Don't really care if it sounds good but of course lying is lying and that "all analog from original master tapes" has been used as reasoning for the high price also.
Yes, and no.
We need to differentiate the mass production of albums from those companies that try harder.
OK, allow me to define my terms.
> mass production of albums
From what I saw when I visited a company's record manufacturing plant (a company in Winchester, VA that seemed to have produced more than half of the albums in the late 70's), there seemed to be issues in the manufacturing process.
For starters, the vinyl cake (about 3x3x1/2 inch in size) is placed into the press. Then the two sides of the press come together and, with heat, squeeze that vinyl cake out to the to the 12 inch diameter record that we all enjoy.
OK, there are some manufacturing parameters that need to be observed.
One, that I have noticed as I digitized the vinyl in my accumulation, is that sometimes the record companies seem to be more concerned about reducing the time "in the press" for each disc, and less caring about whether or not the vinyl being pressed out actually makes it to the full 12 inches of an album., i.e, pump out more discs per hour, quality is secondary.
I cannot say how many albums that I have returned to the store back in the day because of that defect. I will say that one record store clerk said to me, ~oh you again.~
I do note that the record companies seem to have had different timings for "the press" with the first pressing of an album, and that the record companies also seemed to use virgin vinyl for that first pressing of an album, as opposed to the recycled vinyl used in subsequent pressings (recycled vinyl with bits of paper from the ground up labels on the recycled records. Wow, those paper bits sound great...but that is a whole different comment...)
OK, where am I going here?
Thank-you for asking...
The whole "master tape" thing may be a farce.
Pay more attention to the pressing process used for the album.
In my experience, if a company is using an excellent pressing process, (lots of virgin vinyl, and a slow pressing process) then that company is going to want an excellent master recording to press. The quality of the product is related to the quality of the source materials.
My opinion, and no more or less...
But, enjoy the music, nonetheless...
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