Decca mono bumper box

[cloughie]

More thanks to makropulos from me, but he has left me with a dilemna. Two in fact (what's the plural in English?):

1. Since I have most of them on Vinyl, can I justify 110 Euros? answer: probably, with a little mental agility. (I don't really need new summer clothes anyway).
2. The greater problem. How would I smuggle the box into the house, and how would I then hide it? Surely not a problem unknown to others who read the CD threads.

A possible solution: is there a download in CD quality, and if so how do I find it. Downloads take up little space, nor do they arrive in a bulky box.

Oh the anxiety!

The old problem of postal delivery roulette - take the risk - the box is a nice thing to have - downloads are handy when very cheap or unavailable in solid form - but this is one you must have. Try amazon.it for price! Thanks for the tip earlier in the year on Rach 1 - Leningrad/Sanderling - one download burned to CD played frequently on car player!

[hafod]

Clearly, Dave, you do not have a spouse with x-ray vision and the ability to notice within seconds when a shelf has "moved along". However, a trip away without me is coming up! I think I could manage the delivery, and as for the hiding away part: copy to hard drive, originals down to the cave. Just my conscience about those 110 Euros now- that behaviour would not amuse.

The following may ease your conscience.

It is €91.50 at Am.Es which comes in at £71.50 delivered (ordering in sterling to avoid credit card charges).

http://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B00QHL0V3C/

[OT but here is a good enough place as any to mention it especially if considering buying the above from Spain]: the wonderful Skrowaczewski, 90th birthday collection - Bruckner, Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms symphony cycles + a few bits and pieces (28 discs) - is now €41 or a tad under £34 delivered.

http://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B00EXS4OVQ/

[makropulos]

Clearly, Dave, you do not have a spouse with x-ray vision and the ability to notice within seconds when a shelf has "moved along". However, a trip away without me is coming up! I think I could manage the delivery, and as for the hiding away part: copy to hard drive, originals down to the cave. Just my conscience about those 110 Euros now- that behaviour would not amuse.

Alain - this one is not only big, but also bright orange (!) - so a really tough one to conceal.
However, to answer your other dilemma: I'd definitely say yes, it's worth having these CD versions as well as the vinyl originals. My experience with several of those was pretty terrible surfaces (I could never get a decent pressing of the Chigi Quintet records, for instance), and it's a joy not to have that to worry about.

But, as I say, big, cube-shaped and bright orange... so it may have to be downloads!

Amitiés.

[Ferretfancy]

Clearly, Dave, you do not have a spouse with x-ray vision and the ability to notice within seconds when a shelf has "moved along". However, a trip away without me is coming up! I think I could manage the delivery, and as for the hiding away part: copy to hard drive, originals down to the cave. Just my conscience about those 110 Euros now- that behaviour would not amuse.

Gays hardly ever have this problem, at least not concerning hiding CDs! Your solution to the problem seems a bit time consuming to me. A small gift left under the pillow might work though, if the timing is right!

[Alain Maréchal]

Gays hardly ever have this problem, at least not concerning hiding CDs! Your solution to the problem seems a bit time consuming to me. A small gift left under the pillow might work though, if the timing is right!

I hesitate to respond ferret, since this subject often leads to vituperous exchanges on these boards, but I would suggest from observation that the individuals within same-sex couples have as widely different tastes in music, books, theatre, sport, art (or anything) as any couple, of whatever orientation.

I think the "gift under the pillow" ploy might lead to suspicions that guilt is behind it, and if guilt, what about?

[HighlandDougie]

I ordered it from Amazon Italy and had it delivered to the French hovel. The postage was €4.96, which took the total cost to just under €97.00, which is just a little bit less than the €110.00 quoted by Amazon France. As usual with Amazon Italy orders, it came pretty quickly. Inside the Amazon delivery box, it came snugly fitted into a plain brown cardboard box, which I've used to make it a bit less prominent on my shelves (I'm currently wondering how to disguise the Mercury Living Legends Volume 3 box, which I've concealed pro tem). Although I hesitated before buying it (do I really want all those mono recordings?), the Decca box is, simply, a delight from start to finish. I think that you need it ....

[Cockney Sparrow]

To redirect the thread back (to the already OT aspect, I admit) to delivery and domestic purchase surveillance. Not sure where you are located Alain?

