I think one of the reasons they sound better is that Japanese runs are usually smaller than US pressings. In other words, in the US they may run 100,000 cds of the new Sting cd and in Japan they may run 1000, less room for mistakes. Also a big factor may be the US division label may be more concerned about profit than the smaller divsion(same company)in Japan and they do a better job of quality control.
Why do Japanese-pressed CDs sound better?
I have been trying to answer this question to myself for years now, but I can't seem to come up with a real answer. I have many CDs pressed in Japan and every one of them seems to sound better than the same CD pressed in any other country. So the question is what does Japan do differently than the other countries when they master/press a CD? Even DDD recordings seem to have more depth on Japan pressings. I can't say the difference is earth-shaking, but still it's noticeable to me. Anyone have any ideas? Is it just less jitter on the disc or is it something else?