Speakers Corner QC?


We just finished opening and playing nine new Speakers Corner records.

- all nine came out of the sleeve covered with more dust than any record should see in its whole lifetime

- three or four were covered with loose vinyl shavings, one sliver is over 1" long

- three have chunks of unmelted vinyl(?) stuck to the grooves, two sound loudly and the third actually skips!

- one has a 4mm long scratch, very audible

The dealer is replacing the bad ones but it's a pain in the neck and I have to pay to mail them back. We've bought nearly a hundred Classic Records reissues and none of them had these problems. Is this normal for Speakers Corner?
dougdeacon
I've bought about 20 or so speaker corners and about the same for classic. Never had a issue with the speaker corners...about 2 of my classics have been a little noisey. Most a pretty perfect...

Sounds like bad luck on your part ! Sorry !
Thanks guys. I love the sonics of their Decca reissues and I'm looking forward to the Mercury series too. Guess I'll keep faith a bit longer.
Doug, did you buy them all from the same dealer? Perhaps the dealer is getting their "Seconds"?

Spencer
Spencer,

Hmmm... I got them all from Music Direct. Tell us what you know, please! I'm game for conspiracy theories, being ripped off, anything that will let me believe SC records really can be as good OOTB as they should be.

Does SC really sell "seconds"? The only USA distributor listed on their website is Acoustic Sounds. Would they be more likely to receive only "firsts"?
Doug,

I've gotten a couple and played them on the old TT, and they sounded great. Any thing that I pay top dollar for, I tend to be more critical of. Arnold Schoenberg: Five Pieces for Orchestra Op. 16 is very well recorded. I like the MLP SC reissues. Of course the damn thing cost almost $100, so it should!

But, I don't think it is as good as Bob Dylan: Rolling Thunder Revue 1975, Classic CK-87047, but that could account for my tastes or lack thereof in music.

But, the Teres will not be set up for another 2 days. I'll let you know how they sound on it.

Joe
Music Direct will take them back within 30 days if truly defective. I've had them take 2 lp's back over the last 6 months. I'm guessing at their own expense...pretty good customer service.
Jfrech,

I agree about MD's customer service. They've been good, it's just a pain. Of the nine I bought they're replacing the four that need to be:
- Decca 6113/Mahler #1/Solti/LSO
- Decca 325-2/Mahler#2/Solti/LSO
- Decca 385-2/Mahler #3/Solti/LSO
- Decca 6026/Bartok/Divertimento for Strings, Vivaldi/two cto's

Must be an anti-Mahler conspiracy. These recordings and pressings are excellent BTW, and Solti does Mahler really well. His #1 is definitive, IMO of course, and it's great to have such a fine recording available. We only listened to #3 last night. I'm still getting my head around it, but during the final movement I all but had a vision of Dante's Beatrice. Sublime music, sublimely played.

I strongly recommend any of these records, but play/check them carefully for flaws.
Doug,
I have no conspiracy theory here about Music Direct or anybody else. Just looking for an explanation, as I've heard nothing but good comments here & on Asylum about Speakers Corner LPs. Hoping to get some myself.

Spencer
Rats! I dragged my cloak and dagger down from the attic last night, just hoping for some excitement.

The Speakers Corner/Decca reissues are indeed magnificent. (Can't say the same about their DGG reissue of Verdi's 'Requiem', lousy recording I think.) Don't be shy about trying them.
Doug, don't blame Speakers Corner for what DG did at the recording stage! I have had no real problems with any of the 30-40 Speakers Corner LPs I've bought; sounds like bad luck on your part.
Rcprince, the DG was indeed poorly recorded, even for DG. Of course that's not SC's fault, though I wonder why they bothered to reissue this one.

From your experience and that of others it seems we just had terrible luck. I'll be very happy with clean copies of all the Deccas, and I'm certainly going to pick up some of the new Mercuries. Glad to know so many people have good experiences. It would be a shame if such fine remasterings and pressings couldn't be played cleanly.
I have purchased a lot of vinyl over the internet the last five years. And yes, I have had to send some back due to defects. I have had some severe defects which make me wonder if any human being is even in the manufacturing process loop. Yes, you have to return the vinyl on your dime, and it can be a hassle. One time a "Internet Vendor" called me at home to complain that I had taped the glob of vinyl waste to the destroyed record. We "exchanged words" and that was the last order I ever placed with them. So it goes with this hobby!
Regards,