Bol

Hi everyone. I have some LP's that look very clean but are a bit noisy when played -- no skips or loud noises but just constant little static. I don't have a cleaning machine, and I have not found a record shop here in London that cleans records for fee. I've read somewhere that one can clean records with a sponge dipped in warm water. I was wondering whether this is advisable, and it can be done without damaging vinyl. Thanks in advance for your advice.

Happy holidays to you too, Lon. All the best in the new year. I am also listening to the Commodore sets. It was you who introduced me to that music when we were both in Austin!

I recently got on eBay the 3 early Blue Note sessions shown below for very reasonable/low prices, and they arrived today. I have some of these recordings on Japanese TOCJ and some domestic Blue Note CD's (I think from the 1990's). But I hear new clarity and naturalness as I listen to the first Bechet LP right now. Glorious and noble music! A bit of balm for these horrible times. Merry Christmas, everyone.

Ah thanks. I will keep track, though I suspect that it sell for quite a bit.

Verve France appears to have released 6 volumes of these on vinyl in the 1980's. They cover 1951-56 of Hodges' work on Verve. Any opinions about the quality of these LP's? I am thinking that getting these might be more economical than getting the Mosaic LP set that covers the same period, or trying to get the individual LP's. Thanks in advance.

Sometimes, especially when I am working, I use iTunes shuffle and Blue Tooth to play music through a radio with a small mono speaker. The radio I have is an audiophile one, but a low end one put out by Revo. I am beginning to think that rock and other pop music sound better through a small mono speaker than on a full hi fi system. The music sounds more focused and distilled, and some of the vulgarity of the many pop productions is diminished in effect. Does anyone else feel this way?

I was thinking that most people here are in the US, so it wouldn't be economical for them to buy from me here in the UK. And I also wanted to avoid the labor of making up a list. But as one member asked me to send him a list, I may draw up a list and post it here too.

I'm thinking that I need to get rid of some CD's that I no longer listen to. When I lived in the US, I used to sell CD's on Amazon Marketplace. I tried doing the same when I moved to the UK a few years ago, but it seemed that there are various regulations on Amazon UK so that in effect only professional sellers are allowed to sell recordings through the Marketplace. I'm thinking that my only options are eBay and Discog. I've sold only one thing on eBay ever, and that about 15 years ago; and I've never bought or sold anything on Discog. Can people let me know what in their experience is the best site to sell stuff on? And if I am overlooking some options, let me know. Thanks in advance.

I saw Ab a couple of years ago when he came to London with the ICP. I asked him during the break about the box set and he said it disappeared quickly. Odd that he made such few copies.

Like Larry said, no. It takes a little getting used to, but I think you will develop a muscle memory for putting the needle on and off records pretty quickly. I highly recommend the P2.

News update: I ended up getting the P2. I didn't get to demo anything as the shops here in London are all still closed. Basically, my desire to get one has been increasing lately, and P1 has been out of stock at all the online shops. And while the prices of both models went up recently, I found one shop online that had the P2 at the old price. Thought I should jump on it. I am really happy with P2 so far. Obviously, I can't compare the sounds. But if I remember my old P1, the sound was not as impressive as this new P2. I feel like with this P2 there is a greater disparity between the sound of the LP and that of the CD of the same recordings. Also, I really like the look of this P2 much better -- esp. the glass platter. Thanks again for all your advice and recommendations. My next music ambition: obtaining a nice copy of Gerry Mulligan's "What is There to Say?" (6-eye mono) at a decent price. I have an OK copy now, and its ticks seem more glaring and annoying on the P2! Most likely, I will have to do that next time I travel to the U.S.

Thanks, everyone. I wish that I could go into an audio shop and listen to these tables. I may wait a bit longer (a year?) to be able to do that. I may be foolish in thinking this way, but I don't think I want to keep thinking about and spending money on improving my audio system. For one thing, I don't want to spend increasing amounts of money on a process that may be never ending -- as some people have warned me based on their own experiences. For another, I'd rather spend my mental energy on the music rather than the technology.

When I moved from the US to the UK 4+ years ago, I sold my Rega P1 turntable. I am now beginning to think about getting one here in the UK. I am not really an audiophile; I have about 100-150 LP's that are in really good shape; and I was fairly happy with P1. But when I got my P1 around 2010, a colleague who was an audiophile told me that I had made a mistake. He said that by going up to the next level I would have gotten much more for my money than I did by getting the entry level turntable such as P1. If that really is the case, I would like to avoid the mistake on my next turntable purchase. So could people let me know whether paying £150 extra for P2 is really worth it? (P1 is £250 and P2 is £400.). Thanks in advance for your views.

