What are you listening to right now?

[jsaliga]

I recently scored four original HMV UK pressings of Wilhelm Furtwängler leading the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in performances of Beehoven Symphony Nos. 3, 5, 6, and 7.  Each symphony is on a single 12" LP, pressed on heavy vinyl (~ 180g if I had to guess).

I have taken a few chances lately on eBay and some of them didn't quite pan out.  I bought several records from a seller who assured me that his grading is spot on, and yet the 8 LPs I bought that he insisted were near mint were essentially junk that was not fit to put on a turntable.  So there went over $100 out the door and I am in the middle of working my way through an eBay Buyer Protection claim to get my money back.  I really don't have the time or energy for this.

At roughly the same time I really went out on a limb and bought these rather expensive Furtwängler records from a dealer in Israel (don't even go there, the alarm bells were ringing in my head when I bought them so I knew I was probably asking for trouble).  The Beethoven records arrived an hour ago and I was expecting to be very disappointed.  Imagine, to my delight, taking these vintage records out of the sleeves and seeing four prinstine LPs that had not a single mark, scuff, scratch, or blemish of any kind.  They had a brilliant vinyl shine.  These records might have been on a turntable a few times, but if they were the original and subsequent owners took extraordinary care of them.   They were indistinguishable from new.  The laminated jackets were also in pristine condition, with the original HMV inner sleeve also in minty shape.  The only evidence of their age was the slight yellowing of the inner sleeve near the edges.

I just finished listening to the Fifth symphony.  It was absolutely perfect.  No pops, no crackles, no clicks.

--Jerome

[jsaliga]

This lovely Columbia 6 Eye pressing was another recent acquisition that proved to be very rewarding.  Nice shiny lustre on the vinyl and the sound was spectacular.  A thrilling performance of a personal favorite.

--Jerome

[richidoo]

Jerome: HMV = Her Majesty's Vinyl? 

[etcarroll]

J -

"Imagine, to my delight, taking these vintage records out of the sleeves and seeing four prinstine LPs that had not a single mark, scuff, scratch, or blemish of any kind.  They had a brilliant vinyl shine.  These records might have been on a turntable a few times, but if they were the original and subsequent owners took extraordinary care of them.   They were indistinguishable from new."

Glad those worked out for you, I'd love to hear them.

[etcarroll]

Been listening to the same handfull of pieces of music over and over for a month as I tested a variety of WyWires products, wound up ordering an improved power cable for my phono-pre before I was even done with the testing, Alex has some good products.

But now I can finally listen to my RSD score, so reaching blindly into the bag, I pulled out;

Like Someone in Love
Ella Fitzgerald, Ted Nash | Format: vinyl

[eleazar]

Jerome: HMV = Her Majesty's Vinyl? 

Look on the Lp it looks like "His Master's Voice" by the RCA dog

[jsaliga]

In case anyone is interested...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Master's_Voice

There are a lot of recordings that were issued on the HMV label prior to 1957 that are quite valuable, such as the Furtwängler Beethoven and Bruckner releases.

--Jerome

[richidoo]

Look on the Lp it looks like "His Master's Voice" by the RCA dog

Of course! 
Thanks

[etcarroll]

SOUL SEARCHING
SHIRLEY SCOTT (Author) | Format: Vinyl

[tmazz]

Simon and Garfunkel:Sounds of Silence



Really clean Mid-late 60s Columbia 2-eye pressing. Very nice SQ.

[tmazz]

Gerald Jay Markoe: Meditation Music of Ancient Egypt

CD

Wow the more things change the more they remain the same. A friend brought this over for my wife and never mind Ancient Egypt, this music sounds just like the New Age stuff put out in the '90s

[richidoo]

[etcarroll]

Baker's Holiday: Chet Baker Plays & Sings Billie Holiday
Chet Baker | Format: vinyl

[tmazz]

Guarneri Quartet with Pinchas Zukerman - Beethoven Quintet in C, Op. 29, Mendelssohn Quintet in B-Flat, OP. 87

LP

[tmazz]

Tapestry Revisited - A Tribute to Carole King

CD

Track Listing
1. I Feel The Earth Move - Eternal
2. So Far Away - Rod Stewart
3. It's Too Late - Amy Grant
4. Home Again - Curtis Stigers
5. Beautiful - Richard Marx
6. Way Over Yonder - Blessid Union Of Souls
7. You've Got A Friend - Aretha Franklin
8. Where You Lead - Faith Hill
9. Will You Love Me Tomorrow? - Bee Gees
10. Smackwater Jack - The Manhattan Transfer
11. Tapestry - All - 4 - One
12. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman - Celine Dion