ROYAL BALLET RCA Stereo LDS 6065 Ansermet Gala Box Set 4s/1s/1s/1s Soria TAS OG

$

1,291

ROYAL BALLET RCA Stereo LDS 6065 Ansermet Gala Box Set 4s/1s/1s/1s Soria TAS Original not reissue.

Legendary set, one of the most acclaimed American vinyl releases from the golden age of hifi. By audiophile standards of any era, a masterpiece set of recordings, served by an attentive pressing of shaded dogs, in a deluxe box set package. Finest release from a major US label ever?

One week, $0.99 starting bid, no reserve.

Investment grade copy here. Let me be brutally honest with my comments so that the buyer finds themselves thoroughly pleased upon delivery, no surprises. Thrift store buy, so shows light storage and handling on box cover. At a glance it’s clean as heck, but when you start to pick it apart, you notice a couple specks of dirt and discolorations including a water spot on the top and a small stain affecting the back side. This should be evident from the pictures I’ve chosen: again, trying to capture the blemishes, as they are few but there they are. Put that aside, the box is 100% solid all corners, seams, tip-in color plate, fabric cover, all clean vivid and like it came off the shelf of a record store. EX

Inside, two LPs, a booklet and program, are held inside a sliding drawer which is solid complete, fits tight, and is glossy oxblood. NM

The Booklet has taken a light mark from rubbing against the red of the drawer. Is this a flaw? I don’t know but there it is, so worth mentioning. Booklet is otherwise immaculate. NM

Inside the booklet is your Program for the evening’s gala presentation. A fold affects the top right corner, the most significant flaw in this whole set! VG+

The two original liner sleeves are included, but have been replaced with modern, audiophile sleeves. Old plastic; can’t trust it. So four sleeves ship here with two records.

The LPs themselves: side 1 - 4s stamper, while the other three sides are 1s. There must have been a good reason why the factory replaced the first stamper, right? They knew what they were doing. Anyway, there’s a couple unicorn 1s pressing side ones out there I guess. Sounds phenomenal, anyway.

Labels show no trace of spindle marks, look unplayed. Visually, all Record surfaces show that they need cleaning, but the records are undamaged, no scratches on any of the four surfaces, a few finger marks on the edges. They’ve been played, I would guess, a handful of times at most. But the surfaces do show some marks under strong light, perhaps scuffed in and out of the inner sleeve. And after over 60 years, there’s unavoidably a tiny amount of dust. Again, the photos are brutal, because I’ve tried, hard, to make them so. Visually, VG+, but when you get this home, you will be delighted, because….

I’ve playgraded one side (1a, hey it’s Christmas) on a very resolving system, gyro se/shelter to altec 604-8g, and the sound is luscious, the dynamics and stereo spaciousness are enthralling, and the band is great, but there is an occasional pop or tick; the surfaces are not silent.

Now, did I attempt to CLEAN these records? No I did not. I ran a carbon fiber brush over it a while, and cued it up. After a small bit of crackle on the lead in groove, which vanished quickly, I settled back to orchestral splendor, with an occasional tick. Dust. Clean these puppies properly, and gain a grade immediately, but as they are now, VG+

Ok, again, I’m going hard on these guys, calling out all the blemishes; no surprises, except happy ones. Buyer here will be receiving an investment grade audio jewel, to treasure and enjoy. This is as clean a box set as you’ll see, not sealed, on the used market, in and out.

Thanks for your interest. After all this, you can be assured that I will send this album for safe travel, worldwide, in a sturdy well cushioned package, so it arrives in exactly the condition I’ve stated above.

I will happily pay FedEx Ground shipping to your US address. International shipping is available to be paid by the buyer through the eBay Global Shipping program.

Please refer to full photo set here:

https://mega.nz/folder/DrBDBCoZ#_BQdlsDz0hsTriLTJvEMSg