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In Reply to: Beethoven 4, 5, 3, 8 posted by Avocat on November 14, 2006 at 06:58:14:
I am not as enraptured by the Vanska 4&5 as everyone else is. I find the performance not totally involving--I'm just not swept away by it. The sound is impressive, but not the best. My favorite remains the Masur on Philips, an old analog but still impressive recording of a performance that seems, to me at least, just a bit romantic yet still powerful and controlled. Whatever you do, don't buy the clangorous Kleiber on DG which so many have been crazy about all these years. The sound will scare you away from your stereo, and the performance is maniacal.By all means, avoid the Philips Scheherazade. DSD is no guarantee of sonic excellence, as this disc proves, perhaps better than any other I've ever heard. Not only is the sound awful, awful, awful, but the performance is bizarre.
Many people rave about the LS Reiner reissue for a reason--it is simply the best available on SACD so far, among the top performances of all time, remastered to SACD with stunning results. The hiss is not that bad, and the other audio attributes and orchestral playing far outweigh the shortcomings of an old recording. Analog is not necessarily bad. Don't get hung up on DSD recordings because you'll miss a lot of the best performances ever recorded.
Follow Ups:
Tom, you wrote, "By all means, avoid the Philips Scheherazade. DSD is no guarantee of sonic excellence, as this disc proves,"Although Philips has released a number of excellent DSD recordings, the Gergiev Scheherazade on the Philips label is NOT a DSD recording. Neither are his Shostakovich Philips SACDs. Thus the poor quality of the Philips Scheherazade perhaps supports the notion that it could have sounded much better had it been a DSD recording.
The BIS Beethoven symphonies by the Minnesota Orchestra are also not DSD but these high rez PCM recordings are intricately detailed and spacious, albeit lacking the ultimate refinement and seamlessness of a pure DSD recording. I do find the performances to be very fresh, exciting and compelling.
Kelly,Have you heard the Haitink Beethovens? I really enjoy the performances and the sound is first rate, to my ears, at least. They sound like pure DSD to me.
Hello Steve,I have bought the entire Haintink Beethoven Cycle on LSO Live but it is in a mile-high pile of yet-unplayed SACDs that has been accumulating due to system upgrading and house moving.
According to SACD-net, those are all pure DSD recordings, although some LSO Live recordings are 176K 24bit according to the liner notes. I'm glad you like them. I have come across only enthusiastic responses to the Haitink cycle, so I can't wait to hear them.
Tell about your new upgrades! And about your new room!
Robert C. Lang
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