I’ve been listening to records since I was a baby. I moved the tonearm further into the record… But, no, my system was working it was just that the surface of this copper-clad disc was remarkably quiet. I heard nothing but quiet – no groove noise, no pre-echo, no nothing.

I will admit being a little hesitant in dropping the needle of my not-inexpensive Grado cartridge onto the surface.Īt first, I thought I had forgotten to turn my phono stage on. Only one side has music, because the back side is not plated so music can’t be cut into it.īefore going any further, I know what you’re thinking, the same thing I did: will this metal record damage my stylus?Īccording to Stockfisch, no, and more on that later. 1 includes five tracks from Chris Jones, Carl Cleves & Parissa Bouas, Ewen Carruthers and Sara K. 1 is the master: it’s directly cut from the mastering lathe!ĭMM Dubplate Vol. Stockfisch takes the idea further – the DMM Dubplate Vol. 1 was, like conventional direct metal mastering (DMM), to remove a number of the steps involved in physically mastering and pressing standard vinyl records (the need to produce a mother, father and stamper), and eliminate the generational loss resulting from the multi-step process. The record is slightly larger in diameter than a standard vinyl disc and has some weight to it. The box is specially-designed to keep the record as pristine as possible, with a foam surround and a silicone top plate that holds the record securely in the box. It comes in a beautifully-presented box with a detailed booklet – and a pair of white gloves for handling the disc. The disc is made from copper-plated steel and has a literally dazzling copper surface. I’d known of Stockfisch, but nothing could have prepared me for the record I recently received: Stockfisch’s DMM Dubplate Vol. They also offer their TTC-Pro True Transmission Cable speaker cable. The label has been releasing recordings on vinyl, DSD, SACD, Blu-ray and other formats and their artist roster includes Werner Lämmerhirt, David Qualley, Sara K., Allan Taylor, Carrie Newcomer, Katja Werker and a number of others. Stockfisch Records is an audiophile label established in Germany in 1974 by owner/producer/engineer/Günter Pauler.

Dubplate pressure