Pressing quality from nation to nation

its a crapshoot today, and many pressings float into all territories anyway.

In terms of low noise, low distortion, and general quality control, the best lp
pressing, IMHO, are the ones from JVC Victor in Japan.

Hi,
living in SA and having mostly local pressings as 2nd hand source, never mind other (older?) ones from Zim and so forth. There is NO CONTEST with most imports, even when done in the old East-Block like Czechoslovakia or USSR.

As to the more current new stock, I have some pretty noisy CLASSIC Records pressings (Pictures.., Zaratustra, Theme on Pagani, a dull! Rachmaninov No.3, etc.) at >30$ pretty disappointing --- and even a **warped** Test-records from AcousTech, packed to fast with glue-solvent marks.
Are getting right back to this late 80s crappy vinly junk?!

Plenty of older late 60s/70s/early 80s 2nd-hand imports from Germany, USA, most UK, definitely Phillips Holland, sound cleaner than some new 180g vinyl made in US, that comes with scratches and noisy start wax and first band. Made in South America or God knows where?
I now rather spend 2-3$ on used stuff and if too bad simply dump it.
Greetings,
Axel

As a rule,avoid pressings from the former USSR,Eastern Europe,South America,Israel,Lebanon,etc.

Howard you don't mention what 1991 Lp your looking for.
If this music is something you just have to have, try to find this particular recording from the country of origin preferably a first release.
Provided the recording was done well in the first place you may verywell end up with a gem of a pressing, great music with sonics to match.

However sometimes a later re-issue turns out better then an original first release.