Just scored a copy of the John Williams (guitarist) box set for $120. Looks like it’s going for over $500 on the used market now that it is out of print. Every once in a while, bargains do still happen!
Moonfish or anyone else who has purchased more than one of those Venias sets in the same order for delivery to the USA: about how much did shipping end up being? The stipulation that one can't see this before finalizing the order...it gives me the willies. I am still thinking about some of the Venias items.
I’ve ordered from them. Shipping was expensive, about 20% of the total cost. But to me it’s worth it as they sold a box set no one else did, produced by Varias. Totally worth it to me. 203 discs, and in total and still less per disc than the new mega Bach set.
That's about my experience too -figure adding an extra 20% of your order total for shipping to the states (via ems). But, like you said, I haven't found any other source for Venias boxes other than HMV Japan -except for flying myself to Japan, which would be much more expensive If you do HMV's three-item discount thing, it does make the per-unit-price much more reasonable.
Hi Octave! It has been a long time! I agree with the other comments in regards to your question. It is in the realm of about 20-25% of the purchase price. I was up in arms about it at the time since it was so unexpected. This is part of their response to my inquiry about shipping costs: "There is a notice on our help page that the shipping fee quoted on the e-mail is an estimated, and it may be changed due to the weight of the items in your order. Shipping fee overseas depends on the weight of package and the destination. The shipping cost on the price table is an estimate for regular CD/DVDs. There are some surcharges for products that are irregular in weight and/or size such as boxed sets, books, calendars, accessories, etc. オンラインショッピング Q&A(お問合せ)｜HMV&BOOKS online オンラインショッピング Q&A(お問合せ)｜HMV&BOOKS online If you would like to be informed when the delivery cost changes, please tick the box before completing the next order. In that case, we will let you know how much the delivery cost changes via e-mail. Thank you for shopping at l-tike HMV. We look forward to your next visit to our website." I hope that is somewhat helpful. The wording is very vague in terms of actual cost, but the check box advice seems helpful. I didn't notice the "check the box" option at the time I ordered my items. Is there such a thing?
Ben, It is indeed a unique box set and very, very tempting. At the same time I look out over the musical cornucopia residing in my living room. Ah, should one be impulsive? Any further news on your exploration of the set?
I broke down and ordered the Pavarotti box from amazon.de. It came today packed in two unsealed plastic bags, no padding. Somehow it was not damaged. I have a question for those how have missing discs. Are the sleeves and discs incorrect or are the sleeves correct and each disc needs to be checked?
I've only had one set with a duplicate disc over the last few years (András Schiff's complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas, an ECM set); the sleeves were correct, one of the discs wasn't and the right disc was missing. I returned it to Amazon Germany, all expenses reimbursed, and got a new one from them which turned out to be OK.
In both box sets I had problems with, they had duplicate sleeves of one set and were missing sleeves for the other. I have checked the sleeves to make sure the correct discs are inside also however.
So, I spent some time counting up the discs in my various sets, because ... well, because I'm nuts. When I include the various box sets I have containing between 5-19 discs along with the 20+ disc "mega" boxes, I come up with 8013 discs. I actually thought it might be over 10K by now -- just means I have to keep collecting for a while.
Moonfish, I understand your dilemma. It is the same one I go through every time I am thinking about buying a new set. However this box I feel is probably my last big purchase. Regarding the Knappertsbusch box, I have only listened to a couple complete Parsifals, and then I sampled some of the orchestral music. Some of that orchestral music is interesting in that it was recorded in the 30s and it sounds as if the CDs are basically 78 records because there’s a lot of poping and hissing. But as a historical document, I think it’s incredible. I have also listened to Das Rheingold and a couple tracks from the Gotterdamerung, as I know those operas the best, and I use them as my reference for checking quality of production. Really excellent. The sound quality I think is outstanding for being recorded in the 50s and 60s In terms of the physical attributes of the box, each of the four smaller boxes are beautifully well-made with glossy print on all six sides. The CD sleeves don’t have spines, however spine information is printed and you can find this on the back of each sleeve. The sleeves are better quality then you would get in the DG box. Although all the sleeves look alike in each box, I feel the quality is really there. The sheer size of this box I think is going to take up my entire fall and winter. Really looking forward to it, and I’ll post more comments if I have any.
I don’t have any Venias boxes. I’ve seen many of them at Tower here in Tokyo. I’ve never actually paid much attention to them - are they licensed studio recordings or live performances (or some mix of both)? They always seemed a bit gray-market-ish to me, but perhaps I have the wrong impression.
Does anyone have a copy of this cheapo 10 CD set called "Perfect Strings". Can you possibly tell me what performances are included because I cannot find anything about it apart from the fact that copies are still available on the second hand market
Gregor Piatigorsky - The Art of the Cello - The Complete Rca and Columbia Album Collection This is available for pre-order now at Amazon.fr for ~42€. ($50 USD) including VAT and without shipping for Oct 19 release. For comparison, Amazon.com currently listing it for $82 and Presto for $86 + shipping. That's a significant price difference. Of course, one is at the mercy of the shipping from Amazon Europe but the savings would be $30 or so.
Not sure if this has been mentioned before: Coming on November 16th. https://www.amazon.de/Classic-Andr%C3%A9-Previn/dp/B07D51864Y/
