Klarinet Archive - Posting 000203.txt from 1999/06

From: Jack Kissinger <kissingerjn@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: [kl] Defective recordings, was: Finzi/Stanford recording
Date: Fri, 4 Jun 1999 15:40:25 -0400

As it turns out ASV is only the tip of the iceberg. While it is true that they
have had a significant number of pressings reported as defective (100+),
Hyperion had a significant number of disks subject to "bronze corrosion" as
well. In fact, writing in the March/April "American Record Guide," Mark Lehman
writes (p. 58): "... I would like to thank Hyperion Records for being especially
conscientious in making collectors aware of the problem. Richard Howard of
Hyperion not only described bronze corrosion in internet postings, but he sent
me the complete list (published in my original report) ["American Record
Guide;" November/December, 1997; p. 64. The issue lists about 300 Hyperion and
Helios releases along with a few releases each by ASV, Pearl and Unicorn.]of
Hyperion and Helios CDs pressed by PDO during the specified period and hence
potentially susceptible to bronze corrosion. Hyperion also has a web-site
devoted to the problem at:

www.hyperion-records.co.uk/bronzed.html

[Here the quote ends. I left off the quotation marks so that the address would
work.]

According to Lehman, two companies, the English division of Phillips and Du Pont
(PDO) and the Italian Optical Media Storage (OPTI.ME.S.) pressed the recordings
subject to deterioration during the late 1980s and early 1990s. As he describes
it, the problem is not due to contaminants in the air but rather the use of
faulty lacquer "made with silver instead of aluminum." Hyperion indicates that
the lacquer is "not suitable to withstand the corrosive effect of the sulphur
content of paper used in the printing of CD booklets and other paper parts."

According to Lehman's latest update, companies whose CD's have been known to
exhibit the problem (in addition to ASV, Hyperion and Helios) include:

Albany
Appian
DG Archiv
Cala
Collins
CRD
Danacord
DG
IMP
Oiseau-Lyre
Pearl
RPO
Testament
Unicorn

PDO pressed all of the above labels. Only a few releases are affected in most
cases except for Pearl (about 200) and Unicorn (about 60). (See Lehman's
articles for detailed listings of defective PDO and OPTI.ME.S. pressings.) PDO
also pressed for London/Decca during this period but, so far, Lehman has
received no reports of bronze corrosion on this label.

Labels with releases pressed by OPTI.ME.S. known to have corroded are:

ADDA
Arkadia
AS Disk
Bongiovanni
Classical Collector
Fone
Fonit Cetra
Memories
Nuova Era
Opera Viva
Ricercar
Tactus

In most of these cases, except for AS Disc (20+) and Nuova Era (35+), only one
or two releases are affected.

Mark Lehman notes that Hyperion and Albany have been particularly helpful in
providing lists of disks susceptible to corrosion. Other manufacturers have
been less forthcoming. Both PDO and OPTI.ME.S. are willing to replace, free of
charge, any of their pressings that exhibit this problem. According to the
Hyperion site, PDO has been replacing the disk (but not jewel box or liner
notes) on receipt of a list of defectives (so far, they have not required owners
to submit the defective disks). OPTI.ME.S requires that any requests come
through the record company that owns the copyright to the music. This may be
difficult in some cases because some of the record companies no longer exist.

As Mark Lehman puts it, "So much for 'perfect sound forever.'"

Best regards,
Jack Kissinger
St. Louis

Michael Bryant wrote:

> Please correct me if I am wrong, I don't think it was Hyperion
> that had this problem, but ASV. If I had to confess it, I have many CDs
> from Hyperion and never a problem, beside which Joanna Gamble,
> who sort-of ran Hyperion for Ted Perry, for most of the 90s, is a friend
> of mine (played the horn once upon a time) so l would have heard about it.
> On the other hand, this major problem occurred at AVS.
> They produce all of Emma Johnson's CDs. Philips (UK) or PDO Discs Ltd,
> Philips Road, Blackburn, Lancashire BB1 5RZ, England - do their "pressing"
> and for a period in about 1989-1991 their vacuum deposition stage became
> contaminated with air, water and iron (!) so that the CDs eventual (1995)
> went rusty
> causing major dropouts and noise. At enormous cost, they have undertaken
> to replace free of charge all CDs returned to them (there is an inland
> Freepost address).
> I have had to return all Emma's CDs for replacement. I know this does not
> help if you
> are thousands of miles away, but I needed to put a word in for Hyperion.
>

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org