If I could be forgiven for returning to topic... I have a couple of observations. 1. I have noticed that classical music reviewers such as the Gramophone reviewers and the editors of the Penguin Guide often make comments on the relative merits different issues or masterings of the same recording, including sometimes (but not so often these days) the original vinyl and CD reissue. 2 These people are usually trained musicians and often incurable nit pickers. They are apparently happy on occasions to spend pages comparing 30 or 40 versions of the same work, including different performances by the same artists, looking at very fine details of performance, textual scholarship, and sometimes production. They appear to love an opportunity to have a whinge about something or other 3 They will invariably know what a particular instrument "sounds like", will almost certainly have heard the performer play live, will in the case of a live recording (and some studio recordings ) probably have some experience of the acoustics of the hall and may very well have attended the concert being recorded 4 They not as far as I can see exhibit excessive neophilia and often delight in lamenting the passing of a golden age of great performers (and extolling the virtues of the great producers of the past). It is fair to say that some reviewers do prefer contemporary approaches to performance practice which may predispose them to more recent recordings. 5 Many of these people evidently have huge and treasured collections of analog and digital recordings. 6 I have read on many many occasions comments that cd issues and sometimes subsequent remastering reveal details previously obscured by the vinyl and are generally more pleasing. With the exception of a few early digital efforts they never (or very very rarely) seem to say that the analog issue was better. Whilst they often identify historic recordings as “essential”, they almost equally often observe that these recordings sound better than ever in their latest remastering. 7 I have never read these reviewers indicate any misgiving about the sound quality of cd as a medium relative to vinyl. 8 I have however noticed some hifi reviewers claim to prefer analog to digital in the case of classical recordings. Most of the time however this has been Michael Fremer. 9 Surface noise is much more of an issue obviously, and would probably be determinative on its own for most people. People who write letters to the Times about the disturbing prevalence of coughing are hardly going to want to hear loud pops and crackles. This may be the case even at the climax of a symphony; but during the slow movement of a piano sonata.... 10 I would be interested to hear whether anyone really prefers the sound of vinyl in chamber music.
-- adamdea ------------------------------------------------------------------------ adamdea's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=37603 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=85590
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