. Period. No one who knows vinyl needs this middleman. He takes a $5 and sells it for $500. Go ahead and get fooled. And the way he talks about other people, disgusting guy.
@@rabarebra I’m not buying records from the guy! And I know vinyl as well as anyone. And anyone who knows LIFE (not just vinyl) and freedom of enterprise knows that he’s attracted people who seem to like what he’s doing. You’re preaching to the wrong choir! Lol I wouldn’t take a Bruce Springsteen album if he gave it to me free of charge. I’m just not a fan. I know he can mouth off. There is so much arrogance and ideology running through the veins of so-called audiophiles it’s pathetic but it ain’t against the law and we don’t call the scammers because of it! Your comment would be better received and make more sense if you said the people who are buying his records are morons because like I said, Tom’s not forcing anyone to buy his records. I don’t respect trash talking anyone but more than just Tom have said disrespectful things about others. That seems to be getting overlooked.
Really enjoyed the interview and Tom Port's opinions on what to listen for in our recordings. I use his site as a guide and appreciate all he has written and posted on his site. It has helped me amass a large collection of very good sounding recordings,
What could be better? Thanks, we love hearing that. There are great records everywhere. You don't need me to pay me to find them for you, you can find your own if you use the right approach.
I have a box of Hot Stampers (they are separated from the chafe). They are better records, it's just a fact - not because I paid more for any individual record or told myself "this better because x, y, z" etc. I have played them for others without commenting on what they are. Invariably, people will say, "this sounds good." Case closed. Tom is a good businessperson too, true to his word for 10 yrs + I've been buying from him.
I like clean first pressings, but for different reason. Mainly for the vibe and fact that someone went out and bought that record from a record store (no online back then) and listened to it when the music was still fresh and new, then cared enough to keep it in good shape for decades. I remember my cousin taking me to the record store and he bought Ziggy Stardust when it first came out.
Nostalgia is one of the most powerful emotions, Music's power to evoke other emotions, along with that of nostalgia makes this a perfect reason to collect clean 1st pressings. i like your reasoning. Also, they DO often sound better than anything that came later.
@txc500 Tell you a little secret. Not to disappoint you, but most of those records back in the they had to have all the bass from 80 Hz and below cut off, because turntables and stylus in most ordinary household and its technology couldn't handle those frequencies. Stylus would jump out of the groove. There is many good original records, though, but nostalgia plays a huge factor, as Shawn mentions here.
@@rabarebra I am not a fan of exaggerated bass, like every song seems to have these days. Some older records do have sufficient if not overpowering bass though.
@@txc500 The bass that lies on the master tape is not exaggerated, but completely removed on the early pressings from 80Hz and below. They did this because of the poor technology back then. When mastering a record, the bass low frequencies needs to lie near centre area. On old equipment, the stylus would jump out of the groove. You understand? What is on the master tape is not on those records. They sound great, yes. I agree. But I think it is nice to have the full range like they do in many reissues these days, because these days the stylus handles these frequencies. Technology has evolved. Now, I'm no fan of MOFI records, because they tend to add even more db on the low frequencies. Also, I don't know why I waste my time responding to you. You could be anyone. A pothead sitting in your basement spewing out crap. Your unknowledgeable answer reveals just that. Maybe not a pothead, but you get what I mean? LOL.
Good job Steve 👍. Interesting to “meet” the man - and cudos to you for letting him explain his business and view on records/vinyl (not many in the VC would have had the patience or respect to du that). After hearing him we can all draw our own conclusions. Thanks again!
Heard of Better Records - Tom Port, and thank you for this interview as it gives me a better idea of his thought process. Thank you Steve for this interview.
Would you ever consider sharing the matrices of your collection? Tom clearly states that every record is a snowflake but he obviously finds specific pressings that he does shootouts with.
Thanks, glad to hear you like your Hot Stamper pressings. Listening may be subjective but it seems that our records are doing the job for you and that is all we can ask. Hope all is well with Record Collector News as well.
Thanks Steve and Tom. Very informative. I've put Tom's money back guarantee to the test many times. I return a lot of what I buy - about 1/4 of them. He never objects. Try this - pick out a hot stamper on the better-records site. Choose something you know well, that you already have a few copies of. Maybe start off with a Super Hot Stamper, at least for your first purchase, since the prices are slightly less absurd for them. First, see how it compares to your other copies. If it's not as good, send it back, full refund, no questions asked. Next, look at the matrix number on the hot stamper, and buy three copies on discogs in NM or VG+ condition with the same matrix. Or, go hunt around your local shop for same. Then, once you get them, clean them to the best of your ability and then do another shootout against Tom's copy. You've got 30 days, so if you work fast, you can do it. If you prefer one you buy on discogs to your hot stamper, send back the hot stamper. No questions asked, and thanks Tom for the matrix number. I've done this a couple of times, and every time, I've kept the hot stamper. Wasted my time and money is all I did. That, and convinced myself Tom's records are worth what he charges, in that I can't get records that sound that good for less money. And for the dozen or so records I really love, I'm willing to bear the cost of a white hot stamper.
Wow, that is quite a testimonial! Well, I mean, as much as a lot of what he says might 'Go against the grain', it's people like you and his other customers, who you KNOW bloody well must have the money to have very good systems who indeed seem to back up the quality of the copies you get from him. Your experience is *INVALUABLE* in helping us to evaluate what is what here. Thank you most kindly for sharing it! 👍
@@latheofheaven Thanks for that comment! My system is not terribly expensive, actually. I used to have a more costly system. Currently, I've got vintage (mid 90s) speakers and a vintage amp (mid 70s.) I've become a big believer in high-sensitivity speakers driven by low-powered amps as the best way to hear vintage vinyl. These things aren't particularly valued right now, and easy enough to find at affordable prices. A great-sounding system doesn't have to be expensive, and some expensive systems can end up being unfulfilling.
Hi Steve, thanks for your efforts providing the interview/video of Tom. Always enjoyed talking with Tom back in the 90s. He may not remember me after 30 yrs. I want my money back for those crap sounding MFSL lps you sold me Tom! (jk ;) ). Always was a nice guy on the phone to me as a youngin' back then. Let me say that I do believe there are "hot stampers". I think part of the issue with folks is they see the term as alot of flair (like the term "Super Vinyl" isnt flashy?...yeah right. Yet many buy into the idea of "Super Vinyl") Anyway, I think the term throws folks into a tissy because they really dont understand what the meaning is. It isnt really rocket science. Its alot of work and dedication to listening is what it is. Many of us that have been doing this for years and nerding out on deadwax info know some of the same info in the runout grooves Tom does. But the difference is that he gets the extra out of the sound by testing lp after lp. That is about it. Easier said than done however. It takes time, resources and dedication. Thanks again Steve and Tom for your time.
@@the-skeptical-audiophile No problem Tom. And no apologies needed. Many of the records I once suggested to people (japanese records *gasp*) before I knew better I know now sound inferior. Part of the learning curve. And yes, I broke even selling the mfsl lps, no worries. Keep on truckin👍🏻
@@FleagleSangria Good to hear. I hope that the kind of learning you went through will happen for everyone, especially the audiophiles who can't hear what is wrong with these newly remastered records. Once you learn to hear their faults, they soon enough become insufferable, to these ears anyway.
@@the-skeptical-audiophile Well, I WILL say that I have been surprisingly disappointed lately with some of these Abbey Road 1/2 speed remasters. Just bought their pressing of Tommy recently. I compared an early US pressing I've had forever and I felt it sounded more natural and dynamic. I sold the Abbey Road. Their Queen stuff was pretty awful too.
I have only played the Abbey Road, and that was enough to tell me everything I needed to know about this remixing project. "Surprisingly disappointed?" I am never surprised by how bad a half speed mastered record sounds. I have played about two hundred, and reviewed more than a hundred of them on my blog,. Less than 15% turned out to be decent records. I am frankly flabbergasted that this dubious approach to mastering is still being used. Here is what I wrote back in 2020, with some discussion of the MoFi Kind of Blue following: The half-speed mastered remixed Abbey Road has to be one of the worst sounding Beatles records we have ever had the displeasure to play. Hard to imagine you could make Abbey Road sound any worse. It's absolutely disgraceful. I will be writing more about its specific shortcomings down the road, but for now let this serve as a warning that you are throwing your money away if you buy this newly remixed LP. UPDATE 11/2022 As of now, I have completely lost interest in detailing the manifold shortcomings of this awful record. If this isn’t the perfect example of a Pass/Fail record, I don’t know what would be. PASS/FAIL Some records are so wrong, or are so lacking in qualities that are crucial to their sound, qualities typically found in abundance on the right vintage pressings, that the supporters of these records are failing fundamentally at judging them. We call these record Pass-Fail. Tea for the Tillerman on the new 45 maybe be substandard in every way, but it is not a Pass Fail pressing. It lacks one thing above all others, Tubey Magic, so if your system has an abundance of that quality, as many vintage tube systems do, the new pressing may be quite listenable and enjoyable. Those whose systems can play the record and not notice this important shortcoming are not exactly failing. They most likely have a system that is heavily colored and not very revealing, but it is a system that is not hopeless. A system that can play the MoFi of Aja without revealing to the listener how wrong it is is another level of bad entirely, and that is what would qualify as a failing system. My system in the '80s played that record just fine. Looking back on it now, I realize it was doing more wrong than right. One of our good customers recently moved his stereo into a new house. Hey Tom, Interestingly, the electricity and spatial characteristics are so much better in the new place that I’ve had a complete sea change regarding the MoFi Kind of Blue. If you recall, I previously found this oddly EQ’d and unrealistic, but also wasn’t as hell bent against it as you are (though I certainly have been against other crappy heavy vinyl from MoFi, Analog Productions, Blue Note, etc.). Well, now I can’t stand it. It sounds fucking atrocious. The difference between it and my humble hot stamper copy is night and day. Whole collection sounds better, and is awesome to rediscover again, but this one really stood out. Onwards and upwards! Conrad, That is indeed good news. That record is pass-fail for me. If anyone cannot tell how bad it is, that is a sign that something is very wrong somewhere. Glad you are hearing it as I am hearing it. It is indeed atrocious. TP Conrad followed up with these remarks: The MoFi KoB never sounded right or real, but now it sounds downright puke. Will hang onto it and use as a test record for fun on other systems. As bad as it is, as I’ve said before, you have no idea how much worse their Junior Wells Hoodoo Man Blues is. My god; you’d suspect your system is broken, playing that. Bloated asphyxiated subaquatic delirium. Cheers, C
I'M NOT GOING TO SAY ANYTHING BAD ABOUT THIS MAN. Many decades ago.(before white hot stampers) I had a record guy over and was going to sell him a record for $15. I excused myself, went into the other room and called Better Records and asked if they have this record and their price on it. I came back in the room and told him, "That'll be $200". He was halfway out the door, then I noticed some hesitation & I thought maybe he realizes how far he'd driven, and I told him, how about $110? He bought it ! I totally believe what this man is saying,. It makes sense and jibes with everything I know about audio; and I bet he's telling us right. Each record is different and unique unto itself. Theories are great; but there is nothing like actually trying something out and listening to it with open ears & with an open mind. I hope he continues to do well. If I ever get richer I will be one of his customers occasionally. Great video!
What you tell here kills the whole enjoyment of finding that record for cheap. You SHOULD have been fooled. This is the whole joy of collecting records. Hunting and finding these "treasures" for nothing.
I just found this from some notes I kept from way back... The first issue was released as AB 1006. The AB signified an ABC LP with a list price of $6.98. AA meant an ABC LP with a list of $7.98. Every single copy of this album with catalog # AA 1006 was manufactured after AB 1006 went out of production...after the list price was raised. It was ABC's standard procedure to use the album's prefix and stock(plus other info) in the deadwax of their records. Therefore all original LP issues of AB 1006 will have AB 1006 in the deadwax. All later LP issues of AA 1006 will have AA 1006 in the deadwax. However, in order to avoid throwing out a bunch of perfectly good metalwork with AB 1006 already etched in it, some of the earliest pressings of stock # AA 1006 have the prefix changed in the deadwax. The B was crossed out, and an A was added in front to change AB to AA. Eventually all the metal parts made from the original AB 1006 lacquers were replaced with parts made from later cuttings with AA 1006 etched in them from the start.
That's exactly right. Tom had that backwards.. The 1st AB pressing (or slightly later AA w/ crossed out B pressing) are the copies to look for. The straight up AA's don't sound nearly as good, which just about everyone tends to agree on.
I have purchased dozens of Hot Stamper albums from Tom Port/Better Records. They are far and away the best sounding vinyl in my collection. You can like Tom's style or not (I happen to find him fascinating.) But it's easy to test the veracity of his claims by trying one of his records (you can easily get a full refund if you're not convinced.) Or, you can even do the work of doing big shootouts yourself. I've done this, though not on the scale of BR, and have managed to find some well-above-average pressings this way. Plus, Tom's always been generous with audio advice for my stereo, and I've made huge leaps in its quality thanks to him. Keep on being a rabble rouser, Tom! The audiophile community is better for it.
The one thing that he is doing that many others are not is doing a blind test between pressings. This is key. Be aware If reviewers are not doing blind tests.
I must own 50 White Hots. Maybe more. They are, in fact, great. Just to be clear about where I'm coming from. In some cases, they are definitely not demo LPs, but they sound better than other specimens of the same recording. Good for TP for owning up to that.
Absolutely, it's key to understanding what our records are all about. You can find Demo Discs quality recordings all over the site, but what if you are not interested in demonstrating your fancy equipment and just want to play the music you love? And the music you love wasn't recorded all that well. What if you like the third Band album, Stage Fright, a notoriously problematical recording? You buy the best sounding version you can find and put up with the sonic limitations because the music is always more important than the sound. (My wife toured with the band Asia in Europe one year, a tour to celebrate their Number One debut album. It happens to be one of the worst sounding records I have ever played, but that didn't stop people from loving the music. Why would it?) A better example that Stage Fright is the band CCR. Good recordings, not great ones, nothing like Demo Discs, just some of the greatest roots rock music ever made. Their first six albums belong in any collection of pop and rock. (Number seven, not so much.) It's how Geoff Edgers first found out that our records were the real deal. We sent him a second rate copy with one good side, and it's still the best sounding CCR record he has ever heard. I told him he should play the AP pressing and he said "Why bother," because he's heard enough of their records to know what to expect, and it sure wasn't better sound. And, because I can't resist, allow me to point out that the Heavy Vinyl pressing those guys made were really something, and by really something, I mean really bad. After playing the Heavy Vinyl and the MoFi, I had only one question: Why Would Anyone Want to Take All the Fun Out of CCR's Music? ontherecord.co/2022/02/24/creedence-clearwater-revival-cosmos-factory-analogue-productions-debunked/ Thanks for the kind words, TP
Explosive at times but very entertainment. Nice one Steve. I have both the 1982 Mono & Stereo Pepper reissues from Parlophone. Both with the -1 on the dead wax. I'll have to revisit tonight next to my 1967 OG Mono (don't have an OG stereo but a 70s pressing)
@@the-skeptical-audiophile Thanks Tom, good news for me. My copy has HTM on both sides. The jacket is marked 1967 but they all may be like that. I have only a few other Beatles LPs, all either on Capitol or Apple; none have anything like the "life" of the Parlophone pressing.
I bought records in the 80's as a teenager, and didn't know shit about it other than it plays music! When I jumped back in (fully) in 2017 I was learning from the internet and TH-cam videos (be careful, a lot of folks don't know what they talking about "present company excluded of course")! I know sooo much more since but I'm always up for learning more!
Here’s what doesn’t make sense to me, in many cases the engineers that cut these “hot stampers” are still around and working today. What is the hidden variable that makes it impossible to produce good sounding records/reissues nowadays? It’s not the engineers, nor the vinyl quality (better now when it comes to US pressings), it’s not the presses (mostly the same). If it really is just pressing variation, why does that apply to old reissues and not new ones? the only difference is scale really. I have no doubt Tom’s records sound good, but I have a lot of doubt about his other claims.
Happy to dispel your doubts using a physical object you can hold in your hands and place on your turntable. It's absolutely opinion free, just a slab of vinyl that can only speak when a needle comes in contact with its grooves. And if my claims don't hold up -- in your opinion and nothing but your opinion -- you get your money back.
Hi, I was trying to find some of the commentary that talks about these issues and finally came across this bit: Any reason you like for why a record doesn’t sound good is as valid as any other, so you might as well pick one you are comfortable with; they’re all equally meaningless. Of course the reverse of this is just as true: why a record sounds good is anyone’s guess, and a guess is all it can ever be. People like having answers, and audiophiles are no different from other people in this respect. Since there are no answers to any of these questions, answers in this case being defined as demonstrable conclusions based on evidence gained through the use of the scientific method, most people, audiophiles included, are happy - if not better off - making up the answers with which they are most comfortable. This is precisely why the term Conventional Wisdom was coined, to describe the easy answers people readily adopt in order to avoid doing the hard work of actually finding out the truth.
