Woodvale, "You have your work cut out". Concentrate finding copies on the Columbia Custom label.
A CBS half speed release which I thought was good years ago is "pathetic" comparing them side by side.
The few truly great sounding Rock Lps in my collection are few, I mean mind blowing great. The Wall and Meddle are other Pink Floyd examples that are out there with truly stunning sonics for Rock.
The Japan Master Sound is very good compared to a domestic release. I also own a first pressing from the UK, it is wrapped in the blue cello this is also another great sounding pressing. I like the japan pressings better especially if done by Oden Records.
I have about 12 pressings of "wish you were hear" including about 8 domestic USA copies, a CBS 1/2 speed, a domestic USA Half speed and a German pressing.
The Japan CBS 1/2 vinyl is dead quite and very clear sounding but is lifeless and lacks the energy and rich tone of the Pink Floyd music. Completely non vibrant. Avoid it if you like listening to music.
The Columbia Domestic 1/2 speed is digital reissue from about 1984 and has a hard non musical edge to it. This copy has alot of detail but with the analog magic and energy gone I want to turn this record off after one minute of play. Say way from this dud.
The German copy sounds good overall but still lacks the power, powerfull bass and energy of the best Domestic copies.
The standard Columbia Domestic copies are all over the place sonically. A few are excellent, most sound fair and a few sound vailed and poor. The bad news is the qualiaty of the 1975 vinly is poor and it is very hard to find a noiseless pressing that sounds Excellent. I finally gave up and bought a Hot Stampler from Tom Port in 2008 that was quiet and sounded Awesome especially on side 2.
Good luck on your search as this is a tough nut to crack.
So what make the expensive Tom Port HOT STAMPER one sound better? He sure know how to market LP's though. Which pressing was is that you bought from him?
The Tom Port Hot Stampler sounds Rich, full body, vibrant with great clarity and presence. The energy and power are superb although one side clearly sounds better than the other. It is a Columbia USA domestic copy. The funny thing is that in the past I always thought my Japanese Master sound 1/2 speed was the best sounding copy of Pink Floyds masterpiece "Wish You were Hear" but in comparison the better sounding domestic copies make the Japanese 1/2 speed sound lifeless and pale.
Cool. I did buy a Zeppelin Hot stamper from him but found it was very ticky though the LP did sound nice. Good new is I didn;t spend the high dollar amount he demands on so many of his Hot Stamper. Sometimes I think if you search long enought you'll find the right stamper for your taste at 90% off his prices. But who has the time these days to do that kind of searching.
Ditto my 1975 copy on Columbia domestic is the best I have heard. Fortunately I was old enough by then (18) to know it was important to take good care of my records. It still sounds marvelous.
Better Records just had three of these on their hot stampers list. $499 super duper copy $399 Super copy $299 Excellent copy. WOw and they all sold within a day. So much for a recession. Funny thing was they where all custom lable which some have said wasn't as good as a plain ole domestic. Go figure. If you find a copy for $4.99 and you like it well you just saved yourself a ton of $$$$
My first copy of WYWH was an 8 track tape. Sounded good, to me! Much later I aquired the LP just for the artwork. And the cool blue shrink wrap. Was played on a Dual table with V15 III cart. And several generations of electronics. Too bad I dumped my vinyl in 87 or so. Never gonna be able to get that stuff back again....
After years of buying every WYWH in sight, my best is an early 80's columbia JC33453. Quiet quality pressing, a little rolled, wooly bass, blustery midrange. Beats my early UK Harvest by a mile.
I have had good luck with the orig US release...although I paid a bit of premium at a HiFi shop...and they ran it thru some mega $$$ cleaning machine....sounds amazing...i also have CBS master sound CD which is nice as well...wasn't blown away by recent reissues...
I have the UK first press, and the black shrink was one of several attributes of the packaging, there was other indicia as well that had to do with how the jacket was cut, but my memory fails me. These early UK pressings sound pretty good, but I suspect there is less difference between the UK and US on this album than there may be with Dark Side.
I know this is a vinyl thread... But fwiw...I also have a Japanese CD pressing that sounds very good... Stumbled upon it by accident. I also have a backup domestic LP but it is noisey in spots hence the reason I shelled out for a proper copy.
Having dozens of WYWH issues on vinyl, it was very interesting to compare them face to face. Obviously most US 1-st LP presses sound different to UK 1-st presses (in terms of rock music at least), but in a case of WYWH, that difference is not so much surprisingly. Both are have a very good low bass definition, full of vibrations and very delicate highs. It seems, that even more interesting on that LP to make comparison between new and vintage cartridges, it`s real pleasure to feel that difference. Think, the magnet systems inside vintage MC cart, make a big deal.
Just adding an interesting fact regarding the "Hot Stamper" reference.
My local record store has had "scouts" from the HS camp, going thru the bins. This was several years ago.
Yes, some of those $400 copies are indeed, $6 buck, regular presses. That guy has a great business model, for those who afford it. No different than any other service, if you're willing to pay for it. Buy 5 copies for cheap, ultrasonic cleaning and one of those copies is likely to stand out.
I listen to the same amazing albums he decribes on the website. Difference being $394 and my system isn't on the same level. Just as "tubey" as he likes to describe things.
I have a fabulous run of the mill Columbia, and IMO sounds more convincing to what I believe is the most recent reissue(purchased 6 years ago?)
Rock reissues always seem to play with pumped up bass. Maybe a good thing for a Best Buy budget rig?
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