Tom,
I guess its all a matter of money. As you have already found out, if you start buying good clean original pressing records on desirable labels, you are going to get into spending some serious money really quickly.
If you are not a collector of records and simply want great sound, then the reissues may be the way to go. However if you're talking about the "audiophile" reissues that Acoustic Sounds and Music Direct sells, those can get pretty high in price as well. For example I bought a Bill Evans "How My Heart Sing" on Riverside recently. This was an original stereo pressing in NM condition with a VG++ cover. I paid $35.00 for it on ebay. The reissue at Acoustic Sounds sells for $49.99. The sonics on the reissue can't be any better than this original pressing. The vinyl may be a little quieter however, but this is a prime example where a reissue may cost more than an original.
I often pick up riverside stuff for good prices. However, this is not the case for Blue Notes and yellow Prestige stuff. These almost always go for big bucks. In addition I think the opinion of sellers of what is truly NM has taken a shift in the last few years as truly NM material has become more scarce. NM means its opened but looks new. 96% perfect. Maybe a slight sleeve scuff that can only be seen in bright light. Well some of the big buck Blue Notes I bought from so called repuatable "Jazz Specialists" over the last few years have been anything but NM. They were all advertised as NM, but when I got them, there were too many defects to be truly NM, They were VG+ in my opinion. So the point is you take a risk paying big $$$ for original collectable jazz, when you have to trust the subjective condition opinion of the person selling the record. The condition always looks better to the seller than the buyer usually.
So for Blue Notes grab a Jap pressing or even the later DMM metal pressings that were pressed in the 80's. You can usually pick those up for less than $10.00. For old Prestige on the cheap, you can't do any better than the OJC pressings. "Original Jazz Classics". These were pressed by Fantasy in the 80's and early 90's when they took over the Prestige catalog. These pressings sound exceptional, and they can usually be had for less than $7.00.
If having the nostalgia of the original Blue Note or Prestige label spinning on your platter means nothing to you, then go for the 80's pressings. They sound pretty darn good and don't cost a lot.
Mark
I guess its all a matter of money. As you have already found out, if you start buying good clean original pressing records on desirable labels, you are going to get into spending some serious money really quickly.
If you are not a collector of records and simply want great sound, then the reissues may be the way to go. However if you're talking about the "audiophile" reissues that Acoustic Sounds and Music Direct sells, those can get pretty high in price as well. For example I bought a Bill Evans "How My Heart Sing" on Riverside recently. This was an original stereo pressing in NM condition with a VG++ cover. I paid $35.00 for it on ebay. The reissue at Acoustic Sounds sells for $49.99. The sonics on the reissue can't be any better than this original pressing. The vinyl may be a little quieter however, but this is a prime example where a reissue may cost more than an original.
I often pick up riverside stuff for good prices. However, this is not the case for Blue Notes and yellow Prestige stuff. These almost always go for big bucks. In addition I think the opinion of sellers of what is truly NM has taken a shift in the last few years as truly NM material has become more scarce. NM means its opened but looks new. 96% perfect. Maybe a slight sleeve scuff that can only be seen in bright light. Well some of the big buck Blue Notes I bought from so called repuatable "Jazz Specialists" over the last few years have been anything but NM. They were all advertised as NM, but when I got them, there were too many defects to be truly NM, They were VG+ in my opinion. So the point is you take a risk paying big $$$ for original collectable jazz, when you have to trust the subjective condition opinion of the person selling the record. The condition always looks better to the seller than the buyer usually.
So for Blue Notes grab a Jap pressing or even the later DMM metal pressings that were pressed in the 80's. You can usually pick those up for less than $10.00. For old Prestige on the cheap, you can't do any better than the OJC pressings. "Original Jazz Classics". These were pressed by Fantasy in the 80's and early 90's when they took over the Prestige catalog. These pressings sound exceptional, and they can usually be had for less than $7.00.
If having the nostalgia of the original Blue Note or Prestige label spinning on your platter means nothing to you, then go for the 80's pressings. They sound pretty darn good and don't cost a lot.
Mark