To follow up with another chunk from the same commentary: Measuring the Record Malcolm Gladwell has a bestselling and highly entertaining book about outliers out now which I recommend to all. Last year I read The Black Swan (or as much of it as I could stand given how poorly written it is) which talks about some of these same issues. Hot Stampers can be understood to a large degree by understanding statistical distributions. Why statistics you ask? Simple. We can’t tell what a record is going to sound like until we play it. For all practical purposes we are buying them randomly and “measuring” them to see where they fall on the curve. We may be measuring them using a turntable and registering the data aurally, but it’s still very much measurement and it’s still very much data that we are recording. No Theory, Just Data Many of these ideas were addressed in the recent shootout we did for BS&T’s second album. We played a large number of copies (the data), we found a few amazing ones (the outliers), and we tried to determine how many copies it really takes to find those records that sound so amazing they defy not only conventional wisdom, but understanding itself. We don’t know what causes these records to sound so good. We know ’em when we hear ’em and that’s pretty much all we can say we really know. Everything else is speculation and guesswork. We have data. What we don’t have is a theory that explains that data. And it simply won’t do to ignore the data because we can’t explain it. Hot Stamper Deniers are those members of the audiophile community who, when faced with something they don’t want to be true, simply manufacture reasons why it can’t or shouldn’t be true. That’s not science. Practicing science means following the data wherever it leads. The truth is found in the record’s grooves and nowhere else. If you don’t think record collecting is a science, you’re not doing it right. Ignoring Outliers Wikipedia has a good line about ignoring outliers. Under the heading of Caution they write: “… it is ill-advised to ignore the presence of outliers. Outliers that cannot be readily explained demand special attention.” Here here.
Excellent interview which could have been very difficult if not handled as well as you did my friend, excellent job! 👍 Also too, I found it quite fascinating that you actually bought a copy of Help from Tom Port! *AND*, you liked it better. Not many people in this community would have been in that position. That adds a whole other dimension to this interesting discussion.
Interesting! Everyone has an opinion. If I get enjoyment from whatever pressing I have of something, I'm happy. Being not too critical and persnickety actually adds to the pleasure of the experience, but that's just me. To each his own.
There's a ton of great information in this video, but the backstory might make more sense if you watch this one first: th-cam.com/video/JYSuhxGtw5U/w-d-xo.html I think that conversation is what led Steve to invite Tom Port on, and I'm really glad he did. But, I think a lot of what they are saying makes more sense in the context of that other video. Like, when Tom calls his wife a "mail order bride" and she's obviously sitting right there in the room with him, it's like wtf? But if you hear what Chad says in that first video (just jump to the 14:38 mark in it) you can see what he's referring to. Welcome to the rabbit hole of audiophile vinyl...
The Beatles records in mono, contrary to the opinion of audiophiles and music lovers alike, virtually never have the presence, energy and resolution found on the best stereo copies. If your stereo cannot resolve all the information on the tape, sure, Twin Track Stereo (used on the first two albums, hard-panned multi-track afterwards) ends up sounding like some of the instruments are stuck in the speakers, hard left and hard right, with nothing but a hole in the middle. But there is a great deal of information spreading into the middle when we play those records here, and nothing feels stuck in the speakers that doesn’t sound like it was supposed to be heard coming directly from one of the speakers. It is our contention that the best audio equipment, properly tweaked, can show you a world of musical information that exists only on the stereo pressings, information that the mono mixes mostly obscure. They spent time on the mono mixes because getting the levels right for all the elements in a recording is ten times harder than deciding whether an instrument or voice should be placed in the left, middle or right of the soundstage. And they didn’t even do the stereo mixes right some of the time, IMHO. But wall to wall beats all stacked up in the middle any day of the week in my book. Some of the best pressings, but not all the best pressings, were cut by Harry Moss in the 70s, on much better transistor-powered mastering equipment than they had in the 60s, and that is part of the reason why some of them sound so much better than most of the earlier pressings. But plenty of what Moss cut does not sound good, so searching out his versions may be helpful but not as helpful as most audiophiles and record collectors would like to believe it is. (The Skeptical Audiophile, aka T. Port)
Although i have an equal amount of cd and vinylv(2,000 + 2,000), this somewhat monologue convinced me to stay mainly on the path of CD. Just ordered a brand new copy of the 6-disc + book of The Beatles sgt. Pepper for a little over $100. No hassle with listesting tests, production nbrs., wax signatures, etcetera… Thanks for doing this, Steve. You did well.
I agree, I’m getting a bit tired of the BS in the vinyl world and have been moving more and more to CDs. They often sound great, involve no hassle, and are much cheaper.
Thank you for this interview, it is great. While listening to it I get the impression, this man (Tom Port) really knows, what he is talking about, he knows his stuff. And it is no wonder, because he has done the work! There is a lot more to good sound than just buying/owning the latest audiophile pressing, or an original pressing in great condition (Mint or Near mint).
I get the impression that he has listened closely to a lot of records, as have all the other characters in this vinyl scene. There are a lot of people out there who claim to know what records sound good based on their own subjective preferences, and a whole lot of groupthink. Frankly I take all of their opinions with a giant grain of salt, whether it’s Tom Port or Chad or anyone else. I don’t even trust my own subjective perceptions most of the time.
@@xentakis I think that is wise. I say the proof is in the pudding. If someone makes claims, then it will have to be proven a few times to me in comparison to what versions of lps I have. I have no issue admitting "Man this $500.00 lp of this album definitely smokes every other version I have or have ever heard" But Id have to have it proven to me. I cant just say "Oh he is right. Sounds right to me what he is saying" Prove it, thats the rubber meeting the road for me.
@fleagle, from your comment I assume that you will order an album from Tom and put it to the test. That is exactly what I have done, again. I ordered from him about 10 years ago after having a few hot pressings in my own collection and also, incidentally, after talking with Mike Fremer. Even though Port had talked trash about Fremer, Fremer told me that people who ordered from Port seemed happy with their purchase. I put a Carly Simon record on one day and was blown away by how vibrant and explosive the drums were and she appeared right in my room. My brother heard my Carly Simon record (my own copy, not Port’s) and asked me how they do that? I had a few copies of the same record from Carly and a few weeks later grabbed the record to listen to. I couldn’t believe it. The magic was gone. It seemed impossible. I thought that I must have been in a very good mood the first time I listened to it or that my electricity was better the first time I listened to the Simon record. Well, a few months later I again decided to listen to the Carly Simon album. But this time the drums and vocals and soundstage blew my mind. I was ver puzzled. Upon looking further into the mystery I realized that I had assumed that any of my copies of the same album would sound the same and the fantastic copy was the copy I had originally played only to grab a different copy of the same album the second time. After talking with Fremer and ordering from Tom I was a convert - not to Tom but to his claim of hot copies or hot stampers. The few records I received from Tom were great, however, I now realized that some of my favorite records I had bought multiple multiple times. So, I decided to do my own hot stampers search. I did indeed have about 2 out 10 copies of my same titled albums were hot stampers. Fortunately? for me I had paid about $30-$45 to find my own “white hot stampers.” The truth is that the actual pressing or stamper info was always the same for the best copies for me with only a very few exceptions. The earliest Steely Dan Aja copies do in fact sound significantly better than later copies. The crazy thing is that the remasters, especially the new Blue Note series, are incredibly good. Chad has put out an incredible amount of great sounding vinyl. To this day I have never had a copy of Lynyrd Skynyrd sound anywhere near as good as what Acoustic Sounds or Chad has put out. The secret to a good 90’s sounding MOFI, the real from analogue re-masters, is a matter of listening to it about 15-20 times. The actual resin or vinyl material used needs to be worn just a fraction to have any good sound. Without “cutting” a 90’s MOFI record they all sound sterile and flat. However, most of us have babied our MOFI collections and never really listened to them because they are worth so much. The new One Step’s sound good. But in the case of a MOFI’S One Steps, good for a $125 record is not good enough. If Chad has remastered the same copy then his will sound better. Just do your own comparison. The other factor is that for about $75 you can usually find your own OG “hot stampers” that blow away the One Step’s by a huge margin. It does take time. I have more time than money but I have decided to order a few more from Tom because a few of the records I want I can’t find or haven’t yet found my own “hot stampers.” Enjoy your own experience and discovery.
These mail order brides can really be a pain sometimes. Chad was right about that. Somebody else noted that Chad was right -- didn't say about what -- but when it comes to mail order brides, I can't argue with him!
Uh oh, lots of likes here, could be trouble. Some heretics lurking around youtube's audiophile sites, iconoclasts maybe, or just guys that didn't believe what they were told and, like me, after a few minutes realized that the hype was wrong and so was the sound.
I didn’t buy that LP set for a reason. First off mono blows! Fremer was involved. I have the cd version of the mono. It’s fine. Interesting listen but not my favorite thing. I agree with Tom
if you don't like it then don't buy it. Art is subjective; and, all we have to go on ,hopefully, is our ears and not the hype or the inflated price someone may have paid for the record.
@@Jamko1970 Hey thanks for reply. I can understand that. I happen to like Mono. My Mono Ella Fitzgerald, Helen Merrill, Julie London, and female vocalists of the 50s- I think- sound wonderful, this was how they were recorded ( there was no stereo). I also like the Beatles in Mono, it sounds more forceful (IMO). but that's me. At least you bought it and listened it, an made an opinion. I have found many a Mono lp that did sound compressed and awful; but that's not all. What's great is when a used record store has a listening station and you can listen before you buy
Great interview. Thanks. He has his strong taste. Not mine. Great business model. Room for all. Met him many times at stores and record shows. People who know it all.
Fair enough. Would like to make clear that I think I know a lot about records, but definitely would never claim to know it all, as I discussed in my blog FAQ: We definitely don’t know it all. In fact nothing could be further from the truth. If we knew it all we couldn’t learn anything from the piles and piles of records we listen to every day. On practically every shootout we learn something new about our favorite records. That, more than anything else, is what makes the kind of tedious, time-consuming, mentally exhausting work we do fun. The stuff we were wrong about, and there has been plenty, you can find right here on the blog, often under the heading Live and Learn. It should be said that most audiophiles, at least the ones I know well, do not have the patience to critically analyze ten different copies of the same record for hours on end. For me (and everybody else who sits in the listening chair), it’s all in a day’s work. I learned to critically listen for extended periods of time back in the early ’80s. I got heavily into - obsessed with might be more accurate - tweaking my table setup, system components, wires, vibration controlling devices and the like. Listening for differences in interconnects and listening for differences in pressings calls upon precisely the same set of skills. If you can do it all day, if you actually like tweaking and analyzing the sound of your stereo for hours and hours, you will undoubtedly end up with a much better sounding system, as well as one helluva high quality collection of records (not to mention very finely honed listening skills). etc.
@@the-skeptical-audiophile ...the 7 Hot Stampers records i have bought from Better Records in the past, ( albums i know well all my life, and that i have already had many versions, incl. OG's 1st, and "audiophile" versions) are some of the best sounding records in my collection. They have helped improve my listening skills enormously; not just "listening" , but 100% enjoy and appreciate the music. seeking out for my "own" hot stampers now, is what really makes this hobby so interesting! ( for example: Roxy Music Avalon, after buying and comparing 5 copies, incl. UK 1st Arun cut, i now have "my" best sounding one, and indeed it is a reissue (vintage, not modern "audiophile")¨! Denis Blackham (BilBo) did a very good job on this one...😎
@@lucullus6127 Yes, the Bilbo can be very good. We have played plenty, and they have never won a shootout, but Bilbo is a great mastering engineer and his work is worth seeking out. If modern engineers are so good at their jobs, as so many on this thread keep implying, where are the records they are making that can compete with Bilbo's cuttings from the old days? Please name them. I know of none, and I am hoping someone will take pity on a poor fool such as myself and attempt to enlighten me. Based on what I am reading, my benighted ravings are shameful and outlandish. If anyone needs a clue, it's pretty obvious I do. Please help me understand what I have been missing for the last few decades, during which I was playing tens of thousands of records, listening to them critically and posting my thoughts about them in the 5000 listings up on the blog.
@@mcflash23 So you’re comparing Kevin Gray remastered LPs to Kevin Gray remastered LPs? Or perhaps you don’t know what those LPs should sound like, hence you’re speaking from a position of ignorance.
Anyone worthy of an opinion knows Kevin Gray makes top sounding records, not passable ones. You lose all credibility when you talk crap about his work.
Money well spent. Compare it to any of the Heavy Vinyl pressings of recent vintage and be prepared to hear The Beatles come to life like you have never heard them before. And be sure to let us know what you think of the sound.
So Port doesn't care for Bernie Grundman's mastering... but Bernie mastered Aja. Oh wait... only Ports "stamper" of Aja is the one to have. Which I assume, has nothing to do with Bernie's mastering... only the Stamper Port has to sell you... the "Stamper" is why it sounds good. Port's customers "wouldn't even bother themselves with the Beatles Mono box... its horrible " Jesus.
Hi, nothing could be further from the truth. BG is a BRILLIANT engineer who cut many of my all time favorite records. And you can find your own great BG-mastered albums, you don't need me. You just need to do shootouts the right way and the result will be a superior copy of a BG mastered album because his have the potential to sound BY FAR the best.
Thanks. Can't claim to have perfect pitch or anything like it, but I know what a solo violin sounds like, and wrote a lot about how wrong the Heavy Vinyl crowd is to accept remastered records that get the violin wrong. From the blog The Living Stereo CD I own (both the CD and the SACD) of Scheherazade is dramatically better than the awful Classic Records pressing of it. Audiophiles who don’t notice what is wrong with the Classic pressing need to get hold of a nice RCA White Dog pressing to see just how poorly the Classic stacks up. (They could even find one that’s not so nice and listen through the surface noise. The difference would still be obvious.) The solo violin in the left channel at the opening of the first movement should be all it takes. Anyone has ever attended a classical music concert should have no trouble recognizing that the violin on any of the Heavy Vinyl pressings, including the Analogue Productions pressing, is completely wrong and sounds nothing like a violin in a concert hall would ever sound. And I mean ever. No matter where you might be sitting. No matter how good or bad the hall’s acoustics. The violin on these Heavy Vinyl pressings is dark, it’s veiled, and it’s overly rich, as well as lacking in overtones. Solo violins in live performance never sound anything like that. They are clear, clean and present. You have no trouble at all “seeing” them, no matter where you sit. My best sounding White Dog pressing had that kind of clear and present sound for the violin. Neither of the Heavy Vinyl reissues I auditioned did. A pressing of Scheherazade that fails to reproduce the solo violin, the musical voice of the young lady herself, fails utterly and completely, no matter how big, rich and powerful the opening brass may be. If you think your Heavy Vinyl pressings are doing justice to the sound of classical music, please attend a live concert as soon as possible in order to disabuse yourself of that notion. Once you hear how unfaithful your remastered classical records are to the sound of the actual instruments in live performance, you can begin to collect records of higher fidelity. ontherecord.co/tag/rimskscheh-violin/
The disc in the REVOLVER CD set that has the mono version of the original album sounds really good. I'm not a fan of the new mix, and overall I prefer the mono vs the original stereo mix, so take all that into account.
They include a card, exactly like a business card, marked with the grade of the sound for each side of the record. Nothing is pasted or attached to the album jacket or the album. The card slides around inside the plastic jacket cover. They just drop it in there.
Amazing things about ears, we all hear differently just as we all see differently. Now if 51 people listen and do a review and 42 say the same thing...well ya got a better chance it being what they say and you can decide if you want to buy it. Good Video
Hi Steve thank you for doing this interview I really think the credibility of Toms opinions takes a nose dive when he states Analog do not make any good records because as we all know a hell of a lot of what they do is terrific . Tom even states his hearing is no good anymore but he is not the one that listens to what he sells when it comes to testing . Is he also relying on someone else’s opinion on Analog Productions product or does he say that because it is personal . Steve I think you should of picked him up on when stated Analog don’t do anything good because you know that’s not true cheers Carl .
Tom has been doing this for years. You can bet he has carefully trained the folks who have taken over the listening sessions as to what to listen for. As far as him not liking APs, that isnt anything new. In other words he drew that conclusion long ago and over many years long before his hearing issues. But if we are going there, you think Chad or Fremer can still hear as well? Or even Bernie? yeah. So much of this "hearing" isnt so much the loss as it is knowing nearly instinctually what to listen for in an objective manner. Otherwise many of these old guys that are in the business need to hang it up. (Im 57, so I can call them old guys. Im an old guy)
Thank you John for your reply and I do know what you are saying but many people old and young have done shootouts and compared original records Mofi and analog and sometimes analog wins so it is ridiculous to suggest analog make nothing but bad sounding records because a lot of other old and young experts and the general buying public say they do make a good product I have some Elvis and Johnny Cash analog records that are simply much better than the originals and Music On Vinyl and Mofi versions and that is fact no matter what Tom states cheers Carl .
