I’m at total agreement with your good self about Deutsche Grammophon’s sound problems….Decca, EMI, Mercury….great sound in those labels, particularly Decca and Mercury.
Poor production, scratches clicks and pops on new unplayed classical records were normal in the late 1970s when I started buying classical vinyl. That's why CDs were so hugely popular among classical listeners when they came out, and why many classical listeners junked their LP collections and replaced them with CDs. Inherent faults like these are masked by music with fewer dynamic contrasts - e.g. pop, rock etc. With classical, they were a constant source of irritation. I don't mind this so much now when I know I can listen to the same recording on CD or via Streaming. When Vinyl was all there was people longed for something better in this regard - although some early CDs did not equal vinyl sound quality.
Thank you for your refreshing evaluations and candid feedback on recordings and specific labels. I appreciate your down to earth perspectives without audiophile attitude. I recently turned off a video because the presenter’s personality was so off putting. Would you consider feedback on Telarc and their recordings? I am in Cleveland, where they were located. Good luck and cheers! 🤗🎼
I appreciate your music passion. Can you tell why vinyl not CD, SACD, pcmi, dsd, flac or so? For classical music vinyl is not too good format, so why you choose it?
I read somewhere that the first Living Stereo recording was made in 1954 on the master tapes but wasn’t released in stereo until 1958 when playback units were available.
Excellent review. And I liked the summary you did at the end (a good teaching technique). Also, I subscribed to your channel. Much respect to you from Larry.
I have an original pressing of Witches' Brew from 1958. It was a thrift store find. I paid $2.00 for it and it's in perfect condition!!! Both record cover and the vinyl!!! I listen to it occasionally. Very good album!!!!
If you really want to listen to these symphonies and hear them at their best, there is a bluray audio set of these recordings with full dynamic that sounds terrific and will not wear out with many playings. You do not have to own a $4,000 turntable with a nude mounted microline or Shibata needle to hear them sound right.
The problem with DGG is that their recording philosophy does not agree with the more minimalist ones. Their string sound was never captured right, brass was always too throaty and hard sounding. There was just too much multimiking. Give me DECCA, RCA Living Stereo, Mercury, EMI any day. Sometimes DGG came with very acceptable sound, particularly lieder, chamber music and piano (although kind of toppy sounding) but overall there were more musical labels out there.
DG is great but vinyl sucks, vinyl is inferior to CD in every possible way of the sound reproduction and classic music deserves the best physical media which compact disc is
Also, what are your thoughts on vinyl vs cd or other formats, I've been pondering this for months. Maybe you can try a video comparing different formats or avenues like streaming. Just wanted to put that out there...
Hi just curious, you seem super young to be a classical fan. I myself am 22 and have been collecting classical stuff for a year. What made you get into classical record stuff? Do you play an instrument or attend concerts?
I have read that the red label Canadian pressing of Zeppelin III is the best version of that album. I could definitely imagine that version of Zeppelin II being quite good, as well. I definitely get what you're saying about $1,000 for an extra 15%. Diminishing returns, haha. I have a double RL/SS from the Presswell plant which is a strong VG. Visually, it is VG+, but it has some noise on Bring It On Home (the quiet intro). It really is a special pressing, but I agree that there have to be other very good pressings for better prices. I was able to score mine for free due to sheer dumb luck, haha. And in regard to your system maybe not being "good enough," I argue that, if a pressing really is that great, you should not need a second mortgage for equipment good enough to prove it. Likewise, if you have uber expensive equipment that makes "inferior" pressings sound worse than they normally do, what the hell is the point?
17:29 I nearly got a heart attack! Who the hell did this? Anyway, great video! I also have narrow band 70´s decca pressings, also very happy with Japan 70´s london LP´s, even until 1980.
I have several releases of the Reiner "Scheherazade": a re-issue from the 90's (not sure of the label!), the CD and SACD and I did manage to find an original release. The later releases all sound more focused, a bit brighter, while the original is lusher...a trade off and I like them all. Love your videos, please keep them coming: your audience is growing!
Love your channel. I got into classical music at about your age...which was 30 years ago! It's great--and a bit rare--to find a young person into not only classical but audiophile interests. Do you know the channel The Pressing Matters with Scott? He's noted some of the same things with Speakers Corner reissues, including the brightness issue.
Great choices young gentleman. I acquired all of these titles when first reissued . As an additional choose the Reiner with CSO in the Strauss waltz set , or perhaps you may have that . Happy listening.
I've got a RL edition, but I also have a 1979 edition from Germany that sounds as hot and as great as the RL cut, I got it at only 15 dollars and no one talks about that edition.
great info! it's hard to find information on classical pressings it's appreciated. If you ever wanted to compare various Tchaik 5s or 6s I'd love it but follow your heart of course
Milstein was one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century. The 1962/1963 cycle is among the best ever. I don't like Michael Fremer but those recordings are about the only thing we agree on. You probably have no way to alter the tonal balance of your sound system. Being an engineer and not an audiophile I wouldn't have a sound system that couldn't be adjusted. The audiophile ideas that less is more, one size fits all, and if you have the oerfevt sound system you will get perfect results every time strikes me as a poor idea. Learning to use tone controls and a graphic equalizer is a skill that takes time, patience, and an ear that knows what live music sounds like. This affords greater enjoyment listening to more recordings. IMO DG is a top label. Most of my DG recordings are CDs.
I am being told the best way in vinyl if the primary is recorded on vinyl directly. Of course , That is utmost difficult just like taking one good simple picture (in negatives of course) .
Did you really mean to say "poor recording"? I don't believe the recordings are poor. The performances are typically great. I think you're more addressing the quality of the "pressing". So far, The Original Source offerings are just great!
Impressive narration, and commentary from this young classical fan. I’m curious to know if you might share with us what prompted your interest in classical music? certainly it’s a rarity among people of your age. Thanks.
Thanks for watching. My interest mainly started from piano since I took lessons from a young age and was exposed to classical works very early. However I really started getting into classical records and symphonic works around 2019. This was mainly just streaming recordings I liked on Spotify and when COVID hit I built up a record collection and spent time upgrading my system
Thanks for efforts. I’m downsizing my collection and decided to keep just one record for same composition. For Berlioz fantastic it is reference recording press Artists: Utah Symphony, Varujan Kojian Composers: Hector Berlioz Release Year: 1982-10-27 2 lps album. Outstanding sound, maybe the best in my collection.
