Definitive Audiophile pressings

zdkaiser said:
You must trust the Hoffman.
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Because he's...

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Slight update on AS’s backorder shipping charges.

I ordered 2 backordered albums last September. Since they were backordered I was charged $8 shipping on my initial credit card hold (no free shipping on an entirely backordered order). The first AP record shipped a few weeks later and I was charged $55 + tax + $8 shipping.

The second item in my backorder just came into stock. They honored the old price and did not charge me shipping this time. So it appears that if you place a bigger order with all backordered items, you just pay shipping once even if they come back into stock at different times
 
Andy said:
Shit. Just proved the no publicity is bad publicity adage. Ordered a cheap copy of this last night, must have been thinking, heard about that on the Def. Audio thread. :ROFLMAO:
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It’s definitely not audiophile because it’s an early 00s recording but I think a lot of the problems with this one are in the pressing rather than the mastering. I have a copy that is clean and sounds perfectly ok, a bit nicer than the old CD but not earth shatteringly so, which is kinda the max you’re going to get from this era!
 
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Joe Mac said:
It’s definitely not audiophile because it’s an early 00s recording but I think a lot of the problems with this one are in the pressing rather than the mastering. I have a copy that is clean and sounds perfectly ok, a bit nicer than the old CD but not earth shatteringly so, which is kinda the max you’re going to get from this era!
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Yep, the mastering is great, the pressing is garbage.
 
Mather said:
Massive almost unplayable warps on both discs and absolutely riddled with no fill. I mean it follows the reviews I'd seen of it online, but I thought I'd give it a shot.
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The amount of edge warps I’m getting recently is shocking, it’s old school VMP percentages from everywhere. Only one or two have been unplayable and had to go back but there’s definitely a pressure on the whole industry that’s leading to rush jobs.
 
MikeH said:
@keylime_5 posted about it a page or so ago.

"The G1 is the carrolton plant which closed in 1991, so it was cut before that plant closed, which was before they stopped doing AAA for all of their OJCs."

OJCs are frustrating. If you're buying a "newer" sealed pressing, AKA one with a barcode on the back, there's no way to know really what plates were used, or where it was pressed/what sources are. I've seen two copies of the same album and same jacket/barcode but pressed at different plants using different plates.

There is also no database, as far as i know, of which are definitively AAA or digital. A lot of stuff is deduced by the deadwax and things like what keylime said. I tend to just buy OJCs of albums i like and take a chance. Even the ones that are likely digital (like your Waltz for Debby) still sound good to me, and most are $20 and under if you can find them new in shops.

i THINK if it says GH, it's usually AAA (cut by George Horn). Same with G1.
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Yeah, the best bet to get the AAA OJCs is to get ones from the 80s-early 90s mastered by GH (which apparently is Gary Hobish not George Horn, but still AAA excellent goodness regardless) or Phil DeLancie. There were some new represses of those same masterings but you have to match up the matrix runouts to be sure.
 
Mather said:
Yep, the mastering is great, the pressing is garbage.
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Joe Mac said:
I must have struck it lucky then! Usual GZ garbage on yours I take it?
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I haven't cleaned it, but appears to be unlistenable. I stopped playing after about 10 seconds. I thin this one is being returned. In future I will pay heed to @Mather 's PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS


'do not buy this record'
 
Andy said:
I haven't cleaned it, but appears to be unlistenable. I stopped playing after about 10 seconds. I thin this one is being returned. In future I will pay heed to @Mather 's PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS


'do not buy this record'
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The thing that really sucks is, the high res stream of the album on Tidal sounds INCREDIBLE. Like if this had been pressed properly it would be a fantastic album to have on vinyl, the remaster is phenomenal. But... streaming it is for this one.
 
Portland Sheriff said:
Must’ve found some old covers for AP/Prestige Eric Dolphy “Far Cry” w/ Booker Little bc it’s listed as in stock at AS as of 10.45pm on west coast of U.S.
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I am incredibly frustrated w/ AS. I’m 99.9% certain this went “in stock” on the AS site the evening I placed my order, and it remained “in stock” for multiple days after that (even into Monday). My order status went from P (pending) to W (warehouse, i think), and I assumed it’d ship.