Tom is not Mr. Congeniality, but he’s very successful at his job. You want to only do business with nice guys, then buy your records elsewhere. Fact of the matter is he’s able to keep Better Records going w/o giving a damn about people like you that whines about having manners.
@@SamWesting Tom is actually a nice guy to talk to. I have talked to him many times in the past. Always cordial and would spend a good hour or so talking with me about records and why some sound better. And just music in general. I never had him once say "Oh man you gotta have this! Youre going to regret it if you dont." Never tried to sell me anything. That was on me and my decision. There is a difference between being straight forward and being a turd to people. Ive never had the later from Tom.
Thank you! Tom doesn’t seem so crazy as Chad, Fremer said. I think they are cutting into their biz that is what they don’t like. On the topic of Born In The USA. Yes…the sound was highly processed. But that album is classic. I thought it was kinda funny Chad was knocking it. Not all albums were recorded audiophile. That album was designed for radio and it is a classic. I would consider buying the best sounding copy of this. You are only as good of the actual recording. Tom is pricey but if gets the wheat from the chaff he is worth every penny.
@@the-skeptical-audiophile correct Tom Born in The USA. This is a classic record. I think they dismissed you quickly. To me you are a guy trying to find the best pressing period. Regardless of stamper used or dead wax markings. This takes time and money. I think the prices are high but if you consider the 100s of hours you spend to find, clean and play grade these things this bring the price. This is really about whether you want the hassle to hunt the best pressing. You guys have done the labor. I bought something from you today. Looking forward to seeing your work. Thanks for the correction.
An interesting video would be for an unbiased audiophile TH-camr to compare one of Chad's releases vs a white hot stamper. Perhaps Chad's new release of Stand Up would be a good place to start.
Great interview Steve. And Tom, too bad you don't like The Beatles in mono, a lot of us do. Personally I don't think you quite know what your missing. Oh well.
Great interview...it's funny how this stuff comes full circle. Tom Port was a huge topic in the VC about 8 years ago...then nothing until this article. Same arguments, different year. Not my cup of tea, but I've always thought it was an interesting concept.
About 31 minutes into the video I lose track of what I was saying after mentioning Malcolm Gladwell. Here is what I was going to talk about, his book on Outliers: Measuring the Record Malcolm Gladwell has a bestselling and highly entertaining book about outliers out now which I recommend to all. Last year I read The Black Swan (or as much of it as I could stand given how poorly written it is) which talks about some of these same issues. Hot Stampers can be understood to a large degree by understanding statistical distributions. Why statistics you ask? Simple. We can’t tell what a record is going to sound like until we play it. For all practical purposes we are buying them randomly and “measuring” them to see where they fall on the curve. We may be measuring them using a turntable and registering the data aurally, but it’s still very much measurement and it’s still very much data that we are recording. No Theory, Just Data Many of these ideas were addressed in the recent shootout we did for BS&T’s second album. We played a large number of copies (the data), we found a few amazing ones (the outliers), and we tried to determine how many copies it really takes to find those records that sound so amazing they defy not only conventional wisdom, but understanding itself. We don’t know what causes these records to sound so good. We know ’em when we hear ’em and that’s pretty much all we can say we really know. Everything else is speculation and guesswork. We have data. What we don’t have is a theory that explains that data. And it simply won’t do to ignore the data because we can’t explain it. Hot Stamper Deniers are those members of the audiophile community who, when faced with something they don’t want to be true, simply manufacture reasons why it can’t or shouldn’t be true. That’s not science. Practicing science means following the data wherever it leads. The truth is found in the record’s grooves and nowhere else. If you don’t think record collecting is a science, you’re not doing it right. Ignoring Outliers Wikipedia has a good line about ignoring outliers. Under the heading of Caution they write: “… it is ill-advised to ignore the presence of outliers. Outliers that cannot be readily explained demand special attention.” Here here. The complete commentary with a graph and a picture of 40-something copies of the same album can be found here: ontherecord.co/2021/09/01/outliers-out-of-this-world-sound-3/ TP
@@BobCoalWater You're welcome. That concept of outliers showed me how to describe Hot Stampers in a way that was much more understandable than other approaches I had taken.
this here my guys is the rabbit of the rabbit holes, the darkest of the very darkest paths of this hobby - this audiophile kinda of approach guaranteed will drive you crazy (i've been there)
Hi, I am not trying to be controversial.John Lennon was quoted as saying that "You haven't heard 'Pepper' until you've heard the Mono Version".This leaves Me a little confused.Does Tom not like the Mono? .
We do not sell the German Help! We have in the past. I write about it on the blog. It can be really good but we think the good Parlophones are better. But if you have one you probably have a very good sounding record!
@@the-skeptical-audiophile Could be Tom. I've also got the Blue Box set with a lot of them mastered by HTM. I can't remember if the "Help" LP was HTM mastering. Do you know if it was common for HTM to just sign one side of an LP he cut because I seem to recall only seeing his initials on one side of these UK LP's?
Paul McCartney (and/or any other concert performing stars for that matter) is not a good source in determining the sound quality of any record. Wouldn’t one think that all the years of LOUD music have damaged his hearing beyond being a credible source for audiophile sound quality? Of course he’s going to approve. I’m sure there’s money involved.
@@austinhunt4260 for the best answer to that question check out Jim Jeffries segment on Qanon. Memebers of Qanon actually start arguing whetheror not the earth is flat. It is hilarious
Allow me to respond to a comment from Ian Malone. "Quite happy for you to promote your business Tom,. but surely you are a better person than doing it in this way. I know that other people in the industry have said unkind things about you but you can rise above these insults." I never say that the people making these modern records, as well as those reviewing them, are malicious or evil. I say they make or review bad sounding records and are simply misguided and incompetent. Am I being unkind? If Michael Bay makes one bad movie after another, are we unkind to point it out, even though many people enjoy his movies. He is not a bad person, he is a bad filmmaker, and gets called out regularly for putting out a bad product. Everyone understands that this is a matter of taste. If you always wished The Beatles albums had more bass, more compression and a smoother tonal balance overall, you can buy the new Heavy Vinyl pressings and get that sound on every title they ever released. Those of us who do not like our Beatles album to have those qualities should not be buying these newly remastered versions. We offer the consumer an alternative sound, and, since our Beatles Hot Stampers are far and away our best sellers, it seems our customers agree with us that they actually do sound better. Some come back, sure, but not many, and I don't think anyone has ever said they liked the new pressings better, although that possibility exists. In some ways we operate like Consumer Reports. Blender X is terrible at making margaritas and blender Y is good at making them. The company that makes bad blenders should be called to account. If there is a name attached to that company, then I guess we can say that that person who runs that company should learn how to make better blenders or find something else to do with his time. I am not impressed with the quality of the records being made today, and it follows that those who make them are responsible for the poor quality of the modern remastered LPs they make. Is there a kind way to say that Pete Hutchison makes some of the worst sounding records I have ever played in my life? Should I pretend he doesn't? If you play me one of his awful records, and don't tell me who made it, I can judge the record on its merits, the way we judge all records. We test records blindly for precisely this reason. We let the record tell us how well it was made, what it does right and wrong relative to other pressings of the same album, apples to apples. His records tell me he loves the sound of the murkiest, muddiest vintage tube equipment ever made, and wants every record he makes to have that sound. In my book that is an egregious case of My-Fi, not Hi-Fi. We wrote about it here: ontherecord.co/tag/hi-fi-beats-my-fi/ Is there a kinder way to point that out? It's astonishing to me that anyone takes this guy seriously. This is the sound audiophiles want? Here's a question for those who want to defend this man's approach to mastering. Did Bernie Grundman make all his records sound the same? Layer his sonic signature over the top of everything he did? Does Aja sound like Blue sound like Heart Like a Wheel sound like Thriller sound like Tapestry? On my stereo they sure don't. I built a stereo to get out of the way of the records I play, and it lets all these records sound markedly different from one another. But Hutchison takes exactly the opposite approach. He wants the same heavy tube sound on every record he makes. Is it mean to point that out? Bernie Grundman has mastered many of my favorite recordings of all time. Doug Sax actually mastered both of my two favorite recordings of all time, Ambrosia's first album on vinyl and Jellyfish's Spilt Milk on CD. But when these superbly talented engineers master bad sounding audiophile pressings for the likes of Chad Kassem and others, who deserves the blame? Maybe Kassem told them what sound he wanted and they gave it to him. That's their job, to deliver a product that the customer will pay for. The customer here is Chad, not the audiophile consumer. Chad apparently likes the sound of the records he produces. I do not and I take the time to describe precisely the sound I object to. My review of both of his Tea for the Tillerman releases goes on for days. I recommend you check it out if you want to know more about the failings of his albums in detail. ontherecord.co/tag/steveteafo-200-45-1/ Opinion? Mere subjectivity? We back up everything we say about our offerings with an actual physical record that you can buy, risk free, to demonstrate the superiority of a properly mastered, properly pressed LP, one we cleaned, auditioned and stand behind 100%. Some of the very same engineers I criticize made the record I might sell you. Lots of TMLs and BGs can be found in the dead wax of our Hot Stamper pressings. Why wouldn't they be found there? They are often found -- after the fact, mind you -- on the best sounding pressings of the albums we play in our shootouts. These vintage pressings seem to have very little in common with the work these men are doing now. Is there a kinder, gentler way to point that out? Should I just shut up about it? I guess we could say the companies producing records today mean well. They produce a product at a price for the market they are trying to reach. Chad thinks he can get $150 for his records and therefore he prices them at $150. They used to sell for less, now they sell for more. That's how markets work. We do the same. The records Chad and his competitors make are suitable, in my opinion, for those who set lower standards, or don't know any better, or have modest systems, or just aren't very serious about records and audio. Fine by me. It's no skin off our noses. We mostly appeal to a different group. A group that typically has heard those Heavy Vinyl pressings and wants something better. Something with zero Collector value, but 100% Top Quality Music and Sound value. Is it unkind to say we set higher standards and price our products accordingly? That would imply these Heavy Vinyl labels and their customers set lower standards and price their records accordingly. All we are doing is pointing this out, using, I freely admit, stronger language than some might like. I have always favored plain speaking over the kind of bush beating, special pleading and excuse making so many audiophiles and those who write for them seem to prefer. If your feelings are easily hurt, I am definitely not the guy you should be reading. I find bad sounding records infuriating and I am not averse to saying so. Best to avoid my blog if you don't like reading somebody who is gets pissed off and feels ripped off every time he drops a needle on one of these lousy remasters. We love to write passionately about good records, the ones we sell, but there is really no need to read what we say about them either. Our records speak for themselves, and we believe they deliver on their promises. Try some, compare them with what you own and see if you still feel kindly toward the modern pressings you've no doubt been buying. There is a good chance you might not feel so kindly, once you can clearly hear what is missing from them. And if not, no harm done, return shipping is on us, and a full refund will be posted to your card. To paraphrase the great one, if you never hear one of our Hot Stamper pressings, most likely you go your way and I'll go mine. But if you do hear one, and like it, the milk of human kindness you show these modern record makers may turn as sour in your mouth as it has in mine. Best, TP
In the WAPO video, while listening to a copy of Quiet Kenny that I had never heard before, I said something along the lines of "It's the best record Chad ever made, because it's not terrible." True, it wasn't terrible, but I didn't think it was very good either. It had the kind of sound Kevin Gray can be relied on to deliver. I didn't know who cut it until after I'd looked it up, but knowing The Reliable KPG (his rapper name, mine is The Notorious TTP) was involved fit perfectly with my opinion of his work in general, which can be summed up in one word: workmanlike. There's nothing wrong with that, and Kevin is a nice guy. I'm sure he means well. The off-the-cuff remark quoted above seems to be a sticking point with many of those who watched the video from the WAPO piece, as well as those who watched the interview. With the above in mind, allow me to make a formal request of those of you taking me to task for saying that Chad has never made a good record in his life. Although I have never been able to name one, apparently many of the followers of this blog think they can. Funny how not a single title has been offered. At least I have not seen one. I looked really hard too. Be that as it may, let us get down to brass tacks. Please post a short -- the shorter the better -- list of the best sounding records Analogue Productions has produced to date. I expect we can all agree it would be worth knowing what our fellow audiophiles and fellow Heavy Vinyl aficionados think are the best of the best that our friend Chad has to offer, since this channel appears to be devoted mostly to these kinds of pressings. I have reviewed about two dozen of his analog productions to date, and tried to be as specific as I could about their shortcomings. My reviews can be found here: ontherecord.co/category/labels-with-shortcomings/labels-with-shortcomings-analogue-productions/ On the list you submit, you may want to include information about the other pressings you've played against the AP titles so that we can all gain a better understanding of the process you used to determine the superiority of his releases, and of course feel free to add what you like most about the records you mention. I hope to learn something! And I may even get a few of his records in and give them to my crew to spin. If I do, you can be sure I will post the findings on my blog. This should be fun. And educational. Let the games begin! TP
I won't make a list, but Just a Little Lovin' by Shelby Lynne on AP is fantastic sounding... The denigration of others who are still putting in the work to give us great pressings on vinyl in a consistent manner is petty.
@@bbfrid88 Fair enough. Let's stipulate that the record sounds good to you. Compared to what? How many different versions of the album did you have on hand to compare against the AP pressing? What we want to know is how good a job AP did with the tape. What is better or worse on the AP pressing relative to all the other versions that you played against it? Greatest strengths, biggest weaknesses, that sort of thing. All records have their good points and bad points. What are the good points and bad points of this AP release?
Great sound and great music, I accept that your judgment in both areas is correct. Here is the $64,000 question: Would it mean anything to you at all if the Doug Sax-mastered original LP on Lost Highway from 2008 had better sound?
I did and you are correct, sir, according to Discogs: "First pressings have catalog # AB-1006. "AB" prefix in catalog # was an ABC label price code, and approximately two weeks after the release of the album, the price was raised $1.00 and subsequent pressings were catalog # AA-1006." Somebody played the album and said, "I think we can raise the price. This album is killer!" It was, and they did.
How does he think he knows better which ones sound best to me? He thinks Chad's records only sound "passable"? I don't trust this guys listening at all. He's just found a way to exploit rich audiophiles...why can't he just admit that?
Keep in mind there are "audiophiles" who do not like the sound of the records Tom Port is selling because they are used to/like a more relaxed/laid back sound. Tom Port prefers a sound that gives you the impression the band is playing "Live" in your room, a sound that hits you straight "in the face" and he likes to listen loud.
If he had any credibility at All, was lost it when he said. He can tell the difference in sound, depending on what socket in the same circuit he is plugged into
the infamous, elusive tom port! i can understand why folks feel strongly about their opinions, their music, their investments. and i think it's good to remember it's not an all or nothing proposition. in the same way Port blows off an entire album after 30 seconds of listening, so do people dismiss all of what port has to say on account of him trash-talking AP. but we'd do well to parse out truth when we hear truth and bs when we hear bs without wholesale condemnation. for me, port seems on point when he's talking about the naturalness of a sound, or the sound of a band in a room. sometimes audiophile records can be so clean and separated, it doesn't feel right (to me). where he seems off is saying that he listened to one record for 30 seconds and decided an entire set of LPs was garbage, ha.
I’m surprised by the positive comments. Tom has no choice but to disparage audiophile releases. He has to say they sound horrible, without exception. If he didn’t, if said they were in any way reasonable, there would no remaining rationale for his business model. No one would pay the truly insane prices on his site to purchase “super hot stampers” that were deemed extraordinary by his nameless two-person listening panel.
Aja's original catalogue number in Canada was 9022-1006. It was in the United States that the original catalogue number was either AA-1006 or AB-1006. Depending on what pressing plant it came from.
In the early 1990s in Chicago, I found ABC Records Canadian pressings of Aja in yellow and red vinyl. I found the sound quality of the yellow vinyl very close to that of the USA ABC Records AB-1006 pressing. BTW, a Bob Dylan site opines that the best pressing of Blonde on Blonde is the Canadian CBS Records pressing.
@@Jamko1970 You are right, it was changed to AA-1006 because of a price increase. In some cases the B was scratched out and replaced with an A in the deadwax!
I know Tom likes the LZ 2 RL Hot mix the best based on what he said. Are there certain varieties of that pressing that stand out? How about the Beatles German Magical Mystery Tour 2 nd pressing onwards. Parlogram Andrew says it’s the best sounding Beatles album ever.
There are four separate cuttings of Zep II by RL. Two of them can win shootouts, and two of them never have. They are not even close. The differences are very audible.
