thefinalsound

Actually, there is a way to tell the difference. There is none. These current represses are the exact same as the RSD version according to matrix/runout comparisons.

The reason I'm selling them is because I've acquired other prints since that I want in my collection more.  If I'm going to sell these (with all the Mondo craziness effort I made to acquire them in the first place, let alone needing to drive to the post office, etc...) I'm going to sell these for at least my money back.  If nobody wants them for a fair and even price, I'll just keep them until somebody does.  How can anyone say there's anything wrong with that?  If you want to try to get them cheaper, hit up eBay, I wont be offended.  I'm literally only looking to make a net profit of $0 by doing this and maybe help someone out around here.
 
Way I look at it is, knowing how hard it is to get these prints in the first place, why should I have to pay someone $10-20 to take it off my hands?  I'd rather keep them, if that's the case.  I'm not too hard-up on money or anything, I'm just gonna get yelled at by my frugal wife for going over my allowance budget with my latest purchases today, haha.
 
End rant.

Glad my Amazon marketplace order actually got here this time. And as added good news Amazon has the preorder up for the standard version of Hvarf/Heim: http://www.amazon.com/Hvarf-Heim-Sigur-Ros/dp/B00CJF9X1Q/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1367314689&sr=1-3&keywords=hvarf Hoping the preorder price drops at some point.

Even if you're paying the same price, I'd still be grateful to score copies, period.  Especially after all the hoop-jumping some of us have had to go through.  I personally grew skeptical (and then tired) of Rough Trade stringing me along in the dark.  Zero updates, no notifications, stock that disappeared from their shop, and then rumors of very limited copies.  I e-mail them and got no reply, either.  Needless to say, they're not exactly high on the totem pole of favored labels for me, at the moment.
 
Canceled the order and place and Amazon UK order.  Ended up being about the same price.  They just showed up today in flawless condition, actually.  Would I have loved to secure them for $46 PPD?  Absolutely.  Am I quite content to finally own them, even at $60 PPD or so?  Also absolutely.

Yeah, that's what I find funny.  Apparently the young couple that was first in line at my record store sat outside overnight to score the one and only copy of Agaetis Byrjun in stock for RSD.  The version released to the US exclusively for RSD was pressed by PIAS.  This is the same exact record I bought from Rarewaves for $32 shipped to the US.  On top of that, I pretty sure that dude paid more than me.

Copies of this are selling for $100+ on eBay? Are people retarded, or...?
Amazon UK. ~$35 PPD. Ships within 24 hours.

So both Sigur Ros records showed up today (from different UK sellers). So happy. They sound great. They arrived in perfect condition. Did I mention that they actually arrived? Because that's a huge accomplishment all by itself. Third time's the charm for me.
 
As to the surface noise issue that people are worried about, on my copies it's not a problem. They might not be quite as quiet as say the best Wilco albums, but close enough. They're certainly not as noisy as my copy of Inni, which I still consider to be a decent pressing.
 
The Agaetis packaging is nice, but nothing really special. Clear Sigur Ros sticker on the poly wrap, which is a little annoying because if I want to remove the poly it's nigh impossible to transfer these kinds of stickers without lines appearing on them as the adhesive pulls away from the plastic. The inners are just normal white paper. Would have been nice if they would have at least provided plastic lined paper inners, or at least black paper to match the outer. The ( ) packaging is very simple but rather elegant. Die cut matte outer, thick printed inners with glossy ( )'s in their centers. Gorgeous thing.
 

 

 

Not related to the represses, but I stopped by my local record shop to see what leftover RSD stuff they had left, and after glancing through their normal stock I came across a copy of hvarf / heim. I was thinking it was a repress after seeing this thread, or possibly the uk release, but it was the 2012 rsd version. I couldn't believe it, I've been looking for it since last year.

Beginner’s Guide to Hi–Fi
 
 
Created to hopefully aid anyone venturing into this stressful, beautiful hobby.
I will update this with more information whenever I have time to waste. Anyone is welcome to chime in.
 
 
 
Basic Hi-Fi Chain:
 
SOURCE -> AMPLIFICATION -> SPEAKERS
(click to jump to section)
 
The source component reads the recorded information and translates it into the signal that will be later perceived as sound. Amplification takes that signal and amplifies it (no, really?) in order to make it strong enough to move the drivers of the speaker. A speaker is a collective of drivers that are moved by the signal, producing air pressure in front of them which to us, mortal beings, means hearing sound.
 
When putting together a hi-fi setup, always keep in mind: The end result will only be as good as the weakest link. Buying an expensive turntable and a good phono preamp is useless if you're using cheap computer speakers. By no means should you decide to just get a shitty turntable then. Instead, think carefully how to ration your budget across all important components.
 
Jump to setting up & use: SOURCE, AMPLIFICATION, SPEAKERS
 
LIST OF RECCOMENDED EQUIPMENT FOR DIFFERENT BUDGETS

The golden rule: treat others how you would like to be treated. do you want people sending you records between two pieces of cardboard?

per a post on the CT facebook: "475 direct from our webstore, 150 for the band at shows, 180 to select stores around the globe."

This is becoming an absolute shit show. I sure hope my second order from the UK actually shows up. This is my third attempt now in the space of one year to buy these things. I don't understand what the problem is. How exactly do they benefit from keeping the pressings so limited? Can they not see that having the rights to press these is like being able to print money?
 
"If you build it they will come." If you press them they will fly off the shelves in exchange for a lot of money. Please just make them available and everyone will happily part with $35-45.

single sleeve with both LPs, does have the cut outs, made of paper (thick cardstock)

Got my white Carbon earlier this week (sorry vinylfilmaholic). Sounds great. Much better than my old Technics table/Shure cart. Between this and my speaker upgrade a few months back to Definitive BP8bs I'm very pleased with my current setup. My upstairs neighbor, however... Not so much

I got shipping notification from Insound for my white Carbon.

