Purchases Today

[prémont]

Fortunately, you won't need to change your habits, my dear friend, because the Savall set includes 2-SACD (hybrid) and 2 DVDs, therefore you can ignore the DVDs.

Just EUR 19 on Amazon.es:

http://www.amazon.es/Messe-Mineur-Bwv-232-J-Savall/dp/B009RUNNH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363367884&sr=8-1

Thanks for the infomations. I have orderd the set, but from JPC together with some other things, thereby reducing postage fee.

[Wakefield]

Thanks for the infomations. I have orderd the set, but from JPC together with some other things, thereby reducing postage fee.

Well, soon we know if it was a good decision. 

On Thursday I also ordered 17 CDs at once from JPC in order to apportion postage fees (EUR 28 to Chile). An all-Telemann-order. 

[Todd]

 


 


 


 



My first haul of Handel, plus a few other goodies.

[Sadko]

I've thought about getting a Blu-ray player, but the basic problem is that I'm not interested in owning any films.  I did buy a bunch of DVDs early last decade, but I found I was rarely interested in watching anything more than once.  And I don't even have (or want) a TV in the same room where my stereo is.

The same here, I like to watch a really good film now and then, but I don't want a TV, and there are few films that I enjoy to watch several times, they have to be "musical" in a way also, i. e. the enjoyment not just being dependent on the story told, among them are the best Miyazakis, which I watched quite often again (with different visitors).

[Sadko]

I second this entirely, and I am a movie freak.  I own almost no films on disc at all, and I somewhat regret jumping the gun on a Blu-Ray player when so, so few things I want to see are available (for rental, in my backwoods locale) as BR discs.  Based on my experiences with Blu-Ray audio (almost exclusively via movies on BR) through my mere middling 2-channel set-up, I'm a little puzzled that Blu-Ray audio(-only discs) has not caught on as an audiophile medium; "uncompressed" sound seems so noticeably rich compared to compact discs....it's overwhelmingly evident, completely aside from any multi-channel hoohah.  But I've also never properly heard SACD at home, so I've no real point of reference for BR audio.

In my experience super high sampling frequencies don't make a big difference, but 24 bit recordings really were quite a leap in quality - unless they were simply better recordings.

[The new erato]

Ordered late last night, cheaply from presto, hope they're good:

[asin]B00A8QBFN2[/asin]

Also this:

[asin]B007N0SVPQ[/asin]

I value Hindemith's quartets highly, but only have the Danish Quartet on cpo complete + various single quartets, so time for an alternate cycle.

And yes; the best thing about Blu-Ray discs is the sound track!

[Brahmsian]

[asin]B008E8XU5W[/asin]

  Opening up the 25 disc box set of Rimsky-Korsakov, I am now aware that the Disc 4 is missing!  And this was a new direct Amazon purchase (and non-marketplace).   

[TheGSMoeller]

  Opening up the 25 disc box set of Rimsky-Korsakov, I am now aware that the Disc 4 is missing!  And this was a new direct Amazon purchase (and non-marketplace).   

That's a bummer, Ray.

And I didn't know that R.-K. could fill 25 discs of music. I'll have to explore some of it. I like the little amount I've heard.

[Brahmsian]

That's a bummer, Ray.

And I didn't know that R.-K. could fill 25 discs of music. I'll have to explore some of it. I like the little amount I've heard.

I'm not too worried, Greg.  In the past, whether it be a marketplace seller on Amazon Canada, or Amazon Canada directly, any mishap (and I can only remember 1 or 2), have always been dealt with the best customer service, and at no extra cost.

They will likely (though I can't assume that) send me a brand new set of the R-K, rather than the missing 4th disc.

I will contact them shortly.

[Octave]

  Opening up the 25 disc box set of Rimsky-Korsakov, I am now aware that the Disc 4 is missing!  And this was a new direct Amazon purchase (and non-marketplace).   

Before you go to the trouble to ship that big box back to the seller, I should mention that my one experience with an apparent defect from Brilliant was handled with swift generosity by the label itself, who seem to be very much in the loop when it comes to misprints etc.  I had trouble with my Messiaen organ/piano box (a number of the discs themselves were mislabeled, and it seemed like maybe some content was missing as well).  I emailed Brilliant HQ with a polite heads-up note, and within a week or so, I had a brand-new box by mail!  I wasn't even asked for a proof of purchase or anything.  That seems wildly atypical of my other consumer experiences in general.  I love those guys.

[Brahmsian]

Amazon Canada has already sent shipping for a new box of the 25CD Rimsky-Korsakov set (at express shipping for free) and it is already on it's way.  I should get it on Monday or Tuesday.  With a sincere apology, as well.

