Definitive Audiophile pressings

Okay I fully realize I'm going into vinyl truther territory here, but look...

I've been going crazy because my buddy brought over his Zep 2 2014 remaster a while back and it sounded great, and my Mothership box set always sounded lousy to me. But it's the same digital master. So I bought the individual Zep II album, like him, listened to it, it sounds like the box set, tinny and boosted in the highs. WTF. So I look and discover that both my box set and the individual album were pressed at Optimal, and his album was pressed at Pallas. Same master, same 2014 release, but Pallas. I swear up and down his sounded better, but how could it? It's digital, same master. So today I go and find a copy of the individual 2014 album but pressed at Pallas... my dudes it sounds like his. It IS different. Same master but the Pallas one sounds LIGHT YEARS better than the Optimal.
And it explains why on cogs you've got half the reviews saying the 2014 remaster sounds tinny and trebley, and the other half saying it sounds perfect, the two pressing plants sound completely different!

I'm going to do a proper A/B tomorrow but I swear to god the 2014 Pallas does not have the raised tinny treble of the Optimal. And all the recent represses of these Zep albums are now all Optimal as far as I can tell. Took me forever to find a Pallas one. I SWEAR I'M NOT INSANE
 
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Mather said:
Okay I fully realize I'm going into vinyl truther territory here, but look...

I've been going crazy because my buddy brought over his Zep 2 2014 remaster and it sounded great, and my Mothership box set sounded lousy to me. But it's the same digital master. So I bought the individual Zep II album, like him, listened to it, it sounds like the box set, tinny and boosted in the highs. WTF. So I look and discover that both my box set and the individual album were pressed at Optimal, and his album was pressed at Pallas. Same master, same 2014 release, but Pallas. I swear up and down his sounded better, but how could it? It's digital, same master. So today I go and find a copy of the individual 2014 album but pressed at Pallas... my dudes it sounds like his. It IS different. Same master but the Pallas one sounds LIGHT YEARS better than the Optimal.
And it explains why on cogs you've got half the reviews saying the 2014 remaster sounds tinny and trebley, and the other half saying it sounds perfect, the two pressing plants sound completely different!

I'm going to do a proper A/B tomorrow but I swear to god the 2014 Pallas does not have the raised tinny treble of the Optimal. And all the recent represses of these Zep albums are now all Optimal as far as I can tell. Took me forever to find a Pallas one. I SWEAR I'M NOT INSANE
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Hot take incoming....Pallas > RTI. Fight me. I have never had a single issue with anything pressed at Pallas. Ever.

P.S. I know they polish the metalwork.
 
snoops said:
Hot take incoming....Pallas > RTI. Fight me. I have never had a single issue with anything pressed at Pallas. Ever.

P.S. I know they polish the metalwork.
Click to expand...
Both have sadly fallen off a bit in the past few years. I know Sam Records had to stop using Pallas because they were pressing his albums really poorly.
 
Mather said:
Okay I fully realize I'm going into vinyl truther territory here, but look...

I've been going crazy because my buddy brought over his Zep 2 2014 remaster and it sounded great, and my Mothership box set sounded lousy to me. But it's the same digital master. So I bought the individual Zep II album, like him, listened to it, it sounds like the box set, tinny and boosted in the highs. WTF. So I look and discover that both my box set and the individual album were pressed at Optimal, and his album was pressed at Pallas. Same master, same 2014 release, but Pallas. I swear up and down his sounded better, but how could it? It's digital, same master. So today I go and find a copy of the individual 2014 album but pressed at Pallas... my dudes it sounds like his. It IS different. Same master but the Pallas one sounds LIGHT YEARS better than the Optimal.
And it explains why on cogs you've got half the reviews saying the 2014 remaster sounds tinny and trebley, and the other half saying it sounds perfect, the two pressing plants sound completely different!

I'm going to do a proper A/B tomorrow but I swear to god the 2014 Pallas does not have the raised tinny treble of the Optimal. And all the recent represses of these Zep albums are now all Optimal as far as I can tell. Took me forever to find a Pallas one. I SWEAR I'M NOT INSANE
Click to expand...
Interesting.