Nope. Today it went to backorder. I had to be one of the first people to order it after it went “in stock” on the site. I’m sure AS had plenty of pending “back orders“ before it went ”in stock” on the site, but, if all those were enough to exhaust the newly pressed inventory, why did they put it “in stock” on the site in the first place? And why did it stay that way for days after my order if mine couldn’t be filled?

I watched Chad’s video and realize what they’re doing and some of their challenges. But basic online inventory management is no longer a technological challenge; it’s basic business. And they don’t communicate anything. All this happens in the background.

I’m calling them tomorrow. I know it won’t help but I need to vent. I’ll be polite bc the customer support people have nothing to do w/ this, but that doesn’t make it ok.
 
Portland Sheriff said:
I am incredibly frustrated w/ AS. I’m 99.9% certain this went “in stock” on the AS site the evening I placed my order, and it remained “in stock” for multiple days after that (even into Monday). My order status went from P (pending) to W (warehouse, i think), and I assumed it’d ship.

Nope. Today it went to backorder. I had to be one of the first people to order it after it went “in stock” on the site. I’m sure AS had plenty of pending “back orders“ before it went ”in stock” on the site, but, if all those were enough to exhaust the newly pressed inventory, why did they put it “in stock” on the site in the first place? And why did it stay that way for days after my order if mine couldn’t be filled?

I watched Chad’s video and realize what they’re doing and some of their challenges. But basic online inventory management is no longer a technological challenge; it’s basic business. And they don’t communicate anything. All this happens in the background.

I’m calling them tomorrow. I know it won’t help but I need to vent. I’ll be polite bc the customer support people have nothing to do w/ this, but that doesn’t make it ok.
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That sucks, and I agree with your assessment of how many ways this is wrong. I'll be curious to hear about your conversation with CS.
 
Portland Sheriff said:
I am incredibly frustrated w/ AS. I’m 99.9% certain this went “in stock” on the AS site the evening I placed my order, and it remained “in stock” for multiple days after that (even into Monday). My order status went from P (pending) to W (warehouse, i think), and I assumed it’d ship.

Nope. Today it went to backorder. I had to be one of the first people to order it after it went “in stock” on the site. I’m sure AS had plenty of pending “back orders“ before it went ”in stock” on the site, but, if all those were enough to exhaust the newly pressed inventory, why did they put it “in stock” on the site in the first place? And why did it stay that way for days after my order if mine couldn’t be filled?

I watched Chad’s video and realize what they’re doing and some of their challenges. But basic online inventory management is no longer a technological challenge; it’s basic business. And they don’t communicate anything. All this happens in the background.

I’m calling them tomorrow. I know it won’t help but I need to vent. I’ll be polite bc the customer support people have nothing to do w/ this, but that doesn’t make it ok.
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i had forgotten that i backordered it ages ago. so i bought an "in stock" copy along with another record to get free shipping. the backordered copy ended up shipping, then the instock copy didn't ship but the album i ordered it with did on its own...

did you happen to order the instock item with any other records? i have noticed that sometimes every item in the order goes to S and then W and only the actual instock one ships and everything goes back to B...

their online inventory is infuriating.
 
MikeH said:

Kenny Dorham-Quiet Kenny-200 Gram Vinyl Record|Acoustic Sounds

Acoustic Sounds Audiophile Vinyl Records
store.acousticsounds.com

quiet kenny back in stock.
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Will see if my backorder gets filled from this! I placed it a month ago.

I just spoke w AS about what happened w Dolphy “Far Cry” (my post from yesterday). The rep apologized about their antiquated inventory system leading to “in stock” items switching to backorder. On the bright side, he confirmed I will not be charged shipping when the backordered items ultimately ship. This arose bc, in two of these situations, I added an SACD to bump to free shipping. In both, the SACDs shipped but the records went to backorder.
 
MikeH said:
did you happen to order the instock item with any other records? i have noticed that sometimes every item in the order goes to S and then W and only the actual instock one ships and everything goes back to B...

their online inventory is infuriating.
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Yes, in two of these orders latched on SACDs, and both SACDs shipped. And, yes, their inventory system sucks, but at least the AS rep I spoke w/ apologized about it and acknowledged it’s aged-out.
 
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