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It's an interesting point you raise. Hearing the first single on the radio multiple times, I wasn't impressed and was going to pass on purchasing the record, but after hearing it on your show, I figured I'd give it a try since it was a much better version.

My preferred seller in Canada carries a version from XL Records (a European pressing according to Discogs) but then I also noticed that Acoustic Sounds were selling copies pressed at RTI, which contradicted your information on the radio show. Once I saw the contradictory information, I decided to hold for a little while to see if it would crop up on your site.

Does anybody have the XL Records pressing and know where it was physically pressed or who mastered it?

Very well done mastering by Ryan Smith. EU version most likely pressed at Record Industry, the Netherlands. The only plant which has enough capacity to do it.

Just bought my copy from the venerable Bart's Record Shack in Boulder, Colorado, USA. The back of the outside cover, at the bottom, has both the "XL Recordings" and "Columbia" logos, then the tiny print for all the copyright and licensing information and ends "...Made in France" .....sacre bleu!

Picked it up at Newbury Comics (a store I assume you dropped plenty of bucks at in the past Mike!). But who knows where it was pressed?

Anyway, I think it sounds very good overall, though indeed there IS some surface noise. It looked like their was a "wash" of something on the vinyl itself, which I take to be spray release of something like it. I'm going to give it good record machine cleaning and see if that takes care of it. the dynamic range was very good, though not mind-blowing. But overall the tonality, the warmth and depth of the whole production was great. Her voice comes through rock solid and very natural sounding, which in the end is pretty much the #1 criteria for a record like this one, right?

My copy of her second, 21, also sounded excellent. Haven't compared the two yet.

My copy has everything but The Made in France. It does not sound like a typical RTI pressing, a little noisy. Does not sound like it was mastered from a high resolution source. I would like to hear this pressed by QRP. Nothing detracts from her amazing voice.

Generally I tend to go for country of origin. For the Dylan bootleg series, I would take the mastering at Sterling, but pressed on noisier vinyl over a European mastering from who knows what files, but on quiet vinyl, say Optimal.
It's a funny one. People don't believe it, but US and European pressings generally sound different. For the new Dylan bootleg series, I've gone for the US pressed set over the European because I don't trust the European mastering although the vinyl is generally quiet.
Incidentally, judging from the number of copies I've seen about here, Dylans bootleg series 12 on vinyl is selling very well here in Switzerland.

My first copy had a great deal of surface noise. I replaced it, and was still somewhat disappointed with the noise...but just sucked it up.

I know that vinyl can have noise, but I was not happy with this one.

Thanks for nearly getting to the root of this one Michael. My replacement copy (Amazon) was very clean and quite possibly an RTI pressing. I have only played side 2 which was the stinker on my 1st copy. I have also ordered a UK version and will let you know if I notice any difference. I just figured having an early UK pressing may be worth it with this one. Shame she didn't include the download card (like her 1st two LP's) and that nice double liner that came with 21. I bet she would have sold even more vinyl if it had the download included. It will probably be the best selling of all time at the rate it's going.

I was also baffled as to who pressed the record. I received mine from Amazon and assumed RTI as many of the audiophile online retailers listed is as 'pressed at RTI'. While the quality is not as crappy as a typical URP pressing (I'll give them some credit - they have improved on my latest new release purchases), it does not feel, look, or sound like an RTI pressing.
I was very impressed, however, that the label had Ryan Smith master the vinyl edition. That shows they were specifically targeting a vinyl audience (they had to after the horrible URP pressings of the previous two Adele releases). Everything that comes from Sterling Sound, even the standard RJ (Ray Janos) cut albums sound very, very good, but I can definitely tell, at least on my system, that this was not a 'lathe operator' cut.
My copy is flat but does have some noise, which is not typical of an RTI pressing.

My UK bought copy appears to have been pressed at Optimal in Germany but also has the RKS Sterling stamp.

that the UK version is badged XL Recordings rather than Columbia because in the UK she is signed to XL.

