Japanese "Mini-LP" CD's

[TheCrunge]

Just curious whether anyone has heard any of the so called Japanese "Mini-LP" CD's that are for sale all over Ebay. I know that Japanese pressings of both CD's and LP's are supposed to be very good. These little guys have me interested because they are packaged in an interesting manner and if the sound quality was there, it would be even better. I figured someone on here has to have some or at least have heard some.

[Ashfan]

I have the collection of mini-LP CD's by Wishbone Ash. I think they sound excellent, better than most of the other CD versions of their earlier work. But I haven't heard anything by any other artists.

[Drybasement]

I have all of the Jethro Tull and Pink Floyd offerings in this packaging style. Mine were done by Toshiba/EMI and include the obi strip. I think they're pretty cool but can be somewhat expensive. I bought all of mine a few years ago when the prices seemed manageable. There's a huge selection of these now with a bustling collector's market. My favorite domestic cybershop is Electric Obiland.

www.obiland.com

The mastering is often the same as the US domestic remaster so if that sounds okay to you then you'll like the sound of these. However, some are remastered in Japan with varying results. Some folks think they are too bright. Ymmv.

Cheers

[TheCrunge]

I will have to check out that shop. Part of the problem with the stuff on Ebay is it is shipped from overseas. It isn't worth $15 shipping for a $15 CD. Thanks for the suggestions.

Those Jethro Tull and Pink Floyd Packages would be awesome, but they are ridiculously expensive now it seems.

[Celt]

When buying titles from the 60's and 70's that I own (or owned) on vinyl, I'll always go for the mini-lp-cd format. In my experience they are usually mastered better and replicate the original album art quite well.

[Brett a]

I have a few CD packaged like mini LPs. I can't speak for their sound (no alternate copy to A/B with), but FWIW, I can say they are a tight fit on my CD shelves. They are taller than standard jewel cases.

[slow_jazz]

I own a couple of them. Love the art work and the cloth sleeve to hold the cd in. They sound very good to me.

[TheCrunge]

Besides the previously mentioned site and ebay, does anyone else have any recomendations of good places to buy these (especially domestically, to avoid ridiculous shipping charges).

[gsm18439]

I have more than a few of them. Here is a link to a website that offers free shipping to the US. In addition to looking "cute," they are less thick compared to a standard jewel box.

http://cd.salerussia.com/vinyl.htm

[solarmusick]

I have a few mini-LP but only one Japanese one - Earth and Fire's debut (not to be confused with Earth, Wind and Fire). It has fantastic packaging and very rich sounding music. I'd like to get some more, but they're generally quite expensive and I'd rather buy an ugly jewel case CD for a substantially less price. :P

[davidb1]

Does anyone have DSOTM on one of these?
The place in Russia has an attractive price, I am looking for the best sound I can find as my Capitol/EMI remaster from 1992 seems somewhat compressed compared to my admittedly possibly faulty memory of the Mo-Fi copy I foolishly sold years ago.

[solarmusick]

From what I've heard, Russian pressings are generally considered subpar, so I'd be careful. Plus I'm not sure if any of the money actually goes to the bands, because of Russian laws (that's why you can download full albums from Russian download sites for ~$1).

[MitsuMan]

From what I've heard, Russian pressings are generally considered subpar, so I'd be careful. Plus I'm not sure if any of the money actually goes to the bands, because of Russian laws (that's why you can download full albums from Russian download sites for ~$1).

Not only that, but the russian bootlegs sound like chit. :thmbsp:

[TheCrunge]

Are the albums from that Russian site or Russian manufacture or Japanese manufacture. The covers look to have Japanese writing on them. Unless the Russians are counterfeiting the Japanese albums?

I too would like good sounding copies, but it is not worth 2x the price just for special packaging to me. Many albums are available on ebay, however shipping comes from Japan for most of those and is just insane.

[Mark B]

I have Japanese 1st editions of Tull, Moody Blues, Zeppelin, The Who, and a bunch of others. Excellent sound quality, and the mini-lp covers are cool.

[Celt]

Does anyone have DSOTM on one of these?
The place in Russia has an attractive price, I am looking for the best sound I can find as my Capitol/EMI remaster from 1992 seems somewhat compressed compared to my admittedly possibly faulty memory of the Mo-Fi copy I foolishly sold years ago.

I had one of DSOTM and The Wall but gave both away. Not much of a PF fan. They were made by Toshiba in Japan. SQ was very good.

[TheCrunge]

I might need to try and order at least one of those CD's to see there is any noticable improvement in quality. Especially considering the nice new CD player residing in my room.