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My understanding is that the labels with silver lettering precede those with white lettering. Does anyone know if this is always true, and also does anyone have any opinions about the difference sonically between them? Thanks
Follow Ups:
I've never noticed any difference between silver and white lettering. The mastering is uniformly excellent. In my opinion the very earliest pressings with maroon label and silver lettering are not worth the premium price they command.
I too had problems with the foam liners deteriorating. I caught it early and went through all my Philips box sets and removed the foam. Some boxes had cardboard or a puckered plastic sheet that are fine.
They even mixed- and-matched: I have a Bach sonatas/paritas Grumiaux set that is both silver and white and can tell no sonic difference.
IMHO, Philips is the opposite of the major American labels, which pretty much gave up on quality in the late 60s and 70s and just churned out LPs in the greatest possible quantity. Philips LPs from the 70s and into the 80s are often the best ones, again, IMHO, YMMV, etc.
would agree with all the comments from all 3 posters. Philips was quite good at getting good quality pressings, and was very good at maintaining the sonic qualities or consistency of those pressings.
On DG, the earlier pressings seem to be a bit brighter....
On Decca UK, there are sonic differences between the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and in some cases 4th pressing.
I too have TONs of Philips classical pressings.
J
In my system, I've been totally disappointed in the sound quality of DG. Don't think I have one lp in DG that I listen to by choice.
Sim
OK, you guys have peeked my interest. The idea of good sounding 70's and 80's performances appeals quite a bit to me. What are the conductors / artists that I should be looking for. Classical albums are still cheap and plentiful in my area, but you won't find many Shaded Dogs or MLPs. Occasionally I find a DG tulip, but even they are getting scarce. I still see good mono classical though.
Dave
Good Morning!
I have many Philips pressings in many ways because they all sound good to my ears. As long as the record condition is good, I've never had any regrets with this label. Westminster is another favorite of mine.
Sim
I've never heard a difference. Before silver amd red they were plum. Imho the plum sound terrible but they're often the most valuable.
If I may, the biggest issue to watch out for with Philips is the damned padding in the box sets which can disintegrate. Huge mess and it gets into the record grooves and even vacuuming doesn't get particles out. Some sellers don't think it's a big deal and don't mention so it's important to ask. Some vacuum up the box which is a nice gesture but the lps will still be ruined.
Thanks for bringing our attention to the disintegration of the foam padding in Philips box sets. This is indeed a problem as I found a couple of weeks ago when I opened my Sibelius/Davis/BSO set for the first time in 20 years plus.The foam had turned into granules which were spread liberally throughout the box and across record surfaces.
However I think that you are too pessimisitic that the discs will " be ruined". A quick clean with my RCM, new inner sleeves, and all was well with them returned to the silent/close to silent surfaces that they had when I purchased them.
Edits: 08/22/16
I purchased a large set of Wagner operas - included the Kna Parsifal, and the Sawallisch Dutchman and Tannhauser - and the foam liner has COMPLETELY deteriorated, but fortunately I was able to clean, and it seems that the records were not affected. But it was a complete mess, and I have seen some others almost as bad.
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