I was curious if the dead wax was the same, which even if the digital master was the same, could obviously make a difference if different mastering choices were made upon lacquer cutting. They appear to be different in every way EXCEPT for the fact that they both have JD in the dead wax which should mean they were both cut by the same person, which would be very strange for him to make different choices. Weird.
 
Mather said:
Okay I fully realize I'm going into vinyl truther territory here, but look...

I've been going crazy because my buddy brought over his Zep 2 2014 remaster and it sounded great, and my Mothership box set sounded lousy to me. But it's the same digital master. So I bought the individual Zep II album, like him, listened to it, it sounds like the box set, tinny and boosted in the highs. WTF. So I look and discover that both my box set and the individual album were pressed at Optimal, and his album was pressed at Pallas. Same master, same 2014 release, but Pallas. I swear up and down his sounded better, but how could it? It's digital, same master. So today I go and find a copy of the individual 2014 album but pressed at Pallas... my dudes it sounds like his. It IS different. Same master but the Pallas one sounds LIGHT YEARS better than the Optimal.
And it explains why on cogs you've got half the reviews saying the 2014 remaster sounds tinny and trebley, and the other half saying it sounds perfect, the two pressing plants sound completely different!

I'm going to do a proper A/B tomorrow but I swear to god the 2014 Pallas does not have the raised tinny treble of the Optimal. And all the recent represses of these Zep albums are now all Optimal as far as I can tell. Took me forever to find a Pallas one. I SWEAR I'M NOT INSANE
Click to expand...
Well, if nothing else I certainly appreciate your dedication to the quest! And apparently it paid off. Good on 'ya!
 
snoops said:
Hot take incoming....Pallas > RTI. Fight me. I have never had a single issue with anything pressed at Pallas. Ever.

P.S. I know they polish the metalwork.
Click to expand...
Oh I fully agree but with a digital master I didn't expect them to actually sound different. Sure maybe less pops and clicks or whatever but not actually sound different. I still have to confirm but what I heard when my friend brought his, and what I just heard with my new copy. I'm almost certain.
 
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Mather said:
Oh I fully agree but with a digital master I didn't expect them to actually sound different. Sure maybe less pops and clicks or whatever but not actually sound different. I still have to confirm but when I heard when my friend brought his, and what I just heard with my new copy. I'm almost certain.
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You've peaked my curiosity. Going downstairs to grab my copy and see which press I have.
 
snoops said:
You've peaked my curiosity. Going downstairs to grab my copy and see which press I have.
Click to expand...
Look, I might be nuts. I mean, I probably am. I can't do a real test side by side until tomorrow but even then I don't have two TTs so I have to swap albums but I swear to god those Optimal versions are tinny and trebley and the Pallas isn't.
 
zdkaiser said:
Hot take. Pallas is the best pressing plant in the world. Their records look like etched glass. Flawless.
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I prefer QRP. But they're my top two EVEN THOUGH I have had iffy Pallas presses recently... Never with QRP to my knowledge, well except the Dead box but that's through VMP so that's a whole different thing.
 
Mather said:
Okay I fully realize I'm going into vinyl truther territory here, but look...

I've been going crazy because my buddy brought over his Zep 2 2014 remaster and it sounded great, and my Mothership box set sounded lousy to me. But it's the same digital master. So I bought the individual Zep II album, like him, listened to it, it sounds like the box set, tinny and boosted in the highs. WTF. So I look and discover that both my box set and the individual album were pressed at Optimal, and his album was pressed at Pallas. Same master, same 2014 release, but Pallas. I swear up and down his sounded better, but how could it? It's digital, same master. So today I go and find a copy of the individual 2014 album but pressed at Pallas... my dudes it sounds like his. It IS different. Same master but the Pallas one sounds LIGHT YEARS better than the Optimal.
And it explains why on cogs you've got half the reviews saying the 2014 remaster sounds tinny and trebley, and the other half saying it sounds perfect, the two pressing plants sound completely different!

