Bargains

[Curalach]

Hafod, you beauty!

Agreed! Order placed.

[Dave2002]

Brilliant - at that price presumably the duplications don't matter so much!

All I can offer today is from the Selections site. Type "Russian" in and you should come across a number of Brilliant 3 CD sets for £6.99, including Mravinsky, Svetlanov, Oistrakh, Gilels etc.

[johnb]

Philips 50 - 55cd set of Philips' Originals for €17.59 (€24.44 delivered)

http://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B0091HVMVO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=bonsplanscl05-21&linkCode=as2&camp=3626&creative=24822&creativeASIN=B0091HVMVO

Nothing technical about this one!

The contents are on the Presto Classical website.

I already have about 12 of the individual CDs but even so this is too much of a bargain to resist. (I suspect it should have been 71.59 rather than 17.59.)

[Dave2002]

The contents are on the Presto Classical website.

I already have about 12 of the individual CDs but even so this is too much of a bargain to resist. (I suspect it should have been 71.59 rather than 17.59.)

I pointed this box out a few weeks ago at a higher price. There are too many duplications at higher prices, though it's a great set for newbies. As you say, at this price it's probably worth having. Let's see if they back out of this offer - they probably won't for orders placed - though the price might go up for new ones.

[gurnemanz]

The contents are on the Presto Classical website.

I already have about 12 of the individual CDs but even so this is too much of a bargain to resist. (I suspect it should have been 71.59 rather than 17.59.)

Strange that I should bother to post a justification of a non-purchase. Even at the Amazon.es price I have resisted this one, though tempted just because it is such a great bargain. Shelf space and collection bloat are an issue. I already have too many exact duplicates and there are almost no works there that I don't already have in perfectly good performances (only Verdi Il Corsaro, at first glance). As pointed out, a great acquisition for starting a collection.

[Bryn]

Strange that I should bother to post a justification of a non-purchase. Even at the Amazon.es price I have resisted this one, though tempted just because it is such a great bargain. Shelf space and collection bloat are an issue. I already have too many exact duplicates and there are almost no works there that I don't already have in perfectly good performances (only Verdi Il Corsaro, at first glance). As pointed out, a great acquisition for starting a collection.

I might do as I did with the Sony 'Disco' boxed set for fiver:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51jJr7JJSsL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

and keep it in the car for dipping into. (Sorry, the Discotheque box cost rather more than a fiver now.)

[mathias broucek]

Strange that I should bother to post a justification of a non-purchase. Even at the Amazon.es price I have resisted this one, though tempted just because it is such a great bargain. Shelf space and collection bloat are an issue. I already have too many exact duplicates and there are almost no works there that I don't already have in perfectly good performances (only Verdi Il Corsaro, at first glance). As pointed out, a great acquisition for starting a collection.

I'm in the same place. Most of the stuff that excites me in the box I have already and the rest falls into the "nice to" rather than "must" have category.

[hafod]

Strange that I should bother to post a justification of a non-purchase. Even at the Amazon.es price I have resisted this one, though tempted just because it is such a great bargain. Shelf space and collection bloat are an issue. I already have too many exact duplicates and there are almost no works there that I don't already have in perfectly good performances (only Verdi Il Corsaro, at first glance). As pointed out, a great acquisition for starting a collection.

I have put in an order as a Christmas present for someone for whom this will be an ideal but previously unaffordable gift. As has already been pointed out this is almost certainly a pricing error so it is by no means a foregone conclusion that it will materialise at the very low price.

I love the expression 'collection bloat'.

[Parry1912]

I love the expression 'collection bloat'.

Sadly, not the only bloating that I seem to be suffering from these days!

[Bryn]

I pointed this box out a few weeks ago at a higher price. There are too many duplications at higher prices, though it's a great set for newbies. As you say, at this price it's probably worth having. Let's see if they back out of this offer - they probably won't for orders placed - though the price might go up for new ones.

There has been a slight adjustment to the price at the other end of the amazon.es link. It now reads €85.00.

[amateur51]

There has been a slight adjustment to the price at the other end of the amazon.es link. It now reads €85.00.

Fingers crossed then

[hafod]

Brilliant - at that price presumably the duplications don't matter so much!

All I can offer today is from the Selections site. Type "Russian" in and you should come across a number of Brilliant 3 CD sets for £6.99, including Mravinsky, Svetlanov, Oistrakh, Gilels etc.

It is worth looking at Selections Amazon marketplace site when buying a single item as many items are priced the same as on their own site. This is because marketplace delivery is £1.26 per item whereas it is £2.95 on the Selection site irrespective of the number purchased. Thus a single 'Russian' item would cost £9.94 direct but only £8.25 via the Amazon marketplace. An unfortunate exception is the 5cd Boult/Elgar box from Regis referred to in a recent email from them at £5.99 direct (plus £2.95)

http://www.selections.com/elgar-sir-adrian-boult-conducts-5cds-offer.html

which is £7.99 (plus £1.26) from the Amazon marketplace.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B005EVV612/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

I know it is only pennies, but in these times of austerity, 'every little helps'.

[Parry1912]

I can thoroughly recommend these bargains from Selections:

http://www.selections.com/bach-j-s-g...orks-2cds.html - some of the best Bach playing I've heard

http://www.selections.com/tippett-orchestral-works-2cds.html

[Dave2002]

....whereas it is £2.95 on the Selection site irrespective of the number purchased.

That's probably why my deliveries from Selections come in big boxes! It's a nuisance though when one forgets one or two CDs in an order.
I usually phone them up and get the order updated if that happens - which it has, more than once. They're normally quite good about that.

On the other hand, if you only buy in small numbers then your information may turn out to be more helpful.

[Bryn]

At the risk of upsetting am51 (though it seems to me that the technical quality/shortcomings of the offerings being discussed are very germane to whether they are bargains or not) -


Bryn,

You have had the AMSI Brendel set since last March. What do you think of the AMSI processing? Have you had a chance to compare with any of the earlier, not so-treated, incarnations?

Trouble is, the old Duo set of the late sonatas, which uses the same original recordings for the last three, was digitized back in the early '980s using the Bitstream process. The AMSI treated issue is based on a new re-mastering to digital. I have to admit I do marginally prefer the AMSI set, but suspect that the played through a 2 channel stereo system a straight version of the new re-mastering (without AMSI treatment) would sound even better. tonight is devoted to two recordings of the Cage Song Books, around 4 hours in all, but having now dug out the old Duo issue if the late sonatas, I will give both those and the AMSI versions a fresh listen in the near future.