Sterling and other CD-Rs

[hyperdanny]

Is Sterling still pressing new releases using those horrible blue CD-R's by Wyastone? (please tell me no.....)

[adriano]

I must say that comparing some older Sterling CDs (Maurice and Schulz-Beuthen) just received from a direct order to Wyastone, they look differently than, for example, the two CDs I've recently recorded (Jaques-Dalcroze and Scherber). The latter have the CD's typical separate center code area "ring" (showing a lot of figures, visible sometimes only on the CD's backside) - and those older ones not, so the older ones could be CDRs. They are not blue, but have an opaque label, and the material looks more plastic-like than the "metallic"- like recent (or "first pressings") CDs, which are reflecting like a mirror.
I presume they do CDRs only of deleted or out-of-stock items, subject to smaller orders - a thing, which I quite understand. I did not notice any sound qualtity difference.

[Mark Thomas]

Is Sterling still pressing new releases using those horrible blue CD-R's by Wyastone?

Sterling is still using Wyastone to manufacture its CDs and, as far as I know, Wyastone only manufacture CD-Rs, so I guess the answer is "yes", but I have no idea what you mean by "blue CD-Rs". Bearing in mind that their recent issues have been of radio recordings, so the sound is never going to be state-of-the-art Hi Fi, the audio quality to my ears is fine and, if you're worried about longevity, make a flac backup as soon as you get the CD to be on the safe side.

[adriano]

Yes Mark; in other words they reprint as CDRs and do only first pressings of new issues as "authentic" CDs.

[Alan Howe]

These CDs don't play on one of my players. Annoying.

[Mark Thomas]

It's far from ideal, I agree, but it comes down to the very fragile economics of being a small music label. With the comparatively low worldwide sales of many niche classical albums such as those we enthuse about (2000 is a good total even for the likes of Naxos!) Sterling, and others of course, cannot afford to take the risk of manufacturing the comparatively large number of discs needed to keep the manufacturing costs low enough, and then have them hanging around as stock before retailers buy them. The fact the number of distributors/wholesalers has greatly reduced doesn't help either. So the solution for them is to contract with an on-demand manufacture and distributor such as Wyastone which can not only produce small volumes of CDs to order as retailers order them, but also do so at a low enough cost for the label itself to make a profit. The way they do this is for the CDs themselves not to be mass-manufactured using glass masters, but be CD-Rs. The bottom line is, without that ability, some small labels just wouldn't exist now, and we wouldn't even have the option of moaning about their products.

[adriano]

Exactly so, Mark
And one day we may not even be able anymore to get CDRs - when everything will become downloads! 

[Alan Howe]

Oh, it's merely an inconvenience. No great problem.

[hyperdanny]

When I talked about "blue cd-r" I was referring to the fact that the Wyastone products that I have possess a distinctly different physical appearance: they're slightly thinner and lighter that a normal cd, thay're not mirror-like shiny, but slightly mat, and they have an unmistakable blueish hue.
The sound quality is inferior because the mastering/pressing problem is different from the one used in the proper cd's.
Two examples: I was able to subsitute my Mehul/Nimbus set and my Bystrom/Sterling cd-r with perfect condition cd's found on the secondary market, and there's a marked difference, at least on a revealing stereo rig like mine.
This without even taking into account frequent and annoying issues of playability on some devices, that do exist.

[adriano]

I just remember having discussed with Bo Hyttner CDR re-issues over a year ago and he told me that he used "another factory" for smaller quantities.
But you may be right too as far as the blue colour is concerned. Holding the CDRs I have received lately against light, they have, in fact, a slight blueish hue! And they are definitely more transparent than the new frist pressings (Dalcroze and Scherber - as well as older original ones).

[hyperdanny]

@hadrianus: if they do not have the blue-ish tinge something (hopefully) must have changed, it's quite evident, and you would not have missed it.

[adriano]

Sorry hyperdanny I have corrected my earlier posting :-)
Incidentally my own copy of the Raff CD 1085 (Suite for Piano and Orchestra) and the whole slipcase reissue of the Huber Symphonies are also such blue CDRs...
Meaning that, after perhaps a first printing of 500 "original" CDs, they automatically switch over to CDRs.

[Alan Howe]

So, we're actually being sold an inferior product. Bad news.

[hyperdanny]

@hadrianus: no problem.

This issue is very well known, for example, in the movie soundtrack fan circles: while here in Europe we still get the regular cd's , in the US many releases , even from major publishers, are actually cd-r's..they're livid about it, and many prefer to spend (much) more and order them from here.

I keep them only when there is no alternative, I am lucky enough and on my main rig the (usually) play, but I am not happy about it

[adriano]

Alan, has that defective Raff "Weltende Preludes" double album been remastered in the meantime? I still don't dare buying it... That's presumably another CDR; can you check your copy?