Post by ramesh January 15, 2009 (31 of 321)
|
|
I bought less than 20 BIS CDs before the start of SACD- mainly 20th century repertoire.
Since then, I have accumulated at least 60 BIS SACDs-- all of them paid for, usually at full price [ I haven't been given any freebie review copies :-( ]
No BIS CDs bought since you went SACD.
To contextualise this, since Decca, DG and Philips left SACD, I have bought only 13 CDs from Punyversal : the fabulous Heifetz mono recordings from DG, the 2 CD Emil Gilels chamber music from the 1950s, and 9 UNiversal Japan DG CDs since their remasterings are superior to anything coming out from DG Germany.
I have bought no TElarc CDs since the start of SACD-- only their SACD releases.
I have bought probably two-thirds of all PentaTone SACD issues, including the bulk of their RQR series, even though I had many of these on CD or LP.
I have bought the sole ECM SACD, and have refused to buy any more ECM since they don't support SACD.
ON an unrelated issue-- I have Pristine.com's 'ambient stereo' transfer of the 1950 BRuno Walter/Ferrier/Patzak Mahler Das Lied von der Erde, and the sound is much more natural, less boxy than the Decca Legends CD with its alleged 24/96 remastering for plain CD.
|
|
|
|
|
|
I Will no more buy regular CDs (never), ditto for BluRay. If in the future there is no SACDs avaliable in the market I will buy nothing.
I buy SACDs since 2005, when I buy a SONY SCD-1. I prefer single layer SACDs and Stereo only SACDs. MultiChannel mix is a trash irrelevant to me, same for DXD and BLURAY.
SACDs / DSD is the most excelence avaliable to listen. If the problem is cost BIS should rise the SACD price.
|
|
|
Post by Cherubino January 15, 2009 (33 of 321)
|
|
bissie said:
Hello,
this is Robert from BIS, aka bissie.
In the current business climate even we have to look at bean-counting.
Since we release all our SACD:s as Hybrids and since we don't charge a premium, but absorb the extra costs for recording, editing, mastering and production of an SACD, selling at the same price as a RBCD,
*I would be extremely interested in knowing how many EXTRA copies we sell because of the SACD option.*
Mathematically, starting from the edited master tape, we need to sell some 600 EXTRA copies of the production in order to break even for the extra costs of producing the SACD, compared to releasing only a RBCD.
Question: do we do it? Since we don't have double inventory, there is no way for me to tell.
Obviously there are other factors as well: prestige, good-will, satisfaction with a superb product, but, when it comes to paying the salaries (BIS is nowadays probably the only classical company in the world with its own, full-time production staff - we have 7 producers/engineers hired that roam the 6 continents of the world recording with our own equipment) we need the green stuff.
So, since this would be the relevant Forum to ask something like that: how many of you, who do buy the occasional BIS SACD would abstain from doing so, were the identical programme to appear only as RBCD?
I think this is a relevant question to put, especially so, since many of my colleagues seemingly have made the same calculation - and then abandoned SACD.
Best - Robert
Last year I purchased about 120 CDs ( 70/50 SACD/RBCD). I simply don't agree that all RBCD sound so bad that they're unlistenable. Retired, out of necessity I aggressively shop price. I will however pay a premium for a particularly fine release from a label with higher pricing (e.g., Channel Classics), but no more than a few a year. That said, while restricting all purchases to legitimate (no grey market or bootleg) vendors, I never pay full price. Discounts always come along, and if you shop carefully, and are willing to wait a bit, it's almost never necessary.
Whatever the future of BIS, what you've done in the past will always be appreciated. In particular, your SACD series of Bach cantatas will come to be regarded as one of the treasured series in the history of the gramophone. Good luck, personally and as a forward looking entrepreneur struggling to balance art and commerce in these uncertain times. Keep up the good fight until they have to carry you from the field.
|
|
|
Post by Domimag January 15, 2009 (34 of 321)
|
|
Hello
I buy only SACD (99%) and I'll go on to buy only SACD as long as I can find SACD.
