…can’t get enough of these pressing matters going on in the world!!

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

John, so great of you to drop in and find out about this Pressing Matter! Lol, thank you for your support and encouragement!

I have the RCA Victrola version but my cover is different with a black background and a painting of Bartok in the center. This record was my introduction to Bartok and it's nice to start with the best. I was amazed at quality of the sound. It was recorded October 22, 1955 on two track tape in Orchestra Hall Chicago and the vividness and sense of hall space is remarkable. I particularly enjoy the second movement "Game of Pairs" that really shows off the triple A plus woodwinds of the Chicago Symphony. Ernst Liegl principal flute, Ray Still and Jerry Sebransky oboes, and Leonard Sharrow principal bassoon fantastic playing is showcased in this movement. The soft brass chorales are exceptional as well. Reiner's conception and the Chicago Symphony's virtuoso performance make this the reference recording of this work. The sound is good too. Win, win, win. Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra was commisioned for the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra by Serge Koussevitzky in 1944.

@ThePressingMatters

7 ай бұрын

Hi Scott! Great information as always! I love all the background details you provide. I too think this is the reference for interpretation. I have the Solti and a couple of others that are excellent as well, but there's no denying the lineage that Reiner has to this composer and his work.

Glad you continue with this series Scott. A lot of rock n' rollers expand their listening horizons into Jazz music, including quite a few rock musicians; I think when you're about 26 LOL.. but what do listeners naturally gravitate toward next, to further expand their horizons? Classical music is the obvious answer. Jazz music is generally more complex music than rock, it's musicianship is generally on at least a slightly higher level, and it's a more complex music than most rock music is. I like both. Classical music shares with Jazz, an added degree of complexity with so many musicians playing at the same time, and not just point/ counterpoint, but all kinds of things. Concerto For Orchestra might be a good starting point for Bartok; but maybe not for someone just getting into classical music. Bartok is decidedly an acquired taste. Usually concerto are piano concertos or violin concertos etc., so the actual name of the piece might be confusing to some. Bartok said he called this a concerto instead of a symphony because of his scoring using each section of the orchestra in a more soloistic virtuositic way than a symphony. The American premiere of this piece was in Boston, smack dab in the middle of World War II. Reiner did another Bartok piece for RCA, Music For Strings Percussion and Celesta, which many like just as much or more. I have it on JVC xrcd, and it is wonderful. Bartok also wrote a Concerto For 2 Pianos and Percussion. I think Reiner was friends with Bartok, and whichever of the many interpretations of this music you may like, Reiner's might be the one that is more along the lines of what was intended by the composer. Reiner was a strict disciplinarian and wasn't know for taking creative liberties with scores like Stokowski or someone like that. I like Bartok's The Wooden Prince. Bartok's The Miraculous Mandarin is supposed to be really unique and good. Don't forget his piano concertos, which I haven't gotten deeply into yet, but which are supposed to be great. Bartok considered his Sonatas For Piano to be his most personal works.

@sidesup8286

Жыл бұрын

Someone mentioned tbe SACD version and the XRCD. Do not feel ashamed if you like XRCD better than SACD. Some do prefer the JVC xrcds.The few SACDs of Living Stereos I've tried sounded like the tone colors were not near as vivid as the regular LSC cds. I know this is an lp forum, but what we really need is someone to do the important titles in the Living Stereo catalog in a way and quality that Acoustic Sounds does things, but cheap enough, maybe as a cd, that we can afford to get everything from the Arsemet box to Scheherazade. Not over a hundred dollars an lp where we would be hit hard financially to buy 20 of them, and some of us would even be broke & poor at that point. Something really well mastered with great sound, even if it has to be on cd, where we could afford the best titles in this series without it ruining our finances. Someone who could do better than RCA did on the cds. Speaking of plum Victrola pressings. I don't hear the same lustre and color on massed strings with any of those I've tried. Scott, have you heard the original or the plum VICS of LSC 2449; the Gounod Faust/Bizet Carmen with Gibson conducting? Jim Mitchell, in his version of the RCA Bible, which came out before the RCA Bible, said that if he had to pick one record that best demonstrated the excellence of the RCA Living Stereo sound, it would be LSC 2449. I had the original and still have a great tape recording I made of it, and I also have the plum VICS. It's an amazing recording job and the dynamic climaxes are hard to believe that they got that onto a record without any problems. Scott, what do you think of the Victrola vs. the original on this one. I realize the original is ultra rare and expensive. Maybe you've never had it. It was Jim Mitchell's comments that helped make this a $1,500 record circa late 1980s and into the 1990s. The only one rarer in the Living Stereo series that I have never found an original of, is the Ansermet box set. Some even say 2449 is as rare as that or rarer.

