The Art of the Fugue J S Bach Audiophile 4 Record Set Mark Levinson TAS list The Art of the Fugue J S Bach Audiophile 4 Record Set Mark Levinson TAS list

The Art of the Fugue
by
Johann Sebastian Bach

Mark Levinson
Acoustic Recording Series

From the liner notes: "This record was produced without compromise. Mark Levinson Audio Systems built special equipment for use with calibration microphones and high-speed wide-track tape format to create virtually noiseless, ultra-low distortion master tapes, without noise reduction systems.  Robert Ludwig mastered the records by feeding the original tape through a custom mixer directly into the cutting amplifier track, with no filtering, limiting, or other effects.  CIDIS, manufacturer of Philips and D. G. G. records in France, developed special pressing techniques to produce the most quiet record surfaces possible with today's material and technology, and the skill of their chiefs of staff.  Producing records in this manner may not be practical by conventional industry standards as it requires a great deal of time and patience.  Achieving no-compromise quality means sacrificing convenience and cost-effectiveness, in favour of what we know to be the best possible way. Note: 1. This record must be reproduced through high quality playback equipment in order to give you the satisfaction you expect.  In particular, be sure to use a phono cartridge which is in good condition.  Otherwise, the disc may be damaged after one play.  2. This record reproduces clearly the sound of the concert hall, the "air" or "space" around the music itself.  Natural sound is brought out by playback at a volume level that corresponds to the spatial reality of the music.  Taking care to find this level adds to the realism of the sound you hear in your room.  For the Acoustic Recording Series, musicians were asked to prepare programs which could be released without splicing passages.  In this way, the coherency and immediacy of the musical event, rather than the note-by-note perfection of the spliced tape, are preserved."

These records were some of the first audiophile releases, and are still considered by many to be some of the top audiophile vinyl records ever made.  They are long out of print, and unlikely to be reissued.
 
Set of 4 12-inch 45rpm records, with booklet, in slipcase. 
 
Organ played by Charles Krigbaum.  
 

1976 Mark Levinson Acoustic Recording Series MAL 5. 
 
condition (see grading definitions below):
The good news - The vinyl is near mint. The bad news - The linen slipcase shows a lot of wear and discoloration. Small discoloration spots on one inner sleeve. The booklet has a large bend. See photos.  
 
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Please contact me if you have any questions. Thanks for looking!
 
 

Records are visually graded.

Record grades:

sealed: Original plastic seal still intact, so record is unplayed. Could refer to shrink-wrap on outer jacket, or to inner plastic sleeve some companies sealed.

mint: I do not use this grade, unless record is still sealed. See 'near mint'

near mint: Close to new condition. Vinyl surface is shiny. Disc appears to have been rarely, if ever, played. No scratches or obvious marks.

vg++: (very good plus plus) Played, but well cared for. Vinyl surface is shiny. May show minor evidence of use (for example, a small mark here or there), but nothing that would upset most people who aren't mint fanatics.

vg+:(very good plus - also known as 'excellent') Disc may show a few scuffs or surface scratches, but nothing too serious. Disc may have begun to lose a little of its shine. Still in above-average condition and very enjoyable.

vg:(very good) A medium grade. Played a lot by a non-collector. A lot of surface shine may be gone. Disc may show numerous scuffs or surface scratches, but no deep gouges or cracks. Should play enjoyably with no skips or sticks.

vg- & g+: (very good minus and good plus) These two grades are in-between 'g' and 'vg'.

g: (good) Special note to new collectors: "good" is a LOW grade for a record. It means "good" in the sense that if it were any worse, it would be no good to anyone. A "good" record will show a lot of wear, and probably have no surface shine. It may have numerous surface scratches or scuffs, and have a lot of surface noise. Still, it should play through with no skips or sticks and be reasonably enjoyable. Many older records that look "good" play surprisingly well.

fair: May show excessive wear that will seriously diminish listening enjoyment, or other damage that will be noted in auction listing. Should, however, play through without skipping or sticking unless otherwise noted.

poor: May show excessive wear that will make enjoyable playback impossible, or other serious damage (obvious defects will be noted in auction listing).