You're overbudget on gear, one more thing...

"I think one could locate their own "hot stamper" just by crate digging and doing your own comparison."

bimmerman2- That's all it is-find multiple copies of the period release. Not so easy, if we're talking 50+ year old LP's. Most will be noisy/groove damaged, especially if it's something in demand.

Putting in the time and effort does command a premium. You're paying for a cleaning and sifting of MANY LP's to find "the one."

This album has been listed for OVER $500 as a "WHITE HOT STAMPER."

, I found one for $8.00.  There IS a difference. I'm just a poor audiophool though-no "HOT STAMPERS" without doing the heavy lifting.

I wasn't saying it was an easy endeavor, just that I believe in the reality of phenomenal presses compared to others of the same runout numbers, lots of people downplay that it isn't real, or it's foolish to spend that kind of money on an album. Yes, it takes lots of legwork, there's lots of work I hire out, and others do too, same difference. I don't have the manpower or time to go through as many copies as Better Records does, and that's what the prices reflect.