And the reason I didn't talk about Monarch is the first rule of Better Records is we don't talk about stampers and labels if we can avoid it. We mention labels and countries when they're ones that nobody would think were any good. We love doing that. But Monarch cut some great records and you would do well to find Monarch pressings as often as you can, then test them the way you would any record against the best you have. As we like to say, we have no magical powers, although it seems people think that I think we do. That is not the case. We just do the work, the same work that anybody can do if they have the time and are willing to put in the effort.
I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL and usually check the JAZZ things you do ..... if you know my questions just because you know .... would be great to get an info on : ...... any idea if the DEEP GROOVE version is the FIRST PRESS STEREO of the 2 "early" existing versions ? the both seem exactly the same. exept DG and non-DG. MOTION by lee konitz on VERVE V6-8399 ( i have deep groove + D cogs not have deep groove, only non-deep groove, but popsike has deep groove ) FUSION The Jimmy Giuffre 3 V6-8397 ( discogs + popsike have deep groove and non-deep groove )
Have never purchased from Better Records, prices are more than I normally like to spend on an LP. His staff does rigorous play grading on what they sell, so no doubt the records sound great. The customer has to decide whether or not to spend $900 for Aja or maybe wait for the UHQR for $150. If there is a great sounding version out there for $150 that might not be good for their business model. Or maybe it does not matter, if the White Hot stamper is even a tick better then the UHQR, then there is someone, somewhere who will go for the $900. My issue is that when someone makes self-serving statements like "Kassem has never made a single good sounding record” since AP’s founding in 1991" it is hard to take them seriously. It is pretty obnoxious statement. That statement doesn't say my staff can find a better sounding record, it says that AP records sound crappy. Also, to anyone stuck with one of those awful sounding Beatles mono boxsets, I will take it off your hands for $500. That won't buy you the White Hot Aja stamper but you can get the Super.
@@RichMorr Judements based on personal feelings & not on actual listening to the records from the dealers in question. Thanks, that’s all I needed to know. Have a nice day.
So he just picks a run for preference and then play test as many copies as he can find. I don’t see how that has anything to do about the stamper. Also to note, what he is saying about records being “dull” seems to be very common with people who start to lose high frequency hearing. I think if he used different language / was not so combative people wouldn’t really find him controversial. Interesting interview. Now people can make their own opinions and I have made mine.
This is all such hogwash IMO. But I’d love to see what he has to say in a direct conversation with Fremer, Kassem, Mazzy and the rest. You should do a moderated round table.
I missed asking how many versions of the same stamper he uses for testing, to be able to say that this version is his "hot stamper" AND I don't want to see a Tom Port monologue - he's a salesman and that they can talk fast and a lot is well known. We couldn't find out much about his stereo setup, although that would have been extremely important - in any case, he should invest a few dollars in a separate power line, then he wouldn't have to look for the "quiet" line.
Hi, all my equipment is listed on the blog. Tried a separate power line at one point and found out it made my system sound worse. It may work for some systems but it is not a panacea. Unplugging works great. Lots of commentary on the blog about that if you are interested.
If Tom is even partially correct, where does that leave the vinyl lovers who don’t have $400 to spend on a single record. Things are getting bad enough between the crazy prices for OG’s and crazy prices for audiophile pressings. Oh, and don’t forget the endless anniversary editions and deluxe box sets. As someone who cares very much about the sound quality this is hard news to take. I guess if I never hear a hot stamper I will not know what I’m missing.
Even Tom admits his offerings are not for everyone. If you want to buy a cheaper copy from another shop, you can. Nothing wrong with that. But you’re not qualified to say good or bad about Better Records, if you haven’t listened to their stuff.
@@SamWesting Your listening pleasure may only be very minimally compromised by not hearing the Tubey Magic. 😂 And Tom Port says his hearing’s been shot for years so he must no longer be the final arbiter at Better Records, and it’s gonna be someone else’s opinion. All but 2 LPs in my record collection aren’t Hot Stampers and for most folks NONE of their records are, yet everybody’s doing just fine.
A movie critic writing a review of a movie he’s never seen would be a laughing stock, right? These guys bashing Better Records w/o even listening to their stuff comes off the same way. Only credible way to judge them is to order from them & listen. Anyone not satisfied can get a refund. That people won’t try them even if it’s risk-free shows that they’re nothing more than trolls. Or Mike Fremer’s padawans.
@@SamWesting Well, they ARE expensive, so there’s that. But, yeah, I’ve purchased 2 of them and they do sound great. You can complain about the methodology and price, but you WILL get a nice recording, certainly a top-quality pressing of the particular stamper. To each their own …
I found Tom surprisingly likable compared with the impression the tone of his website gives, but- he seems to want to teache us that we can't simply enjoy records- we have to put their sonic qualities through the ringer! Mmmm-hmmm.
I think Tom is sincere, but I really wish you would have asked him what *specifically* (whether the mastering, sound signature, etc.) he thinks makes modern audiophile reissues sound worse than his “hot stamper” cuts. And another thing Tom Port should recognize is that only a few people have the privilege of listening to hundreds of older pressings to determine the best sounding one. For everyone else, we have modern audiophile reissues.
Analogue productions is fantastic! He got a right to his opinions, but it's not "be all, end all"! Sound is subjective and most people (including me) love AP! His opinion however DOES NOT make this man a loser, that's going too far! You have to respect each other's opinions!
Hi Tom, you said some interesting things to consider when it comes to vinyl. Unfortunately, your ranting about other people in the VC took away what could have been my (and probably others’ who will view this video) good faith in you. There are much milder ways to say you don’t like such or so, that i would expect from a professional as yourself.
Steve you let someone control your interview without addressing the why one record with the same matrix would sound hundreds of dollars more since this is subjective to the listener. Where was the questioning of the top mastering engineerings today that also worked on original series that he most likely sells are run of the mill. He offered no specifics other than securing multiple copies, cleaning then listening for the best sounding determined by an individuals ears, equipment, room. You never confirmed why his records sound better, is he able to clean them better, find better copies, we all know every copy may sound different, but crate digging compared to manufacturing some of the best records, no comparison. Something that I always thought was smoke & mirrors overpriced records, interview confirmed my thoughts.
I've never owned any records from Better Records but I have owned several copies of the same exact matrix that actually do sound different. So that is what they do. You can also do it yourself if you buy many many copies of the same title and then listen to various copies of the same matrix. They simply narrow it down for their casters who can't or won't do it for themselves. It is very time consuming. . I don't think anyone, even Tom, can tell us WHY a specific LP sounds better than another , but we all probably already own a few; we just don't call them hot stampers.
Even for copies made from the same stamper number, there are still variables effecting each copy, a big one can be stamper wear. Was it the 10th off the press, or 2,000th? Also, if you're buying used records, you have no idea how many times and what it was played with. A lot of 70's copies would have been played a lot on cheap cartridges, which who knows what kind of wear. So i agree the results will vary. In my experience, if you're buying new audiophile records done at the best pressing plants in lower quantities with good quality control, there is reason to believe they are less like "snowflakes" and have less variation than when mass market copies were made in huge quantities.
@@mazzysmusic And we usually don't keep such information to ourselves to necessarily profit from. I, for one, don't call Kevin Gray's work 'passable'.
$350 seems like a lot to pay for a mud pie. I have now heard two of his records, and I have to say that that is some of the worst audiophile sound I have ever heard. I flirted with Mac 30s about thirty years ago and I know that murky vintage tube sound well. I sure don't want those amps back and I sure don't like records that sound like they are coming out of a console stereo from 1962 with amps like those inside it.
Correction. I have only heard one of his records. I was sent Quiet Kenny by a customer to play, and reviewed it at the time, still unpublished. Geoff Edgers brought the same title for me to play, without me knowing which pressing it was, and that is the one I called a "mud pie." One title is all I have heard. Knowing that all his records are flat transfers with no EQ whatsoever leads me to believe that mud pies are the only kinds of records he can possibly make with his extremely colored and limited vintage cutting system. None of these tapes were ever supposed to be transferred flat, as any mastering engineer will tell you. Only the most credulous audiophiles are foolish enough to believe this approach could possibly work, in my none too humble opinion.
I also want to apologize for that crack about Richard Metzger of Dangerous Minds. Of course he has money. He just chooses to spend it on other things. Nothing wrong with that. Our records are expensive and not everyone sees the value in them, even those who have heard one and have plenty of money to spend had they desired to spend it that way. A comment, now that I read it back, might just qualify as the understatement of the year. Especially on this channel.
He is a bit shyer than I thought he would be. Could have expanded on his thoughts a little more , tell some more stories....speak up Tom come on man ..
"Surely you must be joking, Mr Feynman." That is the first time anyone ever asked me to talk more. Most of the comments I read say shut the hell up. Which is fine by me. We write a lot about records on the blog -- 5000+ entries, some of which are very long, check out our commentaries for Tea for the Tillerman to get a taste -- and we sell a lot of records to back up our claims and that pretty much covers what we do. If you are not jerking my chain with the comment above, please go to the blog, tens of thousands of hours went into those words and now that I am retired I work on it for many hours every day.
Somewhat annoying he doesnt even know the song he chops up. maybe he should listen to the Mono release when it comes out and comment on it instead of discounting it. He said the song he heard had a high end digital sound THEN said he didnt know what the sound was and turned it off after 30 seconds 😐😐
I also want Tom to know that sipping wine and smoking cigars has not and will not ever interfere with one’s ability to enjoy a great sounding pressing! That was a ridiculously false comment. He might as well of said the only way one can enjoy one of my Hot Stampers is to smoke a bowl, take a hit of acid, snort some coke and chase it with a bottle of Jack!
![ค้าง (STILL) - GEMINI [ OFFICIAL MV ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ftxx3hk5vkU/mqdefault.jpg)
Great Interview Steve, thx for doing this
Thank you so much. I really appreciate that. ❤️🙏
Yes, interesting interview with someone we've all heard about, but never seen interviewed. Not as important as 45 RPM Audiophile interviewing Mike Sarazin of Vinyl Storage Solutions, but close.
@@drbryant23 😃
Hi Steve. Before the Washington Post story I had never heard of your guest. I can't say that he left me desiring more. The hr wasn't very structured, I I found it basically to be him just speaking about what he wanted (which is fine). My impression though is, for me, that I seem to be turned off when someone constantly builds themselves up by knocking everyone and everything else- which is what I started to feel listening to Mr. Port talk. Thanks for taking the time to arrange this.
Tom sells superb records, I have several. I don't regret a single purchase
Enjoyed the video, Steve. I have to say that I was skeptical, but Tom made some good points. Overall, very interesting conversation.
God Job sir. Enjoyed the flow with letting him talk for the most part.
Great video Steve, I hadn’t even heard of Tom Port until his name came up in the recent live stream, so it was good to put a face and voice to the name.
For good or for bad, and for wrong or for right, the impression that Tom leaves ME with, personally, is that he truly believes that he knows what’s best for everyone else. HE knows what a great sounding record is, not Bernie, not Kevin, not Chad, and not anyone else. And HE is the definitive voice when it comes to determining what sounds like crap, not anyone else. Now, that’s not to suggest that folks like Fremer are any better (not so convinced that he is), but for me, it’s enough to convince me that with Tom, it’s less about opinion and personal taste, and more about him being so wrapped up in his own ego and arrogance, that in his world, no one else’s opinion or taste has any relevance to the discussion, only his. And that’s a shame, because it only strips away that much more of any credibility that he might have otherwise had… in my humble opinion 🤷🏻♂️
Well, prove him wrong. Buy one of a title you have from AP and listen. If you honestly think the AP sounds better then send the hot stamper back.
Tom sees much as very objective. I tend to agree. There are sound quality parameters that are objective. That bass on the Mofi Yes One Step? That is not the natural sound of Chris Squires bass. That is an objective fact. Now, maybe one likes the wooly bloated bass sound of the Mofi One Step. Thats fine. But that is subjectively what one likes and not a fact as to what the bass should sound like.
So as opinionated as it may seem there are things you learn to listen and educate ones self on that are objective. Problem is folks want to make it a personal ideology instead of realizing it can be objective and teachable what one should listen for.
@@FleagleSangria we’ve all got opinions, that much will likely never change. 😊 Even you suggesting that the MoFi One-Step bass is “wooly bloated” infers that you too have decided, on behalf of everyone else, that the bass on the One-Step sounds inferior, when we could (well, hopefully) all agree that it’s just your personal opinion, and not fact. What if it sounds pristine, and superb to others (as I’m sure it does)? Does that mean their hearing sucks, or that they lack experience in hearing discernible defects? I would argue that no, it absolutely does not. Just means that they aren’t hearing what you’re hearing, and vice-versa. Too many people in this hobby think that they know what they and everyone else is hearing, and what is inferior, as opposed to just accepting that it is ALL subjective, because my personal tastes will never be the same as yours and everyone else’s, and the same is inevitably going to apply for each individual listener. We all hear what we hear, and have our own personal opinions and distinctions about what it is we are hearing, no? Seems like if folks would stop trying to tell everyone else what’s good and what’s bad, there’d be far less to grumble about, and far more to agree upon 🤘🏼
@@FleagleSangria Whether a bass sounds “natural” is not an objective determination. If you want to show a chart with frequency ranges, that’s objective. Everything else people blather about in the vinyl community is mostly subjectivity masquerading as objectivity.
@@Azerrmon Its not a matter of telling others what is good or bad, its a matter of knowing what Chris' bass sounds like. And it dont sound anything like the Mofi. Thats a fact. Not an opinion. Objective fact. Now if you like it, cool. I would never tell you that you are wrong for liking that sound. That is subjective. The Mofi IS wooly and bloated. That isnt an opinion. You may like that. Cool. But it isnt natural or right sounding as to what that bass should sound like.
@@xentakis That isnt true. There are definitely objective sound parameters that are experienced audibly. Sounstage. It exists. Period. Bass cloud. Its either there or not audibly. Brickwalled sound. Thats is an objective sound that one can hear. Noise reduction. Objective. Now if one likes the results of NR more that its detriment, then that is subjective. I could go on and on with absolutely objective sound parameters.
Now I will agree, measurements are even better to determine these. But not required always.
Steve - thank you for letting him talk/great interview! First time i have watched your channel as I have followed this Tom Ports site for many years and always curious and then noticed this interview. I will be back to your channel based on this.
Thanks for dropping in. I do a live Roundtable twice a weeks as well. Check some of the replays out. Tom is on one of them not to long ago.
This was excellent and Mr. Port makes several important points. The most important one is that you have to listen to the records. You can triangulate with pressing plant IDs & mastering engineers but the true test is how the record sounds. 👍🏻
Exactly. Listening is it. And we might all have different opinions on what sounds better in the end.
I actually do think Tom does provides a real service for people who don’t want to or cannot do the work themselves. And the holy you get from him will most likely sound fantastic. But it will sound different when passed around to different people played in different rigs. That where the subjectivity and taste come into play imho.
But if someone you trust tells you a specific record sounds awesome, you usually agree and are already primed to really enjoy that record.
One man’s Hot Stampers are another man’s Hot Steamy Pampers? Very insightful video, Steve! WOW! Deep intense thought provoking interview about the sound quality of vinyl! Tom is clearly a very discerning listener of vinyl. He’s invested a lot of time and money into carving out his niche and believes strongly in what he’s discovering.
The ears are to vinyl what the palate is to wine. Taste and preferences differ from person to person. Audiophiles are the sommeliers of music, in both knowledge and personality lol! I think it’s cool and original that Tom is making some collectors very happy. Will I ever spend that much on his records? I might but it would have to be a grail record for me. I would never attempt to build an entire collection of Better Records pressings for the same reason I don’t fill my wine cellar with prized vintages of DRC and Château Pétrus. Nevertheless Better Records seem a great fit for those who can afford those luxurious investments. All the best to Tom Port in his continued quest for the best (according to him & his company) audio sound quality money can buy. Keep up the great work, Steve!
This scammer doesn't deserve the "all the best". Egosentric maniac scammer of a dude.
@@rabarebra Come on!! Give the guy a break. You want to talk about scammers? How about $1,400 cell phones and overpriced crappy coffee from Starbucks. Tom Port is just a record guy. He’s NOT forcing anyone to buy his records or his philosophy. If he was scamming people his business model would’ve failed before it even got off the ground.
@@Cookingwithsteveg He's a scammer. Simple. Period. No one who knows vinyl needs this middleman. He takes a $5 and sells it for $500. Go ahead and get fooled.
And the way he talks about other people, disgusting guy.
@@Cookingwithsteveg Born In the Usa at $200. Hahahahaha! This is so fcking ridiculous.
@@rabarebra I’m not buying records from the guy! And I know vinyl as well as anyone. And anyone who knows LIFE (not just vinyl) and freedom of enterprise knows that he’s attracted people who seem to like what he’s doing. You’re preaching to the wrong choir! Lol I wouldn’t take a Bruce Springsteen album if he gave it to me free of charge. I’m just not a fan. I know he can mouth off. There is so much arrogance and ideology running through the veins of so-called audiophiles it’s pathetic but it ain’t against the law and we don’t call the scammers because of it! Your comment would be better received and make more sense if you said the people who are buying his records are morons because like I said, Tom’s not forcing anyone to buy his records. I don’t respect trash talking anyone but more than just Tom have said disrespectful things about others. That seems to be getting overlooked.
