Common bargain bin records that sound great?

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Photon46

Re: Common bargain bin records that sound great?
« Reply #20 on: 24 Apr 2021, 11:20 pm »
If I see anything on the ECM label, I usually give it a go.
For my taste, their vinyl is usually very good, YMMV, as always

Yes, they're one of my favorite labels. Whether vinyl or digital, I like the quality of their recordings.

S Clark

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Re: Common bargain bin records that sound great?
« Reply #21 on: 25 Apr 2021, 12:24 pm »
Another endorsement of the ECM label.  Also look for the Pablo label, good quality standards on a label that most jazz collectors don't covet. 

Photon46

Re: Common bargain bin records that sound great?
« Reply #22 on: 25 Apr 2021, 12:57 pm »
I'll let you in on a secret that has guided me for many years, a guide to RCA pressings that I've found to be quite accurate. 
https://www.irvmusic.com/mitchell.php

Thanks for the link. They also have some interesting recordings on offer I see. Have you purchased LP's from them? The Phillips label can be quite variable in quality. Some of the vinyl recordings I've found to be quite nice (and often found for a bargain price) are;













S Clark

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  • a riot is the language of the unheard- Dr. King
Re: Common bargain bin records that sound great?
« Reply #23 on: 25 Apr 2021, 01:46 pm »
Thanks for the link. They also have some interesting recordings on offer I see. Have you purchased LP's from them?

Yes, I've bought from them for years. Irvington Music is perhaps the only secret I've held back from AudioCircle over the years. Larry and Sue sold about 80 000 lp's to a Chinese buyer a few years back, reducing his inventory significantly, but he's still in business.  I don't know anyone more knowledgeable about classical vinyl... many times I've called to ask which something like "Which Grieg Lyrical Pieces should I buy?".  He is a treasury of knowledge about pressings.  Most of his condition ratings are based on play grading, and I've seldom had an issue. He's not the cheapest, but there are values in his inventory. 

simoon

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Re: Common bargain bin records that sound great?
« Reply #24 on: 25 Apr 2021, 04:04 pm »
Count me as another big fan of ECM. But here in LA, at all the brick and mortar stores I shop at, they tend not to be in bargain bins. They tend to go for about $9.

Record stores are well aware of their sonic and musical attributes. So, even though they have a limited audience, stores know fans will pay good money for them.

The good thing about used ECM, is that since they always appealed to audio and music enthusiasts, they tend to be well cared for.

Another series I like a lot, musically and sonically, is the "Spectrum New Music" series on Nonesuch records from the 60's and 70's. While Nonesuch has a undeservedly bad reputation for noisy vinyl (I don't find that to be true), the imaging and soundstage on these is frighteningly good.

I can close my eyes, and very vividly 'see' the musicians in a reproduced acoustic space. I feel like I can get up and walk among them.

Now, musically speaking, these are quite 'thorny ' sounding, avant-garde classical music (typical of post 1950 classical music), so, YMMV.

Composers such as: Elliott Carter, Joseph Schwantner, Druckman, Wolpe, Wuorinen, etc. Some pretty 'difficult' stuff.