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Is OLD vinyl better sounding than NEW vinyl?

Herr Eickhorn

Herr Eickhorn

Born again Alien
I'm new to the world of vinyl, but by reading and experimenting each day I am learning quickly. I just did an experiment that I was hoping would answer some questions for me. However, the results have left me baffled. I now have more questions than when I started. Perhaps the more experienced here can shed some light.

For $125.00 I ordered a Hot Stamper (HS) of the Cars. It was worth the price to satisfy my curiosity. Most of you know the debate that surrounds these LP's.

Then, to compare, I ordered a new MoFi copy from Amazon for $35.00.

Here is a pic so you know I'm legit.

The HS surpassed my expectations. It is clear, crisp, punchy, vivid and dynamic. My collection of LP's is small, but it is easily the best.

The MoFi copy sound, in comparison, just plain sucks. The packaging is elaborate and fine. However, the old HS cover renders the girl more accurate and beautiful. The 180 gram LP is solid and feels like quality. But there is no comparison in sound quality to the HS. The HS blows it away. I'm sending the MoFi copy back.

So this test leaves me with two big questions.....

1) Is old vinyl better sounding than new?
2) Is really good sounding old vinyl rare? After all, I DO NOT want to be buying HS LP's on a regular basis.

Thank you.
 

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The short answer is some old vinyl sounds better than new, but some new vinyl, re-issues, sound better than the old ones.

Not much of an answer, I know, but it's a fact. There is no universal answer. You can only ask about specific titles or pressings, to get an answer that's more than a guess.
 
While I know it's riding the fence, I'd be hard pressed to make a universal claim like that. You'll find an amazing breadth of recording quality in both old and new vinyl.
 
...and some of my reissues fix longstanding problems with the masters.

I don't much care when it's made, I just want good records to spin. Thankfully, there are a great many from which to choose, even with a strict ration of HS records, or even none.
 
Quality with MoFi albums varies, I can't tell much difference between the old and new MoFi Linda Ronstadt's Hasten Down The Wind, but with James Taylor's JT, the difference is UNIMAGINABLE!


Ben aka MacKat
 
One thing is FOR SURE!!
Old vinyl is better than not being able to get it at all.
But All vinyl is fun.
 
Approximately how many $1 flea market/thrift store copies of a common [fill in the blank] album does one need to buy before they find a "hot stamper"? Is it really worth paying these sums for someone else to wade through the stacks? If "hot stampers" are that rare that it requires a full time job to find them, why is this so?
 
mackat said:
Quality with MoFi albums varies, I can't tell much difference between the old and new MoFi Linda Ronstadt's Hasten Down The Wind, but with James Taylor's JT, the difference is UNIMAGINABLE!


Ben aka MacKat
Click to expand...

It seems like MoFi is highly regarded, but this is my second bad experience with them. When I first got my SACD player, I ordered a copy of SRV "Can't stand the Weather." It sounded terrible and I found some other posts where people said the same thing.

The MoFi stuff is incredibly packaged. (Although the girl on the Cars cover looks like she has a rash) I always feel like I'm un-wrapping a Fabergé egg or something. That heightens the anticipation and then the disappointment when the sound is bad.

A positive is that the Cars MoFi LP was dead quiet.
 
Wally Swift said:
Approximately how many $1 flea market/thrift store copies of a common [fill in the blank] album does one need to buy before they find a "hot stamper"? Is it really worth paying these sums for someone else to wade through the stacks? If "hot stampers" are that rare that it requires a full time job to find them, why is this so?
Click to expand...

Those are all great questions that I wondered myself.

I listen to the Cars Hot Stamper and I think I have no problem dropping a grand or two for a nice turntable.

I listen to the Cars MoFi copy and I think I'll stick with CD's.

But having to drop $125 or more for good LP source material is a deal breaker for me. I won't do it and I only did it for this test and to have a demo disk for equipment tests. That's why I was wondering how rare the good LP copies are.
 
Herr Eickhorn said:
It seems like MoFi is highly regarded, but this is my second bad experience with them. When I first got my SACD player, I ordered a copy of SRV "Can't stand the Weather." It sounded terrible and I found some other posts where people said the same thing.

The MoFi stuff is incredibly packaged. (Although the girl on the Cars cover looks like she has a rash) I always feel like I'm un-wrapping a Fabergé egg or something. That heightens the anticipation and then the disappointment when the sound is bad.

A positive is that the Cars MoFi LP was dead quiet.
Click to expand...

At least on my system, I haven't founda MoFi or Nautilus that sounds as clean as a mint copy of the same album on plain label. The Cars debut is so common I'd be curious how to compared to both of your copys?
 
JohnVF said:
If the Hot Stamper thing is legit, wouldn't the new pressing also have them?
Click to expand...

Yup:thmbsp: I don't think a general statement can be made that all old is better than new. There were crappy copies back in the day as today. I have the MoFi copy and enjoy it more than my original copy.....and I didn't spend 125 bucks to find that out, but glad you find it worthwhile :)
 
Enlighten me here... just what exactly is a "Hot Stamper"? I've been spinning vinyl since my youth, but this is the first time I have run across this term.
 
How does a "regular" guy know what these Hot Stampers are, without buying them? I have that red Elektra label, but no idea if my stamper is hot or luke warm. :scratch2: :D Same with that Neil Young/Live Rust, if mine's worth $400, I might be tempted to sell it. :no: ;)
 
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