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Hearsay, Rumor, Myth or Fact?

Last week I ordered a cd by Lee Morgan called "Charisma" on Blue Note Records from CD Connection. Their database listed a $10 domestic cd and a $25 imported cd...same music label.

I received the $10 cd yesterday. I played it last night and it was thoroughly enjoyable. What do you get for the extra $15 on the imported version?

I was told by a wise old sage and fellow jazz fanatic back in the '70's that imported lp's from Japan were of superior quality than the domestic stuff. Normally in record stores back then, when you saw the Japanese version of an lp, it was generally at least twice the cost of the domestic version.

Has anyone here found this superiority claim to be true? Can anyone cite any specific examples of recordings that they have compared side by side that supports the import superiority claim?

If true, is it generally found that certain record labels sound better on the imported version...or is it generally true across the board?

Or, is it true in just jazz recordings?

Or, is this something that audiophiles do to spend more money to psychologically fool themselves that their system will sound better if the imported recording costs more money than the domestic version?

It would seem a shame for an audiophile to spend $10-50K+ on a system, and then feel like he's cutting corners when confronted with these two choices when purchasing music. I would rather not spend more than twice as much for a piece of music just for peace of mind that I've gotten the best if it's just hearsay, rumor or myth.
mitch4t
easy_e
95 posts
 
Viridian,

Are you serious about the "Something Else" LP? I have a beautiful original copy and never dreamed it was worth so much! How exciting.

easy.
viridian's avatar
viridian
4,184 posts
 
Easy, oh yes, check e-bay for the exciting fantasy world of record buying. First pressings are running into four figures for many older Blue Note releases. Funny thing is that more copies of "Something Else" were pressed than almost any other Blue Note. This is now standard pricing, but who would have thought that folk records are now into four figures? Do a search, a first pressing of Nick Drake's first album "Five Leaves Left" just went for a cool grand even. Yes, you read that right, $1000.00. And we think that power cords are expensive!
mitch4t's avatar
mitch4t OP
1,486 posts
 
I periodically check eBay to see what my stuff is worth.

I'll never sell any of it though. I like getting a little redemption for holding onto my jazz vinyl for 4 decades.

The sad part is, when I croak, my wife and kids will sell my collection for next to nothing in a yard sale....or give it away.
deckhous
7 posts
 
The vinyl formulation is one element of the quality difference. I think another factor is the manufacturing and production standards. The Japanese are renown for attention to detail and LP's, in contrast to CD's, are almost a handmade product. Note the handwritten alphanumerics on each LP!
rja's avatar
rja
2,112 posts
 
I have many Japanese CDs including Blue Note. CDs in Japan cost in the area of US$18-$25 each, so although you're paying a premium in US terms you're actually paying the standard Japanese price. I have, however, seen mini-LP japanese CDs selling for as much as $34 in the US but generally they go for less. Most of my Japanese CDs were purchased directly from Japan. I first started doing this because some titles (mostly jazz) were only available in Japan. It seems that Japanese consumers had more choice in American jazz than we in the US had, maybe they were bigger fans. At least there must have been a better market for US jazz.
As far as sound quality, many Japanese CDs are superior in sound quality but there is no guarantee. Certainly the question needs to be considered about the value of the additional $10-$20 in cost. The additional cost is easier to handle if there is no other choice to purchase a title.
PS: Japanese manufactured DCC and MFSL CD titles are also going for a premium over the same US manufacured titles.
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