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Frequently asked questions
I'm confused about all
the different CD formats, what do they all mean?
I'm confused about all the different SACD formats,
can you help me?
How do I place an order using your webstore?
When
I add an item to my order basket, it either: a.) Doesn't appear
in the order basket, or, b.) it removes any items I already had
in there. Why is this?
When I choose a page with sound samples how do
I play them?
I
have the Flash plug-in but can't see any of the presentations or
hear any sound samples, how come?
I have the newest Flash plug-in, but I get a
security warning when trying to load your Flash movies, why is this?
Is your store secure for ordering?
Is your entire inventory in the store?
What
are your policies for backordered or out-of-stock items?
What types
of payment do you accept in your store?
How do I know you received my order?
How do I know my order shipped?
How often is your store updated?
I
placed a successful order on your store, but never got a confirmation
from you via e-mail. What happened?
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Aluminum
CD |
Description: Industry standard
for the CD medium. Aluminum is a semi-porus metal that when
plated to the polycarbonate of the CD displays visible "pits
and valleys" on the surface before any information (music)
is burned to it. Information is burned to a CD in as a series
of "pits" in the surface of the aluminum. When you
put pits inside of pits the information (music) is subject
to revealing the inferior nature of aluminum upon playback
(depending on equipment). Aluminum CD stores information at
16 bits and plays at 44.1 Hz.
Sonic benefit/drawback: Not the most desirable format
for the audiophile level of playback.
Equipment needed: Aluminum CDs will play on any CD
player in existence.
Premiere associated Labels: Nearly all labels in existence.
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Gold CD |
Description: The audiophile
answer to the standard consumer aluminum CD. Gold is a much
more consistent element than aluminum and when plated to the
polycarbonate of the CD provides a much more "stable"
surface for information (music) to be burned to. When listening
to a Gold CD upon playback you'll immediately notice a substantial
improvement in the quality of the information (music) as the
laser has a much easier time reading the material only and
not the imperfections of the surface. No special equipment
is required to play a gold cd. Gold CD stores information
at 16 bits and plays at 44.1 Hz
Sonic benefit/drawback: Deeper, tighter bass, warmer
mid range and more detailed hi's.
Equipment needed: Gold CD's will play on any CD player
in existence.
Premiere associated labels: Audio Fidelity, Mobile Fidelity, CBS/Sony,
DCC, Groove Note.
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XRCD |
More of a mastering process than a
physical change to the CD medium. The
Xtended
Resolution
Compact
Disc
by JVC yields obvious gains in clarity, transparency, dynamics
and warmth that can be heard by all. XRCD allows the listener
to hear what the producer and artist intended... to hear the
sound of the original master tape. Xrcd is the optimization
of CD mastering and manufacturing. Sophisticated analysis
by both test instrument and ear are used to evaluate every
step of signal transfer, from the inception of the mastering
process through the final manufacture of the disc. The degree
of specialization of the process is such that only one production
line at one manufacturing facility in Yokohama, Japan is of
sufficient quality to produce the XRCD. No additional equipment
of add on converter is necessary to fully realize the sonic
benefits of the XRCD process. XRCD stores information at 16
bits (downsampled from 20 bits at mastering) and plays at
44.1 Hz.
Sonic benefit/drawback: Increased dynamics, detail
and soundstage.
Equipment needed: XRCD's will play on any CD player
in existence.
Premiere associated labels: JVC, FIM, GML.
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HDCD |
The
High
Definition
Compact
Disc
is a 20bit format that builds upon the standard 16bit aluminum
CD's base. By increasing the bit length of the last four bits
of the music more information can be stored and resolved.
HDCD is an encoding process only and can be used in conjunction
with a Gold or Aluminum CD, thus adding more benefit to the
CD metal's natural properties. HDCD stores information at
20 bits and plays at 44.1 Hz.
Sonic benefit/drawback: Similar to XRCD and Gold CD.
Equipment needed: HDCD's will play on normal. However,
you will only be able to extract the full HDCD benefits with
an HDCD compatible player.
Premiere associated labels: First Impression Music,
Reference Recordings, Warner Brothers.
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DTS 5.1 CD/DVD-A |
Description:
A DTS 5.1 Music Disc contains high-quality surround sound
music, designed for playback on a DTS-capable home theatre
system. DTS Digital Surround® sound gives you the same music
you know and love, but now it “surrounds” you with a fuller
and more dynamic experience.
Sonic benefit/drawback: Extremely enhanced audio detail
and fidelity.
