RunOutGroove
Addicted Member
Funny that in my collection of 1500 or so LPs I don't own any Japanese pressings (OK, iI might have one or two, but they didn't come with that strip thing and would only be noticeable from the fine print). I remember seeing a YouTube video a couple of years ago on the subject and remember the host of the thing pointing out the differences between domestic vs Japanese... which I thought was kind of interesting. The takeaway was that the Japanese pressings were generally much better made from a physical standpoint, with sturdier cardboard sleeves, better quality printing and thicker vinyl. All of that though didn't translate to better sound quality though as the records tended to be mastered differently for that market. There's apparently less bass on those records and the theory was that Japanese are more likely to live in apartment or condo type situations, sharing walls with neighbors so that lots of bass would be seen as more of a liability than an advantage.Tom Port's right, different pressings sound different. Hot stampers have been around since the late 70s thanks to TAS. Anyone else ever notice that many Japanese pressings sound a bit thin/sterile. It's not surprising that he picked his record. The first played was clearly weak compared to the other two, but I didn't notice much of a difference between those two. Didn't do a relisted though. His customer base is folks who have too much money to spend.Visiting his record store would be fun. I liked the video, especially when he brought up 'tube magic'.
