Today's Fresh Catch features a number of items I've purchased from Acoustic Sounds over the last few weeks. First up is the Cat Stevens' Tea for Tillerman, which is the first pressing done at Chad's new Quality Record Pressings enterprise.

Tea for the Tillerman is a great record, and sold 500,000 copies within 6 months of its release. The Quality Record Pressings is the real deal, and within just a few seconds of listening it was easy to tell that the vinyl is way quieter than is typical for LPs. From the Acoustic Sounds website:

"So, it was originally cut at Sterling - as were all of the early original Cat Stevens albums - and the tapes were last used at Sterling. How appropriate then that we should go back to Sterling for this monumental reissue. Using the original tapes, George Marino handled the mastering this time. He used an Ampex ATR-102 tape machine, another significant point of interest. While Ampex has long been revered for their sound, they had never made a preview version so that a mastering engineer could cut a lacquer from an Ampex machine. Mike Spitz at ATR Services made a unique preview modification for Sterling so that they could cut this record using an Ampex. Marino then used a Neumann VMS 80 lathe with a Neumann SX 74 cutterhead."

The sound is incredible, although it is readily apparent that George Marino's mastering leans more towards the sonic spectacular (i.e. audiophile-style) than the musically mesmerizing (music lovers style), probably purposefully so in an effort to show how good these vinyl pressings really are (I do think the QRP pressings are a breakthrough in pressing quality).

The new 45 RPM LP release of Muddy Waters' Folksinger from Analog Productions is also pressed at Quality Records Pressings. The album was cut from the original 1964 Chess analog masters and was mastered by Bernie Grundman, and boy, did Grundman ever nail it! Grundman's version has sound that will please audiophiles and a music lover's presentation that will make you drool. Every single one of these 45 RPM versions from Analog Productions that I have heard have been spectacular, and now with Quality Records Pressings being the source for pressings here on out, the 45RPM reissues that Chad is doing may be the most important thing that has happened in vinyl ever! I am stoked!

The new 45 RPM set of John Coltrane's Blue Train from Analog Productions is fantastic musically, but it is pre- Quality Record Pressings vinyl, which means it is industry standard good rather than spectacular on the pressing front. Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray collaborated on the mastering and really nailed it, a truly wonderful, musical, and sonically exemplary album.

I'm really glad I bought these 3 LPs, and they show how far ahead of digital sound the best vinyl (like this) really is. Not to diss digital, it's a necessary media because a lot of music can only be purchased on digital, so you have to have it, but if you love this music that's coming out on vinyl in 45 RPM, you will not believe the sound quality - it's out of this world!

I just purchased this AcousTech digital stylus force gauge from Acoustic Sounds for $80 USD. I've been using the Shure stylus force gauge for a long time, and I have to say it's a pain in the butt to use, and not worth its $36 USD price. The AcousTech gauge is easy to use, can be calibrated, and makes cartridge setup a snap. It's made in China like Apple iPhones, and has an Apple iPhone quality feel to it. I'm glad I bought it, and I'm so glad to be free of the Shure now.

One thing you need to be aware of with the AcousTech is that the batteries are installed into it still in their shrink-wrap, presumably to prevent a leaker from making a mess, so you have to take the batteries out, remove the shrink-wrap, then put them back in, before it will work. First time I used the AcousTech I found out that my Shure was coming in light on weight, so my cartridge didn't have as much force as I thought it did. Soon as I used the calibrated AcousTech I was able to dial in the weight immediately and correctly, and the sound I got was more musically natural as a result.

Keep those records spinning - thanks for stopping by!