The quest for the hot stamper or is it a myth

Its a White Hot Stamper Fleetwood Mac. Last I looked it showed as sold. 

I just checked and found a few dupes in my collection. Dreamboat Annie, Captain Fantastic, Tumbleweed Connection, Madman Across the Water, Equinox, and Aja. Mostly these were accumulated friends and family who tossed them years ago, which I hadn't bothered cleaning and playing because just looking at them it seemed the ones I had were in better shape. 

So I cleaned them up and last night after getting everything all nice and warmed up and demagnetized I compared a couple. Dreamboat Annie, the easiest thing is to say the ocean waves sounded on one like real ocean surf, with the full range including that subtle low-end component that tells you its far away and powerful. On the other it sounded like white noise. These two copies by the way, unless you know how to decipher dead wax script I don't know how you'd tell them apart- exact same cover, label, etc. Not so Tumbleweed Connection, one on the original MCA label, the other Uni. Not only did the newer Uni sound much worse, it was down a good 4dB in level!

Captain Fantastic, I really wanted the newer looking and much quieter sounding copy to sound better. But it was no contest. The noisy one that nevertheless sounds so much better goes back on the shelf. It really does sound good! I mean just amazingly good!

Madman, my older noisier original MCA is down a good 4dB in level compared to the new 180g, but the heavier one has a hard aggressive edge and lack of harmonic development and depth. Adjusted for volume its not even close.

Now while these differences definitely do exist the difference between the worst and best sounding of them is worth nowhere near $300. So Tom Port has his work cut out for him. On the other hand, all these examples are me comparing between just a few copies. Can't rule out that given enough examples a few might turn up that are far and away better than any that I have.

Seems to me I can't lose. If the White Hot Stamper sounds only a little better than what I have then great, I've got the satisfaction of knowing my copy is about as good as anyone's anywhere. Never gonna waste my time buying 180g or 45 reissues, they will only be more quiet not and really not sound any better, and I get my money back. But if the White Hot Stamper really does sound incredibly closer to the master tape then even better. Now I've got a real stunner.

Hard to see the downside here. Saturday night we will find out.

I think there's something to it because of my personal history. I'm not going to pay 2,3,4,5 + hundred $ for a record though.

Remember what Frank N Furter said.

"Captain Fantastic, I really wanted the newer looking and much quieter sounding copy to sound better. But it was no contest. The noisy one that nevertheless sounds so much better goes back on the shelf. It really does sound good! I mean just amazingly good!"

millercarbon-
What kills me is a Tom Port "WHITE HOT" grade,$300 Tumbleweed Connection isn't necessarily going to play noise free! I believe he once had a Elton John(2nd release) for $600!

FWIW, I've gone through several iterations of this great album, the domestic UNI 73090(dead wax:dtl ps 406)IMO is very good. 

Fortunately I too, can hear through some rough spots, if the music and recording is great.

Anyone seriously bothered by surface noise can easily eliminate it. But then they have to be able to tolerate listening to CDs. 

One of the recommended listening tweaks on Better Records is to demagnetize before listening. They recommend the Talisman, basically an egregiously overpriced demagnetizer. I already have the more powerful, effective, and much more affordable Radio Shack Bulk Tape Eraser, which for years I have used on records and CDs. While I haven't the foggiest idea why (there is nothing in vinyl to demagnetize) the fact is it does work- but not for long. Which is why I found it very interesting that Tom Port says they always demagnetize within 10 minutes of critical listening. 

For years I thought about using this on my speaker cables, etc. But I never bothered because I already have the XLO test CD with its demagnetizing tracks that work on the whole system. So why bother? Well last night I did bother and wow, what an improvement! Takes a while because its designed for 1 min on 30 min off, shutting itself off it it gets too warm, so that it took a while to do the whole system. But just doing the speaker cables was enough to keep me going. Could not believe how much it cleaned up and extended across the board but especially the top end. 

Its the stories like this, telling people to disconnect appliances, and warm
up the system, and demagnetize within 10 minutes, that tells me the guy is legit. But still, to be worth it, its got to be way more than the difference between normal crap pressings and some of the really good ones I already have. For that you only need to try a few examples, or just buy the MoFi or whatever. For the money I paid it needs to be well and truly beyond a shadow of a doubt beyond that. 

I have the system. I have the ears. Tonight we find out.