How many times have you ...


bought a remaster from the original tape or otherwise and it sounded worse than your decades old original?  For me it is almost always.  Anyone know the reason a pristine original copy isn’t recorded to a master tape and repressed?  
wlutke
That makes the touting of “original master tapes” as the source of dubious value except to the hot stamper crowd.  The lack of talent or technique in the pressing is keeping us from original copy quality which is readily available regardless of the degradation of the masters if a perfect copy LP is available.  Blaming the master is a common misconception then, generally speaking.


Well yes and no. "Original master" isn't dubious at all. Its the essential first step. But only the first of many. "Touting" it however is perfectly sound marketing. Like megapixels for people who don't know nearly as much about photography as they think they do, original master is a selling point for, you know, same reason.

Also in case you missed it there is no such thing as "original copy quality". The whole point of my post is every single individual copy is its own unique example. No two ever exactly the same means no two ever exactly the same. I could explain all day, or you could play a couple dupes and see for yourself. If you do, as hard as this is to get your mind around reading words suddenly it will all become very obvious when you actually hear it.

The one thing we can say for sure generally speaking is there's nothing we can say for sure, generally speaking. Some masters are indeed superb. Some for sure are not.

This gets obvious real fast when you get into Hot Stampers. My White Hot Rumours was so awesome I couldn't wait to hear Peter Gabriel's So. But while the stamper quality is just as awesome they are two very different recordings. Nilsson Schmilsson is another one, astounding in its awesomeness yet completely different.


I prefer and search for original pressings. Still, paying hundred for a particular copy of Rumours seems questionable! I am not that neurotic!
In your case it may very well be your entire system is balanced for those older recordings. :)


As for me, it kind of depends. I've heard a number of remasters that I honestly can't hear any difference at all, then I bought a RM of Pink Floyd's DSotM and they ruined all the effects. I think the RM was MoFi.


@millercarbon Good post. So I head over to betterrecords.com. Jeez.WHS are expensive. I'm reassured that if I ever become a billionaire, I'll know what to spend some of it on.
I always prefer original pressings, for some BIG names there can be a Japanese pressing from the same tape too. But i try to avoid any modern reissues as much as i can, only if the original will cost a half grand or so. I am more happy to invest in originals (LPs, "12s, "10s or "7s).