Sold Date: January 15, 2025
Start Date: January 19, 2024
Final Price: $1,200.00 (CAD)
Seller Feedback: 1007
Buyer Feedback: 0

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norah jones Lp.

SS: Still Sealed
Label: Blue Note
Catalog Number: JP 5004-45
Product Condition: NEW

This auction is for a STILL SEALED, NUMBERED (13 of 15), 45rpm* 4LP CLARITY Test Pressing Box Set. This set consists of 4 single sided discs, for optimal sound performance, of the Classic Records 200gram reissue of Norah Jones' "Come Away With Me".

These highly collectible test pressings are from the first stamper. Test pressings reflect the closest you can get to the lacquers and hence have a special collectible value and store of value.

Only a very small number of these sets exist and thus this is a special opportunity to hear your favorite title on Classic's 200g Super Vinyl Profile on Clarity Vinyl at 45 rpm - it doesn't get any better than this!

This set is packaged in a white special edition box and each test pressing comes in a white jacket. Original jacket also included as a bonus. Jacket in mint condition.

ULTRA RARE item... Good luck!

*45 rpm records have long been recognized as providing a higher fidelity musical experience resulting purely from the cartridge being able to extract more of the nuance from the complex vertical and horizontal groove modulations in stereo LP’s. Further, Classic Records 45 rpm “single sided” pressings dramatically reduce the mechanical resonances created by the cartridge during playback by allowing these resonances to be more fully transmitted to and absorbed by the turntable platter.  Classic Records Clarity Vinyl 45 rpm pressings are designed and manufactured to provide the “LOWEST DISTORTION” in every aspect of LP playback resulting in putting the listener as close to the music as possible.  With only a small number of copies of this definitive reissue, don't hesitate before the price on the secondary market skyrockets!

Background on Classic 200g Super Vinyl Profile

In 2003, Classic Records launched its now famous Signature Blue Note Mono reissue series.

As part of that series Classic developed an "authentic" 200 gram LP profile that replicated that of an original Blue Note record from the 1950's.  Comparing a test pressing on the new profile versus the same title on the normal 180 gram pressing it was discovered that the 200 gram version sounded significantly better.  The 200 gram pressing sounded louder, with more definition and solidity of notes across all frequencies and there was more detail - particularly low level detail like room or hall sounds, pages being turned, musicians whispering and automobile sounds outside the studio all became easier to identify.  At first it was speculated inside Classic Records that the extra weight resulted in the better performance as no one could come up with a better answer given that the stampers were the same as well as the vinyl pellets used on both 180g and 200g pressings.  One day, Michael Hobson, the founder of Classic Records was discussing this unexplainable sonic discovery with the Legendary Mastering Engineer and Sheffield Records founder, Doug Sax when Doug, without hesitation stated "Ah Michael you've discovered the difference in a flat versus conventional profile".Puzzled, Hobson asked for an explanation which Sax described as going all the way back to 1950's mono pressings and what happened when stereo records came out in the early 1960's.  Sax explained that in the 1950's when mono records had no vertical modulation (only lateral), pressing PolyVinylChloride PVC (plastic) records were more easily pressed on "Flat Profile" dies fitted to the pressing machines since the grooves on the mono stampers were all the same height (no vertical modulation).  The molten vinyl was able to flow evenly across the stampers and fill properly during the molding (pressing) of the record.  The problems started when stereo record cutting came into vogue producing stampers that had variable height grooves sticking up across the diameter of each stamper.  Using the older mono pressing dies resulted in tremendous problems getting the areas between grooves of different heights to fill properly - a groove that is in front of another taller one often got passed over by the flowing molten vinyl resulting in "non-fill" which was audible and thus a "defective" record.  Pressing plants don't like to press defective records and are always looking for high pressing yields or a s few rejects as possible.