Audiophile LP's

Dear @smotojo : You are rigth, I own Linn LPs and are very good.

R.

Has anyone mentioned the Water Lily Acoustics, ’A Meeting By The River’? All SE tubed recording chain, to a two track, 1 Inch RTR and no effects or compression. Gorgeous miking/mixing/sound and natural hall ambiance. Won a Grammy.  Not certain if the pressings are as good now, as when it came out, BUT- still available.

Blue Öyster Cult: Agents of Fortune (CBS UK 1976).
Bought it for Xmas 1976. Years later when I first listened it with true HQ cartridge I was blown away as the whole sound/music space became visible with unbelievable refined and nuanced sound in mid and high register especially... suddenly Albert Bouchard´s symbals filled the landscape, dancing and shining and sparkling as if the sound came from another another world. Buck Dharma´s solo on "Don´t fear the Reaper" raised straight into the high sky and cut like a scythe, it was both terrifying and very beautiful at the same time. The sound is nothing but absolutely fantastic. To make it better is a very hard job, for any record manufacturer of today. Actually I tried one "180 g high quality" reissue but sold it shortly afterwards.
I have a couple of other rock albums which actually are like audiophile quality so I don´t need "audiophile quality" LPs to judge my system.

Many valuable suggestions of course, but perhaps a more generalized approach could be helpful as well. Here are some basic guidelines I've found useful in many years of record collecting:

1. Some labels had higher sonic standards than others and are now considered 'audiophile', even if that term hadn't even been invented when these records were recorded and pressed. Why? Because they hired or employed recording and mastering engineers that strived for something which has become an outdated concept in the music industry: quality. I suppose we all know which labels we're talking about and most have already been mentioned here.

PS: so far no mention of French Harmonia Mundi, but the Paniagua recordings (e.g. La Tarantule or La Spagna) are some of the most spectacular sounding records you will ever find as well as being  musically valuable. 

2. From those labels, pressings from the label's country of origin are generally the best. Perhaps because the engineers had access to the original master tapes, while engineers in other countries often  had to work with second generation copies of that master tape.

3. The earliest pressings are generally the best, although the mastering equipment is likely to have improved over time and we should also consider the possibility of a learning curve. But it seems that having access to a 'freshly' recorded original master tape is the best guarantee for top sound.

4. From those earliest pressings the records with the earliest stampers are generally the best. Probably because they were based on 'fresh' lacquers made from these still 'fresh' master tapes. This can usually be derived from the information on the 'dead wax' (stamper codes, etc.). 'Audiophile' collectors are prepared to pay a premium for these copies. While snobbery is certainly part of the 'allure', there are good reasons from a sonic point of view.

5. Within each pressing run from any stamper, the earliest copies coming from the presses are usually best, as stampers wear out with each copy pressed. Unfortunately there's no way to distinguish them, except by listening. This is where the 'hot stamper' service is useful, although in my opinion making such discoveries yourself is much more fun.

Caveat: these are general guidelines, so there are ALWAYS exceptions. But this has served me well in establishing the 'hierarchy' in sound quality as well as finding the 'sweet spots', where top sonics and a reasonable price level meet. Of course these 'discoveries' are the most fun of all......