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I purchased "Tune thy Musicke to thy Hart" on the basis of a review in SACD-net which gave this SACD maximum stars for both sonics and interpretation. This is the worst sounding SACD and maybe even CD I have ever heard. The upper frequencies are piercing - completely unlistenable. The music is also boring but that is only my opinion. Have they no shame or just bad ears?
Follow Ups:
I was thinking that sacd-net is a user-based data entry system, is it not?
Yes, but...
You will find that over 90% of classical reviews there are done by a core of really top notch, experienced and knowledgable reviewers. The positive review in question was done by geohominid, who has an excellent track record. I have used his and other reviews there with great success for many years. There is no better site anywhere for recording reviews, musically and sonically.
If you take a look at other reviews of the recording - they are numerous including a Grammophone Editor's Choice Award - it would seem unlikely that anyone else is hearing what the OP is hearing. He is certainly entitled to his opinion. But, I still think something is amiss with his disc, his system, his volume setting or something, although he says he does not like the music either. Like chamber music recordings, this disc does need to be turned down somewhat from "average" volume settings. And, with the high pitched sopranos recorded in a highly reverberant setting, it may serve as a revealing checkup on a system's resolving ability.
Fitz, C'mon the best reviews are over at SA-CD.net? Hyperbole, much?
Yup. That is what I said and what I believe. I would be most indebted to you if you could point me to a site that offers better classical music reviews in any medium, let alone hi Rez and Multichannel. I have found nothing that comes close, and I have looked.
I read the reviews of the music/performance in Fanfare and worry about the audio quality based on the provenance, my experience and trial-and-error.
Yes, Kal. I did subscribe to Fanfare for awhile. In the early stages of building my SACD library, I combed through their online archives of SACDs and I did find a number of gems whose reviews I could cross check with sa-cd.net and other sources. And, there are a number of fine reviewers there. I was very happy with the results I achieved that way. But, it was a one-time thing.
I found Fanfare much less to my tastes and interests on an ongoing basis over time. So, I am a lapsed subscriber. Its coverage of SACD/hi Rez/Mch pales by comparison to sa-cd.net. And, the Fanfare reviewers have far less credibility on sonic issues, devoting even less attention to them than sa-cd.net reviewers, and usually stereo-only.
I must say, though, that your own occasional forays into recommended Mch discs have also been tremendously valuable to me. Keep up the very fine work! But, obviously, they are a drop in the bucket compared to sa-cd.net.
Thanks, Carl. I agree with your comments although I will continue to prowl through Fanfare for the music comments, discounting most of the comments about sound qualities.FWIW, when I started reading Fanfare 30 years or so ago, I bought a CD based on a Fanfare review which extolled its fabulous sound. My reaction was exactly opposite and, to this day, I take the opposite from this reviewer's audio assessments. Makes him useful. :-)
Edits: 02/08/15
Excellent-Fitz!
It is a mystery. It sounds utterly superb to me on my system, as do all the releases by Stile Antico on Harmonia Mundi. I could not recommend them all more highly, including this one.
A good friend who is a prominent recording reviewer uses that particular recording as a sonic reference whenever he is demoing his system. He prizes it. Neither he nor I hear anything at all like you describe. But, note that he and I listen in multichannel. Still, I cannot believe the stereo DSD version would sound significantly worse. Has something gone amiss with your system?
...because in the discussion thread about this release, there are several others who discuss the excellence of this SACD (in performance and sound). Since you don't list your system over at SACD.net, we can only conclude that your Radio Shack receiver and Bose speakers are sub par. :-)
his system is listed here: VTL amp and Infinity RS-1's. Spectral pre and an ES-5400 and PS3 as potential SACD sources.
E
T
Interesting combo- VTL and Spectral...
It apparently only had one review (unless I misread it) prior to this week. So buying it based on one opinion is left with the conclusions of that one opinion.
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