For Bissie I have 57 BIS SACD.
Regards
|
|
|
Post by emaidel January 15, 2009 (35 of 321)
|
|
While I'd prefer to purchase only SACD's, not all of the music I've wanted to buy is available in that format. Still, I look first for an SACD of something, and only purchase a CD of a recording (when an SACD isn't available) when it's on sale. Recently, I purchased four Naxos CD's at ArkivMusic.com because they were only $6.99 each. Still, I only liked three of the four, but that's not a bad average.
My library of BIS discs is very, very limited right now, but I have every intention of expanding it. Telarc had been my primary source of classical SACD's, but with the recent dismissal of 26 of the 51 Telarc employees (including all of the top management) by Concord Music, I doubt I'll ever see another Telarc SACD again. Thank God for BIS, as I think your discs sound even better than those from Telarc, and that takes a lot for me to say, having been such a devout Telarc fan and owning over 150 TElarc CD's, and about 35 Telarc SACD's.
I recently purchased a Naxos CD of Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Hodie," since the Spartanburg Festival Chorus and Orchestra (I sing bass in the chorus) performed it last November. It sounds OK, but would be nothing less than magnificent on a BIS SACD. So? When will it be available?
Seriously, my disc purchases since acquiring the Marantz SA-8001 last March have been 98% SACD's.
|
|
|
Post by bholz January 15, 2009 (36 of 321)
|
|
Whenever I purchase new music, I look first to see if it is available (or likely to be available) on SACD. (e.g. I originally subscribed to the Analogue Productions 45rpm Blue Note vinyl series but canceled it once they announced the SACD version of the series) If the Phila Orchestra titles on Ondine had not been SACD, I probably would not have purchased them. While I do enjoy those discs, I purchased those titles as a means to support the Arts in my city and SACD sales in general.
If it is not available or likely to be available on SACD, then I look for a high quality vinyl pressing that also includes a CD or high-quality mp3. This is a recent change for me as I recently purchased a new Turntable mainly to take advantage of the Music Matters Jazz 45 rpm Blue Note series. (it has been getting increased use due to the poor mastering quality of most new RBCDs)
My last resort is the RBCD.
Bill
|
|
|
Post by tailspn January 15, 2009 (37 of 321)
|
|
I purchase most released orchestra SACD's, including BIS. I purchase them solely for their surround content. No surround, no purchase. I hope you and other manufactures find a way to continue to offer surround content.
Thanks,
Tom
|
|
|
Post by krisjan January 15, 2009 (38 of 321)
|
|
FYI, I own 257 BIS releases of which 28 are SACD's.
|
|
|
Post by aoqd22 January 15, 2009 (39 of 321)
|
|
bissie said:
... how many of you, who do buy the occasional BIS SACD would abstain from doing so, were the identical programme to appear only as RBCD?
Robert
I have bought no more than 6 BIS RBCDs since I started collecting mostly classical music back in the mid 1960s. I currently have 44 BIS SACDs out of a total of 170 SACDs. BIS is now my preferred label. I have looked through my BIS SACDs and think if the identical programme had appeared only as RBCD I would have bought no more than 4-6.
I buy very few RBCDs now. In the last 12 months I have probably bought no more than 4. I clear out a good number of CDs each year. I have just ripped around 100 RBCDs onto my computer before getting rid of them.
pb
|
|
|
Post by merlinus January 15, 2009 (40 of 321)
|
|
Hi Robert. I have about two dozen BIS discs, of which five are SA-CDs.
I would not have purchased the Nielsen and Aho clarinet concertos, Faure and Durufle Requiems, or Suzuki's Bach Mass in B-Minor if they were only RBCDs. And of course I wish all the Aho discs were SA-CDs! The Luosto is magnificent!
The SQ of all your discs is superb.
And best wishes for continued good health and a long and prosperous life.
-merlin
BTW, I always purchase SA-CDs when excellent performances are available in this format.
|
|