Meantime, I have a whole month to return the R-K set I currently have set I have at home back to Amazon.ca, complete with printing labels that they provided (and postage paid).  That means, if I send it by Canada Post this by Monday morning, there is a 50/50 chance I'll make the month deadline!      I jest.  Canada Post can be slow, but usually within Canada they are pretty good.

[Octave]

Something I really liked many years ago but never got around to owning; looking forward to hearing it again for the first time.

[asin]B000026035[/asin]

[HIPster]

Finally pulled the trigger on this one today, as it just attained real-world $$$ status via the mp:

[asin]B00000J80V[/asin]

Eagerly awaiting its arrival.

[kishnevi]

Ordered this tonight.
[asin]B00AYF5SRG[/asin]

But the real point of posting is to let everyone know something I spotted while ordering it:
MDT now has an Amazon US storefront
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aag/main/ref=olp_merch_rating_4?ie=UTF8&asin=B00AYF5SRG&isAmazonFulfilled=0&seller=A13UAAT5H4NVEU

[Mirror Image]

But the real point of posting is to let everyone know something I spotted while ordering it:
MDT now has an Amazon US storefront
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aag/main/ref=olp_merch_rating_4?ie=UTF8&asin=B00AYF5SRG&isAmazonFulfilled=0&seller=A13UAAT5H4NVEU

I never used MDT, but have heard the company's name many times on this board. How reliable are they?

[kishnevi]

I never used MDT, but have heard the company's name many times on this board. How reliable are they?

As good as any of the others frequently mentioned here.   I found their shipping charges to be a bit high and confusing, so I've used them only a couple of times.

[Mirror Image]

As good as any of the others frequently mentioned here.   I found their shipping charges to be a bit high and confusing, so I've used them only a couple of times.

Ah, well on Amazon they'll have to conform to their shipping standards or they won't be selling anything. Shipping confusion has now been eradicated.

[Coopmv]

As good as any of the others frequently mentioned here.   I found their shipping charges to be a bit high and confusing, so I've used them only a couple of times.

Exactly right.  When you have a box set in your order, I think MDT prorates it in some fashion, though I have not quite figured out how that is done and that info does not appear to be clearly disclosed on its website either.  Overall, their service is excellent.  I once had to return a defective CD in the Barbirolli Sebelius set and they sent the replacement pretty quickly and even credited my airmail postage for returning the defective disc ...

[SonicMan46]

For me the biggest leap with blu-ray is the audio rather than the picture compared to DVD.  Reason being any decent AV amp or DVD player will upscale the picture to near blu-ray quality anyway, but the sound quality is a different league.  Once you have heard a decent AV set up playing a decent audio stream you wont want to have a TV picture without it...   (even the wife could hear the difference..).....

Hello Guys - just getting updated after 4 days away in Florida - warm weather & some excellent seafood! 

But saw a number of posts in this thread about Blu-ray (BD = Blu-ray Disc) - I obtained a HDTV & BD player in the fall of 2011 and have replaced about 150 of my DVDs w/ BDs (NOW, I do enjoy re-watching movies that I own and at the present Blu-ray streaming is not an option) - I cannot agree w/ the statement above at all - a good quality Blu-ray restoration @ 1080p is vastly superior to standard DVD regardless of trying to upscale the image; plus, redone sound is vastly superior - look at the quote below from HERE; also, for some of your favorite films, check out the comparisons HERE - I can give you 'so many' examples of the superiority of the BD technology - just two very contrasting examples are Singing in the Rain & Ten Commandments, but there are many others.

If you are really into watching your favorite films over again (important for me!), and if the Blu-ray restoration (both video & audio are done superbly), AND if the price is reasonable, then the BD is worth an investment - I must say that by careful purchasing (and selling my replacement DVDs) that I'm usually paying less that 10 bucks per BD (now if you stream a film twice in HD, which is NOT BD, then the price is about the same?) - SO, this is an individual decision w/ many variables; for me, it's worth buying some of these classics in BD format -   Dave

What's better about Blu-ray?
Image quality: Superior resolution is a big part of what makes Blu-ray look great. In layman's terms, this means you'll see a more detailed image: more clearly defined strands of hair, wrinkles in clothing, etc. The technical difference is that Blu-ray's maximum resolution is 1,920x1,080 (1080p), while DVD is limited to 720x480 (480p). Beyond resolution, Blu-ray also uses better video-compression methods, resulting in more contrast and richer colors. If you like the way HD from your cable or satellite provider looks, Blu-ray looks even better. It's the highest-quality video format available today, and in some ways it surpasses the picture quality of your local movie theater, especially when shown on a good-performing HDTV or projector.

Audio quality: Audio quality is also improved. New high-resolution soundtrack formats, such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, are essentially identical to the studio master, so you'll be hearing things exactly as the director and audio engineers intended. For more information check out the Blu-ray soundtracks section.

[trung224]

My fourth Glagolitic Mass


And newly discover from Brian's blind listening test