Tom is spot on with vintage analog pressings and always has been. Most modern represses are trash
THE GUY is full of himself
He's way off on the Steely Dan Aja 1st pressing. Enough said.
Really enjoyed the interview and Tom Port's opinions on what to listen for in our recordings. I use his site as a guide and appreciate all he has written and posted on his site. It has helped me amass a large collection of very good sounding recordings,
What could be better? Thanks, we love hearing that. There are great records everywhere. You don't need me to pay me to find them for you, you can find your own if you use the right approach.
I have a box of Hot Stampers (they are separated from the chafe). They are better records, it's just a fact - not because I paid more for any individual record or told myself "this better because x, y, z" etc. I have played them for others without commenting on what they are. Invariably, people will say, "this sounds good." Case closed.
Tom is a good businessperson too, true to his word for 10 yrs + I've been buying from him.
I like clean first pressings, but for different reason. Mainly for the vibe and fact that someone went out and bought that record from a record store (no online back then) and listened to it when the music was still fresh and new, then cared enough to keep it in good shape for decades. I remember my cousin taking me to the record store and he bought Ziggy Stardust when it first came out.
Nostalgia is one of the most powerful emotions, Music's power to evoke other emotions, along with that of nostalgia makes this a perfect reason to collect clean 1st pressings. i like your reasoning. Also, they DO often sound better than anything that came later.
@txc500 Tell you a little secret. Not to disappoint you, but most of those records back in the they had to have all the bass from 80 Hz and below cut off, because turntables and stylus in most ordinary household and its technology couldn't handle those frequencies. Stylus would jump out of the groove.
There is many good original records, though, but nostalgia plays a huge factor, as Shawn mentions here.
@@rabarebra I am not a fan of exaggerated bass, like every song seems to have these days. Some older records do have sufficient if not overpowering bass though.
@@txc500 The bass that lies on the master tape is not exaggerated, but completely removed on the early pressings from 80Hz and below. They did this because of the poor technology back then. When mastering a record, the bass low frequencies needs to lie near centre area. On old equipment, the stylus would jump out of the groove. You understand?
What is on the master tape is not on those records. They sound great, yes. I agree.
But I think it is nice to have the full range like they do in many reissues these days, because these days the stylus handles these frequencies. Technology has evolved.
Now, I'm no fan of MOFI records, because they tend to add even more db on the low frequencies.
Also, I don't know why I waste my time responding to you. You could be anyone. A pothead sitting in your basement spewing out crap. Your unknowledgeable answer reveals just that. Maybe not a pothead, but you get what I mean? LOL.
A first press has a collectibility factor that can’t be duplicated or matched
Good job Steve 👍.
Interesting to “meet” the man - and cudos to you for letting him explain his business and view on records/vinyl (not many in the VC would have had the patience or respect to du that).
After hearing him we can all draw our own conclusions.
Thanks again!
Kudos 🎶👍
Heard of Better Records - Tom Port, and thank you for this interview as it gives me a better idea of his thought process. Thank you Steve for this interview.
My pleasure. It was a lot of fun to learn about hot stampers.
There's times when I want to just go back in time and listen to the Beach Boys coming through the am radio in my old car. Man that sounded great.
Could not agree more.
I've collected 27 hot stampers from Better Records over the last 14 years. They are all the finest records I own.
Would you ever consider sharing the matrices of your collection? Tom clearly states that every record is a snowflake but he obviously finds specific pressings that he does shootouts with.
@@Billysrecordsalon Are you into Zappa? Because I got a lot of Zappa.
Thanks, glad to hear you like your Hot Stamper pressings. Listening may be subjective but it seems that our records are doing the job for you and that is all we can ask.
Hope all is well with Record Collector News as well.
Mazzy - did this comment inspire your video?
@@recordcollectornews Zappa frigg'n *RULZ!!!* 👍
Thanks Steve and Tom. Very informative. I've put Tom's money back guarantee to the test many times. I return a lot of what I buy - about 1/4 of them. He never objects. Try this - pick out a hot stamper on the better-records site. Choose something you know well, that you already have a few copies of. Maybe start off with a Super Hot Stamper, at least for your first purchase, since the prices are slightly less absurd for them. First, see how it compares to your other copies. If it's not as good, send it back, full refund, no questions asked. Next, look at the matrix number on the hot stamper, and buy three copies on discogs in NM or VG+ condition with the same matrix. Or, go hunt around your local shop for same. Then, once you get them, clean them to the best of your ability and then do another shootout against Tom's copy. You've got 30 days, so if you work fast, you can do it. If you prefer one you buy on discogs to your hot stamper, send back the hot stamper. No questions asked, and thanks Tom for the matrix number.
I've done this a couple of times, and every time, I've kept the hot stamper. Wasted my time and money is all I did. That, and convinced myself Tom's records are worth what he charges, in that I can't get records that sound that good for less money. And for the dozen or so records I really love, I'm willing to bear the cost of a white hot stamper.
Wow, that is quite a testimonial! Well, I mean, as much as a lot of what he says might 'Go against the grain', it's people like you and his other customers, who you KNOW bloody well must have the money to have very good systems who indeed seem to back up the quality of the copies you get from him. Your experience is *INVALUABLE* in helping us to evaluate what is what here. Thank you most kindly for sharing it! 👍
@@latheofheaven Thanks for that comment! My system is not terribly expensive, actually. I used to have a more costly system. Currently, I've got vintage (mid 90s) speakers and a vintage amp (mid 70s.) I've become a big believer in high-sensitivity speakers driven by low-powered amps as the best way to hear vintage vinyl. These things aren't particularly valued right now, and easy enough to find at affordable prices. A great-sounding system doesn't have to be expensive, and some expensive systems can end up being unfulfilling.
@@aaronbatista4756 Absolutely agree!
Nice interview, very
Interesting.
Hi Steve, thanks for your efforts providing the interview/video of Tom. Always enjoyed talking with Tom back in the 90s. He may not remember me after 30 yrs. I want my money back for those crap sounding MFSL lps you sold me Tom! (jk ;) ). Always was a nice guy on the phone to me as a youngin' back then.
Let me say that I do believe there are "hot stampers".
I think part of the issue with folks is they see the term as alot of flair (like the term "Super Vinyl" isnt flashy?...yeah right. Yet many buy into the idea of "Super Vinyl")
Anyway, I think the term throws folks into a tissy because they really dont understand what the meaning is. It isnt really rocket science. Its alot of work and dedication to listening is what it is.
Many of us that have been doing this for years and nerding out on deadwax info know some of the same info in the runout grooves Tom does. But the difference is that he gets the extra out of the sound by testing lp after lp. That is about it. Easier said than done however. It takes time, resources and dedication.
Thanks again Steve and Tom for your time.
Thanks, and of course I want to apologize for selling you those records. I can only hope you got rid of them a long time ago at a profit.
@@the-skeptical-audiophile No problem Tom. And no apologies needed. Many of the records I once suggested to people (japanese records *gasp*) before I knew better I know now sound inferior. Part of the learning curve. And yes, I broke even selling the mfsl lps, no worries. Keep on truckin👍🏻
@@FleagleSangria Good to hear. I hope that the kind of learning you went through will happen for everyone, especially the audiophiles who can't hear what is wrong with these newly remastered records. Once you learn to hear their faults, they soon enough become insufferable, to these ears anyway.
@@the-skeptical-audiophile Well, I WILL say that I have been surprisingly disappointed lately with some of these Abbey Road 1/2 speed remasters. Just bought their pressing of Tommy recently. I compared an early US pressing I've had forever and I felt it sounded more natural and dynamic. I sold the Abbey Road. Their Queen stuff was pretty awful too.
I have only played the Abbey Road, and that was enough to tell me everything I needed to know about this remixing project.
"Surprisingly disappointed?"
I am never surprised by how bad a half speed mastered record sounds. I have played about two hundred, and reviewed more than a hundred of them on my blog,. Less than 15% turned out to be decent records.
I am frankly flabbergasted that this dubious approach to mastering is still being used.
Here is what I wrote back in 2020, with some discussion of the MoFi Kind of Blue following:
The half-speed mastered remixed Abbey Road has to be one of the worst sounding Beatles records we have ever had the displeasure to play.
Hard to imagine you could make Abbey Road sound any worse. It's absolutely disgraceful.
I will be writing more about its specific shortcomings down the road, but for now let this serve as a warning that you are throwing your money away if you buy this newly remixed LP.
UPDATE 11/2022
As of now, I have completely lost interest in detailing the manifold shortcomings of this awful record.
If this isn’t the perfect example of a Pass/Fail record, I don’t know what would be.
PASS/FAIL
Some records are so wrong, or are so lacking in qualities that are crucial to their sound, qualities typically found in abundance on the right vintage pressings, that the supporters of these records are failing fundamentally at judging them. We call these record Pass-Fail.
Tea for the Tillerman on the new 45 maybe be substandard in every way, but it is not a Pass Fail pressing. It lacks one thing above all others, Tubey Magic, so if your system has an abundance of that quality, as many vintage tube systems do, the new pressing may be quite listenable and enjoyable. Those whose systems can play the record and not notice this important shortcoming are not exactly failing. They most likely have a system that is heavily colored and not very revealing, but it is a system that is not hopeless. A system that can play the MoFi of Aja without revealing to the listener how wrong it is is another level of bad entirely, and that is what would qualify as a failing system. My system in the '80s played that record just fine. Looking back on it now, I realize it was doing more wrong than right.
One of our good customers recently moved his stereo into a new house.
Hey Tom,
Interestingly, the electricity and spatial characteristics are so much better in the new place that I’ve had a complete sea change regarding the MoFi Kind of Blue. If you recall, I previously found this oddly EQ’d and unrealistic, but also wasn’t as hell bent against it as you are (though I certainly have been against other crappy heavy vinyl from MoFi, Analog Productions, Blue Note, etc.). Well, now I can’t stand it. It sounds fucking atrocious. The difference between it and my humble hot stamper copy is night and day. Whole collection sounds better, and is awesome to rediscover again, but this one really stood out. Onwards and upwards!
Conrad,
That is indeed good news. That record is pass-fail for me. If anyone cannot tell how bad it is, that is a sign that something is very wrong somewhere. Glad you are hearing it as I am hearing it. It is indeed atrocious.
TP
Conrad followed up with these remarks:
The MoFi KoB never sounded right or real, but now it sounds downright puke. Will hang onto it and use as a test record for fun on other systems. As bad as it is, as I’ve said before, you have no idea how much worse their Junior Wells Hoodoo Man Blues is. My god; you’d suspect your system is broken, playing that. Bloated asphyxiated subaquatic delirium.
Cheers,
C
I'M NOT GOING TO SAY ANYTHING BAD ABOUT THIS MAN. Many decades ago.(before white hot stampers) I had a record guy over and was going to sell him a record for $15. I excused myself, went into the other room and called Better Records and asked if they have this record and their price on it. I came back in the room and told him, "That'll be $200". He was halfway out the door, then I noticed some hesitation & I thought maybe he realizes how far he'd driven, and I told him, how about $110? He bought it !
I totally believe what this man is saying,. It makes sense and jibes with everything I know about audio; and I bet he's telling us right. Each record is different and unique unto itself. Theories are great; but there is nothing like actually trying something out and listening to it with open ears & with an open mind. I hope he continues to do well. If I ever get richer I will be one of his customers occasionally. Great video!
What you tell here kills the whole enjoyment of finding that record for cheap. You SHOULD have been fooled. This is the whole joy of collecting records. Hunting and finding these "treasures" for nothing.
I just found this from some notes I kept from way back... The first issue was released as AB 1006. The AB signified an ABC LP with a list price of $6.98. AA meant an ABC LP with a list of $7.98. Every single copy of this album with catalog # AA 1006 was manufactured after AB 1006 went out of production...after the list price was raised. It was ABC's standard procedure to use the album's prefix and stock(plus other info) in the deadwax of their records. Therefore all original LP issues of AB 1006 will have AB 1006 in the deadwax. All later LP issues of AA 1006 will have AA 1006 in the deadwax. However, in order to avoid throwing out a bunch of perfectly good metalwork with AB 1006 already etched in it, some of the earliest pressings of stock # AA 1006 have the prefix changed in the deadwax. The B was crossed out, and an A was added in front to change AB to AA. Eventually all the metal parts made from the original AB 1006 lacquers were replaced with parts made from later cuttings with AA 1006 etched in them from the start.
I meant to add that I have the AB version with the B crossed out and A put beside it! Sounds superb!
That's exactly right. Tom had that backwards.. The 1st AB pressing (or slightly later AA w/ crossed out B pressing) are the copies to look for. The straight up AA's don't sound nearly as good, which just about everyone tends to agree on.
Yes,You are correct.I have Sold a half dozen of these (AB)for $100-$150 with NO Complaints!!
I have purchased dozens of Hot Stamper albums from Tom Port/Better Records. They are far and away the best sounding vinyl in my collection.
You can like Tom's style or not (I happen to find him fascinating.) But it's easy to test the veracity of his claims by trying one of his records (you can easily get a full refund if you're not convinced.)
Or, you can even do the work of doing big shootouts yourself. I've done this, though not on the scale of BR, and have managed to find some well-above-average pressings this way.
Plus, Tom's always been generous with audio advice for my stereo, and I've made huge leaps in its quality thanks to him.
Keep on being a rabble rouser, Tom! The audiophile community is better for it.
Wow. Intense.
Nice job Steve. Happy for you that you got first crack at that.
You did great Steve but ... WOW! 🤯
The one thing that he is doing that many others are not is doing a blind test between pressings. This is key. Be aware If reviewers are not doing blind tests.
Here here!
I must own 50 White Hots. Maybe more. They are, in fact, great. Just to be clear about where I'm coming from. In some cases, they are definitely not demo LPs, but they sound better than other specimens of the same recording. Good for TP for owning up to that.
Absolutely, it's key to understanding what our records are all about.
You can find Demo Discs quality recordings all over the site, but what if you are not interested in demonstrating your fancy equipment and just want to play the music you love? And the music you love wasn't recorded all that well. What if you like the third Band album, Stage Fright, a notoriously problematical recording?
You buy the best sounding version you can find and put up with the sonic limitations because the music is always more important than the sound.
(My wife toured with the band Asia in Europe one year, a tour to celebrate their Number One debut album. It happens to be one of the worst sounding records I have ever played, but that didn't stop people from loving the music. Why would it?)
A better example that Stage Fright is the band CCR. Good recordings, not great ones, nothing like Demo Discs, just some of the greatest roots rock music ever made. Their first six albums belong in any collection of pop and rock. (Number seven, not so much.)
It's how Geoff Edgers first found out that our records were the real deal. We sent him a second rate copy with one good side, and it's still the best sounding CCR record he has ever heard. I told him he should play the AP pressing and he said "Why bother," because he's heard enough of their records to know what to expect, and it sure wasn't better sound.
And, because I can't resist, allow me to point out that the Heavy Vinyl pressing those guys made were really something, and by really something, I mean really bad. After playing the Heavy Vinyl and the MoFi, I had only one question:
Why Would Anyone Want to Take All the Fun Out of CCR's Music?
ontherecord.co/2022/02/24/creedence-clearwater-revival-cosmos-factory-analogue-productions-debunked/
Thanks for the kind words,
TP
Explosive at times but very entertainment. Nice one Steve. I have both the 1982 Mono & Stereo Pepper reissues from Parlophone. Both with the -1 on the dead wax. I'll have to revisit tonight next to my 1967 OG Mono (don't have an OG stereo but a 70s pressing)
If you have a '70s press with HTM in the dead wax you are probably good to go with a copy that gets the album at least mostly right.
@@the-skeptical-audiophile Thanks Tom, good news for me. My copy has HTM on both sides. The jacket is marked 1967 but they all may be like that. I have only a few other Beatles LPs, all either on Capitol or Apple; none have anything like the "life" of the Parlophone pressing.
Here we go
Well done Steve
Good one Tom!
I like Tom port very much and have followed him for years but I’ve never purchased one of his Pink Floyd hot stampers… very tempted…
early German pressings can sound VERY GOOD !!...as good as, if not even better than some UK pressings. And not that expensive !
I bought records in the 80's as a teenager, and didn't know shit about it other than it plays music! When I jumped back in (fully) in 2017 I was learning from the internet and TH-cam videos (be careful, a lot of folks don't know what they talking about "present company excluded of course")! I know sooo much more since but I'm always up for learning more!
