I have had Greatest Hits on UK CBS since it's release in 1974 and it is indeed an excellent sounding record. Likely compiled by going back to each master tape.
biggest part of customs charges is vat. i am afraid you wont get rid of it once brexit is done. it's yet 20% tax roughly on a lot of things and a lot of money for your national budget. It doesnot exist in the US ... yet ...
I got the Speakers Corner Caravanserai and had a quick listen. It sounds very, very good but its probably one of the lowest cut records I have and really needs the volume whacked up and then it seems to come alive and sound really fantastic. You really need to match the volume when doing comparisons and be aware that some records using compression may sound better initially especially at the same volume. I'm not saying people haven't done this but just wanted to mention... I'd give the Speakers Corner Caravanseri a solid 9/11 on the Fremer scale Ill be giving the Abraxas One Step a listen tonight when I have the time to pay it more attention!
VAT is a tax not a customs charge. I'm fine with just 20% tax if the other charges disappear (there are also carrier processing charges), as US vinyl prices are far lower anyway. The other prohibitive cost appears to be US postage to UK. That puts me off buying vinyl from US unless it's through Amazon. Strangely bulk importers appear to be able to avoid most of these charges.
Yup. When I have to return stuff on Discogs to the U.K., things that show about 16-20£ on the stamp to me end up costing anywhere from $36-$65 to ship back. That way more lol.
Wow the sound on this is crazy...maybe tied with Beck Sea Change as my best sounding record?!? Maybe slightly better...need to listen to the whole thing. Everything kind of exploded out the speakers, very impressed so far! EDIT: Side 2 is off centre slightly, cannot detect it but I'm still kind of fascinated by the inability in the year 2016 to be able to get a hole in the middle of a round piece of plastic... The sound is absolutely top notch though...
Because they are using old pressing machines from the 70's and they hire a low wage person to run it.
That would describe all the MFSL 45 rpm titles I have - Unless they do a std 45 rpm can't tell if this one step is £50 better. Non appear pressed off centre but labels are often off centre.
My buddy bought the Santana ultradisk and said it makes even his best sounding records sound substantially inferior. Over Christmas I'm heading LA and we are gonna listen to it together. I'm pretty juiced, although I gotta say not much of a fan of Santana and his cheeseball porno music.
I don't know if it's different in the UK, but here in Portugal, as a "bulk importer" myself, there is nothing I can avoid, I pay VAT, Duties, Credit Card Exchange Rate Fees, Carrier Processing Fees... all of it, and it's incredibly expensive I would think it's no different in most EU countries (maybe it will change for the better now in the UK).
I would rank it above the other 45rpm records i have by MFSL including Dylan - Blonde on Blonde but i know what you mean. Im impressed by it for sure... i couldnt imagine getting any more out of the tape really! Whether the difference is the one step i dont know but its the best MFSL 45rpm record i have.
I would have to watch a video again but fairly sure that hole is directly related to the where they punched a hole in the metal stamper, not in the pvc directly. Meaning a bunch will be off center if one is off center.
As Steve said upstream, if one is from a stamper, then all are. Need to watch the arm, not the label.
For a $100 record. Though, in this case, I don't know the wages of the people that work at RTI, nor do I think the vintage of the hole punch or the presses affect the centering. The individual who makes the punch just has to be careful and precise. Perhaps someone will automate the process some day.
Mine wasnt to do with the label, the tonearm was moving a little (maybe 1mm?) but i couldnt hear it and its pretty small. The most enjoyable sounding track for me was Incident at Neshabur.
Another thing....considering theyre always whingeing about the condition of master tapes....Abraxas has seen a few analog releases recently so the tape has seen some use. Seems they can manage it when the dosh is on the table.
Cheeseball porno music..? Where do you get that from? Abraxas has nothing to do with porno...or cheeseballs for that matter.
I'd love to hear the explanation of what this actually means. I like cheeseballs. don't care for porn. Like Santana's music. Does that mean I'm going to aitchy double hockey sticks? Can I take my stereo with me?
"Cheeseball porno music"?? Hello Jomay?? Yes, Peter Greenbaum (Peter Green) on line 1. Wants a word with you about "Black Magic Woman". And oh, Tito Puente is calling in on satellite on line 2. Would like a word with you about "Oye Como Va".