I've just compared the twp brand new pressings I fortunately have at hand:

Pressing #1 - Sold In The UK - Printed "Made In The EU" (both record labels)
Pressing #2 - Sold In The USA - Printed "Made In France" (outer jacket, rear, bottom)

Both pressings are what I would call noisy vinyl. They certainly are not dead quiet compared to many other titles I have. Both have a light vinyl "white noise" at the start of every quiet track, in the background in quieter audio passages and in the bands between each track. This vinyl noise was consistently a bit louder on #2 which also played with a few more light clicks or pops..

As for the sound of the songs their detail, dynamics and space is certainly very impressive. The songs just consistently sounded just that bit noticeably better on #1. For example, you clearly hear Adele's breathing on "Hello" (Side1, Track 1) on both pressings, but on #1 she seems that bit more right there live, yes virtually in front of you. So for now my winner is #1 and I hope a true quieter, 'audiophile' pressing will de done one day. Merci! :-)

FYI - Both pressings were played straight out of the packaging with just a light carbon fibre brushing. The turntable set up was a VPI Classic 3 with Nordost Valhalla wiring, VPI's record ring and center weight, plus Ortofon's 2M Black (MM) cartridge. This stood on Mapleshade's 4" maple block. The tube pre-amp was Jim Fosgate's Signature, connected to Unison Research's "Unico" integrated amp with professional modifications. The speakers were Definitive Technology BP2000's - bi-polar and floor standing. Cables were Tara Labs interconnects between the turntable and pre-amp. All the rest werel Nordost Blue Heaven (Version 2). Accessories were Nordost's QB8 'power strip' and three Nordost QV2 'power conditioners').

I know mine was definitely not from RTI. As Michael has said it doesn't have the look, feel or sound of an RTI pressed record. It is pretty noisy overall. I don't think my copy sounds any better than the CD version. Also the Target copies have a couple of nice bonus tracks on it.

http://www.optimal-media.com/en/news/waited-eagerly-25-adeles-3rd-studio...
My UK version is being shipped from Germany per the tracking. I think that's good news. I have been very happy with their pressings. My Optimal Stereo Beatles really was much better than Rainbo. The Mono's were pressed there as well and who could complain about those.

and I was in the store on Sunday buying the cd. A few days later my LP version arrived from the house of Chad. My copy is acceptably quiet even with a few scuffs that likely came from stuffing the record in those awful hard paper inner sleeves. That won't happen again thanks to my Black Friday score of black rice paper sleeves from another vendor that advertises on this site.
It was kind of fun to hear an artist on SNL and buy the music the following day. Been a long time since that happened to me. Even if you don't like her music, you've gotta respect her talent and what she pulled off in first week sales.

I cleaned my EU pressed copy a couple of times with Spin Clean, and it helped with the noise. The vinyl mastering has been done a quite low level to achieve better dynamics. According to DR Database vinyl DR is 11 and CD's just 5!!!. CD must be very compressed and limited, or it has high distortion if compression and limiting not used.

I picked up my copy just the other day at Tutntable Lab in NYC. Have not had a chance to play it yet, but it says nothing on the outer jacket about where it was made or pressed. I have opened it and as mentioned earlier I found paper slivers all over the record. I cleaned them off with a microfiber cloth and put the record in a proper sleeve. Is there anyway to tell where it was pressed by the markings in the dead wax? In the dead wax "Sterling" is stamped in as well as the LP's bar code number which is proceeded by the initials "BL". The are also some letters and numbers hand written in the dead wax that are hard to read, but I can give it a try if there is any hope that they would tell me where it was pressed.

I can't tell by my pressing either. Usually the tell-tale sign of an RTI pressing is the pink inner sleeve (or the "HQ 180" sticker) neither of which this has. My copy doesn't have any of the stuff on the back, and haven't read the matix numbers yet. I did notice some paper slivers (just a few) on the record, but that is likely from the inner sleeve paper. So does anyone here actually have what they know is an RTI pressing that can comment about the matrix numbers? Is it possible that only the audiophile outlets--elusive disc, acoustic sounds, etc. got RTI pressings?

I ordered from Amazon. The disc was filthy when I took it out of the inner sleeve...I mean nasty. I thoroughly cleaned it, but I still had FAR too much surface noise and cracks and pops for a brand new piece of vinyl....Otherwise I thought the recording was good and better than her other two albums. I will be getting this filthy thing replaced.

