I have the following ERC albums:
- Coltrane Giant Steps
- Mal Waldron
- Elmo Hope Sextet
All 3 had issues originally - too much noise. ERC customer service is great and replaced them without question. The replacement copies were excellent.
I think the variability in their albums is something they need to work on, and maybe they have improved since Coltrane was released. The first copies were actually pretty good - I wonder how many customers have slightly imperfect copies and assume it’s the way it’s supposed to sound??
I am now looking at their Mozart Piano Concertos, which is insanely expensive (although the same price per album as any of their albums), but I was not able to find ANY albums with these artists on vinyl on Discogs. And for sure it will sell out.
- Coltrane Giant Steps
- Mal Waldron
- Elmo Hope Sextet
All 3 had issues originally - too much noise. ERC customer service is great and replaced them without question. The replacement copies were excellent.
I think the variability in their albums is something they need to work on, and maybe they have improved since Coltrane was released. The first copies were actually pretty good - I wonder how many customers have slightly imperfect copies and assume it’s the way it’s supposed to sound??
I am now looking at their Mozart Piano Concertos, which is insanely expensive (although the same price per album as any of their albums), but I was not able to find ANY albums with these artists on vinyl on Discogs. And for sure it will sell out.
I do not think think there is any superiority to the sound quality of ERC. What is superior is their presentation, unique albums (in some cases), and the all tube all mono (in some cases) cutting process. This could very well be worth their price (to you); but I wouldn’t expect the “best” sound quality. Sound quality is very good; but the goal of ERC is not to surpass every other recording in terms of SQ.
The company also has excellent customer service. They will reply quickly and offer a no questions asked refund or replacement. This is not the case with most other labels.
My messages to Abey Fonn at Impex, for example, went unanswered when I had an issue with one of their albums (and this was after we did communicate - when I commended her on her business, she replied! When I asked for a replacement disc, she didn’t
)
The company also has excellent customer service. They will reply quickly and offer a no questions asked refund or replacement. This is not the case with most other labels.
My messages to Abey Fonn at Impex, for example, went unanswered when I had an issue with one of their albums (and this was after we did communicate - when I commended her on her business, she replied! When I asked for a replacement disc, she didn’t
)
Despite my best judgement, I just got more albums from ERC. I wish they would use a different stamping plant, as the quality control is terrible. Issues:
- spindle hole off center, often by more than I’ve seen with other albums (using DS Audio ES-001)
- mono signal not centered between speakers (and it’s not my system!)
- more noise than I would like (but this could just be from the master tapes)
I do want to be supportive of ERC as they have always been great to me: very responsive and replaced albums without question. But I’m now batting 0% for receiving a quality pressing the first time (experience with about 6 albums), and I’m not super picky. That’s not acceptable, especially at their pricing.
I also think this is why some claim their albums don’t sound that great, while others disagree. It’s because the QC is so variable! I’m sure both camps are right.
- spindle hole off center, often by more than I’ve seen with other albums (using DS Audio ES-001)
- mono signal not centered between speakers (and it’s not my system!)
- more noise than I would like (but this could just be from the master tapes)
I do want to be supportive of ERC as they have always been great to me: very responsive and replaced albums without question. But I’m now batting 0% for receiving a quality pressing the first time (experience with about 6 albums), and I’m not super picky. That’s not acceptable, especially at their pricing.
I also think this is why some claim their albums don’t sound that great, while others disagree. It’s because the QC is so variable! I’m sure both camps are right.
I have no personal experience, but a friend who has bought several was a bit disappointed with record surface noise.
He may want to get them exchanged. I found that as well, and the replacements were much quieter.
I have several ERC titles and had issues with a couple which we quickly replaced. I think they sound excellent but I agree they aren’t necessarily THE version to get.
The secondary market for these titles is shameful. I have no issue paying above retail for limited release music but people asking $1000+ for these titles are just flat out greedy. I hope their copies never get sold. (/rant)
The secondary market for these titles is shameful. I have no issue paying above retail for limited release music but people asking $1000+ for these titles are just flat out greedy. I hope their copies never get sold. (/rant)
Yeah, I agree. Supersense as well. I wonder if anyone actually buys at the asking prices?
I offered 20% above list price for a Supersense album that I own but damaged, and no deal.
The Discogs sales data doesn’t seem to indicate sale prices as high as asking prices but they are still pretty high.
Same is also true for ERC in the first place. £300 to 400 is ridiculously expensive. Nothing they (ERC or promoting reviewers) ever said or anybody here can say justify this ridiculous price considering poor SQ of ERC jazz releases. Yes, I said low sound quality against common advertisement. Any jazz title from AP or OJC sounds significantly better than ERC counterpart.
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I don’t disagree.. I would just add that if the recording is unique or rare, the price *can* be justified.
