I'm guessing that by SQ, you mean sound quality? :scratch2: In my experience, Canadian pressings have always sounded really good. Someone else mentioned awhile back, that the music recorded in the U.K., "might" have better masters sent to Canada than the U.S., since us U.S.ers were rude enough to revolt against the Queen, & the Canadians didn't. :scratch2:
I find a few labels are consistently good - A&M, Columbia and WEA. Most Polygram I've ever had are garbage, when their UK equivalents are usually outstanding.
Mostly hit and miss though - just like US LPs..
It is not better masters sent to the Canadians. It is the fact that they are a small country and don't press that many copies of a title so their mastering and stamping is not as mass produced so quality is better. Most 1970's and early 1980's Canadian pressings are usually very fine quality.
It is not better masters sent to the Canadians. It is the fact that they are a small country and don't press that many copies of a title so their mastering and stamping is not as mass produced so quality is better. Most 1970's and early 1980's Canadian pressings are usually very fine quality.
Minor correction. BIG country, with fewer people buying records.
The master dies did not get as worn out is how I understand it. I still wonder about records that never left the catalogue or at least had very long runs. DSOTM for example was said to degrade greatly over the years.
But maybe it's just the air up here.
Indeed, there are exceptions to every rule, High demand titles will get more in line with the USA on pressing runs to a set of stampers. But most Canadian records do sound great when in nice condition. I was referring more about being a small country in record sales than in size.
Canadian 1st pressings of "Led Zeppelin III"(red Atlantic label) and "Sticky Fingers"(COC 59100 cat. #) are said to be some of the best(even definitive) sounding pressings of those LPs. Finding clean copies is the trick. I'm still searching for nice examples of those.
A little off topic,does this apply to records made in other smaller countries?Does anyone feel a particular country is the worst!Sorry OP..couldn't stop myself.BTW. my Canadian pressings are very good indeed.
The Canadian, columbia 6-eye pressing of Sketches of Spain sounds every bit as good as the american pressing.
Being Canadian, I have a lot of Canadian pressings, and many of them sound great. I haven't done enough comparing to other pressings, though.
The one thing I am really curious about though, is Canadian Mercury Living Presence pressings. Some of mine say pressed by Quality Records. Are they of the same quality as the American pressings?