Stockfisch-Records

A new format: The Stockfisch DMM-DUBPLATE

It’s always exciting when you go from an end product, such as a vinyl record, to its original source. Our DMM Dubplate does exactly that. In the process of pressing a vinyl record from an LP-master, a lot of sound details get lost. The DMM Dubplate is of course no alternative to a mass product such as the familiar pressed vinyl record. Still, this experiment is surely very insightful and highly enjoyable for ambitious listeners.

Here’s some technical information about our new format:

Our DMM Lathe cuts the audio into a copper plated steel disc. We normally use this process to create a 14" DMM-Master that is sent to pressing plants for the production of vinyl records. Our new DMM-Dubplate however, is about the same size as a regular vinyl record (though a bit larger, due to technical reasons). This makes it possible to play it on any record player and helps you bypass the loss in sound quality that is caused by the additional steps in the production of records, such as galvanic processes and the pressing of the vinyl.

The DMM-Dubplate avoids issues like pre-echos and crackling noises. The high purity phosphate-copper has very little groove noise and clicking noises are seldom. The tracking force of the tonearm can be left as is. Only one side of a DMM disc is recordable since the backside is not copper plated. Because every DMM Dubplate is unique, the client’s name will be handwritten on the label.

Stockfisch DMM-DUBPLATE Vol.2

After the great success and the many positive feedbacks, we have now "reissued" the Stockfisch DMM-DUBPLATE Vol.2 with a new selection of five Stockfisch recordings.

Frank Doris, audiophile expert from the USA, wrote a review and experience report about the Stockfisch DMM-DUBPLATE Vol.1 - published on www.fidelity-magazine.com:

"At first, I thought I had forgotten to turn my phono stage on. I heard nothing but quiet — no groove noise, no pre-echo, no nothing. But, no, my system was working; it was just that the surface of this copper-clad disc was remarkably quiet. I moved the tonearm further into the record…

I was astounded by what I heard. There is an intimacy and, well, directness to the sound that really is remarkable — and will take any seasoned audiophile about five seconds to hear.

… along with a remarkable absence of noise, what struck me the most is the increase in the palpability of the vocals and instruments, of the weight, of the tangibility of the sound. Everything sounds incredibly present, more real, more convincing.

I’m happy that Stockfisch did this, a boundary-pushing attempt at achieving better sound, the kind of bold effort that makes the pursuit of high end audio so thrilling at times"

Stockfisch-Shop

Important Information:
Our DMM-Dubplate should not be washed with a record-cleaning machine, since it might cause a chemical reaction on the copper surface. In contrast to a vinyl record, there’s no mechanical abrasion and no electrostatic charge in the copper groove. After the DMM-Dubplate has been played, it should be placed back in the plastic sleeve together with the white protection sheet, in order to prevent oxidation.

Please also note: With the DMM-Dubplate, the wear-rate of the diamond-stylus is comparable to when playing a regular vinyl record.

The StockfischDMM-Dubplate Vol.2



The Stockfisch DMM-Dubplate Vol.2

Stockfisch DMM-DUBPLATE Vol.1

There’s a first evaluation of the DMM Dubplate in the HIFI & MUSIK JOURNAL, written by Joachim Pfeiffer:

“Günter Pauler, the founder and the driving force of Stockfisch Records, is counted among the best sound engineers worldwide. Some even say that he is the best. This sound wizard has now came up with a new sound carrier, which intends to acoustically surpass every pressed record. (…)

'Wow, so each Dubplate is a unique specimen', thinks the author as he puts on the white gloves provided in the package in order to take the DMM Dubplate carefully out of its sleeve. Though perspiration from the hand would have no effect on sound quality (provided you wipe it off), it could leave visual marks on the disc – the copper surface could 'tarnish' a bit. Well, yes, even the experienced professional would get damp hands as they watch the tonearm sink on the copper surface. You first hear NOTHING in the lead-in groove until a familiar voice appears with a clarity which you haven’t yet heard from a vinyl record: Chris Jones begins singing the audiophile-hymn: No Sanctuary Here. All that without an advance notice, because there really is no pre-echo.

Instead of the usual interference noises (which every analog fan of course came to accept like birdsong in the woods), there is only a gentle noise from the phono stage, which must be due to the fact that the level setting was set too high on this first rendezvous with Pauler’s power plate.

There are five songs on this Volume I of the DMM Dubplate. Be assured, dear reader, that you’ve never heard such a record before in your life. Even the (pressed) direct-cuts from the pre-digital era lag behind this disc in an almost bizarre way.

HiFi & Musik Journal will be intensively looking into this new sound carrier, because the question remains to be answered, whether the pickup gets worn faster when listening to these discs. And by the way, how does the sound of this godly disc change over time? Though the price of 678.- Euros might not exactly be a bargain, it’s by all means justified when you take into account the effort that goes into it. Every vinyl fan should get at least one of these wonderdiscs. "

                                                                                     Joachim Pfeiffer, in: HIFI & MUSIK Journal, 5.5.2020

Stockfisch-Shop

Important Information:
Our DMM-Dubplate should not be washed with a record-cleaning machine, since it might cause a chemical reaction on the copper surface. In contrast to a vinyl record, there’s no mechanical abrasion and no electrostatic charge in the copper groove. After the DMM-Dubplate has been played, it should be placed back in the plastic sleeve together with the white protection sheet, in order to prevent oxidation.

Please also note: With the DMM-Dubplate, the wear-rate of the diamond-stylus is comparable to when playing a regular vinyl record.

The Stockfisch DMM-Dubplate Vol.1



The Stockfisch DMM-Dubplate Vol.1