Vinyl questions

[TheThird]

Ok this has bugged me for a while but do different pressings have different audio quality? I heard somewhere to always search for the first pressing of an album because it has the best quality and all other pressings don't live up to the original. Any merit to this?

[headhunter]

Ok this has bugged me for a while but do different pressings have different audio quality? I heard somewhere to always search for the first pressing of an album because it has the best quality and all other pressings don't live up to the original. Any merit to this?

Different pressings usually do have different audio quality.

The first pressings aren't always the best pressings but they usually are.  Promo copies are usually the best.  Some later pressings, especially if they are Japanese pressings or if they are on audiophile labels like Mobile Fidelity Sound labs (MFSL) can be significantly better.

And the differences can be as profound as the difference between drinking a Budweiser vs. an IPA from a good micro-brewery.  They are both beer but .....