An. Prod. reissues: 45RPMs vs 33RPM test pressing.


Hello friends,
about the Analog Production reissues: in terms of sound quality, you think should be considered better the 45RPM's or the 33 1/3's test pressing ones?

Best.
Ezio
eziodoc
There is no doubt the 45rpm pressings offer better sound. The tradeoff is the higher price and the hassle of needing to get up to change the record more frequently.
specifically regarding 33rpm test pressings; they are rarely much different from the regular pressings....i have maybe a dozen of them and the corresponding regular pressing. a couple are possibly a bit more vivid. in no case are they close to the 45rpm pressing.

so if the choice is to pay a premium for the 33rpm test pressing or the 45rpm......buy the 45rpm every time.

now if you talk about a 33rpm direct-to-disc then that is a different issue. but of course; it would be unlikely to find a 33rpm DTD and a 45rpm of the exact same recording.....i've not seen that.
Ok, I understand, thank you.
But... Why AcousticSounds sells the J. Warnes box (3 45RPM lp's) at $79 (now $99) ant same Famous Blue raincoat reissue, test pressing, at $299 ?? It's crazy..
And the cynical among us would additionally say that there now must be hundreds of "test pressings" given how many I see offered for sale over such extended periods of time. As Eziodoc says, "It's crazy.." Keep in mind that real test pressing are just that: TEST pressings. They may not be as good as the final production press run. There are reasons they make these.
Amen! I'd rather have a copy in the first few hundred pressings that a test.
In the case of the Acoustic Sounds Fantasy 45rpm "Test Pressings" they are the same sonically as the regular 45rpm records. According to Chad Kassem they were pressed prior to the first number "001".

In my view they sould not be called "Test Pressings" rather a more accurate term is "Pre-Production Pressings". Chad indicated 50-100 TP's were made for each of the Fantasy 45 titles.

Johnny
I look for the best Bang for the Buck....orginal 33 pressing VG + and I'm Happy...
Test press are for musicians (if they are alive) and producers for approval. They are NOT FOR SALE. Without approval of the test press no one will press the rest. Test press is a final test for quality. Normally it’s 5-10 test press copies, but for such a huge label as Analog Production they can make 500-100 test press (too much in my opinion), but they can sell them later for crazy price!

The most valuable test presses are definitely NOT REISSUE, but a vintage test press of the ORIGINAL release made decades ago in very small quantity (few copies). Before test press there is an acetate cut (the rarest thing as it can be only one off).


Dear @eziodoc  : "   It's crazy.. ", it's way more than that: it's a total scam and a way to make $$$$ taking it from in good faith audio lovers.

The owner is taking advantage of each one of us ignorance levels in that specific regards.

That's a " number's game " scam.

Where is the problem down there that permits the scam?: WE ARE the problem that even that over the years some already took in count of the " scam " even that we follow paying premium prices for it.

Many years ago Ch.Kassem ( AS owner. ) made one of his first " number's game " offer when ask premium money in advance for a numbered pressings of different titles ( we must suscribe to the offer. ) ( I think 500 of each title. ) where if I had the number 58 suscription then that means that the  LP number 58 pressed was for me and that's what I will recieve: the number 58 LP pressings in all the other titles will be the 58.

I suscribed that very first time to offers like that but because always exist a but: in reality I can't know if he really pressed only 500 LP for each title instead 1,500 and obviously I can't know ( till today ) if of all those 1.5k pressing the number 58 was in reality the ones I received ! ! ? ?

$$$$$$ is $$$$$$ and sometimes it does not matters how to get it.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.


Raul my friend,,

note that the post from "eziodoc" is 13 years old, from 2008. then farther above you can see my old post too.

it’s always a bit bizarre when someone resurrects a 10+ year old thread. readers just scanning the posts do not always realize it.

btw; i do agree that reissues do sometimes seem to have an abundance of test pressings. i own a few of Chad’s and never heard anything special compared to the production pressings. but they are not worse either.

caveat emptor. mostly not worth paying a premium. the reason i bought them or were given them was that the title had not yet been released. and i have a couple where the title never got released (those have more value. :-))

cheers,

Mike
yet interesting revisit more than a decade later as Chad has built an analog juggernaut…..

I have yet to be disappointed in a 45 rpm release from AP

enjoy the music
Dear @mikelavigne  : My fault. 

Anyway, over the years in reality we are paying premium prices for different formats of the same title LPs and for re-issues and not only Acoustics Sounds but all LP manufacturers even that we give them very good money no one of them takes seriously his business looking to the consumer needs that at least you, me and every one else need " perfect " concentric LP holes ( all comes center-off. ) and flat LP surface.

All manufacturers can do it and not only that what we pay for each LP includes that kind of manufacturer responsability but due that almost no one claim to them and we follow buying those faulty LPs the manufacturers irresponsability only cares to us.

That's the big business of LP's. It's pity and shame of them.

R.


I feel these really expensive issues are for the people who have to have them ,to feed there there hunger to have the best at any cost......Everyone hearing changes as we get older.So maybe it's just us.Werextold this new issue sounds better .So we say Oh! I must be losing out on the new sound.Really ....They are reissuing albums like crazy.its a business if your here on this site you probably will buy  them or at least a few....