Dvorak Symphony No. 2 Classic records excellent

Do yourself a favor and track down a copy of the original issue on eBay. Compare this to your Classic reissue before you buy any more Classic RCA reissues. In particular listen for string tone and tonal colors.

I just compared my 180g Classic to my original pressing. That will be the last time I listen to the Classic. The Classic had quieter surfaces and was more dynamic, but the tonal colors were not nearly as rich and natural.

Many of the Living Stereo titles are available in the RCA VICS series. These are reasonably priced and sound quite good. Snag as many of these as you can.

Just to add to Kennyb's point, this Dvorak is also available as a UK Treasury too. Excellent in itself.

I have tried to find the early pressings of the Living Stereos and about 75% of the time, they are not in very good condition. I wish they were because they do sound great. My comment was more about the fact that for a Classic reissue, this one is one of the best they have done so far, that I have heard at least. I just wish I could come across some originals in great condition.

I initially thought highly of many Classic reissues.  Now they just sit on my shelf taking up space.  As my system's ability to reproduce tone colors has improved, these sound worse and worse, which is odd, because most of my other records I appreciate more and more.  A large reason for this is due to the way that the Classics destroy string tone.  A good example is the reissue of LSC-1934. There is no acoustic instrument on this planet that can make as dreadful a sound as the massed strings on this.  That reissue is an abomination.

Before you spent much more on more Classics, I thought you should hear how the Classics compare to originals so you can hear what's missing.

I even prefer the CD layer on the hybrid SACDs to the Classics RCAs.  These are a great way to hear these wonderful recordings.  

I agree with you about Classic. I have wrote many threads regarding what you have said, especially their quality control has been lacking. I was suprised to hear such a quiet classic reissue. I have been very disappointed with many of their reissues. I am not sure why the strings sound the way they do. How they got that so right in the fifties, I was not born yet. On the classic 180 gram reissues, the strings sound better than on the 200 gram. I still have not heard a cd sound like a record, even the classic 200 gram sound better than the cd, to my ears at least.

The Dvorak does sound great and is very quiet. I was suprised. The fact that you prefer the original release tells me that they still have issues. I like my copy better than the original. I can hear more of what is going on and the strings sound pretty good as well, maybe not the same as the original, but very good IMO.

I have the Bartok on SACD. That is an amazing work. I have never seen that original record locally. This is the case with many of the older living stereos, most of which are in terrible condition. I have tried ebay, not much better. So the reissues are the only way to go in some cases.