Equipment needed: DTS-capable home theatre system, also
on DTS-Capable DVD players in automobiles, computers and video
games
Premiere associated labels: DTS Entertainment
Click Here for further information on
DTS Entertainment 5.1 CD/DVD-As (Adobe Acrobat required) |
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24/96 Music
DVD |
The
Digital
Versatile
Disc
is a relatively new format compared to any of the previous
mentioned. DVD (much like its video cousin) is a CD based
medium that can store not only 2 channels of audio, but also
multichannel audio as well. Video can, of course, also be
stored on the disc. DVD stores information at 24bits and plays
at 96 Hz
Sonic benefit/drawback: Extremely enhanced audio detail
and fidelity.
Equipment needed: DVD's will only play on DVD capable
players or DAC's that will output at 24/96.
Premiere associated labels: Classic Records, Chesky
Records.
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Super Audio
CD |
The
Super
Audio
Compact
Disc
is the newest of format for audio. SACD is not only an improvement
to the CD medium (much like DVD) but also includes a new mastering
process as well (like HDCD or XRCD). SACD uses a new technology
called DSD (direct stream digital) for mastering that
employs a 1 bit word length. Using the DSD technology creates
a source that is ultra precise and greatly enhances audio
content. SACD, like DVD, is capable of multichannel audio
as well as standard 2 channel audio. SACD stores information
at 1 bit and plays at 282 Hz
Sonic benefit/drawback: Extremely enhanced audio detail
and fidelity.
Equipment needed: Single layer SACD's (only available
from Sony) will only play on SACD capable players. Dual layer
SACD's (or hybrids) will play on any conventional CD player,
however, the player will only read the CD layer and will ignore
the SACD information.
Premiere associated labels: Sony, Telarc, DMP, Audioquest,
Chesky, Groove Note, Universal.
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Q: I'm confused
about all the different SACD formats, can you help me?
A:
Yes! Here's a mini-FAQ that explains the differences in SACD technology:
Q: Will SACDs play on my normal CD player?
A: Yes. Hybrid or Dual Layer SACDs will
play on conventional CD players (home CD players, portable CD
players, car CD players, etc). Almost every SACD Elusive Disc, Inc. sells
with the exception of Sony, Red Rose Music and some Universal
titles are Hybrid/Dual Layer SACDs and will play on ANY CD
player!
Q: Do I have to own a Multi-Channel SACD
player to play Multi-Channel SACDs?
A: No. Every Multi-Channel SACD Elusive Disc,
Inc. sells also contains a dedicated 2 channel stereo layer that
can be played on ANY SACD player.
Q: Will Multi-Channel SACDs play on my normal
CD player?
A: Yes. Hybrid or Dual Layer Multichannel
SACDs will play on conventional CD players (home CD players,
portable CD players, car CD players, etc). Every Hybrid
Multichannel SACD Elusive Disc, Inc. sells with the exception of
Sony, Red Rose and some Universal Multi-Channel SACDs will play on ANY CD player. You will, however, only be
able to access the dedicated 2 channel stereo mix when using a
Multi-Channel Hybrid SACD in a conventional CD player.
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Format |
Plays
on all CD players |
Plays
on all SACD players |
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Single
Layer Stereo SACD (Sony) |
no
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yes |
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Hybrid (Dual
Layer) Stereo SACD |
yes |
yes |
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Single
Layer Multi-Channel SACD (Sony, Red Rose, Universal) |
no |
yes |
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Hybrid (Dual
Layer) Multi-Channel SACD |
yes
(only stereo 2 channel mix available) |
yes |
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Q: How do I
place an order using your webstore?
A: Follow these steps to successfully place an order. Let us
walk you through the steps for ordering (you may want to print
this out to reference it during your ordering process):
1.) If you are already a registered shopper please,
click here to go to our Login page. Once you have
successfully logged in, proceed to step 2.
2.) On the left hand side of the screen you should see several
departments like Music, Accessories, Equipment, New Items, etc.
Click Music.
3.) This will open up a screen in the middle with the different
music formats. Click CDs. Next select "Aluminum CDs."
After clicking that, this new screen will open up all music
labels under Aluminum CDs. Click Blue Note.
4.) This will open up the “short description” of all CDs under
Blue Note CDs. If you want more information on this (or any)
item just click the picture or product title link and you will
be taken to the “extended description” of the item you selected.
5.) Enter the quantity that you would like to purchase (the
default is 1) and then click BUY from either the “short” or
“extended” description page.
6.) Your Shopping Basket will open next. As you will see, the
item is in the basket. You can click proceed to checkout to
finish, empty basket to start over, or continue shopping to buy
more.
7.) You can continue shopping, but we will checkout to finish
the process. Click “Proceed to Checkout.”
8.) The next screen is for customer information. If you are ordering for the first time fill in all
customer information then skip to step #9. If you are already a
registered shopper and have logged in already, your customer
information should be displayed. Pay special attention to
the shipping address option. If you do not have a shipping
address, check the box that reads, "Same As Billing Address."
Otherwise, enter the shipping address there...AND CLICK
CONTINUE.
