Dvorak - The Nine Symphonies - Istvan Kertesz

[Cspiegs]

Hello. I'm looking at purchasing the box set of Antonin Dvorak nine symphonies on Decca with Istvan Kertesz and the London Symphony Orchestra. There are two sets from the UK, both pressed in 1971 (D6D-7 and SXLD 6515-21). Would anybody know what the differences are between these two sets? I think one might a repressing. Which will sound better?

Thanks.

 

[guiller]

IMHO, the most important factor is the actual condition of the records. Are both sets in optimal condition? Regarding the different Decca editions, as far as both of these sets are UK pressings, I wouldn´t expect any important differences provided that the mastering is the same. I base this opinion on other sets (e.g., Solti´s Ring cycle). I know people argue about differences in sound quality regarding "color" labels. These discussions have always been completely orthogonal to my concrete listening experiences (I may not have a turntable + cart able to discriminate very small differences).

 

[Cspiegs]

Let's assume they are in the same condition. I've always thought that original pressings are going to sound better than reprints, in most cases. I do remember with Angel recordings, it was only after their 3rd or 4th generation of pressings that the sound quality improved. Perhaps there may be very little, if any, difference between these two Decca pressings. I suppose it's more of a curiosity. So my question still stands.

 

[guiller]

I agree on the case of the (USA pressed) Angels, but I would think that was an exceptional case: they were not pressed in the UK. Decca managed the Oil Crisis of the 70's by increasing the prices but maintaining the vinyl quality. As far as I know, Angel (the USA division of EMI) followed a different approach.