Precious Sound: How a Vision Became a Golden Masterpiece
It’s a remarkable moment when the OMP-1250 high-pressure medal press begins to hum softly, then releases a deep, resonant pressing noise as the heavy piston lowers — and just seconds later, a golden record emerges into the world. A gleaming work of art, not pressed from vinyl, but minted from pure precious metal.
What sounds like science fiction is, in fact, the result of years of development, creative vision, and technical precision: welcome to the world of Precious Sound. The idea behind Precious Sound was born from a simple yet profound observation: the gold or platinum records awarded to musicians for selling millions of albums are purely symbolic — they don’t actually contain any music. So why not create a record that combines symbolic value with real sound? That question, posed in 2016, marked the beginning of a project that pushes the boundaries of music, materials, and mechanical engineering.
Music in Gold – More Than Just Symbolism
Creating playable records from gold, silver, or platinum wasn’t just a bold idea — it was a high-level technical challenge. Together with the renowned B. H. Mayer’s Minting House, the team at Precious Sound spent over five years developing a process that delivers not only visual brilliance but true audiophile sound quality. In 2023, the process was officially patented — a milestone achievement where precision down to the micrometer was essential.
“This wasn’t a typical minting project — we had to develop an entirely new process that met both artistic and acoustic standards,” recalls Bernhard Schreiber, Head of Production and Managing Director at B. H. Mayer’s Minting House in Karlsfeld. The result is two distinct record types:
- Gold-Plated Records: These feature a copper core coated with 997 fine gold. Each 5-inch record weighs about 7 ounces (roughly 198 grams) and is pressed with a force of 1,250 tons.
- Solid Gold Records: Made entirely of 999 fine gold, these records weigh approximately 8 ounces (about 227 grams). The exclusive “Strutter” records are strictly limited to five pieces worldwide, custom-made, and signed by KISS band members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons.
The Machine That Makes Music Possible
At the heart of the production process stands a machine that becomes a quiet protagonist in this story: the OMP-1250 high-pressure medal press by Sack & Kiesselbach. From the earliest development phase, one thing was clear: only a machine with maximum stability, precise piston guidance, and intelligent control could meet the extreme demands of this project. Working with precious metal blanks requires such tight tolerances that even the slightest deviation could result in visual or acoustic flaws — and scrap losses in gold get expensive quickly.
“The precision of the Sack & Kiesselbach press was the very foundation that allowed us to even attempt something on this scale. Without that machine, Precious Sound records wouldn’t exist,” emphasizes Bernhard Schreiber.
KISS, Sound Art, and Control
The first major breakthrough came with a globally limited-edition gold record by the band KISS, released to mark the 50th anniversary of their debut album. The song Strutter was immortalized in solid gold — not as a display piece, but as a functional audio medium. Each record passed through as many as 300 production steps, more than half of them done by hand. From master die creation to final surface finishing, it was the consistent precision and pressing power of the OMP-1250 that elevated the project to an industrial-grade standard.
“We’ve created a product that meets the highest aesthetic expectations — and at the same time preserves music on a material that will last for millennia,” says Schreiber.
When Precious Metal Meets Micron Precision
Precious metals are a unique material class: soft enough to shape, yet hard enough to endure. But only under carefully controlled pressure and temperature conditions on the OMP-1250 press can grooves be created that reproduce music flawlessly for decades. Sack & Kiesselbach’s press technology doesn’t just deliver the necessary tonnage — it also offers digital control systems that regulate each press cycle with micrometer accuracy, hundreds of times over. These machines are engineered for enduring consistency, even after thousands of cycles.
“Not a single step in our production process is left to chance — the key to our success is the interplay of human craftsmanship and machine precision,” Schreiber explains.
Design Meets Durability
What Precious Sound has accomplished is more than a technical feat — it’s the fusion of design, emotion, and material innovation. These records are built to last, but they’re also customizable: the B-side can be personalized, the label is printed, and the surface is treated with a special coating to resist fingerprints. None of this would be possible without a consistent and perfectly guided minting process — made possible by the mechanical excellence of the OMP-1250 press from Meerbusch.
From Industry Tool to Cultural Icon
For Sack & Kiesselbach, this project is more than a showcase — it demonstrates what minting technology can achieve in the 21st century. These machines have evolved beyond industrial tools; they’ve become part of a cultural product that bridges pop culture and precision engineering. The precious metal record stands as a symbol of a new era in high-tech applications: functional, beautiful, emotionally charged — and built to last in the truest sense.
A Future of Sound — and Engineering
The response to the first releases has been overwhelming. Collectors, music lovers, and precious metal enthusiasts alike are captivated by the idea of casting music in gold. For Sack & Kiesselbach, this is a strong affirmation of their company philosophy: to build machines that do more than simply applying force — they enable creativity. The next generation of presses is already in development — and who knows, the next iconic record might not be made of vinyl, but platinum.
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