Hot Stamper - myth or reality?

Now, I'm heart broken! I decided to look in my pile of older, not so clean LPs and there it was: Led Zepelin II with the now infamous "RL" in the dead wax! Son of a **%**. Does that qualify as a hot stamper? Duh, I guess so.
I've had it sitting these all along since when it first came out.
Now I've gotta try my best to clean in up.

Ebuzz- there is a fair amount of discussion on the web about the 'RL' cut of LZ II. The biggest issue with these is that many are trashed. Check to see if it is inscribed 'RL' on both sides- some copies are not. The preferred copy is apparently one with the RL and 'SS' (Sterling Sound) markings on both sides, and with narrower deadwax on side two. It took me a while to find a quiet, minty copy, but even one that is VG+ will give you a sense of what this record can deliver. It's a good one.

PS There are also RL mastered copies of The Band's self-titled album with the lime green Capitol label - another jewel, musically and sonically.

Good article from Wired on hot stampers. What do you think about the playback system used?

It was a pretty balanced article, i guess. Tom Port is not without controversy and this didn't really stir up anything new. As to the system, doesn't surprise me- there were a lot of well-known engineers who monitored over pretty middle of the road speakers to make sure what they were hearing reflected the 'average home stereo'; however, I would assume that the folks who are paying for Port's selections have systems that are far more than average; on the other hand, since every system has its own sonic signature, maybe this mid-fi receiver approach really is, if not "neutral" in a musical sense, then truly middle of the road in terms of sonic character (neither warm nor analytical). I don't subscribe to the 'old pressing is always best' but I do find, more often than not, that the right old pressing has a quality that is more 'of a piece' than a lot of remasters, which may sound more "audiophile" and impressive, but less musical. Perhaps just a matter of taste. I've never bought anything from Port and for those who do buy from him, more power to you. I guess I'd rather go to the trouble of sourcing multiple pressings and do my own leg work, at far less cost. (Of course, that means in some cases, that I have many copies of the same record).