Here’s what doesn’t make sense to me, in many cases the engineers that cut these “hot stampers” are still around and working today. What is the hidden variable that makes it impossible to produce good sounding records/reissues nowadays? It’s not the engineers, nor the vinyl quality (better now when it comes to US pressings), it’s not the presses (mostly the same). If it really is just pressing variation, why does that apply to old reissues and not new ones? the only difference is scale really. I have no doubt Tom’s records sound good, but I have a lot of doubt about his other claims.
Happy to dispel your doubts using a physical object you can hold in your hands and place on your turntable. It's absolutely opinion free, just a slab of vinyl that can only speak when a needle comes in contact with its grooves.
And if my claims don't hold up -- in your opinion and nothing but your opinion -- you get your money back.
@@poetryonplastic Good one.
@@the-skeptical-audiophile 🤡
Hi, I was trying to find some of the commentary that talks about these issues and finally came across this bit:
Any reason you like for why a record doesn’t sound good is as valid as any other, so you might as well pick one you are comfortable with; they’re all equally meaningless. Of course the reverse of this is just as true: why a record sounds good is anyone’s guess, and a guess is all it can ever be. People like having answers, and audiophiles are no different from other people in this respect. Since there are no answers to any of these questions, answers in this case being defined as demonstrable conclusions based on evidence gained through the use of the scientific method, most people, audiophiles included, are happy - if not better off - making up the answers with which they are most comfortable. This is precisely why the term Conventional Wisdom was coined, to describe the easy answers people readily adopt in order to avoid doing the hard work of actually finding out the truth.
To follow up with another chunk from the same commentary:
Measuring the Record
Malcolm Gladwell has a bestselling and highly entertaining book about outliers out now which I recommend to all. Last year I read The Black Swan (or as much of it as I could stand given how poorly written it is) which talks about some of these same issues. Hot Stampers can be understood to a large degree by understanding statistical distributions. Why statistics you ask? Simple. We can’t tell what a record is going to sound like until we play it. For all practical purposes we are buying them randomly and “measuring” them to see where they fall on the curve. We may be measuring them using a turntable and registering the data aurally, but it’s still very much measurement and it’s still very much data that we are recording.
No Theory, Just Data
Many of these ideas were addressed in the recent shootout we did for BS&T’s second album. We played a large number of copies (the data), we found a few amazing ones (the outliers), and we tried to determine how many copies it really takes to find those records that sound so amazing they defy not only conventional wisdom, but understanding itself. We don’t know what causes these records to sound so good. We know ’em when we hear ’em and that’s pretty much all we can say we really know. Everything else is speculation and guesswork.
We have data. What we don’t have is a theory that explains that data.
And it simply won’t do to ignore the data because we can’t explain it. Hot Stamper Deniers are those members of the audiophile community who, when faced with something they don’t want to be true, simply manufacture reasons why it can’t or shouldn’t be true. That’s not science. Practicing science means following the data wherever it leads. The truth is found in the record’s grooves and nowhere else. If you don’t think record collecting is a science, you’re not doing it right.
Ignoring Outliers
Wikipedia has a good line about ignoring outliers. Under the heading of Caution they write: “… it is ill-advised to ignore the presence of outliers. Outliers that cannot be readily explained demand special attention.” Here here.
Excellent interview which could have been very difficult if not handled as well as you did my friend, excellent job! 👍 Also too, I found it quite fascinating that you actually bought a copy of Help from Tom Port! *AND*, you liked it better. Not many people in this community would have been in that position. That adds a whole other dimension to this interesting discussion.
My pleasure. Thank you so much.
@@stevewestman7774 .Beatles HELP ? UK (stereo) pressing, YEX 168-4 HTM // YEX 169-4 HTM, i guess. 😉😉
Wonderful interview, thank you for this. I’ve been on the BR email list for many years and have learned so much from him.
Interesting! Everyone has an opinion. If I get enjoyment from whatever pressing I have of something, I'm happy. Being not too critical and persnickety actually adds to the pleasure of the experience, but that's just me. To each his own.
There's no better sound for value than the 1976 Harry moss/htm (both sides) stereo Sgt peppers
Interesting interview, Thanks Steve.
There's a ton of great information in this video, but the backstory might make more sense if you watch this one first:
th-cam.com/video/JYSuhxGtw5U/w-d-xo.html
I think that conversation is what led Steve to invite Tom Port on, and I'm really glad he did. But, I think a lot of what they are saying makes more sense in the context of that other video. Like, when Tom calls his wife a "mail order bride" and she's obviously sitting right there in the room with him, it's like wtf? But if you hear what Chad says in that first video (just jump to the 14:38 mark in it) you can see what he's referring to. Welcome to the rabbit hole of audiophile vinyl...
Fremer is such a corporate sell out and arrogant to boot. But I'll check it out.
The UK mono 1st press Sgt Pepper is a visceral and exciting listening experience . Definitely the best version I've heard . And I've heard many .
Have you ever listened to the Nimbus and Audio 5 cuts? I know they are stereo but still wow.
The Beatles records in mono, contrary to the opinion of audiophiles and music lovers alike, virtually never have the presence, energy and resolution found on the best stereo copies. If your stereo cannot resolve all the information on the tape, sure, Twin Track Stereo (used on the first two albums, hard-panned multi-track afterwards) ends up sounding like some of the instruments are stuck in the speakers, hard left and hard right, with nothing but a hole in the middle.
But there is a great deal of information spreading into the middle when we play those records here, and nothing feels stuck in the speakers that doesn’t sound like it was supposed to be heard coming directly from one of the speakers.
It is our contention that the best audio equipment, properly tweaked, can show you a world of musical information that exists only on the stereo pressings, information that the mono mixes mostly obscure. They spent time on the mono mixes because getting the levels right for all the elements in a recording is ten times harder than deciding whether an instrument or voice should be placed in the left, middle or right of the soundstage.
And they didn’t even do the stereo mixes right some of the time, IMHO.
But wall to wall beats all stacked up in the middle any day of the week in my book. Some of the best pressings, but not all the best pressings, were cut by Harry Moss in the 70s, on much better transistor-powered mastering equipment than they had in the 60s, and that is part of the reason why some of them sound so much better than most of the earlier pressings.
But plenty of what Moss cut does not sound good, so searching out his versions may be helpful but not as helpful as most audiophiles and record collectors would like to believe it is. (The Skeptical Audiophile, aka T. Port)
Although i have an equal amount of cd and vinylv(2,000 + 2,000), this somewhat monologue convinced me to stay mainly on the path of CD. Just ordered a brand new copy of the 6-disc + book of The Beatles sgt. Pepper for a little over $100. No hassle with listesting tests, production nbrs., wax signatures, etcetera…
Thanks for doing this, Steve. You did well.
Well bully for you..
@@joebloggs8636 Don’t be jealous, my friend. One day you too will find a way to happiness.
I agree, I’m getting a bit tired of the BS in the vinyl world and have been moving more and more to CDs. They often sound great, involve no hassle, and are much cheaper.
Thank you for this interview, it is great. While listening to it I get the impression, this man (Tom Port) really knows, what he is talking about, he knows his stuff. And it is no wonder, because he has done the work! There is a lot more to good sound than just buying/owning the latest audiophile pressing, or an original pressing in great condition (Mint or Near mint).
I get the impression that he has listened closely to a lot of records, as have all the other characters in this vinyl scene. There are a lot of people out there who claim to know what records sound good based on their own subjective preferences, and a whole lot of groupthink. Frankly I take all of their opinions with a giant grain of salt, whether it’s Tom Port or Chad or anyone else. I don’t even trust my own subjective perceptions most of the time.
@@xentakis I think that is wise. I say the proof is in the pudding. If someone makes claims, then it will have to be proven a few times to me in comparison to what versions of lps I have. I have no issue admitting "Man this $500.00 lp of this album definitely smokes every other version I have or have ever heard" But Id have to have it proven to me. I cant just say "Oh he is right. Sounds right to me what he is saying" Prove it, thats the rubber meeting the road for me.
@fleagle, from your comment I assume that you will order an album from Tom and put it to the test. That is exactly what I have done, again. I ordered from him about 10 years ago after having a few hot pressings in my own collection and also, incidentally, after talking with Mike Fremer. Even though Port had talked trash about Fremer, Fremer told me that people who ordered from Port seemed happy with their purchase. I put a Carly Simon record on one day and was blown away by how vibrant and explosive the drums were and she appeared right in my room. My brother heard my Carly Simon record (my own copy, not Port’s) and asked me how they do that? I had a few copies of the same record from Carly and a few weeks later grabbed the record to listen to. I couldn’t believe it. The magic was gone. It seemed impossible. I thought that I must have been in a very good mood the first time I listened to it or that my electricity was better the first time I listened to the Simon record.
Well, a few months later I again decided to listen to the Carly Simon album. But this time the drums and vocals and soundstage blew my mind. I was ver puzzled. Upon looking further into the mystery I realized that I had assumed that any of my copies of the same album would sound the same and the fantastic copy was the copy I had originally played only to grab a different copy of the same album the second time. After talking with Fremer and ordering from Tom I was a convert - not to Tom but to his claim of hot copies or hot stampers. The few records I received from Tom were great, however, I now realized that some of my favorite records I had bought multiple multiple times. So, I decided to do my own hot stampers search. I did indeed have about 2 out 10 copies of my same titled albums were hot stampers. Fortunately? for me I had paid about $30-$45 to find my own “white hot stampers.”
The truth is that the actual pressing or stamper info was always the same for the best copies for me with only a very few exceptions. The earliest Steely Dan Aja copies do in fact sound significantly better than later copies.
The crazy thing is that the remasters, especially the new Blue Note series, are incredibly good. Chad has put out an incredible amount of great sounding vinyl. To this day I have never had a copy of Lynyrd Skynyrd sound anywhere near as good as what Acoustic Sounds or Chad has put out. The secret to a good 90’s sounding MOFI, the real from analogue re-masters, is a matter of listening to it about 15-20 times. The actual resin or vinyl material used needs to be worn just a fraction to have any good sound. Without “cutting” a 90’s MOFI record they all sound sterile and flat. However, most of us have babied our MOFI collections and never really listened to them because they are worth so much. The new One Step’s sound good. But in the case of a MOFI’S One Steps, good for a $125 record is not good enough. If Chad has remastered the same copy then his will sound better. Just do your own comparison. The other factor is that for about $75 you can usually find your own OG “hot stampers” that blow away the One Step’s by a huge margin. It does take time. I have more time than money but I have decided to order a few more from Tom because a few of the records I want I can’t find or haven’t yet found my own “hot stampers.” Enjoy your own experience and discovery.
@@xentakis I'm not even trusting what you are saying right now! 😁
@@hifilive650 Wow mate, that was most enlightening and helpful! 👍
Good interview. An interesting character. A combination of a business man, audiophile and troll.
My favorite part of this interview was his wife chiming in constantly 🤣Something us married men can relate to, all too well.
Tom looked frustrated at that a few times as if he needed coaching.
@@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion Yes, the camera does not lie.
These mail order brides can really be a pain sometimes. Chad was right about that. Somebody else noted that Chad was right -- didn't say about what -- but when it comes to mail order brides, I can't argue with him!
Tom is right about the Beatles mono box set.
Uh oh, lots of likes here, could be trouble. Some heretics lurking around youtube's audiophile sites, iconoclasts maybe, or just guys that didn't believe what they were told and, like me, after a few minutes realized that the hype was wrong and so was the sound.
I didn’t buy that LP set for a reason. First off mono blows! Fremer was involved. I have the cd version of the mono. It’s fine.
Interesting listen but not my favorite thing. I agree with Tom
if you don't like it then don't buy it. Art is subjective; and, all we have to go on ,hopefully, is our ears and not the hype or the inflated price someone may have paid for the record.
@@kguy2know I bought and sold it. They definitely do not sound great. i’d rather listen to nails on a chalkboard than those mono pressings.
@@Jamko1970 Hey thanks for reply. I can understand that. I happen to like Mono. My Mono Ella Fitzgerald, Helen Merrill, Julie London, and female vocalists of the 50s- I think- sound wonderful, this was how they were recorded ( there was no stereo). I also like the Beatles in Mono, it sounds more forceful (IMO). but that's me. At least you bought it and listened it, an made an opinion. I have found many a Mono lp that did sound compressed and awful; but that's not all. What's great is when a used record store has a listening station and you can listen before you buy
Great interview. Thanks. He has his strong taste. Not mine. Great business model. Room for all. Met him many times at stores and record shows. People who know it all.
Fair enough. Would like to make clear that I think I know a lot about records, but definitely would never claim to know it all, as I discussed in my blog FAQ:
We definitely don’t know it all. In fact nothing could be further from the truth. If we knew it all we couldn’t learn anything from the piles and piles of records we listen to every day.
On practically every shootout we learn something new about our favorite records. That, more than anything else, is what makes the kind of tedious, time-consuming, mentally exhausting work we do fun.
The stuff we were wrong about, and there has been plenty, you can find right here on the blog, often under the heading Live and Learn.
It should be said that most audiophiles, at least the ones I know well, do not have the patience to critically analyze ten different copies of the same record for hours on end. For me (and everybody else who sits in the listening chair), it’s all in a day’s work.
I learned to critically listen for extended periods of time back in the early ’80s. I got heavily into - obsessed with might be more accurate - tweaking my table setup, system components, wires, vibration controlling devices and the like.
Listening for differences in interconnects and listening for differences in pressings calls upon precisely the same set of skills. If you can do it all day, if you actually like tweaking and analyzing the sound of your stereo for hours and hours, you will undoubtedly end up with a much better sounding system, as well as one helluva high quality collection of records (not to mention very finely honed listening skills).
etc.
@@the-skeptical-audiophile ...the 7 Hot Stampers records i have bought from Better Records in the past, ( albums i know well all my life, and that i have already had many versions, incl. OG's 1st, and "audiophile" versions) are some of the best sounding records in my collection. They have helped improve my listening skills enormously; not just "listening" , but 100% enjoy and appreciate the music. seeking out for my "own" hot stampers now, is what really makes this hobby so interesting! ( for example: Roxy Music Avalon, after buying and comparing 5 copies, incl. UK 1st Arun cut, i now have "my" best sounding one, and indeed it is a reissue (vintage, not modern "audiophile")¨! Denis Blackham (BilBo) did a very good job on this one...😎
@@lucullus6127 Yes, the Bilbo can be very good. We have played plenty, and they have never won a shootout, but Bilbo is a great mastering engineer and his work is worth seeking out.
If modern engineers are so good at their jobs, as so many on this thread keep implying, where are the records they are making that can compete with Bilbo's cuttings from the old days?
Please name them.
I know of none, and I am hoping someone will take pity on a poor fool such as myself and attempt to enlighten me. Based on what I am reading, my benighted ravings are shameful and outlandish. If anyone needs a clue, it's pretty obvious I do.
Please help me understand what I have been missing for the last few decades, during which I was playing tens of thousands of records, listening to them critically and posting my thoughts about them in the 5000 listings up on the blog.
@@the-skeptical-audiophile Well, when you say it like that... 😊
This bloke could outdo Ron L Hubbard. To say Kevin Gray only masters passable records is the biggest load of BS I've ever heard
Yet you speak from a position without any experience ... just your own opinion ...
@@jon6387 eh? I own several Kevin Gray remastered LPs so I am speaking from experience
@@mcflash23 So you’re comparing Kevin Gray remastered LPs to Kevin Gray remastered LPs? Or perhaps you don’t know what those LPs should sound like, hence you’re speaking from a position of ignorance.
No dh. I've owned different versions of the same album including Kevin Gray remasters so you're the one making assumptions chump
Anyone worthy of an opinion knows Kevin Gray makes top sounding records, not passable ones. You lose all credibility when you talk crap about his work.
Super interesting! 🤓🤓
This interview inspired me to grab an early 80’s UK Parlophone Harry Moss Revolver off Discogs for $30.
Money well spent. Compare it to any of the Heavy Vinyl pressings of recent vintage and be prepared to hear The Beatles come to life like you have never heard them before. And be sure to let us know what you think of the sound.
So Port doesn't care for Bernie Grundman's mastering... but Bernie mastered Aja.
Oh wait... only Ports "stamper" of Aja is the one to have.
Which I assume, has nothing to do with Bernie's mastering... only the Stamper Port has to sell you... the "Stamper" is why it sounds good.
Port's customers "wouldn't even bother themselves with the Beatles Mono box... its horrible "
Jesus.
Hi, nothing could be further from the truth. BG is a BRILLIANT engineer who cut many of my all time favorite records. And you can find your own great BG-mastered albums, you don't need me. You just need to do shootouts the right way and the result will be a superior copy of a BG mastered album because his have the potential to sound BY FAR the best.
@@the-skeptical-audiophile Keep scamming your fanboys. You are ridiculous. And wash your mouth and ears. 🤡
Tom has perfect pitch. Good job on Scheherazade 😊
Thanks. Can't claim to have perfect pitch or anything like it, but I know what a solo violin sounds like, and wrote a lot about how wrong the Heavy Vinyl crowd is to accept remastered records that get the violin wrong.
