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In Reply to: Recent SACD Acquisitions posted by Doktor Brahms on February 15, 2007 at 09:21:12:
1. I commented several months ago that the Kullervo/Telarc disc was possibly the finest DSD classical recording from this source that I had ever heard.2. The new Pentatones are sonically among the finest SACDs being produced today. The small number of RQRs that I have purchased were all quite good.
3. I'm uncertain why the BIS discs receive such accolades. Since the company abandoned DSD recording (the initial Grieg discs were excellent), I would rate the sonics as good, but nothing special.
4. The Praga discs have certainly improved since the early days. While still a step or two from state-of-the-art, they are quite good and, unfortunately, the only consistent source for chamber music on SACD.
5. You are absolutely correct about Ray Kimber's Frye Street Quartet recordings. They are simply stunning.
Follow Ups:
****The new Pentatones are sonically among the finest SACDs being produced today. The small number of RQRs that I have purchased were all quite good.****I have found the Pentatones to be good except for one critcal area--the low end. For example, the SACD "TOCCATA" organ works of Bach, Mendelssohn, Reger, Rheinberger, DSD recording made in 2001, leaves a lot to be desired on the low end. The Bach Toccata and Fuge was clearly on the wimpy side with respect to low end when compared to any other label that I have. In this particular SACD a mighty organ was employed for sure, but it seemed to run out of air on this recording. This is true of some other Pentatone recordings of compositions that have "weight", such as recordings of full scale Romantic works.
You did specify "new" Pentatones. Are you referring to releases of the last year or two?
Robert C. Lang
My reference to "new" Pentatones was a generic one meant to distinguish this group from the RQRs; I wasn't singling out the more recent new releases from the label.I don't have the Toccata disc, so I can't comment on it. But I haven't noticed any significant attenuation of the bass in Pentatone recordings, although the bass may be more prominent on some other labels (such as Telarc). In part, this may be due to my system. I have owned Krell amps for many years (I recently purchased the new Evolution 402) and they are always powerhouses for bass reproduction; also, the dual woofers in my Martin-Logan Summits are, if anything, prone to overemphasize the bass without careful setup. Fortunately, ML provides adjustments (+/- 10dB) at 25Hz and 50Hz to tame any problems.
Off the top of my head, the only romantic disc that I vaguely recall as lacking in "weight" was the Mahler 5, although my recollection is that this lack of weight extended to all frequencies, not just the bass. I haven't heard the Mahler disc for quite awhile. When I have some time, I may pull out a few of the romantic works on Pentatone and listen with your comments in mind.
I just concluded listening to the "TOCCATA" disc and I must admit I did judge it too harshly the first time around. While not the proverbial "powerhouse" of some organ discs I have in the inventory, this one no slouch. I may have initially (mis)judged this disc's performance based on the first track, Bach's "Toccata and Fuge", which does not have all the low end force of some of my favorites. But this disc, on whole, is well done through out, performance and technically. And the content is quite enjoyable.I do think buyers should be aware that the older RQR Pentatone recordings may not have the sound quality, including "weight" as the new Pentatone releases.
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