ReviewI went out yesterday with the express intention of looking for ASDs and SAX.
(Ooh, doesn't sound too wholesome when you put it like that, does it?)
...I refer to the Columbia and HMV Cat# prefixes of course.
Unfortunately, although I did find a few, there were none of the white/gold - pale blue/silver rimmed variety (and I have to be choosy)... the well has run a little dry on those it seems.
So I decided to try a couple of different flavours of label, to see if they were up to much.
And I spotted a couple of these Vox labels and decided to grab them. I was immediately impressed by the fact they had to the naked eye in the shop, that "rainbow" effect when rolled around in the light... something I've only seen shared so far by the aforementioned Columbias, and HMV discs. So a good omen I thought.
And I'm happy to report that this divining method has proven a trustworthy method of determining the quality of the discs (And by virtue of that, the sound they will produce)...
...as these are good... these are very, very good!
Although the music on this one is a solo piano recital, it's extravagant stuff - Can't go wrong with Chopin for that kind of thing! - and there's a lot going on, and this has extraordinary detail, and great breadth. The lower notes are delivered with a nice weight too.
I'd say this (And the other Bach Violin Concerti disc I got), are every bit the equal of the HMV discs, and only just a shade off the Columbia discs.
As in both cases, the Vox discs have a good start, in having acquired some great recordings to work with, and are then pressed perfectly... and when you consider that these (For the most part) are cheap as chips still.
(On average, these are about 1000% cheaper even on ebay for the single discs)
So if they were a top trump, they would score highly across the board, and in terms of cost, and therefore value-for-money, kick the Columbias and HMVs into touch with ease.