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

I thought about putting this video in the regular series, but I really feel it's an essential for a classical collection. I didn't really think of this series for beginners per se, it's more what I consider the best output from the labels that audiophiles have naturally gravitated towards, RCA, Mercury, EMI, and Decca London.

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

I'll be covering Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste at some point as well. I've heard great things about the APs o both of these so I may get them and do a follow up.

@sidesup8286

Жыл бұрын

@@ThePressingMatters For those with expensive and ultra expensive stereos, these recordings are the thrill you have been looking for. The best reasons to buy such expensive equipment in the first place. Record labels back then put their best recording teams on the classical recordings. Generally speaking, classical recordings are the best examples of the recording art. Sheffield, which did a lot of direct to disc Jazz would have to be mentioned aa among the best series of recordings of all time. Yes, I would agree that Concerto For Orchestra should be an essential in any classical collection. It's great. I would think that the ninth symphonies of Schubert, Beethoven, and Dvorak (New World),would be essentials too. The 3rd symphonies of Mahler, Saint Saens, Brahms and Beethoven also. The Brahms Piano Concerto 2, Rachmaninov Piano Concerto 2 & 3 and lots and lots of Chopin.... Scheherezade, Lt. Kije, The Nutcracker etc are accessible masterpieces which newbies might like. And one that is a favorite of mine that is never mentioned much, Glazunov: The Seasons. The Four Seasons by Vivaldi is the best selling classical music piece ever. Four Places In New England and Beethoven Symphony 6 are also concerned with seasons and the out of doors; and don't forget the music of Igor Stravinsky and Ravel.

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

@@sidesup8286 All great suggestions. I have so much, I'm going to enjoy doing this series and I hope others enjoy it too. Not too many classical vinyl reviews out there.

Yes, the concerto is one of my favorite orchestral pieces......Eat your heart out Beethoven!! good job Scott...

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

Thank you Ray. I'm glad you are enjoying these videos as well as the jazz ones.

I’m afraid the reputation of steely string sound of the 1990’s Classic Shaded dogs has a lot to do with the near universal use of metal dome tweeters in high-end speakers at that time. If you were lucky enough to own a pair of electrostatic speakers back then you would of heard how amazingly clear and open and revelatory the sound of those Classic releases are, like we are rediscovering today. I know these are not made of vinyl, but the SACD releases from the 2000’s are magnificent, too. Direct from the master tapes, these DSD dubs open another door to the sound that the extra steps of cutting, pressing, and scraping vinyl leave partially closed.

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

I do think the Classics are going through a reassessment. I have the whole series and most of the 45s. Ii was doing some comparisons with a friend and he preferred the Classic Scheherazade, and I could understand why. On my system at the time I did the Scheherazade shootout I did prefer the AP, but I now have a tube amp and tube phono. I wonder how it would turn out now. With Concerto, I just recently got the AP and will be adding to my review in a future video. The Classics do sound nice now on the all tube system and either planar or conventional speakers (non metallic tweeter!) In this review I felt the Classic 45 offered the best window on to the performance. And it did so without a trace of steel ;-)

I have the CD version. Sounds great to me. I see no reason to duplicate it on vinyl. To my way of thinking, generally speaking, classical and vinyl are a risky proposition because of intrusive vinyl surface noise. It is a performance to be reckoned with.

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

I agree, and I will be getting disc playback for that very reason. I used to have all the CDs of Living Stereo material. I still like to cover the vinyl release when talking about these recordings but maybe I'll be adding SACD reviews as well.