Vinyl, digital, cassette, she's lousy.

I got mine from Soundstage Direct and had to send it back, skips and groove distortion and an all around bad pressing. Just got my new one, much much better not the quietest vinyl I've ever gotten but, considerably better. Soundstage was great about the return and made it easy...

I live in the Netherlands and that is where I purchased my copy. It is an XL pressing,the album is not dead quiet as some modern albums can be. I did not have the choice of 180 grs. or I would have picked that, these tend to be better. The overall recording did not impress me, although the music did. Overall I experienced the signature of this album as "shouty" a bit harsh, not like vinyl can sound but some modern modern vinyl sounds like that. Almost as if sound engineers nowadays are clueless. Most likely I bought a vinyl CD, but I stopped listening to them a year ago. Despite the noise and quality of the recording an album worth having.

Glad I did not spring for the vinyl (whew a little hard to type) after reading the comments here. I just bought the plain vanilla cd off of Amazon and followed in Cam's vein. Saw her on Saturday Night Live and just loved her singing. Ordered the cd the next day. Great talent.

If you want to spin a fine fine piece of vinyl the rsd release of Janet Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company - Live at Winterland 68 is fantastic. Dead quiet, flat, and Janis is in fantastic form.

One thing worth mentioning that doesn't happen very often with majory label releases, the vinyl was mastered separately at Sterling by Ryan Smith who has some very good work on his resume including the AAA mastering of Analogue Production's 45rpm release of "August and Everything After". If you can get a well pressed record then from most accounts the mastering is noticeably more dynamic and open than the awful digital mastering Tom Coyne's name is attached to. I'd be too embarrassed, I'd ask them to just remove the mastering credit altogether.

But hey when Ted Jensen misses entire instrumental passages when supposedly A/B'ing a remaster to his original mastering (Dave Matthews Band's 2014 Under the Table and Dreaming remaster, Jimi Thing missing entire sax AND guitar from the outro as a result of using the wrong analogue tape) it's possible to imagine Coyne just pressing the "SLAM" button and going out for a coffee.

So this is one cut, pressed by multiple pressing plants. The benefit is that all editions should sound the same... except as we've noticed, for the pressing quality.

Take a known record from RTI, Optimal, MPO, URP etc and compare it to your pressing. Note the contour on the face of the record, the diameter and depth of the ring around the centre hole under the label, the radius on the edge of the disc and you are more than 50% of the way to identifying the plant. If two plants use the same standard profile moulds from the same manufacturer, then it will be hard to tell. MPO is easy to identify as "MPO" is inscribed on every pressing.

Record Industry, Holland is another easy one to pick - they use a flat face 12" profile with no obvious contour visible to the naked eye - the entire face of the disc appears to be perfectly flat just like the master lacquer disc (and exactly like a 10" 78rpm shellac record). This is a perfect replica of the master lacquer which is as it should be. Check any of their pressings in their "Music On Vinyl" series. The Vinyl Factory, England also uses a flat face 12" profile.

Note that the DMM specification also included a flat face profile - not just cutting onto a copper master disc. These records are harder to press because of non-fill issues.

Hope this helps in identifying your pressing.

I have the RTI pressing and who cares! It may be quit, but that only detracts from the music which is trite, compressed, and weird. The mix is crappy, weird dynamic range issues, and strange music. Side 1 has 3 awful songs to start, the last 2 are bearable. Yes, she has a very good voice. She should make sure the listener can hear it, not an excess of background crap, drum machines, and the Morman Tabernacle Choir imitating Paul Simon on Graceland.
If this is your idea of good, save your money and get ear plugs.
The best pressing in the world cannot fix crap in the groove.

Tell Adele to seek out Bernie Grundman so her glorious voice can be produced properly. What type of equipment did Paul Epworth use to listen to this album during production? Sound is compressed and the background instruments sound like nothing I have ever heard. This should be Adele's last offering since he advisers have led her astray by thinking that this sound is any good. Tell her to listen to the Lynn Stanley albums that Bernie produced. Maybe she should start to do covers (Ronstadt, Raitt, Ian, etc.) which would benefit from her tremendous voice if properly produced. Save your money on this one. I'm sure it will show up in the cut-out bin, but avoid it then too.