Quality Record Pressings

Quality Record Pressings (QRP) is a vinyl-record manufacturing brand and pressing plant based in Salina, Kansas. It was launched in 2011 by Chad Kassem, the founder of Acoustic Sounds, a mail-order and audiophile music business established in 1986. QRP was created in response to the growing difficulty of obtaining timely, high-quality vinyl pressings for Acoustic Sounds’ own reissue activities and related record-label operations. The plant serves both the Acoustic Sounds family of businesses and outside record labels. The facility occupies a 20,000-square-foot former refrigerated warehouse. Its business is centered on pressing long-playing vinyl records and record sets, with a stated minimum order of 1,000 LPs or LP sets as of 2026. QRP is particularly associated with audiophile reissues, premium physical editions, and releases from Analogue Productions and APO Records. Its first recorded title was Cat Stevens’s 1970 album Tea for the Tillerman. The plant also presses projects for other labels, ranging from smaller independent customers to larger record companies. QRP’s differentiation is based on process control and manufacturing quality rather than on a consumer-facing music catalog alone. The plant operates Toolex Alpha, SMT, and Finebilt presses. The Toolex Alpha and SMT machines are automated, while Finebilt presses are manually operated. The presses have been modified or supplemented with systems intended to reduce variation during manufacturing. Microprocessor controls allow pressing cycles to be governed by temperature rather than by time alone, giving operators more control over heat-related variables. Operators inspect records as they leave the press. The plant also uses vacuum equipment to promote more uniform contact between the pressing die and stamper. Its double steam-valve arrangement is intended to improve heating and cooling control and reduce cycle-time variation. Custom press-isolation pads address vibration that could otherwise affect groove formation and introduce noise or distortion. These measures reflect QRP’s emphasis on repeatability from record to record, an important concern for high-end analog playback. QRP also operates an in-house plating department. In record manufacturing, plating applies metal to a lacquer master so that the resulting metal parts can be used to form stampers. The in-house capability distinguishes QRP from pressing plants that outsource this stage. The plating department was headed by Gary Salstrom according to the cited company history. The plant’s capabilities were reinforced by Acoustic Sounds’ acquisition of Classic Records, a Los Angeles company. Announced in 2010 by Kassem and Classic Records’ Mike Hobson, the transaction brought Classic Records’ vinyl technologies and related assets into the Acoustic Sounds organization. These included the Quiex SV-P formulation or process, Clarity Vinyl, 200-gram flat-profile tooling, and other proprietary pressing technology. QRP therefore emerged not simply as a new pressing site, but as part of a broader effort to consolidate audiophile reissue expertise, manufacturing infrastructure, and specialized vinyl processes under Acoustic Sounds. Today, QRP’s role is primarily industrial and business-to-business, although its identity is visible to collectors through the premium editions it manufactures. Its operating model combines pressing, inspection, and plating with the specialist requirements of audiophile reissue production. The company’s historical importance lies in its attempt to address manufacturing bottlenecks while applying tighter technical control to a revived vinyl-record market.

Quality Record Pressings developed from Chad Kassem’s broader involvement in audiophile music distribution, reissue production, and record collecting. Kassem founded Acoustic Sounds in 1986 as a mail-order business specializing in audiophile vinyl, SACDs, DVD-Audio discs, high-quality CDs, and high-end stereo equipment. Acoustic Sounds later operated alongside Analogue Productions, a reissue label focused on jazz, blues, classical, and folk recordings, and APO Records, which issued original and related projects. As demand for premium physical editions increased, reliance on external pressing plants created delays and limited control over production quality. Kassem launched Quality Record Pressings in Salina, Kansas, in 2011. The plant was intended to provide Acoustic Sounds and its affiliated labels with a dedicated source for reissues and releases by established or living blues artists associated with Kassem’s recording activities. The project also pursued technical improvements in vinyl pressing, particularly greater control over temperature, pressure, vibration, and the physical relationship between stampers and records. QRP operates in a former refrigerated warehouse measuring approximately 20,000 square feet. Its equipment includes Toolex Alpha presses manufactured in Sweden, SMT presses associated with Southern Machine & Tool Corporation of Nashville, and Finebilt presses from Los Angeles. The Toolex Alpha and SMT presses are automated, while the Finebilt machines are manually operated. All are equipped or used with additional systems intended to improve production control. Microprocessor-based cycling uses temperature rather than time as the principal reference for press cycles. This gives operators more direct control over heat-related conditions, which can affect groove formation and consistency. The plant’s quality-control approach includes inspection of each record as it leaves the press. Vacuum equipment helps maintain even contact between the die and stamper, reducing temperature differences that can alter groove dimensions. A double steam-valve system supports more controlled heating and cooling. QRP also uses press-isolation pads designed to reduce the transfer of vibration from surrounding machinery. Such vibration can affect groove structure and contribute to unwanted noise or distortion during playback. A significant part of QRP’s manufacturing capability is its plating department. Lacquer masters receive a metal coating in this stage, producing the metal parts required to make stampers. Retaining plating capacity within the plant gives QRP greater control over the manufacturing chain than a facility that relies entirely on outside suppliers. Gary Salstrom was identified as the head of this department in the cited account. QRP’s technological foundation was expanded through Acoustic Sounds’ acquisition of Classic Records. The acquisition was announced in 2010 by Chad Kassem and Classic Records’ Mike Hobson. Among the assets associated with the transaction were the Quiex SV-P process or formulation, Clarity Vinyl, 200-gram flat-profile tooling, and other proprietary vinyl-production technology. These resources complemented the new plant’s objective of producing premium and technically consistent records. The first title pressed at QRP was Cat Stevens’s 1970 album Tea for the Tillerman. The facility subsequently became the pressing source for Analogue Productions reissues and APO Records titles, while also accepting work from other record labels. Its customer base therefore extends beyond the Acoustic Sounds organization, although the plant remains closely identified with that group and with the audiophile reissue market. As of 2026, the plant required a minimum order of 1,000 LPs or LP sets. This indicates an industrial manufacturing model rather than small-batch artisan production. QRP’s historical role is consequently twofold: it is an internal manufacturing asset for Acoustic Sounds and a specialist service provider for labels seeking premium vinyl production. Its development reflects the revival of vinyl and the parallel growth of demand for carefully manufactured audiophile editions.

