Various Artists: The Sheffield Track Record

Various Artists – The Sheffield Track Record is a well-known direct-to-disc audiophile demonstration LP released by Sheffield Lab, a label celebrated for its commitment to capturing live performances straight to lacquer without intermediate tape stages.

This album was produced as part of Sheffield Lab’s Direct-to-Disc recording programme, a method that records musicians performing in real time while the master lacquer is cut, resulting in exceptional immediacy, dynamic contrast, and transient clarity — qualities that made the label a reference point within the audiophile community.

The Sheffield Track Record is widely used for audio component testing and system evaluation, particularly due to its selection of rock-oriented instrumental performances that emphasise dynamics, timing, bass articulation, and spatial imaging. These characteristics have made the album a popular choice for demonstrating turntables, cartridges, amplifiers, and loudspeakers in both retail and private listening environments.

Key, verifiable attributes include:

• Sheffield Lab Direct-to-Disc recording

• Live performance captured directly to lacquer

• Compilation of rock instrumental tracks

• Designed and widely used for audio equipment testing and evaluation

Rather than being a conventional studio album, this release functions as a precision listening tool, valued for its honesty, lack of processing, and ability to reveal system strengths and limitations without editorial colour.

For serious listeners and collectors, The Sheffield Track Record remains a legitimate audiophile reference LP, prized not for hype or rarity claims, but for its enduring usefulness as a musical benchmark in high-resolution analogue playback systems.