A new toy I've been playing with for a couple of weeks now:
 

 

 

 
Clearaudio Solution with a Clearaudio OEM RB300 tonearm, directwired with Clearaudio Sixstream cable.
 
I've added a Grado Prestige Silver to keep me going while I search for a solid MC phono/cart combo.
 

 
Also had a custom acrylic cover made, because, well, cats...
 

 

add to that list:
 
Elusivedisc.com
 
pretty bitchin site, especially their bargin bin

Decided to upgrade my entire system a little bit. Most of my components before were old, hand-me downs that sounded ok, but have wanted to pick up some new gear for the longest time. Finally did it.
 
Pro-ject Debut Carbon (black) ($351, shipped)
Yamaha A-S500 Integrated Stereo Amplifier ($329, shipped)
Polk 75t floorstanding speakers (x2) ($400 for the pair, shipped)
Polk 45b bookshelf speakers (x2) ($180 for the pair, shipped)
Polk PSW10 subwoofer ($100, shipped)
6x Super Soundproofing 3x3 inch vibration pads (I'm building another shelf for my component stand to put the Pro-ject on with these vibration pads to absorb the sub frequencies and vibrations) ($27 shipped)
 
Next up:
Pro-ject Acryl-it Platter
Pro-ject Speed Box S (black)
Grado SR-80i headphones
Blue jeans cables
 
Thinking about:
Apple Airport Express & a DAC around $250 or $300 so that I can listen to my FLAC collection on my iMac wirelessly through this same setup
 
I can't wait to listen to my collection with this set-up. I'll take pictures when I'm done with it. Any suggestions or advice are always welcome!

I gotta agree with Slinch here ... sort of.  A lot of this is really subjective. If you've got $500 into your analog gear and $500 into a DAC, and you prefer the former, that's fine.  I mean, what am I going to do?  Argue that there's something wrong with your ears?  Tell you that you're not hearing what you hear?
 
Plus, there's other variables to consider.  A lot of folks love the ritual of vinyl ... the inherent nostalgia that's built into holding a record and the process of extracting music from its grooves.  Digital can be kinda boring and impersonal, and even though that shouldn't color the way you hear music played through an excellent DAC, sometimes it does influence our listening habits.
 
But here's where I'm on Slinch's side: there's just so much more potential to dump loads of money into analog.  You can tweak, upgrade and switch components for years and years and still never be quite happy with what you're hearing.  There's always this need to push your rig further in an attempt to reach vinyl nirvana.  That's why there's all these audio guys who are sitting on so much unused gear: spare turntables, cartridges, tonearms, cables, etc etc.  That doesn't even include all the periphery gear, such as RCMs, protractors, brushes, mats, anti-static guns, bla bla bla.  On the other hand, it's pretty rare to find an audiophile that sitting on five extra DACs.
 
The point I'm trying to make is that people hear what they hear, and that's fine.  But when it comes to analog vs digital, there are infinite variables involved in the former and only one or two in the latter.  Given all those variables, it's much more likely that someone will hit the nail on the head with a $500 DAC than they would with a $500 turntable.  Not saying that it can't be done; it's just a lot tougher if you consider the synergistic nature of all the parts that comprise analog playback.

Thanks for the input.  I picked up a Schiit MODI DAC for now to get me started and have dedicated a laptop to my office setup.  Loaded up mainly 24/96 FLAC  albums onto Media Monkey (some 16 bit albums where there is no current option for 24 bit).  I've opened home sharing so if I were to need to play any mp3s, I can stream the ones wirelessly that are on my main computer in my family room.

Yeah it even has a sticker on it that says "cheap vinyl" of some shit.

Buy the Record Turntable.  All the money they saved on naming it surely went toward high quality construction and top-notch parts.
 
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to relax on my sitting couch and spin some music vinyl.

ajxd is gonna love your photo...

I'm about 75 minutes in and this really is fascinating to me. I do have a bit of a sound engineering background and a strong appreciation for the process that the creation that a song/album goes through from an idea and words and notes to the end result but I really feel like if you can sit through this and really take it in, you will truly be better off for it. These guys might come off a bit snobbish but dammit do they know what they are talking about.
 
One of the topics that has been addressed that really hits home to me is how music is taken in today. It really is a shame that most of the listening of music today does come in such a setting that doesn't allow for a strong emotional and deep connection to be made to the actual music. That's just the state of society today though. We've got full days everyday and lots to do; it's great that we can go through our days with our music. Getting back to the idea of having a connection with the music.. I feel that lyrics can have a strong effect on you regardless of the quality of the audio or the setting, to a degree, that it's taken in at but I feel that the music really needs to be taken in in a way that you can kind of eliminate as many of the other senses as possible to fully appreciate and have the music truly speak to you. I know, for me.. lights off, minimal possible distractions, quality headphones, eyes closed and being relatively still really sets me up for a really enriching, personal experience with the music. 
 
They go on to talk about a few other topics in some depth, and its really great to hear all of their separate views on each of them, but this is what I felt compelled to write while continuing to listen. 
 
Regardless of my opinion on any of this, thanks again for making it available on VC with this thread.
 
Edit: Yeah, made it through its entirety. Very awesome. Definitely recommend it when you've got the time to actually pay attention to it. 

If he's a real VC'er he'll now collect all of the variants of the cart, perhaps lining up the red, blue, bronze, and white ones on a shelf unopened.