And sound quality *can* be great, if you have a great pressing. ERC will replace and exchange no questions asked, or even fully refund after you’ve played the album. They are very good at that.
i have one ERC title; it is good....a little noise. it's not on any higher level than other good pressings. but not interested in the pricing model for more of these. i think ERC is a positive factor in seeing other high level all analog efforts from early iconic performances such as the DG Original Source. so overall we need more of this type efforts at it creates more energy for new all analog vinyl over all. there are plenty of great golden age performances on tape to keep things going for a long time.
i'll cheer on ERC buyers from the sidelines. go get e'm.
i'll cheer on ERC buyers from the sidelines. go get e'm.
the Magda Tagliaferro piano that you have was their best I heard in all their LPs till just before pandemic. I haven’t heard later releases. The others were nowhere as good, the Kogan Tchaikovsky concerto sounded good in their system but I haven’t heard it elsewhere though I bought it
I don't agree that their sound quality is universally inferior. I think the Monk's Music is excellent as is the mono Saxophone Colossus. For rock, I also feel that the self-titled Crosby, Stills & Nash is the best pressing I have.
I do agree that the price is way too high.
In an effort to buy great source material I have purchased 8-9 ERC pressings, two Supersense lacquer’s, several Tone Poets, Original Source, AudioNautes and fone’ recordings. I have bought MoFi one steps, Acoustic Sounds represses, Classic Records 45 RPM box sets, Craft (analogue only) and D2D’s as well.
Although some of these pressings sound really good, none have consistently provided stellar recordings. Craft have so far been the most likely to provide good recordings, but no guarantees. So, buying from a so-called audiophile label hasn’t panned out the way I hoped.
How about helping members like me out? Could you give us the details on your 3 best sounding pure analogue vinyl recording, regardless of type? There may be some consensus.
Although some of these pressings sound really good, none have consistently provided stellar recordings. Craft have so far been the most likely to provide good recordings, but no guarantees. So, buying from a so-called audiophile label hasn’t panned out the way I hoped.
How about helping members like me out? Could you give us the details on your 3 best sounding pure analogue vinyl recording, regardless of type? There may be some consensus.
Just to be a devil's advocate. The (theoretical) reason audiophiles buy ERC reissues is that the LPs are supposed to be mastered with a contemporary tube based analogue chain, similar to the original LPs. With certain original LP titles that demand serious money, this makes sense. However, as some members have mentioned, the master tapes might not have aged well, and so the ERC reissues, even if the mastering engineer has skills equal to the original engineers (which I doubt, since he is self-taught and has far less experience), the outcome might not be the same. Given the cost of the original LPs, I thought, why not try the commercial 4-track tapes that were released at the same time ? The cost is often very reasonable (at least for classical titles), and they remain unmolested by digital or even solid state processes. And happily, this indeed seems to be the case. At least when compared to their Shaded Dog, Living Presence or Decca Wide Band cousins, these tapes often prove to be superior. For the price, they are highly attractive.
I would love to compare this Japanese Angel tape of Oistrakh playing the Beethoven violin concerto with the ERC LP, but I don't known anyone who owns the LP. It smokes my Testament LP. And the box set of Leibowitz Beethoven Symphonies, recorded by Kenneth Wilkinson at Kingsway Hall, has fantastic sonics.
I would love to compare this Japanese Angel tape of Oistrakh playing the Beethoven violin concerto with the ERC LP, but I don't known anyone who owns the LP. It smokes my Testament LP. And the box set of Leibowitz Beethoven Symphonies, recorded by Kenneth Wilkinson at Kingsway Hall, has fantastic sonics.
I have heard the Oistrakh Beethoven Violin concerto on ERC when I visited ERC, and I have heard the first and second edition stereo and own the first ed mono (which is sonically my favorite of the 4 and also the cheapest). However, Oistrakh's Beethoven is not the among the best Beethoven concerto. And that's the problem for me with tapes. You might find a tape sounding better than the corresponding LP, but will you find all the good quality tapes for the best performances for a particular piece? For Oistrakh your money is better spent on Scottish Fantasia, Devil's Trill, Brahms concerto.
The leibowitz readers digest LP collection is quite inexpensive. As a performance it is average.
I have all those tapes too. The Scottish Fantasia on the Tape Project release is excellent. For Beethoven VC on 4-track, I have Heifetz and Francescatti as well, and on master tape copies, I have the Ferras/Sargent on EMI and the Kogan/Silvestri also on EMI.
I wouldn't be so definitive about which is the "best", since all of the artists were masters of the instrument. I actually love the Ferras the most, since it is the most sensual playing. But listening to the Oistrakh tape is a revelation how good the recording actually is, since the LP versions don't really do it justice.
The LPs of the Leibowitz sound nothing like the tapes, and it came as quite a shock to me. The tapes were made by RCA Custom and the quality is very high indeed. I don't know how much it cost back then, but they are very rare. Performance wise, the 7th is particularly notable, but the 9th is certainly very exciting, taken at a faster than usual speed.
Well, if you are managing to source all those tapes on good copies, that's great. I was not referring to 1 best, but a set of them. For example, for any piece, you could have 2 - 5 you would like for different reasons. I have heard the 9th, 5th, 7th and 3rd of Liebowitz on LP.
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