I would agree with other posters here that it would be more satisfying to just go out and buy the individual tracks that you like personally, plus Amazon should have some halfway decent compilations if you are specific in what you search for, and they should be quite cheap on CD, but you can also get good prices on MP3 VBR compilations if you can do without physical media.
Originally Posted by spage
I should possibly clarify there, 256K VBR is all that Amazon do to the best of my knowledge and a lot of people out there are happy with mp3. I sincerely think the OP wasn't looking for complete hits package for a whole year in WAV format or even on CD.
And that reminds me why I won't ever purchase from Amazon. A lot of "regular consumer"people think their tiny bluetooth systems and other portable devices sound really nice. I can't think of many DJs (we're on a DJ forum, not a general consumer one, so convenience is only one factor) who would buy VBR unless given absolutely no other choice.
Amazon does the best to maximise profit while reducing expenses, they're not a genuine music retailer, just a conglomerate.
I reckon it's easier, cheaper and quicker to find whole compilations on CD for all that 70s 80s 90s stuff, especially Motown. I could go hit some of my regular shops (with shelves full of music) right now and come back with a full carrier bag for the pricely sum of 20 bucks.
Last edited by Manu; 05-11-2021 at 07:54 AM.
I always preferred Walmart over Amazon because you had the choice of either an MP3 version or a WAV version. When Walmart quit selling digital music downloads I bought an album from Amazon. I was surprised there was no WAV option and the MP3 version was as expensive as what Walmart had been charging for WAV albums.
I was shocked that it turned out to be 128 Kbps. I honestly felt like I had been scammed and ripped off by Amazon.
But the number of US Supreme Court judges was always 6.
Then it was 5, then 6, then 7, then 9, then 10, then 7, and then 9.
Amazon does not care about the quality. It was somewhat obvious then, it's plainly obvious now. They have more dodgy products and more fake reviews than ever before. Of course you've been ripped off, but then that business model went on because a lot of people don't have a clue (or a nice hifi). We have Asda over here which belongs to Walmart. They sell CDs AND records.
Not to mention, a lot of "older" DJ equipment does not support VBR. What a con anyway, like buying a packet of crisps that's half full of air.
My local Walmart has twice as much floor space for records as CDs.
But both only take up one aisle. 10 maybe 15 years ago CDs took up 3 aisles in that store.
But the number of US Supreme Court judges was always 6.
Then it was 5, then 6, then 7, then 9, then 10, then 7, and then 9.
Jeez, that must have been quite a lot of crap
I agree with you Manu, as of about two year ago I stoped buying 320K MP3's and moved over to Wav's, I also only buy CD albums and vinyl records. However, if I'm forced to I have had to buy a mp3 album from Amazon as they were the only person providing that album at a price that was within my ballpark, this was a dub album that was rather obscure and unavailible on Discogs as a CD or at the time even as a vinyl release. So occasionally you have to go with what you can get. The actual quality of the MP3 when I am playing it back has been OK, but that may be becuase the actual master was recorded very well.
I bought an album from one of my favourite bands last week, just came out and I was in the shop on release day to buy the CD.
Another one of my favourite bands has released a new album, on itunes, spotify amazon etc. My youtube comment, AND I was not alone on this one simply said, "I'll buy the album when it's released on CD, until then I'm not buying".
My personal record of being forced to buy an mp3, is nil. Meanwhile I did pay over the odds many times for exclusives on either vinyl or CD.
I agree that MP3 can be convenient, and I use it in my car. But then in my car I also have a CD changer, + HDD and 2x SD cards storage that contains wav. When it comes to music involving real instruments, I can tell the difference in that mp3 ultimately lacks clarity, definition and depth. I usually spot this with the higher frequency cymbals on drum kits sizzling, and the bass feeling like it's hitting a wall of logarithmic cancellation in the lower range. There are things that I keep like members mixes I got from here and things like that, exclusives mixes, such and such that I cannot possibly get from any retailer.
Most people think mp3 is fine, or even streaming on youtube is fine, then I don't have most people's ears or equipment. Most people I know use tiny puny bluetooth sound bars or cheap crappy hifi that's not hifi, fashion statement headphones and so on. They do not realise they live in their own little world of sound, until you play them music on an actual quality system. That's when I watch them drop their jaw, pick it up, then they ask me to play more stuff, jaw drops some more and they start going like "wow", "that sounds so good", "jeez the bass goes deep down". Best I have seen so far is one of my friends coming to see me and packing her own CDs of bands she's friends with, and she says, "I close my eyes and it's literally as if my friends are playing in front of me".
That's the sort of quality you cannot get with MP3. You can't have a sausage, chop it in slices, glue it back together and pretend you still have a sausage.
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