Eva Cassidy | Live At Blues Alley

Optimal Media, located in Germany, is a media producer. About 20 years ago, Optimal decided to open a vinyl record pressing plant, which today has the capacity to press more than 25 million records annually. The combination of printing and disc pressing allows Optimal to produce high quality box sets such as the Beatles mono box set, among others.

The slower a record spins, the more it's sound quality is affected. In order to deliver the best possible sound, the record must spin faster (45 RPM). However, when a record spins faster, the amount of information it can hold is reduced. The desire to improve sound quality, while ensuring adequate playtime, is a problem that still persists today. Obviously, the "convenience" drawback isn't an issue when you're willing to pay more for two 12-inch records instead of just one.