S888Wheel wrote:


IME the best sounding LPs were not mastered on metal. I think there
is evidence via the product it produces that the current cutting
lathe at RTI is superior to any lathe preceding it. That would make
for a fairly recent improvement in the state of the art in production.

The main new technology at RTI appears to be the "Zuma" Zumaudio cutting
computer. Other vinyl mastering labs also seem to have them, and at least
one has already come up on the used equipment market. Cutting computers
primarily increase the amount of audio you can get on a side. Sound quality
benefits are secondary. Zumaudio's web site seems to be in the twilight
zone.