The guys over at Better Records offer records they call Hot Stampers, which are records that they have selected by ear that they say are much better sounding than the average pressing from any given run, or of the many available versions of a given album.

The Better Records guys fan the flames of debate by dissing audiophile style reissues, saying "... the record that will do the best job of communicating the music through its superior sound quality -- is almost never going to be the one marketed to him as an Audiophile Pressing."

While I've heard some remarkably bad 'audiophile' vinyls reissues (which always pisses me off after paying top dollar for them), I've also heard some really good ones, and overall I'm in the category of thinking that more records being pressed is in general a very good thing, audiophile or not.

However, the Better Records guys have lots of interesting things to say on the subject (1, 2, 3, 4) that's worth reading and knowing about, whether you care or not.

I'm not sure I really care about whether every record I have in my collection is the best version of it or not (which is probably good because I can't afford 'hot stamper' pricing), but I have to say that I really do enjoy finding a 'hot stamper' in my collection when it happens, and I'd prefer to have the best sounding version of a record I could, everything being equal.

My first run-in with a 'hot stamper' was a long time ago, when I bought some album test pressings from Acoustic Sounds. Back in the old days test pressings were offered with no fanfare, and they were dirt cheap (often half the price of the later production run), which was why I bought them.

I found that - more often than not - test pressings sounded particularly good compared to any other versions of the album I heard. I told my buddy Stephaen (6Moons) about the test pressings and he too snapped up the ones he could find. We were stoked!

Unfortunately, I made the boneheaded move of writing about how good the test pressings were, and the capitalist swine (humor alert) at Acoustic Sounds jacked the price of them up as far as the market would bear, and I could no longer afford to buy them. Bummer.

I've seen that happen with a number of things I've written about, and it always bums me out, but I figure you deserve to know about the test pressings, the SCPH-1001s, the Western Electric WE16GA, etc., of the world, so you can get in on the fun before the market price goes ape-shit, like it is doing right now with Western Electric WE16GA, for example.

The test pressing I have of the Analogue Productions version of Miles Davis' Cookin' pressed back in May of 1995, is still the best sounding example of that album I've ever heard, and by a lot. It truly is what the guys over at Better Records refer to as a 'hot stamper'.

After word got out about test pressings, Acoustic Sounds started charging a bunch for test pressings, and said on their web site:

"Test pressing LPs are the very first to come off the stampers and are thus closer to the sound of the master tape. LPs of this type are not usually offered for sale to consumers but are used by record companies for evaluation purposes. It is only after the test pressings are approved that the actual LPs can be pressed. Test Pressings are typically packaged in plain white jackets with blank record labels. Occasionally there will be hand-written catalog numbers, pressing dates or other pertinent information on the covers and /or labels. As would be expected, quantities are extremely limited (many are one-of-a-kind) and all are sold on first come, first serve basis."

So imagine my surprise when Acoustic Sounds recently had a sale on test pressings and they said almost, sort of, a waffling opposite:

"A vinyl test pressing is just that, a test to be evaluated by the band, label, or re-issuer prior to the print run being started. If the Test Pressing is deemed acceptable, the retail run of the product begins. Test pressings have a white or plain label, and they are in a plain white jacket. There is no identifying marking on a test pressing, save for the serial number in the dead wax of the LP. Ideally, a test pressing will sound exactly like its retail issue counterpart- there is very little, if any, audio difference between the test pressing and the regular issue. The reason for their higher price is their considerable collectability, not for superior sound. As with most things, there is a exception to the above stated rule. When dealing with a vintage test pressing (i.e. pre 1987 or so) you may actually hear a sonic advantage. This has to do with the large size of print runs during vinyl’s heyday. Print runs were so large during the golden era of LP's that copies done early in the print run often sounded better than copies done late in the print run, due to degradation of the stamper over the course of the run. Obviously, test pressings were the first pressings from those stampers, so a slight audio advantage may be obtained in some cases. In the modern era of LP pressing, however, the print run sizes are so comparatively small that no degradation occurs during the printing process, and the test pressing sounds virtually identical to the retail product."

Well, waffling opposite or not, the sale at Acoustic Sounds offered an opportunity to get test pressings for less than their production version progeny again, so I ordered up some test pressings for myself.

I wasn't disappointed. Indeed, they turned out to be great sounding versions of those albums, so I wanted to let you know about them before they're gone and prices go  ape-shit again!

My first test pressing from the sale is the 45RPM version of Ella Fitzgerald's Fine and Mellow that was pressed in March of 2006. Great record. If you can't get the test pressing, the production version is very nice too.

The next one is the 45RPM version of Charlie Byrd's Byrd at the Gate that was pressed in October of 2004. This test pressing is phenomenal, and the music is wonderful. Again, if you can't score a test pressing go for the production version, you won't be sorry.

Next up is the 45RPM version of Miles Davis' The Modern Jazz Giants that was pressed in August of 2004. Great test pressing, great music, and as with the others, if you can't find the test pressing, adding the 'regular 45' to your collection is still a good choice and will put a smile on your face.

Ok, my final recommendation is the 45RPM test pressing of Gene Ammons' Nice an' Cool that was pressed in August 2005. Another fantastic test pressing of truly beautiful music, and one you will not want to be without regardless of the version you can find.

Don't be dismayed if you can't afford the exorbitant prices that are being asked for some of these records, chances are most of you will be as happy with representative good sounding albums of your favorite music.

But hey, if you want to try some of the best examples of what records can offer, and the price isn't an issue, then by all means go for it, and enjoy!

I plan to keep on bringing you news about high-value examples of 'hot stamper' records, Western Electric wire, vacuum tubes, audio gear, or what have you, as I run across them, and their eventual sky-high capitalistic swine market prices be damned!

Thanks for stopping by!