Better Records vs MoFi


I’ve read about Better Records on the site. They listen to endless copies of records & separate out the amazing sounding pressings. I can understand because of many variables, some sound better than others. But, can a great sounding regular pressing sound better than a half speed master? Doesn’t a HSM have more music data on it?

I don’t want to go down a rabbit hole. If the BR premise holds up then there are certainly better pressings of Dark Side of the Moon etc. I’m not concerned with that. I’m also not interested in cost or “X sucks, I’d never buy one.”

tochsii

it goes both ways. Some records, original, pristine condition sound dull, surprisingly uninspiring. And some, from the bottom of Goodwil’s bin, cover falling apart, crystal clear, rich and mesmerizing level of detail

I read the BR blog all the time and appreciate what I have learned. It is just one, but an important data point. To date I have not bought one as I have acquired most of my albums years ago….What pressing/stamper might have the best average sounding copy and the right tail Hot Stampers. 
 

The way I look at it, if someone is looking for a great sounding copy of a favorite LP their pricing model seems fair… Example…

 

They know from history only (only they know this true along with a few buyers) the US Sticky Fingers 1971 ATCO/Broadway OG from Monarch or Sonic win shootouts… This is an important edge.*assumption as example

 

The cost today to buy 8-10 copies in real VGplus condition or better is probably $100 per record, maybe more..They expect the shootout to yield 2 Hot Stampers, Those get sold for $700 on average and they lose a bit on the other LP’s. 
Sometimes they have one LP they sell for over $1000, they can also have a failed shootout, even the winner does make the grade..

Just trying to highlight the information edge..
 

The buyer gets money back if not happy. Clearly only for someone that wants this best sound…

 

I personally have 10-12 copies of the album, my favorite. Probably bought at $25 average cost over the years. Half because of condition issue would not qualify. With my remaining 5-6 clean copies I don’t even know if even one has a chance of winning a shootout. 
 

Someday they will get cleaned again and if can get somebody to help me with a shootout, compare them to one of theirs…

You all have been great thank you. Edisoncarter, thanks for explaining its bandwidth for a HSM. I’m now curious, if there’s a white hot stamper for a regular pressing of an album. Not that they sell them but, if I gathered 50 Mofi copies of Dark Side of the Moon, would there be a white hot stamper of them? Or, does their QC weed out the non WHS quality pressings? Just Curious 

Tochsii - 

Funny thing, I sold my Old-School Harvest DSOTM about two weeks ago.

But before I did, I did a full length, side-to-side comparison against my MoFi copy.  It was not even close.  The MoFi was so much better.  Better clarity, better dynamics, and quieter.  Sorry if this muddies the water, but the data are what the data are.

 

Why versus only MoFi? Analogue Productions has reissued far more titles than has MoFi. And better titles, too. There are many other reissue labels doing better work than MoFi.