Miles Davis Kind Of Blue Columbia PC 8163 1977 Repress LP TAS NM/NM Play

$

22

Miles Davis
Kind Of Blue
Columbia CS 8163
1977 Repressing
Awarded "SPECIAL MERIT:Informal" By The Absolute Sound Audiophile magazine (TAS)

Item Details
Manufactured in: USA
Recorded: March 2 and April 22 1959 30th Street Studio NYC
Lacquer Cut At: Columbia Mastering, NY, NY
Pressing By: Unknown, as matrix gives no clues, but is exceptionally quiet.
Original Issue: August 17, 1959
This Issue: 1977
Label: Columbia PC 8163
Runout Deadwax Matrix Numbers:
Side 1: (stamp:) XSM 47326-1DD COLUMBIA NY D
Side 2: (stamp:) XSM 47327-1EK COLUMBIA NY D
Was bought new by this seller many years ago and now offered from his private collection (you have absolutely known provenance). Has had just a few plays decades ago only on an expertly setup high-end audiophile turntable, arm, and cartridge. Has never been exposed to heat or tobacco smoke and always stored vertically in a specially designed record cabinet (Rackit) to prevent warpage.
Was cleaned on a VPI HW 16 with Audio Intelligent solutions and ultra-pure water rinse (50X purer than distilled water) before my pre-sale sound check. I wear nitrile surgical gloves while cleaning and play testing to avoid any chance of transferring finger oils to the vinyl.
Very sensitive play testing was performed straight off my Ayre P-5xe fully balanced phono preamp over Sennheiser HD 600 headphones using a Schiit Audio Valhalla 2 tube headphone amp fitted with Voskhod Soviet matched tubes (see last photo).
Track list
1: So What, Freddie Freeloader, Blue In Green.

2: All Blues, Flamenco Sketches. (jacket has these in incorrect order)

I never take "distant" photos nor the so-prevalent type with the LP sticking halfway out of the jacket. I take close-ups under photo lamps so you can see nearly everything I describe in the jacket grading. It is virtually impossible to know the true vinyl condition from any photograph. That takes very bright and close visual inspection PLUS play testing with thorough coverage on high resolution equipment.
Grading Details
Note: Record grading by text characters is subjective and does not fully describe quality levels. Please see photos and my detailed descriptions below.

Outer Jacket Inspection:
VG++
At first glance the front cover seems NM, but when I tilt in bright light I could see the beginning of a ring halo on the upper left corner by Miles's ear, and on the right sleeve side center. The photos show these more than normal lighting because of my strong illumination. There is also the start of sleeve rubbing in the center front but it's hard to pick out. The two lower corners have tiny "bumps." I found one small crease just above the "M." The rear jacket seemed NM- except for the same upper crease and a small amount of edge curling on the upper right edge. It has the same beginning of noticeable ring wear at the top. Please examine my photos carefully so you can judge the grading to your own personal opinion.

Vinyl visual inspection:
After cleaning, surface visuals were inspected under high intensity halogen light. I rotated and tilted the record in multiple angles with my eyes a few inches away from the vinyl. Side 1 looked overall clean but with careful tilting I discovered rounded arc of single reflective hairs that look like a light scuff. They were about 1/2" from the edge of the rim on Track 1. I made a note to listen carefully during the S1:T1 start for any ticks associated with these traces. Side 2 look great but I did see cloud-like swirls around S2:T1. Cleaning did not remove them so I think they are just a cosmetic artifact of the pressing or stamper plating process.

Play Testing:
NM/NM
Extensive play testing was performed after visual inspection. I listened to the beginning, middle, and end of each track for a few minutes on each needle drop. I also listened to all lead-in, lead-out and transition grooves between each track. Some tracks were played all the way thru when digitizing my favorites to 192k/24-bit WAV files. Continuous written notes were taken.

First, this copy is an exceptionally quiet pressing. The marks I discovered during visuals did not show up in any way during my play test. They have to be only on the vinyl surface well above the groove modulations. I very rarely heard any vinyl ticks during the music. They are quite rare, even in the transition grooves. I'd be listening for quite a while during recording and finally catching what might be a tick but not really sure as it was so low and went by so fast. In the quietest music passages all I could pick up in my play test rig was the hiss of the master tape (1958, after all) and once in while tiny random ticks. This low noise floor lets the most subtle musical detail come through to the listener. The recording and mastering places the instruments into a holographic sound stage right in your listening room. The audio quality is vividly transparent and the musical performance incomparable. I can see why TAS placed the record into their list. It is magnificent.

Packaging

• Record will be placed outside the jacket to protect against seam splitting.
• Original inner sleeve is not included as I had replaced it immediately with a better one when I first got the record.
• Record has been placed into a new MFSL-style "rice paper" sleeve, This will keep vinyl surfaces clean during shipping and ultimate buyer usage.
• Outer jacket is contained in a new clear polyethylene protective sleeve.
• Sent in good quality record mailer with cardboard stiffeners.

• Shipping will be via USPS Media Mail for a flat charge of $3.98 per single album sale.
• A combined shipping discount is available on multiple sales completed within 5 business days($3.98 plus $0.50 for each additional LP).
• If you intend to buy more than one LP do not pay immediately but wait for my all-combined invoice. A discount for the combined items will show on that invoice. Then, once payment is received, the items will ship.