You've inadvertantly muddled several different things together and drawn bad conclusions as a result.
The number one factor in sound quality is the talent of the recording engineer. Going from tube to solid state never was a factor because the best recording engineers always used the best as selected by ear. But then the next number one factor is the mastering. Then with records you get the real number one problem: the pressing!
Which is why I am with tablejockey, the pressing is the problem. Tom Port deserves major credit for recognizing just how much variability there is between seemingly identical pressings of the same record.
Also besides finding absolutely stunning sound quality records you will find an impressive amount of information at better-records.com it is unfortunately scattered around the site and hard to find, but its as accurate as it is hard to believe. Honestly until you hear a White Hot Stamper you have no idea what the recording quality was. You only know what the pressing quality is of the particular copy random chance put in your hand.
That is not to say all White Hot Stampers are created equal. Peter Gabriel So, Fleetwood Mac Rumours, Tom Petty Southern Accents, and the Beatles Help! (to name a few of mine) are all completely different recordings, White Hot or otherwise. It is not like The Rolling Stones or Bruce Springsteen are going to magically sound all audiophile perfect just because Tom Port found a good pressing. They simply did not put a lot of effort into recording quality, and it shows. Although even here there are exceptions, as Darkness on the Edge of Town, maybe because of The Mastering Lab? https://www.better-records.com/product.aspx?pf_id=sprindarkn_1910_4 I don't know. Mention it only to make the point vinyl is so individualized you have to be careful making generalizations about it.
The number one factor in sound quality is the talent of the recording engineer. Going from tube to solid state never was a factor because the best recording engineers always used the best as selected by ear. But then the next number one factor is the mastering. Then with records you get the real number one problem: the pressing!
Which is why I am with tablejockey, the pressing is the problem. Tom Port deserves major credit for recognizing just how much variability there is between seemingly identical pressings of the same record.
Also besides finding absolutely stunning sound quality records you will find an impressive amount of information at better-records.com it is unfortunately scattered around the site and hard to find, but its as accurate as it is hard to believe. Honestly until you hear a White Hot Stamper you have no idea what the recording quality was. You only know what the pressing quality is of the particular copy random chance put in your hand.
That is not to say all White Hot Stampers are created equal. Peter Gabriel So, Fleetwood Mac Rumours, Tom Petty Southern Accents, and the Beatles Help! (to name a few of mine) are all completely different recordings, White Hot or otherwise. It is not like The Rolling Stones or Bruce Springsteen are going to magically sound all audiophile perfect just because Tom Port found a good pressing. They simply did not put a lot of effort into recording quality, and it shows. Although even here there are exceptions, as Darkness on the Edge of Town, maybe because of The Mastering Lab? https://www.better-records.com/product.aspx?pf_id=sprindarkn_1910_4 I don't know. Mention it only to make the point vinyl is so individualized you have to be careful making generalizations about it.