• 2026

  Minimum order requirement documented

  [1]Quality Record Pressingsen.wikipedia.org

  The plant was reported to require a minimum order of 1,000 LPs or LP sets.

• 2011

  Quality Record Pressings launches

  [1]Quality Record Pressingsen.wikipedia.org

  Chad Kassem launched the Salina, Kansas pressing plant to reduce production delays and improve control over audiophile vinyl manufacturing.

• 2010

  Acoustic Sounds acquires Classic Records assets

  [1]Quality Record Pressingsen.wikipedia.org

  Acoustic Sounds announced its acquisition of Classic Records, bringing specialized vinyl technologies and tooling such as Quiex SV-P, Clarity Vinyl, and 200-gram flat-profile capabilities into the organization.

• 1986

  Acoustic Sounds is established

  [1]Quality Record Pressingsen.wikipedia.org

  Chad Kassem founded Acoustic Sounds as a mail-order business serving audiophile customers with vinyl records, digital formats, and high-end stereo equipment.

• First title pressed

  [1]Quality Record Pressingsen.wikipedia.org

  The plant’s first identified pressing was Cat Stevens’s 1970 album Tea for the Tillerman.

A specialist, high-quality vinyl manufacturing and plating operation focused on audiophile pressings, process consistency, and premium record editions.

• Vinyl record pressing · 2011

  Audiophile vinyl LPs

  QRP manufactures premium long-playing vinyl records for audiophile reissues, label catalogs, and new releases. Production emphasizes repeatable groove formation, controlled heating and cooling, inspection, and reduced mechanical vibration.

• Vinyl record pressing · 2011

  Vinyl LP sets

  The plant presses multi-disc LP sets for labels and reissue programs. As of 2026, its stated minimum order applied to LPs or LP sets, reflecting QRP’s role as an industrial-scale manufacturing supplier.

• Record manufacturing service · 2011

  Metal plating and stamper preparation

  QRP operates a plating department that applies metal to lacquer masters and produces the metal parts used to create stampers. This in-house stage supports greater control over the record-production chain.

• 2011

  Creation of a dedicated pressing plantStrategy

  Background

  External pressing delays and the desire to improve the consistency of audiophile records led Acoustic Sounds founder Chad Kassem to establish an in-house manufacturing operation.

  Action taken

  Quality Record Pressings opened in Salina, Kansas, with multiple press types, process-control equipment, inspection procedures, and an in-house plating department.

  Aftermath

  QRP became the pressing source for Analogue Productions and APO Records and also began handling work for outside labels.

  Source

• 2010

  Acquisition of Classic Records assetsM&A

  Background

  Acoustic Sounds sought to strengthen its ability to produce premium vinyl releases and consolidate specialized pressing technology within its organization.

  Action taken

  Acoustic Sounds acquired Classic Records and associated technologies, formulations, tooling, and other vinyl-production assets.

  Aftermath

  The acquired capabilities became part of the technical foundation supporting the later Quality Record Pressings operation.

  Source

1. 1Quality Record Pressingsen.wikipedia.org