Thanks. That makes sense. I noticed on eBay that there is a series of LP's put out by the French Verve that covers the period. Would have been super nice to have the stuff on CD too. Happy holidays to you too!

Does anyone know the reason for limiting the first Hodges set to vinyl? I've been listening to the second set lately, and really wish that the first set was also available on CD. I have 2 Japanese CD's that cover some of the 1951-54 material -- "Castle Rock" and "Used to be Duke" -- and would love the other sessions as well.

Thank you for really helpful set of recommendations. As soon as it is safer to venture out and visit audio shops, I will do as you recommend. I am a middle aged man, and I think my hearing is fine. But I will check when I visit my doctor one of these days. Thanks again.

Thanks for the replies. The specifics of the system are as follows: Cambridge Audio AXC35 CD player Sony STR-D365 Amplifier/Receiver Acoustic Research AR15 speakers I don't have any headphones, I'm afraid, other than the basic iPhone headphones. As for the specifics of dissatisfaction with the sound, I'm not sure I can be more specific than the gestural complaint I had. I think I would like to hear more precision and clarity than I hear. The different instruments appear to blend into each other. This is what I meant by saying that the sound is "muffled" and "opaque". And I do think that the there is an absence of high and low frequencies too, but am not sure. Sorry to be so uninformative about this. Any tips/guesses would be appreciated.

I have been bothered lately with how poor the sound of classical orchestral music (symphonies, operas etc.) is on my system, and am wondering whether getting a new amplifier would help. I currently have an ancient Sony integrated amplifier from the 1980's. It is connected to Cambridge Audio AXC35 CD player, which is just a step above the most basic model from Cambridge Audio. Another feature of my setup that may be relevant is that the amplifier runs through a current transformer. I am in the UK, and the amplifier was brought here from the US when I moved close to 4 years ago. The CD player I brought with it died, and that is why I have the new Cambridge Audio CD player. I am wondering whether getting a matching amplifier (AXA35) from Cambridge Audio would improve the sound significantly. The sound on my system for small group jazz and classical chamber music sounds fine to me. It is only when I play orchestral music that I find the music muffled and opaque. Any advice you have would be much appreciated. I am not an audiophile by any means. I have consciously avoided becoming one because I can't afford to be. But for some reason, lately, playing orchestral music has become a source of frustration. Thanks in advance for your opinion.

I just ordered this, but had it sent to my brother's in California, rather than have it sent to me in London. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but have little confidence in USPS and Royal Mail right now, and UPS to London is prohibitive. (Royal Mail appears to just have lost a large shipment of coffee and books from Amazon UK.). I'm also afraid that this set will sell out soon. So, don't know when I can travel to California again, but the music will be there waiting for me. This is the Mosaic set I am most excited about since I don't know when... Maybe the Gerry Mulligan CJB set, or even the Thad Jones and Curtis Fuller sets, which were my very first Mosaic sets back when I was a poor grad student in Ann Arbor, Michigan! Too bad I won't get to listen to it for a long time. In the meantime, hope everyone can stay safe and healthy. And long live Mosaic! May they keep soldiering on and fight the good fight!

Thanks, guys.

Hello everyone. If you have any recommendations for record stores in Philly, please let me know. I'll be close to U. Penn campus.

Yes, that might be the way to go. I need 5 that holds 3 CD's and 1 that holds 4 CD's. Thanks.

Thanks, Dmitry. But these look like, judging from the pictures on Amazon, that they have centre tray spokes that make releasing CD's difficult. The jewel cases that Mosaic used are like these, and they seem to hold the CD's very tightly and make retrieving CD's difficult and precarious. I am looking for ones that have centre tray spokes that are like the tray spokes on the regular jewel cases -- with 12 teeth. I hope that makes sense.

Hi guys. I think I've seen a thread on this topic, but I can't find it right now. I just got my Mosaic Savoy and Dial sets, and want to replace the flimsy jewel cases that Mosaic used, which also have centre spokes that make taking out CD's hard and dangerous. What I am looking for I think are called "chubby doubles". They are twice the thickness of regular jewel cases, and can store 3-4 CD's. I would like to get high quality ones that use thick plastic and have spokes that release the CD's without the fear of breaking the CD's. I am in the UK, and would like leads on sellers of such CD cases for the UK or the US. (I can retrieve them next time I am in the US.) Thanks in advance.

Holy cow! I had no idea. What a sad loss...