In the UK I've used a combination of the Amazon Locker service (only available for Amazon UK purchases I admit, and even then, not all of them). And then I paid for the similar MyByBox service - locker where I picked up a delivery (cost about 1.50 each for a 50 item / 1 year package). Used judiciously where the savings warranted the cost. And also a certain number of packages coming to the house as after all I'm not expected to stop acquiring altogether. Also, the run up to Christmas enables one to announce that packages should not be opened.

Unfortunately MyByBox withdrew from the market and refunded the unused deliveries pro rata, so I need to find another service where I can pick up from a local shop or locker. I'm wondering whether Hermes run one, or whether the post office have a service. There is also Collect+ - collect from a shop) which Amazon and other retailers also offer as a service. (If I come to a conclusion on this subject, I'll edit this post as an update).

I must enquire from Presto, MDT as surely its in their interest to keep sales up - serve and accommodate the likes of us purchasers - we hard disc classical buyers must be one of the pillars supporting classical music sales? (Given the mega box set re-issues clearly targeted as our sector of the market).

I also use streaming - Google Play Music all access (like Spotify) and Naxos Music Library (see the streaming thread)) and it can't be beaten for convenience (for lossless quality. Sitting down and concentrating (about 3% of my waking hours, I reckon) I still play discs and lossless downloads. So surely there will not be these big box re-issues in the quantity we are seeing, in, say 5 to 10 years time? Which is just as well as I've already left a substantial problem for the beneficiaries of my estate in the form of all those boxes!

[Dave2002]

Clearly, Dave, you do not have a spouse with x-ray vision and the ability to notice within seconds when a shelf has "moved along". However, a trip away without me is coming up! I think I could manage the delivery, and as for the hiding away part: copy to hard drive, originals down to the cave. Just my conscience about those 110 Euros now- that behaviour would not amuse.

Doesn't your spouse "save you money" by having large parcels containing dresses, coats, shirts, trousers, shoes, fabric and various other items delivered several times a week? Some weeks I've been amazed at the number of boxes which come this direction and I reckon my boxes are outnumbered at least 5 to 1. I wasn't so aware of this when I worked full time. Blackmail perhaps!

[Alain Maréchal]

Dave, most of those things arrive in plain sight following a shopping expedition, in large bags with the name of the shop on them. Madame is, to be fair, not given to extravagance, but you should not assume that fair play or equity play any part in the apportioning of domestic outgoings. Its only my conscience that troubles me, and having just spent the afternoon with an Avocat having part of our savings extracted without anaesthesia and frittered away on other lawyers, I need cheering up, so I'm off to fnac as soon as Madame M. has gone on her trip next week. I'll think about the concealment later. Perhaps the cardboard sleeves could be scattered about the shelves, and the box collapsed.

btw - no Ibert "Divertissement" by Désormière or Nielsen 1 & 3? I am always grateful for small mercies, but prefer greater mercies.

[Ferretfancy]

I hesitate to respond ferret, since this subject often leads to vituperous exchanges on these boards, but I would suggest from observation that the individuals within same-sex couples have as widely different tastes in music, books, theatre, sport, art (or anything) as any couple, of whatever orientation.

I think the "gift under the pillow" ploy might lead to suspicions that guilt is behind it, and if guilt, what about?

Nicely put, Alain. I was just slightly amused by the "henpecked husband " sub text. As it is, in my household it's CDs for me, and books and maps for him, and there's no need to argue about both extravagances !

[Stanley Stewart]

Thank you, hafod. I ordered this set a few days ago, incl your advice to order in sterling. The box set arrived this morning and I'm eager to explore its many treasures, particularly in chamber music. Delighted.

:QUOTE=hafod;481053]The following may ease your conscience.

It is €91.50 at Am.Es which comes in at £71.50 delivered (ordering in sterling to avoid credit card charges).

http://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B00QHL0V3C/

[OT but here is a good enough place as any to mention it especially if considering buying the above from Spain]: the wonderful Skrowaczewski, 90th birthday collection - Bruckner, Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms symphony cycles + a few bits and pieces (28 discs) - is now €41 or a tad under £34 delivered.
http://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B00EXS4OVQ/[/QUOTE]