Different than his Phillips, correct?
One thought, and I have done this in Madison, is to discuss your interest in classical vinyl with your local used record store. Should a classical collection show up at their door that they are not interested in have them direct the seller your way. Be prepared to buy the whole lot, but at a significant discount.
The 1972 Argo is my preference. It’s beyond words.
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That is a Great suggestion.
The only problem with most people’s record collections are: 1) choice of music is often dreck, 2) the pressings are often terrible; and 3) the labels are often third tier. So be careful with this approach. You MIGHT find a wonderful trove of delicious LPs, but the odds are not in your favor. So, get educated about the labels, recording engineers and mastering houses.
All of the sample LPs Weedeewop has shown are great. They are not what you will find in most average collections.
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A keen eye is your friend, and a willingness to dispose of the unworthy immediately. I purchased 300 classical LPs from a buddy who was down sizing. I got the entire lot for $75, and kept 30-40 LPs. The rest went to St Vincent’s, who tend to move clean vinyl fast.
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OK, so here’s my most newbie question yet. Where do I get the real “dope” on pressings? The whole “pressing” aspect is to me, the most intimidating aspect of vinyl.
The above is out of print, but is fun and helpful. Sid Marks did classical reviews in The Absolute Sound as well, if you have access to old copies. Asking on this forum should be immensely helpful with resources such as Rushton available.
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DON’T, DO NOT, rely on Tom Port and his “hot stamper” recommendations.
Once upon a time, the Audiogon Forums had good postings about labels, recording engineers, pressings. Over the years I contributed quite a few posting on these topics. Search for “Rushton”. Here’s one post, as an example, that is still out there:
But a lot of my posts were “Replies” so I don’t know how easy they may be to find.
For information on specific pressings, the Steve Hoffman Forums have a lot of people posting who think very highly of their own opinions. You can find some good information, just go in with a good weeding tool.
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Appreciate that. Yeah, Audiogon, at least these days, strikes me as pretty toxic.
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Search the forums for the old stuff. Back in the day, some good people were posting. Today, I wouldn’t bother posting there.
All of the online forums today seem pretty toxic. That’s why I like being here on the PSAudio forums. It mirrors today the quality of conversation had a decade ago on some other forums. All of the forums are completely dependent on the community of members posting. If there is not some self-moderation happening, they degrade into that toxicity you mention.
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I would suggest just a bit of caution reading any of the old Sid Marks stuff. His information about the quality of the recording and the quality of the performance was excellent. But, his recommendations about first pressings and such are often misleading to say the least. Sid was a collector. He had a very large stake in the value of the “first pressings” in his collection and this greatly influenced his writing.
But, the TAS Super LP listing has long been a resource for me in finding recordings and performances of good quality. The list has its share of misfires, as will any list, but its a good starting point. Since Jonathan Valin re-invigorated the list by including many of the newer pressings, I think the list is now better. Here’s a link to the 2019 list:
But another list, this by Arthur Salvatore, is the list that I found most aligned to what I heard and what I valued. In fact, when I first found this list years ago, I was astonished to see that is looked very much like my own record shelves. 
Here’s the link. Just keep in mind that Arthur is also singularly fond of his own opinions.
http://www.high-endaudio.com/supreme.html
And the Penguin Guide and Fanfare are excellent resources if your library has the old copies available.
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And, continuing with Arthur Salvatore for a bit longer, here is a nice article he’s published on his site about collecting used records, with a focus on classical. What he says largely mirrors my own experiences and opinion.
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Excellent recommendations, and yes Sid’s comments on pressings were self serving. All in all a good education on Shaded Dogs, Mercurys, etc. Be forewarned many of the LPs on the TAS Super LP list will be pricey. The cost of common knowledge.
The Penguin Guide and Gramophone are great resources. Too a degree Gramophone leans heavily on all things British. Each reference will have its bias. The audiophile oriented reads tend to be biased towards sonics versus performance IME. ot necessarily a problem, but you may miss ou on some wonderful opportunities. I’d start out with accessible budget releases on the used market, and treat yourself to an occasional audiophile sonic warhorse until you sort out your classical priorities and pleasures.
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Just a thought, s these can be wonderful, the RCA Victor LM series, all mono. Typically can be had at most reasonable prices. The above is an original from 1954, an RCA mono Shaded Dog, Richard Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben, performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, with conductor Fritz Reiner. I mention this as the RCA LM series was reissued on British pressings as a budget series and can typically be had for bargain prices. Most likely due to a lack of demand for mono recordings, and large collections showing up in the used market. They are an economical way to experience the sound, and the mono recordings are not much of a compromise considering the performances. As I mentioned earlier the London Treasuries are yet another economical way to explore vinyl until you sort out your taste(s).
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Thanks for sharing, as I have been away from his Blog for some time. I always enjoyed it. Maybe too honest for his own good at times, especially the TAS HP dust up. Harry’s tastes didn’t always align with mine regarding music, but I did enjoy the journey.
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Invaluable knowledge coming through on this thread!
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Seeking your expertise. Short version is I bought a copy of Carmina Burana of this eBay seller previously and the condition was so good that I grabbed a couple more copies.
I know nothing of either of these records, just wondering what your take is on the music and the pressing?