9.) The next screen will have your shipping method choices.
Select the shipping method of your choice and click CONTINUE.
10.) At the next screen, enter your name as it appears on the
credit card. Then enter your credit card number without spaces
or dashes. Below this, Choose the TYPE of credit card then
select the CORRECT EXPIRATION DATE. When done, click “Buy Now”
button
11.) The next screen is the final one (The receipt page). Print
this page (by clicking the “click here to print this page” link
for your records. You will receive an email confirmation
automatically confirming the order.
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Q:
When I add an item to my order basket, it either: a.) Doesn't appear
in the order basket, or, b.) it removes any items I already had
in there. Why is this?
A: This problem is caused by your Internet browser's security settings.
Chances are if this is happening you've disabled the "accept
cookies" feature of your Internet browser. Our store uses Active
Sever Pages and must send cookies to track purchases, items, customers,
etc. To solve this problem simply change your browser's security
settings to "accept cookies." If you do not know how to
change your browser's security settings, refer to the help file
supplied with your browser. If you are accessing the webstore from
your workplace and the store cannot track your purchases or you
experience other anomalies like incorrect amounts for prices or
quantities, you may be behind a firewall and will NOT able to order
from our store until you get home.
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Q.
When I choose a page with sound samples how do I play them?
A. For certain labels and albums, we have included sound samples
for you to hear before you buy. You will need the Flash 4.0 plug-in
to hear these samples. The plug-in is very small and downloads very
quickly. You can get the plug-in by clicking
here and following the provided instructions for download.
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Q.
I have the Flash plug-in but can't see any of the presentations
or hear any sound samples, how come?
A. Do you have the most current version of the plug-in? Version
4.0 now supports streaming audio in MP3 format for better quality
and faster streaming. If you can see the Flash Cd player but can't
any sound, you may not have the version 4.0 plug-in. You can get
the newest version of the plug-in by
clicking here.
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Q.
I have the newest Flash plug-in, but I get a security warning when
trying to load your Flash movies, why is this?
A. If you encounter a security warning when visiting any of our
store pages, your security settings in your browser are set to their
maximum level. Please reduce the level of security to a comfortable
level and the Flash movies will load automatically, or you will
be asked if you would like to allow them to be displayed. Changing
your security settings can be done by accessing your web browser's
preferences.
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Q.
Is your store secure for ordering?
A. Our store is fully secure for on-line ordering. We use VeriSign
security and when you checkout you will notice the VeriSign seal
at the bottom left of the checkout page. If you click the VeriSign
seal, you will be taken to their website where you can verify that
our store is secure.
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Q.
Is
your entire inventory in the store?
A. Yes! We have literally thousands of items in our inventory and
the conversion process is now complete! If we have it, it's on our
webstore.
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Q.
What
are your policies for backordered or out-of-stock items?
A.
Occasionally, we
will run out of stock on certain items. If this happens, it will be
noted on the item's availability status field located below the
item's picture. Most out of stock items are restocked within 7-10
days or they are preorder items. We encourage you to order now which
ensures the quickest delivery and lessens the chance of missing out
on items that have limited availability. If you choose to place an
order with both in-stock and out of stock items (such as preorders),
WE WILL SHIP ALL IN STOCK ITEMS IMMEDIATELY. Out-of-stock
items will be kept on file and when they arrive, we will contact you
before shipping. At that time, you may add or delete items from your
backorder as desired. All backorders/preorders will be shipped
to you at an additional shipping cost.
We do have the option of holding the entire order until everything
is ready to ship. We will do this, but we require payment for all
in-stock items we are holding. Please email
shipping@elusivedisc.com to request this service for your
order (or select "ship when all items are in Stock" on the
checkout page).
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Q.
What types of payment do you accept in your store?
A. Currently you can make payment by Visa, MasterCard, Discover/Novus
or American Express.
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Q. How
do I know you received my order?
A. Once you have completely placed an order with us, you will
automatically receive a confirmation email to the email address that
was used in your order.
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Q.
How
do I know my order shipped?
A. When we have shipped your order you will receive an e-mail notification
reviewing your entire order complete with shipping method and tracking
number (if applicable.)
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Q.
How
often is your store updated?
A. Inventory updates are done on a daily basis. Also, customer profiles
and order information is updated daily as well. So, if an item says
it's "in-stock," it most likely is.
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Q.
I placed a successful order on your store, but never got a confirmation
from you via e-mail. What happened?
A. Very rarely you will complete a successful order on our webstore
(successful being defined as all of your information was accepted
by our server and you were given an order number.) but will not
receive any kind of e-mail confirmation your order was processed
or shipped. If you do not receive any type of correspondence from
us within 24 business hours please e-mail us at
sales@elusivedisc.com or
call us at 1-800-782-3472 and report the problem.
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