# Great recordings in terms of quality of sound



## Napodano (Sep 18, 2017)

Dear All,

I have recently purchased earphones with a sublime sound and am now listening classical music with new excitement. To this end I would be curious to hear from you which great recordings sound-wise you have listened recently. Sound-wise meaning in terms of sound space, amplitude, distance, timbre and the likes. 

My last recording of notice is an interesting case. It is a live recording and the sound starts ok but reaches great highs from the second movement onward.

I must confess that I thought that digital recordings was the epitome of good sound, which is not the case. I heard some digital recordings which sounded flat and lame.


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## brahms4 (May 8, 2017)

The classic RCA Living Stereo recording of Pierre Monteux pairing of Stravinsky`s Petrushka with Franck`s D minor Symphony.My disc is the SACD version,but the regular recording sounds great in both works too!Monteux was present at the premier of both works:in the audience for the Franck and up on the rostrum for the Stravinsky.Great recorded sound of classic performances IMHO.


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## TxllxT (Mar 2, 2011)

Record labels like Decca and Chandos offer constant high recording quality. With other companies things may vary. In the early days of stereo recordings not many microphones were used (mostly 2) and in our times these recordings can be unhissed and restored in a magical way. The Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Concertgebouw Orchestra happen to have concert-rooms with fabulous acoustics.


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## Joe B (Aug 10, 2017)

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These two Newport Classic recordings are still available from their web site
http://newportclassic.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=16
as well as at amazon.com. These recordings were made for headphone listening. The soundstage is amazing. I listen to them with a pair of Oppo PM2 headphones and am blown away by how precise the image is. You can point to the exact position of each instrument you hear. All good recordings sound great on a good set of cans, but these binaural recordings are a cut above and beyond. If the programs on the discs are of interest, you can't go wrong.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Many of my favourite CD's are the ones by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under Charles Dutoit on Decca. The sound was always great, and very consistently also were the interpretations.

The Ravel, Saint Saens, Holst recordings are obvious, Stravinsky, Berlioz, Tchaikovsky underrated.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

I have found that some of the most enjoyable sounding recordings are ones that come from live performances - that extra 'frisson' of the audience and not being able to stop and redo parts. I should also note that some older recordings often outdo the most recent. A few recent finds with some sample links...

Beethoven - Missa Solemnis - Daniel Reuss / Orchestra of the 18th Century





Berlioz - Grande Messe des Morts - Paul McCreesh / Wroclaw Philharmonic





Janacek - Taras Bulba - Gennady Rozhdestvensky/BBC Symphony


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

Excellent sound examples from Becca!


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

brahms4 said:


> The classic RCA Living Stereo recording of Pierre Monteux pairing of Stravinsky`s Petrushka with Franck`s D minor Symphony.My disc is the SACD version,but the regular recording sounds great in both works too!Monteux was present at the premier of both works:in the audience for the Franck and up on the rostrum for the Stravinsky.Great recorded sound of classic performances IMHO.


I agree wholeheartedly , as do the Mercury box sets, very high standards,


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## Napodano (Sep 18, 2017)

Joe B said:


> These recordings were made for headphone listening. The soundstage is amazing. I listen to them with a pair of Oppo PM2 headphones and am blown away by how precise the image is. You can point to the exact position of each instrument you hear. All good recordings sound great on a good set of cans, but these binaural recordings are a cut above and beyond. If the programs on the discs are of interest, you can't go wrong.


Wow! these recordings must be a treat for headphones. I will try and get them. Thank you Joe


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

I'll third the pre-Dynagroove RCA/BSO recordings. And Mercury Living Presence recordings (esp. of the CSO under Kubelik).

Also Klemperer's Das Lied von der Erde on EMI remains a marvel of analogue sonic engineering. Decca VPO recordings from the mid-60s on are always a good bet.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

A caution about some of the Mercury 'Living Presence' recordings, mostly those done with the Eastman Rochester groups, they were apparently recorded in a VERY dry (small) room and the acoustic is (to my ears) very unpleasant. One such that I have on CD is an Ives/Schuman/Mennin compilation, but I also remember others from the same venue.

Something similar, but not so extreme, was true with the very early Decca/London recordings of the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Zubin Mehta. The recording team had a difficult time finding a suitable recording venue and ended up at UCLA's Royce Hall which was well known for not being a good concert hall (it wasn't intended as such) and which has since been completely redone.


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## Napodano (Sep 18, 2017)

Found these links on the web
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/your-10-best-sounding-classical-recordings.460526/page-2.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=57156.0

Interesting suggestions to dive into.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

There are so many fine recordings, quality-wise, that one hardly knows where to begin - but to combine great performance, with great recorded sound, that is a different matter..

one that must be presented;

*Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra, Reiner Chicago SO, RCA 4/5/62 *- for CD version - seek out either the "Papillon Collection", or Japanese "Living Stereo" version. There have been quite a few different re-masterings" of this recording, but the ones cited, preserve the clarity, power and brilliance of the original. some of the other versions produced a distinct roll-off of the treble, which lost the brilliance, the sheen, the crackling energy of the original sound.

This is a great recording of a magnificent performance -I agree with one of my former teachers that this is one of the greatest orchestral recordings EVER made. Wonderful performance, tremendous detail, clarity of Strauss' complex scoring, and incredible "wallop" and power to the big orchestral tuttis...do not settle for the 1954 one...it is good, but nowhere near as good as the '62, which features much better sound,and much better detail.

on the same line -

*Strauss - Don Juan - Reiner/CSO; RCA 2/60* -best CD version I've heard is the SACD, coupled with Don Quixote. 
Don Juan was a Reiner specialty - he made a fine fine recording with PittsSO, an even better one with Chicago in 1954,and then his ultimate effort in 1960, again in Chicago. This recording is remarkable - I believe it is a "one take" effort by Reiner/CSO - straight thru - [one horn bobble needed a retake] - no stops....the drive and energy are clearly evident right "from the edge". ripping fast tempo, that the orchestra plugs into it completely, great playing, always at the "front of the beat" - very aggressive. Reiner/CSO at their best.

Great clarity in this recording, wonderful detail, and again, tremendous impact at the big tuttis - the horn recap is memorable - big crescendo up to the top "Eb" which is bulls-eyed with a vengeance.- [lots of recordings feature a big horn clam at this point.]

RCA scored big-time with these two early 60s releases, which still sound terrific by today's standards - excellent recording of great performances....


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## Napodano (Sep 18, 2017)

Many thanks, Heck148.

'Excellent recording of great performances' is pure bliss


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

I agree with many off the posts - I have all but one of the Living Stereo SACDs, the Decca Analogue box and the first Mercury box.

There are also labels that also produce great sound today. They include Bis, Channel Classics, Harmonia Mundi, Linn and Pentatone. If you like lute music try to track down some of Hopkinson Smith's recordings, originally on Astree, now on Naive.

A lot of my favorite audiophile discs are jazz albums, mostly from the 50s and 60s. If that interests you, there's a jazz thread in the non-classical forum where you might inquire further.


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## Napodano (Sep 18, 2017)

jegreenwood said:


> A lot of my favorite audiophile discs are jazz albums, mostly from the 50s and 60s. If that interests you, there's a jazz thread in the non-classical forum where you might inquire further.


I did notice that thread. I am a jazz fan, actually, who intends to widen its sonic and soul experience. Classical music is no new to me completely but I need much more 'drilling down'


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## Omicron9 (Oct 13, 2016)

Almost without exception, anything on the ECM New Series label.


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