Living Stereo

[Garrard201]

I came across a HUGE box of these yesterday. I know some of the history of these, but I would like to hear opinions on, essentially, why I should keep them. I'm not into classical music, but I also do not want to tray and sell, photograph and ship hundreds of records (they are in varying degrees of quality from near perfect all the way down to a Fair/Poor disks). And I doubt these are worth a lot because of the recent reissues.

[theophile]

Stincubus,
I'm somone who appreciates some of the grungiest rock on the planet,yet I still need some classical.:yes:

Just have a listen to some of your haul.

If it then happens to become a life-long favourite,you can thank me later.:thmbsp:

[mhardy6647]

The original Reiner/CSO "Also Sprach Zarathustra" is one of my favorites -- ever. Got a copy of that in there?

[theophile]

I've got a Classic Records pressing of the Original CSO/Reiner Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra,and a Mobile Fidelity half speed master pressing of the 1962 Living Stereo CSO/Reiner Also Sprach Zarathustra.
Have you heard the Elisabeth Schwartzkopf,Strauss' Four Last Songs on Decca/Angel label?

.....Just beautiful.:tresbon:

[ampegdan]

If they're "shaded dogs" on the label they are of collector interest. I assume they're RCA Living Stereo. Look for a red label with slightly darker red around the dog at the top. They're some of the best classical records around. Even the later ones sound great unless you get the real floppy "dynaflex" or "dynagroove" ones. Quite a complete library was available, and I think about a quarter of my classical stuff has its origins here. You got the mother lode, and some day you may want to peruse them more thoroughly. Problem is, the price guide for classical stuff is about $125.
Dan

[WhiteSE]

Even with the reissues, the prices havent dropped. Although I thought prices were coming down a bit. I would get rid of the worse ones because you cant play them and arent worth anything.

I have a good number of the original Shaded Dogs and Mercury Living Presence and other good labels like silver back Everest, Command, EMI and so on, and I find myself listening to the reissues or more modern recordings...but maybe its my mood and not the SQ..

I am in a Harmonia Mundi kick at the moment.

[Garrard201]

Hmmm- these are definitely Shaded Dogs. There's also some Living Presence and a few Everest titles (though I think they are from the company's later years, after Bert Whyte left). Maybe I'll look through this weekend. I think I saw a few Reiner/CSO titles, but not "Also Sprach Zarathustra"- I'd remember that one!

[Manitoulin]

Really belongs in the Music forum. I have moved it.

[Holst]

I've got a Classic Records pressing of the Original CSO/Reiner Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra,and a Mobile Fidelity half speed master pressing of the 1962 Living Stereo CSO/Reiner Also Sprach Zarathustra.
Have you heard the Elisabeth Schwartzkopf,Strauss' Four Last Songs on Decca/Angel label?

.....Just beautiful.:tresbon:

I've got the Schwartzkopf in a waiting to be washed pile, I think I'll move it to the front.

[Drybasement]

The original Reiner/CSO "Also Sprach Zarathustra" is one of my favorites -- ever. Got a copy of that in there?

I have the Living Stereo SACD hybrid. :smoke:

[Mopic5]

The above posts by Ampegdan and WhiteSe highlight the weakness of using RCA’s “Living Stereo” promotion tag as an identifier of recording/pressing quality. In a quick search, I turned up 5 different labels in covers that boasted “Living Stereo” - from the collector Teldec (Telefunken/Decca) German pressed Red Seals, through all kinds of “dog” issues and finally to the latter day “dogless” Red Seals that were Dynagroove/lightweight pressings.

These posts also reveal listening experiences which hint that label devotion (the coveted Teldec RCA’s and the desirous “Shaded Dogs”) may not always deliver what they are cranked up to be.

The traditional wisdom is that these early labels were closer in generational transfers to the master recordings is hard to argue with. However, I think that this card is a sometimes overplayed by collectors who may be more inclined to have than to listen and give short shrift to other variables like advanced remastering equipment and the talents of people behind them as well as the individual retrieval equipment we have in our homes to dig out the music.

Here’s a little experiment that I did a few months back with identical performances. I don’t make any judgments our proclamations about it – but it turned my head a bit about label conventions.

http://i11.tinypic.com/2hgy2o8.jpg

Both RCA Living Stereo LPs of Munch/Boston Symphony of Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique – same 1961 performance.

http://i18.tinypic.com/2e5tiqq.jpg

This is the label of the Teldec 1962 pressing – market valued at $30 in NM condition

http://i17.tinypic.com/2r283fo.jpg

This is a much later reissue (guessing 12 to 18 years) in Red Label Dynagroove and with a lightweight floppiness soon to be “promoted” as Dynaflex. – market valued at $5 in NM condition.

This should have been “no contest”. The richly deserved “thumbs down” of RCA’s venture into the DynaFlex “dead end” should have taken it out of the running. And in the first test – Shure V-15vxmr on a low mass unipivot, the Teldec RCA wiped the floor with the reissue. But upon switching over to a NOS Astiatic MF-200A mounted on a med/high mass Ortofon AS-212, the floor fell out from under the Teldec leaving it sounding like a music track from a 30’s movie while the Dyna flexed a hidden muscle that produced a rich, full-blooded sound that bettered the Teldec’s in its first win.

Go figure!
I’m beginning to figure that multiple arm/cartridge configurations may be a way of digging out the best in a wider field of vinyl than I previously thought. Wish I only had funds to support this passion further – stylus wear – wears on the wallet – urgh!