AcousticSounds vs SoudStage vs Elusivedisc vs MusicDirect

We do not charge for return shipping on defective products.

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I can vouch for the great customer service from SSD. I never expected commenting in a thread would lead to anything, but Seth saw my issue in this thread and proactively made things right. That kind of service doesn't happen very often these days.

 

Love SSD!

 

I've ordered multiple times from all four of the retailers mentioned. By a wide margin, Elusive Disc has provided the best packaging and service. In probably ten years of ordering, I've yet to receive any damaged vinyl from Elusive Disc. I've had the worst track record from SoundStage Direct, with records arriving with seam splits several times. I gave them one last try, and they sent the records outside of the jackets, presumably to prevent cover seam damage. However, the vinyl arrived very dusty and with fingerprints. I'm sticking with Elusive Disc, with Acoustic Sounds being my next favorite.

 

I have not used soundstage but might next time I get anything 180g, which I dont buy a lot of. I'd rate other three pretty similar. none are bad. If its an MFSL I use music direct since they own MFSL (since they own MFSL, maybe they would have dibs on the earlier stamper numbers?). If its an AP title I use acoustic sounds (same logic). I give a slight edge to acoustic sounds on packaging. Price wise there has'nt been any real difference or competition since the 90's/early 2000's when Better Records forced Music direct and others to compete with his prices. Nowadays it seems the big sellers have an unspoken no compete agreement, and don't really compete or discount much from retail, at least not to the degree that Tom Port did. He was selling 30 dollar retail DCC stuff for 22 dollars. Classic records reissues were usually a bit more- at 27 dollars for 30 dollar retail items. Sometimes He'd do free shipping on 50 dollars or more. And this was for any and all releases from audiophile labels. MFSL, DCC, Classic- including the latest titles.

 

Hey Scott,

Just left you a voice mail,if something was wrong I want to make it right.

Thanks,

Seth

 

Good topic.

Here's where they stack up for me in terms of what really stands out based on my experiences:

Music Direct:
PROS
- May have certain MFSL titles when other sites run out (how I snagged Dead Can Dance's "Into The Labyrinth.")
- Great discounts on demo/open box equipment with full warranties.
CONS
- Best shipping prices aren't tied into their shopping cart system, requiring you to call them. In 2014.
- Pushy sales rep with terribly pompous attitudes.

Acoustic Sounds:
PROS
- Good customer service.
- Can get someone with a lot of really strong knowledge about specific titles on the phone.
- Best prices on the remaining Classic Records stock.
- Second-lowest free shipping minimum.
CONS
- Nothing I can really think of.

Elusive Disc:
PROS
- Awesome customer service.
- Really cool sales that nobody else touches, like the $36 Music Matters 45RPM releases.
CONS
- Markups on semi-recent OOP titles.

Soundstage Direct:
PROS
- SH coupon is always valid.
- By far the lowest free shipping minimum.
- Very best packaging.
CONS
- Too many titles NOT listed as "not eligible for further discount" that don't work with coupons (apparently applies to all ORG, Analogue Productions/Classic Records, and Music Matters titles even if the disclaimer isn't there).
- Accuracy of what's listed in stock for shipping when seems faulty.
- The free shipping minimum went up $5.

 

I've purchased from all of them. Packaging is often very secure however pricing is the real kicker. Music Direct and Acoustic Sounds (although they may have changed this recently) only offer Fedex at a high price tag. Soundstage and Elusive offer better shipping deals and the same secure packaging. I'd only order from MD if you really care about low numbered copies, otherwise, their shipping costs are too high. And since AS doesn't number any of their quality pressings, you'll save money ordering from elusive or soundstage. Also, I've had a few seam splits from MD - they will ship the LPs out of the sleeve if you ask (unless you're a still sealed record hoarder.

 

Which one of these is the best (best packaging and cheapest shipping) one to use if you live in Europe?

I ordered from AcousticSounds first time some time ago and it was a disaster - after paying the shipping (highest I have ever paid) and customs fees and finding out that 3 out of 4 records in the package had manufacturing defects, there was no point in returning or replacing them - it was cheaper to buy new copies from amazon.com instead.

 

Not to thread crash, but if someone ordering from Music Direct and taking advantage of the free shipping, would repackage an item and send it to Canada, I would greatly appreciate it!

It's $31 to ship 1 LP to Canada and I can't find this title anywhere else. Please PM me if this is possible!

 

Same here. I had to return a few Audio Fidelity gold discs to Amazon due to surface scratches.

 

I think most of us knew what you meant.

 

Regarding the part in bold, it's been said that you can get an SACD for $7 express shipping if you order from mofi.com instead of musicdirect.com. Perhaps cheaper shipping options for LPs are also available from mofi.com. They would be limited to MFSL titles, of course.

 

Audiophile LP's with great packaging?

If you're not living in the USA, try www.VinylGourmet.com in Portugal, Europe.

Check this out concerning split seams and crushed corners:

http://www.vinylgourmet.com/en/content/11-expert-packaging

We'll carefully open and visually inspect LP's at your request (Expert Packaging option) for free, and we also provide Professional Record Cleaning service

We believe we currently make the absolute best packaging in the world.

Some photos of the packaging of recent orders (they all look different because each and every box we ship out is assembled for the specific contents of that box in order to achieve the maximum protection):

 

Some more pics:











This how to handle glossy covers:

 

It's $7 FedEx on mofi.com, and it applies to LPs as well as SACDs.

 

Is this still true? That's really a difference-maker, IMO.

 

Actually, I believe it's now 11%.

 

I just ordered four vinyl titles from Soundstage and will see how quickly they ship. Last time I ordered it took thirteen days to receive my order which is ridiculous. Normally I order from Elusive and have always been happy but this time they didn't have the new Amy Grant album so we will see how Soundstage does.

 

Thank you. Good to know.

 

I have had the same experience with their shipping, they are the slowest of the bunch. Might be an east coast thing. At any rate I use Acoustic Sounds and Music Direct most of the time, depending on what's in stock.

 

USPS Media Mail can be slow -- even 2 weeks at times. It's a trade-off that you have to accept for cheaper shipping.

 

The thing about Soundstage Direct is they don't always have titles in stock. But they tell you that up front. Each product page has an estimated shipping time, measured in days. When you order something that's in stock, it ships same day or next day.

 

Good to know....guess we will see. The last time I ordered they did not indicate any of the titles were out of stock. And I placed my order late last week and have not received a shipping confirmation, like I do with other vinyl sellers. Hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised and I will certainly follow up here.

 

Absolutely. And I was going to select and pay more but wow....it was a huge jump in price. I don't know....if it typically takes two weeks that is an option I would not even offer, even for free. Until last week I never ordered from them again, and I have bought an awful lot of vinyl this past year. They should not charge so much more to just ship standard USPS. They seemed to have some new releases I didn't see at Elusive, so we'll see how it goes this time. Seems like others have been happy so my fingers are crossed. Just vinyl...not a big deal I guess. But all things being equal shipping is really the only way to differentiate yourself, aside from packing of course, which I think most dedicated vinyl sellers do well (hit or miss with Amazon).