From the blog
The Living Stereo CD I own (both the CD and the SACD) of Scheherazade is dramatically better than the awful Classic Records pressing of it.
Audiophiles who don’t notice what is wrong with the Classic pressing need to get hold of a nice RCA White Dog pressing to see just how poorly the Classic stacks up. (They could even find one that’s not so nice and listen through the surface noise. The difference would still be obvious.)
The solo violin in the left channel at the opening of the first movement should be all it takes.
Anyone has ever attended a classical music concert should have no trouble recognizing that the violin on any of the Heavy Vinyl pressings, including the Analogue Productions pressing, is completely wrong and sounds nothing like a violin in a concert hall would ever sound.
And I mean ever.
No matter where you might be sitting.
No matter how good or bad the hall’s acoustics.
The violin on these Heavy Vinyl pressings is dark, it’s veiled, and it’s overly rich, as well as lacking in overtones.
Solo violins in live performance never sound anything like that.
They are clear, clean and present. You have no trouble at all “seeing” them, no matter where you sit.
My best sounding White Dog pressing had that kind of clear and present sound for the violin.
Neither of the Heavy Vinyl reissues I auditioned did.
A pressing of Scheherazade that fails to reproduce the solo violin, the musical voice of the young lady herself, fails utterly and completely, no matter how big, rich and powerful the opening brass may be.
If you think your Heavy Vinyl pressings are doing justice to the sound of classical music, please attend a live concert as soon as possible in order to disabuse yourself of that notion.
Once you hear how unfaithful your remastered classical records are to the sound of the actual instruments in live performance, you can begin to collect records of higher fidelity.
ontherecord.co/tag/rimskscheh-violin/
@@the-skeptical-audiophile You sang the opening bars in the right key: E minor ☺
@@DeAudiofilosyLocos Purely by accident I assure you. But thanks for the kind words.
The disc in the REVOLVER CD set that has the mono version of the original album sounds really good. I'm not a fan of the new mix, and overall I prefer the mono vs the original stereo mix, so take all that into account.
Interesting discussion. Thanks!
Mr. Pete--------->
aging hippie
I wish he had said what he uses to clean records. Great interview regardless. Thanks for this.
Do they put some sort of official Better Records stamp or sticker on the cover/label to show that it's been through their hands?
Yes. They put a card in showing the condition of the album etc.
They include a card, exactly like a business card, marked with the grade of the sound for each side of the record.
Nothing is pasted or attached to the album jacket or the album.
The card slides around inside the plastic jacket cover. They just drop it in there.
Amazing things about ears, we all hear differently just as we all see differently. Now if 51 people listen and do a review and 42 say the same thing...well ya got a better chance it being what they say and you can decide if you want to buy it. Good Video
Hi Steve thank you for doing this interview I really think the credibility of Toms opinions takes a nose dive when he states Analog do not make any good records because as we all know a hell of a lot of what they do is terrific . Tom even states his hearing is no good anymore but he is not the one that listens to what he sells when it comes to testing . Is he also relying on someone else’s opinion on Analog Productions product or does he say that because it is personal . Steve I think you should of picked him up on when stated Analog don’t do anything good because you know that’s not true cheers Carl .
Tom has been doing this for years. You can bet he has carefully trained the folks who have taken over the listening sessions as to what to listen for. As far as him not liking APs, that isnt anything new. In other words he drew that conclusion long ago and over many years long before his hearing issues. But if we are going there, you think Chad or Fremer can still hear as well? Or even Bernie? yeah. So much of this "hearing" isnt so much the loss as it is knowing nearly instinctually what to listen for in an objective manner. Otherwise many of these old guys that are in the business need to hang it up. (Im 57, so I can call them old guys. Im an old guy)
Thank you John for your reply and I do know what you are saying but many people old and young have done shootouts and compared original records Mofi and analog and sometimes analog wins so it is ridiculous to suggest analog make nothing but bad sounding records because a lot of other old and young experts and the general buying public say they do make a good product I have some Elvis and Johnny Cash analog records that are simply much better than the originals and Music On Vinyl and Mofi versions and that is fact no matter what Tom states cheers Carl .
Tom is not Mr. Congeniality, but he’s very successful at his job. You want to only do business with nice guys, then buy your records elsewhere. Fact of the matter is he’s able to keep Better Records going w/o giving a damn about people like you that whines about having manners.
Try actually reading the post before making a comment
@@SamWesting Tom is actually a nice guy to talk to. I have talked to him many times in the past. Always cordial and would spend a good hour or so talking with me about records and why some sound better. And just music in general. I never had him once say "Oh man you gotta have this! Youre going to regret it if you dont." Never tried to sell me anything. That was on me and my decision. There is a difference between being straight forward and being a turd to people. Ive never had the later from Tom.
Thank you! Tom doesn’t seem so crazy as Chad, Fremer said. I think they are cutting into their biz that is what they don’t like. On the topic of Born In The USA. Yes…the sound was highly processed. But that album is classic. I thought it was kinda funny Chad was knocking it. Not all albums were recorded audiophile. That album was designed for radio and it is a classic. I would consider buying the best sounding copy of this. You are only as good of the actual recording. Tom is pricey but if gets the wheat from the chaff he is worth every penny.
Chad was talking about Born in the USA, not Born to Run.
@@the-skeptical-audiophile correct Tom Born in The USA. This is a classic record. I think they dismissed you quickly. To me you are a guy trying to find the best pressing period. Regardless of stamper used or dead wax markings. This takes time and money. I think the prices are high but if you consider the 100s of hours you spend to find, clean and play grade these things this bring the price. This is really about whether you want the hassle to hunt the best pressing. You guys have done the labor. I bought something from you today. Looking forward to seeing your work. Thanks for the correction.
@@revelry1969 Thanks for the kind words. I hope you like whatever record you ordered and we will certainly apply your WESTMAN coupon if you did not.
An interesting video would be for an unbiased audiophile TH-camr to compare one of Chad's releases vs a white hot stamper. Perhaps Chad's new release of Stand Up would be a good place to start.
Great interview Steve. And Tom, too bad you don't like The Beatles in mono, a lot of us do. Personally I don't think you quite know what your missing. Oh well.
Agree.
Great interview...it's funny how this stuff comes full circle. Tom Port was a huge topic in the VC about 8 years ago...then nothing until this article. Same arguments, different year. Not my cup of tea, but I've always thought it was an interesting concept.
About 31 minutes into the video I lose track of what I was saying after mentioning Malcolm Gladwell. Here is what I was going to talk about, his book on Outliers:
Measuring the Record
Malcolm Gladwell has a bestselling and highly entertaining book about outliers out now which I recommend to all. Last year I read The Black Swan (or as much of it as I could stand given how poorly written it is) which talks about some of these same issues. Hot Stampers can be understood to a large degree by understanding statistical distributions. Why statistics you ask? Simple. We can’t tell what a record is going to sound like until we play it. For all practical purposes we are buying them randomly and “measuring” them to see where they fall on the curve. We may be measuring them using a turntable and registering the data aurally, but it’s still very much measurement and it’s still very much data that we are recording.
No Theory, Just Data
Many of these ideas were addressed in the recent shootout we did for BS&T’s second album. We played a large number of copies (the data), we found a few amazing ones (the outliers), and we tried to determine how many copies it really takes to find those records that sound so amazing they defy not only conventional wisdom, but understanding itself. We don’t know what causes these records to sound so good. We know ’em when we hear ’em and that’s pretty much all we can say we really know. Everything else is speculation and guesswork.
We have data. What we don’t have is a theory that explains that data.
And it simply won’t do to ignore the data because we can’t explain it. Hot Stamper Deniers are those members of the audiophile community who, when faced with something they don’t want to be true, simply manufacture reasons why it can’t or shouldn’t be true. That’s not science. Practicing science means following the data wherever it leads. The truth is found in the record’s grooves and nowhere else. If you don’t think record collecting is a science, you’re not doing it right.
Ignoring Outliers
Wikipedia has a good line about ignoring outliers. Under the heading of Caution they write: “… it is ill-advised to ignore the presence of outliers. Outliers that cannot be readily explained demand special attention.” Here here.
The complete commentary with a graph and a picture of 40-something copies of the same album can be found here:
ontherecord.co/2021/09/01/outliers-out-of-this-world-sound-3/
TP
Thank you, I love Malcolm's writing and I got upset when you where interrupted just after mentioning his name.
@@BobCoalWater You're welcome. That concept of outliers showed me how to describe Hot Stampers in a way that was much more understandable than other approaches I had taken.
this here my guys is the rabbit of the rabbit holes, the darkest of the very darkest paths of this hobby - this audiophile kinda of approach guaranteed will drive you crazy (i've been there)
Hi, I am not trying to be controversial.John Lennon was quoted as saying that "You haven't heard 'Pepper' until you've heard the Mono Version".This leaves Me a little confused.Does Tom not like the Mono? .
Beatles "Help" stereo German 70's Apple pressing with Horzu stampers is excellent Steve.
The LP is on the Better Records site right now for $550.
@@markevans7969 I paid $20- for mine many years ago, had no idea it would sound so good. Does he have the Horzu Stereo Pls.Pls.Me (-2) on his site?
We do not sell the German Help! We have in the past. I write about it on the blog. It can be really good but we think the good Parlophones are better. But if you have one you probably have a very good sounding record!
@@markevans7969 The '70s UK Parlophone, in, gasp!, stereo!
@@the-skeptical-audiophile Could be Tom. I've also got the Blue Box set with a lot of them mastered by HTM. I can't remember if the "Help" LP was HTM mastering. Do you know if it was common for HTM to just sign one side of an LP he cut because I seem to recall only seeing his initials on one side of these UK LP's?
Paul McCartney (and/or any other concert performing stars for that matter) is not a good source in determining the sound quality of any record. Wouldn’t one think that all the years of LOUD music have damaged his hearing beyond being a credible source for audiophile sound quality? Of course he’s going to approve. I’m sure there’s money involved.
These debates and rivalries between Chad Kassam, Tom Port and Michael Fremer remind me of Qanon members arguing about flat earth theory.
Are Qanons flat-earthers? I heard Stephen Carpenter from Deftones is. I thought Qanon theorized about vaccination conspiracies and what not.
@@austinhunt4260 for the best answer to that question check out Jim Jeffries segment on Qanon. Memebers of Qanon actually start arguing whetheror not the earth is flat. It is hilarious
Allow me to respond to a comment from Ian Malone.
"Quite happy for you to promote your business Tom,. but surely you are a better person than doing it in this way. I know that other people in the industry have said unkind things about you but you can rise above these insults."
I never say that the people making these modern records, as well as those reviewing them, are malicious or evil. I say they make or review bad sounding records and are simply misguided and incompetent.
Am I being unkind? If Michael Bay makes one bad movie after another, are we unkind to point it out, even though many people enjoy his movies. He is not a bad person, he is a bad filmmaker, and gets called out regularly for putting out a bad product.
Everyone understands that this is a matter of taste. If you always wished The Beatles albums had more bass, more compression and a smoother tonal balance overall, you can buy the new Heavy Vinyl pressings and get that sound on every title they ever released.
Those of us who do not like our Beatles album to have those qualities should not be buying these newly remastered versions.
We offer the consumer an alternative sound, and, since our Beatles Hot Stampers are far and away our best sellers, it seems our customers agree with us that they actually do sound better. Some come back, sure, but not many, and I don't think anyone has ever said they liked the new pressings better, although that possibility exists.
In some ways we operate like Consumer Reports. Blender X is terrible at making margaritas and blender Y is good at making them. The company that makes bad blenders should be called to account. If there is a name attached to that company, then I guess we can say that that person who runs that company should learn how to make better blenders or find something else to do with his time.
I am not impressed with the quality of the records being made today, and it follows that those who make them are responsible for the poor quality of the modern remastered LPs they make.
Is there a kind way to say that Pete Hutchison makes some of the worst sounding records I have ever played in my life? Should I pretend he doesn't? If you play me one of his awful records, and don't tell me who made it, I can judge the record on its merits, the way we judge all records. We test records blindly for precisely this reason. We let the record tell us how well it was made, what it does right and wrong relative to other pressings of the same album, apples to apples.
His records tell me he loves the sound of the murkiest, muddiest vintage tube equipment ever made, and wants every record he makes to have that sound.
In my book that is an egregious case of My-Fi, not Hi-Fi. We wrote about it here:
ontherecord.co/tag/hi-fi-beats-my-fi/
Is there a kinder way to point that out? It's astonishing to me that anyone takes this guy seriously. This is the sound audiophiles want?
Here's a question for those who want to defend this man's approach to mastering.
Did Bernie Grundman make all his records sound the same? Layer his sonic signature over the top of everything he did?
Does Aja sound like Blue sound like Heart Like a Wheel sound like Thriller sound like Tapestry?
On my stereo they sure don't. I built a stereo to get out of the way of the records I play, and it lets all these records sound markedly different from one another.
But Hutchison takes exactly the opposite approach. He wants the same heavy tube sound on every record he makes. Is it mean to point that out?
Bernie Grundman has mastered many of my favorite recordings of all time. Doug Sax actually mastered both of my two favorite recordings of all time, Ambrosia's first album on vinyl and Jellyfish's Spilt Milk on CD.
But when these superbly talented engineers master bad sounding audiophile pressings for the likes of Chad Kassem and others, who deserves the blame?
Maybe Kassem told them what sound he wanted and they gave it to him. That's their job, to deliver a product that the customer will pay for. The customer here is Chad, not the audiophile consumer.
Chad apparently likes the sound of the records he produces. I do not and I take the time to describe precisely the sound I object to. My review of both of his Tea for the Tillerman releases goes on for days. I recommend you check it out if you want to know more about the failings of his albums in detail.
ontherecord.co/tag/steveteafo-200-45-1/
Opinion? Mere subjectivity? We back up everything we say about our offerings with an actual physical record that you can buy, risk free, to demonstrate the superiority of a properly mastered, properly pressed LP, one we cleaned, auditioned and stand behind 100%.
Some of the very same engineers I criticize made the record I might sell you. Lots of TMLs and BGs can be found in the dead wax of our Hot Stamper pressings.
Why wouldn't they be found there? They are often found -- after the fact, mind you -- on the best sounding pressings of the albums we play in our shootouts.
These vintage pressings seem to have very little in common with the work these men are doing now.
Is there a kinder, gentler way to point that out? Should I just shut up about it?
I guess we could say the companies producing records today mean well. They produce a product at a price for the market they are trying to reach. Chad thinks he can get $150 for his records and therefore he prices them at $150. They used to sell for less, now they sell for more. That's how markets work. We do the same.
The records Chad and his competitors make are suitable, in my opinion, for those who set lower standards, or don't know any better, or have modest systems, or just aren't very serious about records and audio. Fine by me. It's no skin off our noses.
We mostly appeal to a different group. A group that typically has heard those Heavy Vinyl pressings and wants something better. Something with zero Collector value, but 100% Top Quality Music and Sound value.
Is it unkind to say we set higher standards and price our products accordingly?
That would imply these Heavy Vinyl labels and their customers set lower standards and price their records accordingly.
All we are doing is pointing this out, using, I freely admit, stronger language than some might like. I have always favored plain speaking over the kind of bush beating, special pleading and excuse making so many audiophiles and those who write for them seem to prefer.
If your feelings are easily hurt, I am definitely not the guy you should be reading. I find bad sounding records infuriating and I am not averse to saying so. Best to avoid my blog if you don't like reading somebody who is gets pissed off and feels ripped off every time he drops a needle on one of these lousy remasters.
We love to write passionately about good records, the ones we sell, but there is really no need to read what we say about them either. Our records speak for themselves, and we believe they deliver on their promises.
Try some, compare them with what you own and see if you still feel kindly toward the modern pressings you've no doubt been buying. There is a good chance you might not feel so kindly, once you can clearly hear what is missing from them.
And if not, no harm done, return shipping is on us, and a full refund will be posted to your card.
To paraphrase the great one, if you never hear one of our Hot Stamper pressings, most likely you go your way and I'll go mine.
But if you do hear one, and like it, the milk of human kindness you show these modern record makers may turn as sour in your mouth as it has in mine.
Best, TP
In the WAPO video, while listening to a copy of Quiet Kenny that I had never heard before, I said something along the lines of "It's the best record Chad ever made, because it's not terrible."
True, it wasn't terrible, but I didn't think it was very good either. It had the kind of sound Kevin Gray can be relied on to deliver. I didn't know who cut it until after I'd looked it up, but knowing The Reliable KPG (his rapper name, mine is The Notorious TTP) was involved fit perfectly with my opinion of his work in general, which can be summed up in one word: workmanlike.
There's nothing wrong with that, and Kevin is a nice guy. I'm sure he means well.
