Yeah, I was in the US at the time of release. I did okay, too. About $70 if my memory serves me well.
The same year I bought the Arthur Rubinstein Complete Album Collection, £170, new, from Amazon UK. Possibly the 2 best purchases I've had.
The "Remastered" box should have a fair bit. But I suspect Concertos/Orchestral will come back - the Symphony Edition has been OOP twice and come back.
I was very disappointed when my Szeryng box set, that I got from Amazon for $12.07, was rescheduled to be delivered at some unknown date in March. Yet out of the blue I got an e-mail yesterday that it shipped. It arrived at my doorstep today. I am bragging, I know. However, I just want to say that for the last month all my Amazon orders are delivered by the Amazon's own delivery service. They send me an update on my phone with a map where I can track where my package is and how long it will take to be delivered and then they also send me a photo with the package at my door as proof of delivery. The most important thing though is that all my box sets delivered by Amazon have arrived in perfect condition, so far. I think the fact the there is a photo proof of the delivery probably motivates these guys not to screw up.
The 100 CD Bernstein Remastered box would have some of it; exactly how much I do not know, but John Fowler's review of it does list the contents so you can do the math yourself: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Leonard-Bernstein-Remastered/dp/B072M4GVVB/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1550733951&sr=8-1&keywords=bernstein+remastered. The same would be true for the New York Phil box, but with fewer hits than the Remastered box. However, Sony might reissue the Concerto box just as they did for the Symphony one. That Remastered box seems a beauty so even though I own all three of the three Bernstein boxes you mention I am tempted to get it also if only the price comes down a bit. That "Remastered" tag is no empty slogan but signifies a real sonic improvement (sometimes remixing and not only remastering) on a number of recordings where the three complete boxes (the first two in particular) use earlier remasters.
The Milken Archive of American Jewish Music Amazon Italy, New - 164 euros. A considerable price difference to other Amazon sites worldwide. https://www.amazon.it/dp/B000JVSYO4
Sorry if this is off topic, but has anyone here ever flipped their boxes for a profit? The Vivarte 1 Box I bought for $85 in 2014 is now listed as $250 on Amazon (used very good) or $480 (used, like new). I always assumed there were pie in the sky numbers.
Bach: The Complete Cantatas (Helmuth Rilling, 72 discs). I think I'd like to purchase this set. For some, it is an excellent non-HIP recording; others are a bit less enthusiastic. However, I couldn't find a discussion in this thread. Any thoughts on the Bach - Rilling?
I have the three "complete" Bernstein Sony boxes, but I'm going to compare the remastered albums on Spotify (they seem to all be there) and see how they sound.
That sounds like a great idea. I do not have access to Spotify so I cannot do the same. Use the following list to see which recordings have been remixed (a lot). They should show the greatest improvement: "Disc transfers for CD 1, tape transfers for CDs 19, 20, 45, 50, 52, 54, 58/59. 79-81, 90, and for CDs 21, 25/26, 48/49 and 67/68 using Direct Stream Digital.(DSD), mixing and mastering by Andreas K. Meyer, Meyer Media. LLC. Tape transfers for CD 7, mixing and mastering by Mark Wilder, Battery Mastering Studios. U-matic tape transfers for CDs 2,3, 34, 92, 96, 99, tape transfers for CDs 4-6, 8-15, 17, 18, 22-24, 27-33, 35-44,46, 47, 51, 53, 55-57, 60-66, 69-74, 75 (tracks1-13), 76-78, 82-89, 91, 93-95, 97, 98 and 100 by Brett Zinn, Iron Mountain Digital Services, mixing and mastering by Martin Kistner, Matthias Erb and Hansjorg Seiler, b-sharp music & media solutions using 24bit/192 kHz technology. Tape transfers for CDs 16 and 75 (tracks 14-17) using Direct Stream Digital (DSD) and mixing by Andreas K. Meyer, Meyer Media LLC, mastering by Martin Kistner, Matthias Erb and Hansjorg Seiler, b-sharp music & media solutions using 24/192kHz technology."
That's really interesting that Iron Mountain did the digital transfers for so many. I think of Iron Mountain as being for long-term storage of corporate records, and I suppose for master tapes as well, but apparently they have a division for doing professional audio transfer as well? Not crazy I suppose, but I don't think of them as being audiophile-focused. Of course, preconceptions are easy, but the results will speak for themselves. I'm also wary of those transfers advertised as being from U-Matic tape - that was a professional (and occasionally prosumer) video cassette introduced by Sony in 1971, the predecessor of Betamax. Presumably, these are sourced from digital transfers in the 1980s? From Wikipedia (U-matic - Wikipedia ): For an interesting but slightly unfair test, might compare the new remasters of works that had a SACD issued. Thinking specifically of the famous recording of Rhapsody in Blue.
I haven't sold any. Discogs usually has more realistic numbers, including lowest and highest price and last sold date. This one went for $125 last November. Various - Vivarte - 60 CD Collection
I was trying to look up your pictures on amazon.de showing the damages but think they've been removed... So sorry to hear about the damaged Russian Anthology boxes. Those are really nice and made in such limited quantity. Pity doesn't even describe it.
I unfortunately was still a grad student living under the poverty line during that first wave of mega box set releases (e.g. Rubinstein, Perahia, Horowitz). Didn't get the financial capital to pursue this hobby until years later and have been playing catch-up ever since. Media always talks about how millennials spend their money on avocado toasts, but they've neglected our (i.e., my) absurd expenditure on classical box sets.
I always wondered if such greed ever paid off on Amazon/ebay... there's this one seller LivingroomConductor on Amazon who flips his items for a notably higher price, but stays within a reasonable range for the most part.
Your worries are small-fry next to this: "Bach 333 to cause next crash." - Forbes "Vivarte scarcity riles Fed" - Bloomberg "Melodiya's Richter boxset behind 'falling US housing market'" - Reuters "Russians short Szeryng in Amazon cyber blitz." - Wired
What I (and I think others) will do is, if a box set or single issue begins to go for a crazy ask, I'll offer my copy for sale at slightly below the crazy. I figure heads I turn a profit, tails I keep a set I enjoy having. This is mostly for sets/discs that are "nice but not vital" to me. It's worked, but usually only because box sets I have but I'm not passionate about are ones I got at a huge discount.
Interesting ... a third party on Amazon US is listing the out-of-print 40-CD Pierre Monteux Complete RCA Album Collection box - NEW - for $170US. I went ahead and ordered it, though I'm skeptical. This is the first time I've seen the price (new or used) under $300 since I started buying mega sets a couple years ago. More often it's in the $400-$700 range, even for new copies. I half expect to receive the smaller 8-cd "The Complete RCA Stereo Recordings" set instead (though $170 seems beyond excessive for that). I've had good experience with Amazon returns in the past, so I decided to take a chance. After I placed my order, I noticed the same seller still had the listing out there at the same price, so act fast if you're feeling lucky... https://www.amazon.com/Pierre-Monteux-Complete-PIERRE-MONTEUX/dp/B00MAPMAFQ
I had no idea it had become so rare. It feels it was only yesterday I bought it for less than $100 when new on the market, but I see that it must have been over four years ago. Monteux being one of very few conductors from the 19th Century (he played for Brahms!) to make it into the stereo age, that box is very special!
