what's the difference between Overseas version and the Japan version

[TakaSama]

Regarding the quality differences of the overseas versions versus Japan versions:

I recently moved to Japan and began the painstaking process of repurchasing all of my Ayu CDs. Why? The printing quality of the Avex Taiwan versions I used to own is unmistakably lower. The reason I say this is because the color quality on Duty and Memorial Address is off - the gold is a bit muddy looking compared to the Japanese press. A Song For XX is printed in the right color, but the silver foil has begun to flake off a little bit and I also gouged it with my fingernail once, creating a scratch where the white paper shows through. For the Japanese press, A Song For XX comes in an extra fat case to fit the thick booklet, but the OS one is in a standard CD case and the paper for the booklet is thinner, although still too thick to fit into the case properly.

Also, the CDs themselves are not pressed as nicely. There is a chip in the silver top rim (around the blue printing) of my copy of RAINBOW. It doesn't affect playing the cd, but it seems like a bad sign for the longevity of it. I've never dropped it or bumped it, so I think it was just weak to begin with.

If you have the money, get the Japanese versions! Also, if you are careful, you can get cheap used copies from places like Ebay. The Japanese versions will always have the code AVCD at the beginning, and overseas will have AVTCD. Bootlegs usually won't reference AVEX at all or will look extremely cheap.

If you have a chance to come to Japan, look at used CD shops. I bought A Song for XX, Duty, Rainbow and almost all of her singles for 100 yen (~ $1) a piece. This was a really good deal, but if even normally her older albums are only selling for 500 yen or less!

[AyumiBest]

Originally Posted by TakaSama

Regarding the quality differences of the overseas versions versus Japan versions:

I recently moved to Japan and began the painstaking process of repurchasing all of my Ayu CDs. Why? The printing quality of the Avex Taiwan versions I used to own is unmistakably lower. The reason I say this is because the color quality on Duty and Memorial Address is off - the gold is a bit muddy looking compared to the Japanese press. A Song For XX is printed in the right color, but the silver foil has begun to flake off a little bit and I also gouged it with my fingernail once, creating a scratch where the white paper shows through. For the Japanese press, A Song For XX comes in an extra fat case to fit the thick booklet, but the OS one is in a standard CD case and the paper for the booklet is thinner, although still too thick to fit into the case properly.

Also, the CDs themselves are not pressed as nicely. There is a chip in the silver top rim (around the blue printing) of my copy of RAINBOW. It doesn't affect playing the cd, but it seems like a bad sign for the longevity of it. I've never dropped it or bumped it, so I think it was just weak to begin with.

If you have the money, get the Japanese versions! Also, if you are careful, you can get cheap used copies from places like Ebay. The Japanese versions will always have the code AVCD at the beginning, and overseas will have AVTCD. Bootlegs usually won't reference AVEX at all or will look extremely cheap.

If you have a chance to come to Japan, look at used CD shops. I bought A Song for XX, Duty, Rainbow and almost all of her singles for 100 yen (~ $1) a piece. This was a really good deal, but if even normally her older albums are only selling for 500 yen or less!

wow! Thats pretty good! XD