|
Note that age is factored in slightly for old shows - a "9" show from 1999 is expected to be much cleaner than a "9" show from 1969. Below is an approximate map between my ratings and a typical letter grading system.
10 = A+++ (flawless - sounds like a perfect studio recording) 9.8 = A++ (outstanding, nearly flawless - sounds like a studio recording) 9.5 = A+ (outstanding - but a tiny bit of distortion or muddiness) 9 = A (excellent - perhaps slightly muffled, hollow, distant sounding, noisy...) 8.5 = B+ (very good - likely to contain some distortion, muddiness, etc...) 8 = B (good - more distortion, muddiness, etc...) 7 = C (fair - substantial distortion, muddiness, etc...) etc. ? = not yet rated (a trade I have not yet evaluated) One way to evaluate another trader's ratings is to find 2-3 shows that you have in common and compare ratings. Chances are good that you are comparing the same recording, but sometimes there are multiple versions of the same show out there (particularly for popular artists) and thus you may need to check a few more if you do not agree on the first few. Please note: I have made an effort to note any defects I detect on discs rated above 9.4, but I do not listen to all with headphones (and have many disks that I have not listened to yet) and may miss something. If you find something not noted on a disc rated above 9.4, please let me know: I will check my disc and either send you a replacement or update my description (if you're really unhappy you can pick a different replacement - so far this has not happened except on disks that I had not had a chance to listen to). Discs rated 9 and below may have undisclosed imperfections - that's why they're rated that low, do not expect perfection. I do not validate all of the tracklists, times, etc., that I receive from other traders - there may be discrepancies, let me know if you find one and I will update my data. With the advent of so many online music sharing communities I've gotten quite picky about which ones I bother to make CDs from and offer for trade to others. When I traded by snail mail I ended up with many mediocre CDs that I added to my list because I already had them in CD form. Now I download several shows each day and only add the ones I truly love to my list (perhaps the top 2-5%). Thus, you will see an increasingly large percentage of shows that are rated exceptional; this does not mean that I rate most of my shows high - rather it reflects my revised policy of only adding exceptional shows to my trade list. Kevin (Blairsville, GA USA) |