The Wonderful Sounds of Quality Record Pressings 180g 3LP

Michael Fremer Rated 10/11 Music, 9/11 Sonics!

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Celebrate the technical expertise of the world's finest LP pressing plant - Quality Record Pressings - with the finest LP sampler ever assembled!

The Wonderful Sounds of Quality Record Pressings includes music handpicked by Acoustic Sounds CEO Chad Kassem and classical music tracks chosen by the team at Reference Recordings.

Every song meets the criteria of excellent performance, perfect recording and flawless mastering. What better way to celebrate such a monumental anniversary for one of the absolute leading brands in analog high fidelity than with this to-die-for LP sampler? Contains most genres of music - blues, jazz, classical, R&B and female vocals. From now on, you'll only need to carry one demo record around with you.

Vinyl expert Michael Fremer, of Tracking Angle, Analog Planet and Stereophile, gives you a track-by-track tour of the history and production of the songs on this special album.

What separates the world-renowned Quality Record Pressings LPs from other manufacturers? Since Acoustic Sounds CEO Chad Kassem launched QRP in 2011, the focus has been on producing consistently virtually silent vinyl playing surfaces, as well as reproducing details that were hallmarks of vintage labels - the "deep groove" label of Blue Note LPs, for example.

The craft of pressing fine vinyl is perfected in such details. Such as plating lacquers within 24 hours of their arrival at the plant. Cut grooves are prone to change with temperature fluctuations, high humidity and time. The sooner that lacquers are plated, the better the fidelity of the final pressing. Other keys include using a proprietary silver spray formulation, made fresh daily. And incorporating computer microprocessors on their presses to precisely control press functions with absolute precision. And an imbedded temperature sensor in the dye cycles the press with just as much control. The result - more consistency in each LP, high fidelity and reduced distortion. The ultimate sonic advantage.

Most of it was analog sourced, including the APO side, where Kassem had Kevin Gray cut up masters to assemble the running order after which he returned them to their rightful place. Some tracks only exist in digital form, but regardless of sourcing, they all produce 'wonderful sounds' and of course the pressing quality—at least the copy I received—was perfect: 3 quiet, flat 180s. The Stoughton Press triple gatefold package with gold leaf type accents is D-luxe. Inside are photos of the QRP pressing plant and the hard workers who operate the presses and do QC. And of course the liner notes are brilliant.