Welcome to Better Records... a different kind of record store. We specialize in finding vinyl with exceptional sound quality. Every used record on our site comes with a 100% Money Back Guarantee -- if you don't like the sound (or the music!), send it back within 30 days for a full refund. Many of you are probably aware that no two records sound alike. Most folks selling LPs would like to ignore that fact, and for good reason: it presents a logistical nightmare for the average record dealer, who simply does not have the resources to play, clean and evaluate the records he sells. Of course, it's all in a day's work for us. You see, we actually like playing records. That's how we find all the Hot Stampers you see on our site. For our Hot Stamper shootouts we clean and play a large number of pressings -- domestic, import, whatever -- of the specific album and make the copies with the best sound -- those with Hot Stampers -- available to you, the serious audiophile. Try it yourself at home; you might be surprised just how different two apparently identical records can sound. Our Testimonials section is full of letters from customers who were thrilled and even a bit shocked at how much better their Hot Stamper LP sounded compared to the one (or more!) they owned, especially if they had an audiophile pressing.We want to find great sounding records for you, but we also want to help you get more out of the records you already own. There's a huge amount of commentary on the site to help you do just that. The Audio Advice and Random Thoughts sections are both great places to dip a toe in.If you're looking for the best sounding records, be sure to stick with those that have been carefully cleaned and evaluated by us. Regarding the sealed LPs you see on the site, as we haven't played them we obviously can't guarantee their sound or pressing quality. Our very best records go in our weekly mailer, which is sent to our active customers. With your first LP purchase you will automatically be added to our mailing list. Most of the best sounding records we find never make it to the site; being on the mailing list guarantees you a crack at them.The links below should help you get acquainted with our site. We know it can be a bit overwhelming and difficult to navigate, so be sure to drop us a line if you have any questions about how to find the records you are interested in.Thanks for visiting. Please consider taking a few of our Better Records home for a spin. We think you will find that the sound quality of these very special pressings more than justifies their price. Or your money back.
A Survival Guide
If you’ve read through these links and still have questions, please feel free to email us at tomport@dccblowout.com and we will do our best to answer them.
The Four Pillars of Success
We discuss each and every one of them in scores of commentaries and listings on this very site. Although none of it will come as news to anyone who has spent much time on the site, we cobbled together this commentary to help formalize the process and hopefully make it easier to understand and follow.
And Why You Shouldn’t Care
We like to say it’s not about the audio you have, it’s about the audio you do: how you set up your system, what you’ve done to treat your room, how good your electricity is and all the rest. Our current system is described below.
How Many DOES It Take to Find One?
Yes, It Is Taking Too Long
So Sorry!
Let me take this opportunity to give a more comprehensive answer, since the concept of Hot Stampers is not particularly well understood by the audiophile community outside of our admittedly rather small customer base. Only those who have spent a great deal of time reading the reviews and commentary on the site are likely to understand the importance of stampers. This is partly my fault, as this issue of stamper variability and quality is spread out all over the place, exactly where no one really knows.
