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Am I the only one here


porcy62

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Although I have a fairly good classic selection on CD, the best is still on vinyl. In particular, there are lots of EMI UK recordings that never made it to CD, primarily of out of the mainstream stuff, as well as some outstanding Decca material. Never was fond of Living Presence primarily due to performance and repertoire.

I have a fairly good collection of legendary Lyrita vinyl. Lyrita has never been well served on CD.

Overall, the reality is that CD has never been able to capture string tone properly. Vinyl from analog tape is where the real tone lies.

I've been on the look-out for Lyrita for awhile, but I've never run across a single LP on this label at the local Dallas HPBs.

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I have a fairly good collection of legendary Lyrita vinyl. Lyrita has never been well served on CD.

Most of the Lyrita catalogue has been issued on CD in the last two or three years. A substantial amount of it is available for download from e-music.

http://www.lyrita.co.uk/

http://www.emusic.com/browse/l/b/-dbm/a/0-...00156301/0.html

Not of much interest to those for whom vinyl is a premium medium; but it's there in other formats. I've replaced most of my 1970s/80s Lyrita LPs from one source or the other (preferring to listen via CD).

Edited by Bev Stapleton
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I have a fairly good collection of legendary Lyrita vinyl. Lyrita has never been well served on CD.

Most of the Lyrita catalogue has been issued on CD in the last two or three years. A substantial amount of it is available for download from e-music.

http://www.lyrita.co.uk/

http://www.emusic.com/browse/l/b/-dbm/a/0-...00156301/0.html

Not of much interest to those for whom vinyl is a premium medium; but it's there in other formats. I've replaced most of my 1970s/80s Lyrita LPs from one source or the other (preferring to listen via CD).

What I wrote is: "never well served on CD".

The early CD reissues were average sounding at best, and the more recent attempt to revive the brand simply repressed those earlier titles without any attempt at sound upgrade, and new issues of titles not previously released on CD were still not anywhere near up to the standard of the original vinyl.

Lyrita, in their day, were legendary for the sonic quality of their recordings - many felt them to be far and away the best. To really hear the Lyrita sound, get the vinyl - but they still go for fairly high prices on Ebay, although most are relatively easy to find.

And I suspect that Lyrita on CD has now gone dormant again. The bankruptcy of the major UK distributor has played havoc with classical distribution in the U.K., bringing some smaller labels down with it.

Edited by robert h.
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I have a fair bit of the vinyl. Can't tell the difference between it and the CD/download version. Maybe I could if I had an expensive system but that isn't going to happen.

I'd hate to see people scared away from exploring Lyrita's wonderful catalogue, that is available in the newer formats, by the usual 'it's not as good as the vinyl' assertions. For most of us listeners choosing one format over another is just a lifestyle choice.

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I have a fair bit of the vinyl. Can't tell the difference between it and the CD/download version. Maybe I could if I had an expensive system but that isn't going to happen.

I'd hate to see people scared away from exploring Lyrita's wonderful catalogue, that is available in the newer formats, by the usual 'it's not as good as the vinyl' assertions. For most of us listeners choosing one format over another is just a lifestyle choice.

Much as I would like it to be otherwise, CD just does not sound as good as vinyl, and nowhere is that more profound than with classical music. But I agree with you that it would be a shame to miss a lot of great Lyrita music if vinyl is not in the picture.No sense being dogmatic about it, the music is the thing.

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Much as I would like it to be otherwise, CD just does not sound as good as vinyl, and nowhere is that more profound than with classical music.

I think that's a matter of perception rather than fact (much like the debates over the quality of different download rates or downloads and CDs). Maybe the difference is more noticeable on a high end system. I associate vinyl with surface noice, off-centre pressings, flutter and wow etc (most of my vinyl buying happened between 1970-the late 80s when the quality of the vinyl used was poorer so I might just have had bad experiences).

But I agree with you that it would be a shame to miss a lot of great Lyrita music if vinyl is not in the picture.No sense being dogmatic about it, the music is the thing.

Quite. For me the real point about Lyrita was its making available for exploration a whole area of music that had been marginalised by critical fashion. I bless it for allowing me to listen to Frank Bridge alone.

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I've got a ton of classical vinyl that I simply don't want to buy twice.

Very wise. I think over the years I've rebought most of the classical music I enjoy on either CD or download. But that had more to do with wanting to hear it without the clicks and scratches. In the end we all have different levels of tolerance for different things. I don't really notice differences in sonic quality a great deal - I'm driven hairless by any physical interruptions which I know others can listen past.

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I've got a ton of classical vinyl that I simply don't want to buy twice.

Very wise. I think over the years I've rebought most of the classical music I enjoy on either CD or download. But that had more to do with wanting to hear it without the clicks and scratches. In the end we all have different levels of tolerance for different things. I don't really notice differences in sonic quality a great deal - I'm driven hairless by any physical interruptions which I know others can listen past.

It's a common misperception that vinyl is by definition noisy. It certainly is hugely more labor intensive than CD, but with a fair bit of elbow work and a good cleaning regimen, it is possible to get just about any (non-damaged) LP perfectly quiet.

I have 40 and 50 year old vinyl, all bought used, that I have got very quiet. Vacuum machines aren't good enough, and are expensive to boot.

That's the tradeoff. A lot of manual effort for a glorious sound.

My LP setup cost about 15% of my digital setup. Sounds 300% better.

As to rumble, wow and flutter, etc. these are primarily setup issues and can be minimized if not eliminated with a bit of work.

I'm not crazy about physical interruption either, which is why I couldn't wait to go to CD. If I knew then what I do know, I could be a lot wealthier today.

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  • 6 years later...

picked up Francescatti / Casadesus complete Beethoven sonatas for $2 yesterday, better condition than this but still not sure it's worth it; I'm Casedesus admirer for sure & know Francescatti a 'unique' & 'acquired' taste but... if someone offers me $2 i might pass it on.

 

 

 

Edited by MomsMobley
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You have to be careful or else you hit overload. I was in a 78 collecting forum and I saw a local posting saying "Free classical records to a good home". That was exactly what I was interested in, so I called the guy up and offered to take them. He said, "They're yours, but there are a lot of them. You better bring a truck." I said "No problem, I have a Nissan pickup." He replied, "No, a BIG truck."

So I called a buddy with a 3/4 ton pickup and drove over to pick them up. The guy handed me a huge stack of papers and said, "Here is in the inventory. The records are in here..." He opened his garage door and there were shipping boxes stacked in a solid four foot cube. It was everything we could do to get them all in the truck, and when we were done, the truck was riding very low to the ground.

Now I have a whole hallway in my house that has those records floor to ceiling. I try not to follow the record collecting forums any more!

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