@lewm: And if that's the case, perhaps the Nagaoka and Furutech emit only positive ions. Neither has a trigger handle, only an on/off button.
Vinyl Lovers
After a marathon session of ultrasonically cleaning some of my vinyl treasures, I discovered that a few of them had what I'll call "skip-scratches" on various cuts. I have many more to clean (i.e. somewhere around 5 to 6 hundred, mostly original 60s & 70s LPs) and fully expect to encounter more bruised babies along the way, not all of which I'll probably replace with vinyl re-issues or re-pressings. Some of my all-time favorites, however, I definitely will want to replace, providing I can find good quality re-issues/re-pressings. I know there is much to learn about this, and I am just beginning to scratch the surface (no pun intended). For example, there are issues of so called "virgin vinyl", quality of the vinyl mix, thickness of vinyl, recording from original master tapes, if still in existence and in good condition, quality of the actual pressing process, etc., etc., etc.
So, I guess my question for you all who know much more about this than I, is where the best places are to buy the best quality vinyl re-issues or re-pressings. Local record shops are few and far between and most of them don't have much in the way of variety or stock in anything other than used records. I'm familiar with Discogs but, frankly, am reluctant to buy used records on-line because I don't entirely trust the purveyors' ratings and the endemic hassles of possible returns. Most of the re-issues/re-pressings I've purchased, thus far, have been from or through Music Direct. I've noticed that some of their offerings actually come from companies like: Island Records; Impex; RHINO and other sources.
So, what are some of your go-to, solid, reputable standbys?
Thanks Much!
Showing 4 responses by bdp24
IIRC, the Zerostat emits one charge when squeezed, the other when released. I don’t remember which is positive and which is negative. As for LP (and CD) organization, whatever makes finding any given LP/CD when you want to hear it easiest. For me that means simple alphabetizing by artist or band/group name, followed by chronology. I guess if you feel like hearing some, say, Jazz, subdividing by genre may be of value, but that’s not how my musical hunger works. And no "The" before a band name! As for Classical, alpha by composer, followed by title of composition, then by performer (if solo piece) or conductor. Some serious collectors sort by label. |
@ghdprentice: I started using the Zerostat when it first came on the market. It was somewhat effective, but required one to squeeze and release the trigger v...e...r...y s...l...o...w...l...y. A real pita to use. When the Nagaoka Kilavolt No.103 was introduced I got myself one, and was pleasantly surprised by how much better it was. But it is unfortunately no longer in production. I now use the even better Furutech DeStat III. It is not cheap (typically selling for $310-$330), but after keeping an eye out for one on ebay, I snagged one new-in-the-box for $199. Highly recommended! |
@bigtwin: The Amazon packing you are seeing in Canada (a thin cardboard mailing sleeve inside a 4" thick carton filled with bubble wrap) is the same I have been seeing for quite some time here in the US. That's certainly preferable to the mailing envelope they were using a few years back, but I'm still seeing damage in another way: While the double-boxing guards against shipping damage, what I'm regularly receiving are LP covers which have been bent/creased, a result of pulling them from the storage racks in the Amazon LP warehouse by the corner of the cover, rather the center. Duh. I return, like others, maybe about 25% of my LP's for new copies. Most of the second copies arrive undamaged, but I've had two titles where the second copy is damaged in exactly the same manner as the first. Double duh. Analogue Productions/Acoustic Sounds, on the other hand, packs with extreme care. Elusive Disc is real good too. Almost all Discogs and ebay sellers ship LP's in those pathetic thin cardboard mailing sleeves, which do little to protect the corners of the LP covers. |