Led Zep Reissue on vinyl

Just go to Hoffman's site- there's a ton of comparisons there with all sorts
of pressings of Zep and other things. I've barely scratched the surface, and
I'm hardly an expert, on Zep vinyl or other records- just done the research
and listened. (I have a friend that knows matrix numbers and first pressings
off the top of his head- I'm not anywhere close to that level of knowledge).
(Occasionally, I get lucky too!)
I've found that the albums I buy the most pressings of are
those which aren't terribly good recordings in the first place. I can't tell you
how many different pressings of Aqualung i have (i could, but it would be
embarrassing); all in the quest to find one that sounds 'good.'
Zep 1 is probably my favorite of their catalog, first heard it when it was
released, and for me, that combo of blues-based hard rock was the most
interesting to me- granted, other people like other Zep albums as the band
evolved. Unfortunately, to me, the first album always sounded a little
'canned'-
congested, sluggish, and lacking in 'life' and vividness. But, when you hear
a better sounding pressing, you realize it doesn't have to be that way. None
of these pressings get to the level of 'audiophile' (in the non-pejorative
sense of the word). The Classics, imo, give you a more open, detailed
sound; the Monarch Piros of LZ 1 seems to have more drive. The RL of II is
a well-known grail record- pretty pricey even for a VG+ and elusive as hell
in really minty condition.
That's one of the reasons I'm interested in these newest remasters. Not
everybody is going to go to the trouble to track down the 'right' old
pressings, or pay the prices some of them (the LZII RL) command, and the
Classics aren't really cheap either. But, dig in, the research is actually kind
of fun if you are patient; and if you are a bottom feeder, you can sometimes
find some of these early pressings in the bins or on the Bay.

Wow Whart, thanks for the schooling. I'm sure I'll be referring back to your posting many times.

I just ordered all 3 albums for only 60 bucks.
Can't wait.

PS- on IV, i think it is Porky/Pecko not Piros mastering, but I'd have to go check. Not terribly expensive.

I'm still waiting for mine to be shipped, even though I pre-ordered them (Deluxe vinyl, with the extra tracks) back in March. There are several threads on the Hoffman site going now, including one specifically for each of the formats. As the Rockitman knows, I have quite a few pressings of these, and have compared even more.
On LZ 1, the Piros/Monarch circa 1974 is very, very good; the best pressing I heard on my system was a Monarch pressed in 69, but hard to find. I also have the Classic 33 and the 45. The 74 era Monarch should be findable for under $100. We did a shoot out last year with first UK, first US (east coast) and first US (Monarch) and the Monarch had more of the 'freight train' delivery associated with the 'RL' of LZII. I haven't had a chance to compare the 69 Monarch with the 74 Monarch.
On LZII, i had to go through several 'RL's' to find one that wasn't chewed up. It's pretty impressive because of its 'drive'- the notorious 'hot' cut that got pulled from the market. I have not heard the 45 rpm Classic and have a few other old copies- the RL, which is my 'go to' is quite expensive.
On LZ III, my go-to is a Classic III, which is pretty good for this record, given the acoustic stuff and midrange. I haven't bothered to try early UK and US, though I probably have some US copies languishing in the stacks.
LZ IV- can't remember, think it is a Piros, but would have to check. Not very expensive. I do have a Classic 45 rpm test pressing of Stairway- it's fun.
HOTH- if I remember this is the other 'RL'- and not expensive.
PG- I have a sort of first UK (albeit with a "5" stamper on the B side of the first record). The earliest UK pressing is expensive (I think it is 1/4/1/1) but the 1/5/1/1 stamper copy is not very pricey.
I'm not against sourcing from a digital master. If you are a Tull fan, you know that Benefit is very congested sounding- I have a UK first, a US first and a bunch of other copies. The recent remix by Steve Wilson (if memory serves) sounds better than either and it is digitally sourced.
Whether these new releases are the 'best' may be doubtful, but for the price, and given the fact that finding the right copies of the old pressings is somewhat time consuming, if not expensive (and the Classics are also expensive), I was willing to buy these just for the sake of hearing them.
(I'm really into the first two albums, after that, my interest wanes).

Originals in EX or better condition are the best, but pricey. Classic records reissues substantially worse sonically, but lower background tracking noise.
MFSL sounds very poor on nearly all of releases. Seems like sound from the barrel with boosted bass and trebble.

Rockitman,

If you have a set of the OOP Classics sitting around collecting dust that you'd like to unload cheap, just let me know :)

They are digital remasters. You are probably better off with the h-rez files. Get the OOP Classic reissues or the originals for best sounding vinyl zep.

Good news mate.keep us informed

They were just released today. I'm waiting to hear as well.