I'm going to do a proper A/B tomorrow but I swear to god the 2014 Pallas does not have the raised tinny treble of the Optimal. And all the recent represses of these Zep albums are now all Optimal as far as I can tell. Took me forever to find a Pallas one. I SWEAR I'M NOT INSANE
Click to expand...
Yeah, All my Zep albums are those recent reissues that I have picked up when on sale for super cheap and they all sounded good to me. Not amazing but not like shit either.
 
Mather said:
Look, I might be nuts. I mean, I probably am. I can't do a real test side by side until tomorrow but even then I don't have two TTs so I have to swap albums but I swear to god those Optimal versions are tinny and trebley and the Pallas isn't.
Click to expand...
Man my eyes suck. I think I was able to make out R1-535225 A1. I didn't realize there were so many different presses in 2014. 16 according to discogs.

Is this the same one you have?
www.discogs.com

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2014 Vinyl release of "Led Zeppelin II" on Discogs.
www.discogs.com www.discogs.com
 
snoops said:
Man my eyes suck. I think I was able to make out R1-535225 A1. I didn't realize there were so many different presses in 2014. 16 according to discogs.

Is this the same one you have?
www.discogs.com

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2014 Vinyl release of "Led Zeppelin II" on Discogs.
www.discogs.com www.discogs.com
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I have the double LP because it's the only freaking one I could find that was Pallas but the easy way to tell is look for the P USA in the runout but even easier, the code above the Atlantic logo in the lower right corner of the front of the jacket. If it's R1.... It's Pallas, if it's 8122.... it's Optimal.

And look, I don't want to freak anyone out, maybe tomorrow I spin them and they seem exactly that same and I'm just an idiot... stranger things have happened.
 
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Mather said:
I have the double LP beer it's the only freaking one I could find that was Pallas but the easy way to tell is look for the P USA in the runout but even easier, the code above the Atlantic logo in the lower right corner of the front of the jacket. If it's R1.... It's Pallas, if it's 8122.... it's Optimal.

And look, I don't want to freak anyone out, maybe tomorrow I spin them and they seem exactly that same and I'm just an idiot... stranger things have happened.
Click to expand...
Yup looks like the Pallas version. Cranked to 11 right now. It's been a minute since I've spun this.

1659582867288.png
 
snoops said:
Yup looks like the Pallas version. Cranked to 11 right now. It's been a minute since I've spun this.

View attachment 147821
Click to expand...
I think almost everyone in NA that bought this over the past few years got the Pallas version. Up until recently as far as I can tell Optimal was only EU. But the most recent restock appears to be all Optimal. So almost all of you probably have the Pallas.
 
Mather said:
Okay I fully realize I'm going into vinyl truther territory here, but look...

I've been going crazy because my buddy brought over his Zep 2 2014 remaster a while back and it sounded great, and my Mothership box set always sounded lousy to me. But it's the same digital master. So I bought the individual Zep II album, like him, listened to it, it sounds like the box set, tinny and boosted in the highs. WTF. So I look and discover that both my box set and the individual album were pressed at Optimal, and his album was pressed at Pallas. Same master, same 2014 release, but Pallas. I swear up and down his sounded better, but how could it? It's digital, same master. So today I go and find a copy of the individual 2014 album but pressed at Pallas... my dudes it sounds like his. It IS different. Same master but the Pallas one sounds LIGHT YEARS better than the Optimal.
And it explains why on cogs you've got half the reviews saying the 2014 remaster sounds tinny and trebley, and the other half saying it sounds perfect, the two pressing plants sound completely different!

I'm going to do a proper A/B tomorrow but I swear to god the 2014 Pallas does not have the raised tinny treble of the Optimal. And all the recent represses of these Zep albums are now all Optimal as far as I can tell. Took me forever to find a Pallas one. I SWEAR I'M NOT INSANE
Click to expand...
Have you ever considered dumping that damned Ort?
 
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