The off-the-cuff remark quoted above seems to be a sticking point with many of those who watched the video from the WAPO piece, as well as those who watched the interview.
With the above in mind, allow me to make a formal request of those of you taking me to task for saying that Chad has never made a good record in his life.
Although I have never been able to name one, apparently many of the followers of this blog think they can.
Funny how not a single title has been offered. At least I have not seen one. I looked really hard too.
Be that as it may, let us get down to brass tacks.
Please post a short -- the shorter the better -- list of the best sounding records Analogue Productions has produced to date.
I expect we can all agree it would be worth knowing what our fellow audiophiles and fellow Heavy Vinyl aficionados think are the best of the best that our friend Chad has to offer, since this channel appears to be devoted mostly to these kinds of pressings.
I have reviewed about two dozen of his analog productions to date, and tried to be as specific as I could about their shortcomings. My reviews can be found here:
ontherecord.co/category/labels-with-shortcomings/labels-with-shortcomings-analogue-productions/
On the list you submit, you may want to include information about the other pressings you've played against the AP titles so that we can all gain a better understanding of the process you used to determine the superiority of his releases, and of course feel free to add what you like most about the records you mention.
I hope to learn something! And I may even get a few of his records in and give them to my crew to spin. If I do, you can be sure I will post the findings on my blog.
This should be fun. And educational. Let the games begin!
TP
I won't make a list, but Just a Little Lovin' by Shelby Lynne on AP is fantastic sounding... The denigration of others who are still putting in the work to give us great pressings on vinyl in a consistent manner is petty.
@@bbfrid88 Fair enough. Let's stipulate that the record sounds good to you. Compared to what? How many different versions of the album did you have on hand to compare against the AP pressing? What we want to know is how good a job AP did with the tape. What is better or worse on the AP pressing relative to all the other versions that you played against it? Greatest strengths, biggest weaknesses, that sort of thing. All records have their good points and bad points. What are the good points and bad points of this AP release?
@@the-skeptical-audiophile I don’t really care. It sounds great.
@@the-skeptical-audiophile …and it’s great music.
Great sound and great music, I accept that your judgment in both areas is correct.
Here is the $64,000 question: Would it mean anything to you at all if the Doug Sax-mastered original LP on Lost Highway from 2008 had better sound?
AB-1006 is the original Aja. It's a pricing code. When the price went up, they changed to AA. Look it up.
I did and you are correct, sir, according to Discogs:
"First pressings have catalog # AB-1006. "AB" prefix in catalog # was an ABC label price code, and approximately two weeks after the release of the album, the price was raised $1.00 and subsequent pressings were catalog # AA-1006."
Somebody played the album and said, "I think we can raise the price. This album is killer!" It was, and they did.
How does he think he knows better which ones sound best to me? He thinks Chad's records only sound "passable"? I don't trust this guys listening at all.
He's just found a way to exploit rich audiophiles...why can't he just admit that?
Keep in mind there are "audiophiles" who do not like the sound of the records Tom Port is selling because they are used to/like a more relaxed/laid back sound. Tom Port prefers a sound that gives you the impression the band is playing "Live" in your room, a sound that hits you straight "in the face" and he likes to listen loud.
@@anton88ist And this opinion is based on?
@@timkimware3537 Well, Tom Port said so in this video (if I understood him correctly): 52:30Min.
@@anton88ist This is true. Total immersion in the music, nothing else will do. No wine and no cigars!
If he had any credibility at All, was lost it when he said. He can tell the difference in sound, depending on what socket in the same circuit he is plugged into
the infamous, elusive tom port! i can understand why folks feel strongly about their opinions, their music, their investments. and i think it's good to remember it's not an all or nothing proposition. in the same way Port blows off an entire album after 30 seconds of listening, so do people dismiss all of what port has to say on account of him trash-talking AP. but we'd do well to parse out truth when we hear truth and bs when we hear bs without wholesale condemnation. for me, port seems on point when he's talking about the naturalness of a sound, or the sound of a band in a room. sometimes audiophile records can be so clean and separated, it doesn't feel right (to me). where he seems off is saying that he listened to one record for 30 seconds and decided an entire set of LPs was garbage, ha.
Yeah, apparently a speck of truth in a pile of horsesh*t goes a long way in the business.
@@hurkamur1 haha, i take it your a regular at better records. :)
@@youwhohear What can I say? There's a sucker born every minute.
I’m surprised by the positive comments. Tom has no choice but to disparage audiophile releases. He has to say they sound horrible, without exception. If he didn’t, if said they were in any way reasonable, there would no remaining rationale for his business model. No one would pay the truly insane prices on his site to purchase “super hot stampers” that were deemed extraordinary by his nameless two-person listening panel.
Aja's original catalogue number in Canada was 9022-1006. It was in the United States that the original catalogue number was either AA-1006 or AB-1006. Depending on what pressing plant it came from.
The US 1st pressing was AB-1006.
In the early 1990s in Chicago, I found ABC Records Canadian pressings of Aja in yellow and red vinyl. I found the sound quality of the yellow vinyl very close to that of the USA ABC Records AB-1006 pressing. BTW, a Bob Dylan site opines that the best pressing of Blonde on Blonde is the Canadian CBS Records pressing.
@@Jamko1970 You are right, it was changed to AA-1006 because of a price increase. In some cases the B was scratched out and replaced with an A in the deadwax!
@@markevans7969 I have the black, red and yellow copies of Aja. They all sound about the same.
I know Tom likes the LZ 2 RL Hot mix the best based on what he said. Are there certain varieties of that pressing that stand out? How about the Beatles German Magical Mystery Tour 2 nd pressing onwards. Parlogram Andrew says it’s the best sounding Beatles album ever.
There are four separate cuttings of Zep II by RL. Two of them can win shootouts, and two of them never have. They are not even close. The differences are very audible.
I didn’t realize that much can be different. Are Monarch pressings better than the other plants. Do you agree on the German MMT
And the reason I didn't talk about Monarch is the first rule of Better Records is we don't talk about stampers and labels if we can avoid it. We mention labels and countries when they're ones that nobody would think were any good. We love doing that.
But Monarch cut some great records and you would do well to find Monarch pressings as often as you can, then test them the way you would any record against the best you have.
As we like to say, we have no magical powers, although it seems people think that I think we do. That is not the case. We just do the work, the same work that anybody can do if they have the time and are willing to put in the effort.
Tom thanks so much for taking the time to reply. I do appreciate it.
@@kensileo8793 My pleasure.
I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL and usually check the JAZZ things you do ..... if you know my questions just because you know .... would be great to get an info on : ...... any idea if the DEEP GROOVE version is the FIRST PRESS STEREO of the 2 "early" existing versions ? the both seem exactly the same. exept DG and non-DG.
MOTION by lee konitz on VERVE V6-8399 ( i have deep groove + D cogs not have deep groove, only non-deep groove, but popsike has deep groove )
FUSION The Jimmy Giuffre 3 V6-8397 ( discogs + popsike have deep groove and non-deep groove )
Watched the whole video and all I can say is Chad Kassem was right!
And you came to this conclusion by comparing a Hot Stamper to an AP pressing? Or is this just another opinion not based on experience? Just asking.
Have never purchased from Better Records, prices are more than I normally like to spend on an LP. His staff does rigorous play grading on what they sell, so no doubt the records sound great. The customer has to decide whether or not to spend $900 for Aja or maybe wait for the UHQR for $150.
If there is a great sounding version out there for $150 that might not be good for their business model. Or maybe it does not matter, if the White Hot stamper is even a tick better then the UHQR, then there is someone, somewhere who will go for the $900.
My issue is that when someone makes self-serving statements like "Kassem has never made a single good sounding record” since AP’s founding in 1991" it is hard to take them seriously. It is pretty obnoxious statement. That statement doesn't say my staff can find a better sounding record, it says that AP records sound crappy.
Also, to anyone stuck with one of those awful sounding Beatles mono boxsets, I will take it off your hands for $500. That won't buy you the White Hot Aja stamper but you can get the Super.
@@RichMorr Judements based on personal feelings & not on actual listening to the records from the dealers in question. Thanks, that’s all I needed to know. Have a nice day.
So he just picks a run for preference and then play test as many copies as he can find. I don’t see how that has anything to do about the stamper.
Also to note, what he is saying about records being “dull” seems to be very common with people who start to lose high frequency hearing.
I think if he used different language / was not so combative people wouldn’t really find him controversial.
Interesting interview. Now people can make their own opinions and I have made mine.
Ted Bundy seemed nice too at daylight
@@rabarebra lol
This is all such hogwash IMO. But I’d love to see what he has to say in a direct conversation with Fremer, Kassem, Mazzy and the rest. You should do a moderated round table.
Seconded
Did he learn that Chad has made a good record or two? So far, going very easy on him @ 7 minutes in.
Right! It must have been difficult for someone with poor hearing to find 2 close-listening guys who also feel every record AP makes is crap….
Overall I think you were far too deferential to this guy.
Meant for the interviewer, not you!
He always says “We” who is we Tom?
I missed asking how many versions of the same stamper he uses for testing, to be able to say that this version is his "hot stamper" AND I don't want to see a Tom Port monologue - he's a salesman and that they can talk fast and a lot is well known. We couldn't find out much about his stereo setup, although that would have been extremely important - in any case, he should invest a few dollars in a separate power line, then he wouldn't have to look for the "quiet" line.
Hi, all my equipment is listed on the blog. Tried a separate power line at one point and found out it made my system sound worse. It may work for some systems but it is not a panacea. Unplugging works great. Lots of commentary on the blog about that if you are interested.
If Tom is even partially correct, where does that leave the vinyl lovers who don’t have $400 to spend on a single record. Things are getting bad enough between the crazy prices for OG’s and crazy prices for audiophile pressings. Oh, and don’t forget the endless anniversary editions and deluxe box sets. As someone who cares very much about the sound quality this is hard news to take. I guess if I never hear a hot stamper I will not know what I’m missing.
Even Tom admits his offerings are not for everyone. If you want to buy a cheaper copy from another shop, you can. Nothing wrong with that. But you’re not qualified to say good or bad about Better Records, if you haven’t listened to their stuff.
@@SamWesting Your listening pleasure may only be very minimally compromised by not hearing the Tubey Magic. 😂 And Tom Port says his hearing’s been shot for years so he must no longer be the final arbiter at Better Records, and it’s gonna be someone else’s opinion. All but 2 LPs in my record collection aren’t Hot Stampers and for most folks NONE of their records are, yet everybody’s doing just fine.
See my reply to Sam Westing….
A movie critic writing a review of a movie he’s never seen would be a laughing stock, right? These guys bashing Better Records w/o even listening to their stuff comes off the same way. Only credible way to judge them is to order from them & listen. Anyone not satisfied can get a refund. That people won’t try them even if it’s risk-free shows that they’re nothing more than trolls. Or Mike Fremer’s padawans.
@@SamWesting Well, they ARE expensive, so there’s that. But, yeah, I’ve purchased 2 of them and they do sound great. You can complain about the methodology and price, but you WILL get a nice recording, certainly a top-quality pressing of the particular stamper. To each their own …
shouldn't your electrical source be a pure sine wave? Otherwise, you are starting with distortion no matter how good your setup.
I found Tom surprisingly likable compared with the impression the tone of his website gives, but- he seems to want to teache us that we can't simply enjoy records- we have to put their sonic qualities through the ringer! Mmmm-hmmm.
I think Tom is sincere, but I really wish you would have asked him what *specifically* (whether the mastering, sound signature, etc.) he thinks makes modern audiophile reissues sound worse than his “hot stamper” cuts. And another thing Tom Port should recognize is that only a few people have the privilege of listening to hundreds of older pressings to determine the best sounding one. For everyone else, we have modern audiophile reissues.
Subjective subjective subjective.. end of debate.
OG Dark side of the Moon Canadian pressings are actually pretty good, according to a few reviewers...
Every LP ever made has been pretty good according to a few reviewers ;-:
Analogue productions is fantastic! He got a right to his opinions, but it's not "be all, end all"! Sound is subjective and most people (including me) love AP! His opinion however DOES NOT make this man a loser, that's going too far! You have to respect each other's opinions!
Hi Tom, you said some interesting things to consider when it comes to vinyl. Unfortunately, your ranting about other people in the VC took away what could have been my (and probably others’ who will view this video) good faith in you. There are much milder ways to say you don’t like such or so, that i would expect from a professional as yourself.
Spot on.
Steve you let someone control your interview without addressing the why one record with the same matrix would sound hundreds of dollars more since this is subjective to the listener. Where was the questioning of the top mastering engineerings today that also worked on original series that he most likely sells are run of the mill. He offered no specifics other than securing multiple copies, cleaning then listening for the best sounding determined by an individuals ears, equipment, room. You never confirmed why his records sound better, is he able to clean them better, find better copies, we all know every copy may sound different, but crate digging compared to manufacturing some of the best records, no comparison. Something that I always thought was smoke & mirrors overpriced records, interview confirmed my thoughts.
I've never owned any records from Better Records but I have owned several copies of the same exact matrix that actually do sound different. So that is what they do. You can also do it yourself if you buy many many copies of the same title and then listen to various copies of the same matrix. They simply narrow it down for their casters who can't or won't do it for themselves. It is very time consuming. .
I don't think anyone, even Tom, can tell us WHY a specific LP sounds better than another , but we all probably already own a few; we just don't call them hot stampers.
Even for copies made from the same stamper number, there are still variables effecting each copy, a big one can be stamper wear. Was it the 10th off the press, or 2,000th? Also, if you're buying used records, you have no idea how many times and what it was played with. A lot of 70's copies would have been played a lot on cheap cartridges, which who knows what kind of wear. So i agree the results will vary. In my experience, if you're buying new audiophile records done at the best pressing plants in lower quantities with good quality control, there is reason to believe they are less like "snowflakes" and have less variation than when mass market copies were made in huge quantities.
@@mazzysmusic And we usually don't keep such information to ourselves to necessarily profit from. I, for one, don't call Kevin Gray's work 'passable'.
@@GhostFace_OG agree
@@mazzysmusic Love your channel brother - haven't been on the SHF in a minute but we used to chat under my old DeaconBlues moniker. Peace man.
Tom ASC boards are available to clean your sound
Tom thinking ERC is overpriced 😂
$350 seems like a lot to pay for a mud pie. I have now heard two of his records, and I have to say that that is some of the worst audiophile sound I have ever heard. I flirted with Mac 30s about thirty years ago and I know that murky vintage tube sound well. I sure don't want those amps back and I sure don't like records that sound like they are coming out of a console stereo from 1962 with amps like those inside it.
Correction. I have only heard one of his records. I was sent Quiet Kenny by a customer to play, and reviewed it at the time, still unpublished.
Geoff Edgers brought the same title for me to play, without me knowing which pressing it was, and that is the one I called a "mud pie."
One title is all I have heard.
Knowing that all his records are flat transfers with no EQ whatsoever leads me to believe that mud pies are the only kinds of records he can possibly make with his extremely colored and limited vintage cutting system.
None of these tapes were ever supposed to be transferred flat, as any mastering engineer will tell you. Only the most credulous audiophiles are foolish enough to believe this approach could possibly work, in my none too humble opinion.
Judy Judy Judy
He is right for example the Doors LA Woman from Analogue productions sounds dull. Also Jeff Beck Blow by Blow from AP.
I also want to apologize for that crack about Richard Metzger of Dangerous Minds. Of course he has money. He just chooses to spend it on other things. Nothing wrong with that. Our records are expensive and not everyone sees the value in them, even those who have heard one and have plenty of money to spend had they desired to spend it that way. A comment, now that I read it back, might just qualify as the understatement of the year. Especially on this channel.
He is a bit shyer than I thought he would be. Could have expanded on his thoughts a little more , tell some more stories....speak up Tom come on man ..
"Surely you must be joking, Mr Feynman."
That is the first time anyone ever asked me to talk more. Most of the comments I read say shut the hell up. Which is fine by me. We write a lot about records on the blog -- 5000+ entries, some of which are very long, check out our commentaries for Tea for the Tillerman to get a taste -- and we sell a lot of records to back up our claims and that pretty much covers what we do. If you are not jerking my chain with the comment above, please go to the blog, tens of thousands of hours went into those words and now that I am retired I work on it for many hours every day.
@@the-skeptical-audiophile yes I was joking Tom. Enjoyed the interview.
Somewhat annoying he doesnt even know the song he chops up. maybe he should listen to the Mono release when it comes out and comment on it instead of discounting it. He said the song he heard had a high end digital sound THEN said he didnt know what the sound was and turned it off after 30 seconds 😐😐
I also want Tom to know that sipping wine and smoking cigars has not and will not ever interfere with one’s ability to enjoy a great sounding pressing! That was a ridiculously false comment. He might as well of said the only way one can enjoy one of my Hot Stampers is to smoke a bowl, take a hit of acid, snort some coke and chase it with a bottle of Jack!