# Box Sets



## BuddhaBandit (Dec 31, 2007)

I've always been wary of buying box sets because they seem to take the fun out of collecting individual recordings. For example, I can buy Bernstein's Mahler cycle, but I would much prefer buying each symphony separately (from a range of conductors). Or, I can buy Frank Sinatra's Capitol albums in a box set, but collecting the individual CDs is more fun (for me).

So, what are the thought of the TC community? Do you love box sets or do you think they diminish the importance of the individual discs? Do your feelings about boxes change depending on genre? on composer? Let's hear it.


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

BuddhaBandit said:


> I've always been wary of buying box sets because they seem to take the fun out of collecting individual recordings. For example, I can buy Bernstein's Mahler cycle, but I would much prefer buying each symphony separately (from a range of conductors). Or, I can buy Frank Sinatra's Capitol albums in a box set, but collecting the individual CDs is more fun (for me).
> 
> So, what are the thought of the TC community? Do you love box sets or do you think they diminish the importance of the individual discs? Do your feelings about boxes change depending on genre? on composer? Let's hear it.


Well, box sets usually take up less space and they are cheap(er). For the money that you have to pay for each Mahler/Bernstein disc individually you can probably buy two Mahler box sets. And if you buy Sinatra's Capitol albums in a box set you probably have saved enough money to buy some of his Reprise stuff as well.


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## david johnson (Jun 25, 2007)

i have a few box sets.
jhar26 is right about the $ and space.

dj


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

Related thread/some of my thoughts...


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## Mirror Image (Apr 20, 2009)

I own a lot of box sets....and I do mean a lot.

Two main reasons I like box sets is because of money and space. I've never been into single releases of classical unless I can get a good deal on them. I'm not saying that I don't own a good many single releases either, because I own many of them, but I try and look for a complete cycle of composer first and then if there isn't one with a conductor I like, then I start looking for single releases.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

I buy box sets when I know the performers well and I want to get complete cycle which I've partially heard before, so I'm sure that I'm going to like it. When it comes to exploring new stuff, I buy single or sometimes double CDs.


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

I'll get boxes if they're good and if the pairing is like Beethoven or Sibelius (where you get multiple symphonies per disc; weird little idiosyncrasy with me).

As far as Mahler and Bruckner go, I highly doubt I'll ever buy a box set of them again, largely because the boxes contain the original pairings as on the separate releases (Chailly and Gielen in Mahler being exceptions, of course, but I'm still not buying their boxes).


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## Mirror Image (Apr 20, 2009)

Aramis said:


> I buy box sets when I know the performers well and I want to get complete cycle which I've partially heard before, so I'm sure that I'm going to like it. When it comes to exploring new stuff, I buy single or sometimes double CDs.


I'm thankfully the exact opposite. I only buy box sets from performers that I know are going to be good and I've been right so far.


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## Peter (Jun 30, 2009)

Hello, I'm new to the forums and am after some advice. As it's about box sets, I thought this might be the best place to post. My father, who was an opera lover, died a few years ago and since then I've had his collection of opera box sets (and other classical music) stored in my loft. I'm not an opera lover myself, but I was reluctant to just take them to the tip. Can anyone recommend a record shop, preferably around Manchester or Halifax, where I might be able to sell them? Even though my father started buying these sets in the late 60's/early 70's, I doubt there are any rare stuff in them, but I'd rather an opera lover had chance to buy them than just dumping them.


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