Thanks so much for doing this. I have both CR versions and the AP. The very earliest CR Living Stereos, like the Reiner Scheherazade, Witches Brew etc., were too steely, but not so much this album I find. In general yes, the AP versions dial back the detail a little in favor of a lusher sound. Fascinating how radically the sound can change just through different masterings. One quality which I find in all the CR Living Stereos, which no-one talks about, is their energy. There is just something about these CR editions where there is a greater sense of energy in the music than the APs (maybe another way of talking about detail?) . Yup the CR 45 is the best, but like you I hate the way the music is interrupted by side changes. Will be very interested in your take on the AP once you have it. Thanks for the suggestion re. the Victrola reissues - I'd always avoided them, but this would be a great way to pick up some Living Stereos without spending obscene amounts of money. I have all the CR Living Stereos, BTW, and an all-tube system.

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

Very interesting comment, thank you. I decided to pick up the AP editions of Concerto for Orchestra and Music for Strings Percussion and Celesta. I will do a similar shootout for the latter, and present my updated findings on Concerto in the same video.

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

Oh my! I have been listening to Music for Strings tonight. I first played a late Red Seal, pre Dynaflex and it was very nice and quiet as well. I just put on the Classic and the energy you spoke about it all over Side One. Second Movement just jolts you out of your chair! Very, very good. Strings sound great here too (on my tube equipment). There's some hair raising dynamic shifts that just aren't there on the original. I can't wait to do this shootout. I do have the 45 and will have the AP this coming week.

@musiconrecord6724

Жыл бұрын

@@ThePressingMatters Really looking forward to hearing your impressions

Thanks, great video! The Classic Records reissue of the RCA Living Stereo catalog was huge back in the early 1990’s. Like all classical music fans & audiophiles, I was totally thrilled back then with the launch of the first batch 10 titles (The Royal Ballet/Ansermet). I only wish they had also reissued at least some of the operas, like the Carmen & Tosca by von Karajan/VPO of the Soria series.

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

Hi David, it was a fun time, and I treasure that Royal Ballet box done just like the original. I was also lucky to get a rare 45 promo set at 45 in a white box, 8 discs. It's too bad there wasn't an opera or at least a vocal recital from Leontyne Price. That 'blue album' is a nice one. Some of the Classic RCA's will continue to be sought after, as many probably will not be reissued by AP. I know some people are quite critical of Bernie's mastering, but I still like them, and many are nearly impossible to get originals of. I won't let them go even if I get APs of some of them. As systems change, they will sound different, and all tube system as I mentioned in the video, has made them even more enjoyable. Thanks for your comment, I really enjoyed your recollection of that special time.

@davidchan8108

Жыл бұрын

@@ThePressingMatters Thanks Scott for your response and bringing up Dame Leontyne Price, you’ve read my mind! Personally I prefer the Classic Records BG cuts (180/33) of the RCAs over the AP RKS cuts (180/33) in general based on my own system. I’ve found the midrange more colourful (lush in your own word). So, don’t let go your CR pressings! As for the Royal Ballet/Ansermet, I never had the OG (for simple reasons!) and I only have the 1st Classic Records pressing (2LP gatefold 180 gm 33 rpm) from the first batch of 10. At hindsight I should have bought the more recent AP 5 LP 45 rpm box which I’m guessing was pressed by the Classic Records BG 45 rpm metal parts (your 8 LP single sided white box). Too bad it’s now out of print!

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

@@davidchan8108 Im so glad you mentioned your overall preference for the Classic series. So often they are criticized, but it's so system dependent. Some say Micheal Hobson was going for a hifi sound, and requested Bernie to brighten it up a bit. Perhaps that's true but I've been rediscovering them now with the system change.

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

@@davidchan8108 David, Thanks for your response. I will not be getting rid of any Classic Records cuts! At one point I considered it, but this system change has shown me how great these really are. I have a friend who is an audio dealer and we played the Classic and AP Scheherazade on my system and he preferred the Classic. He liked the energy and openness of that cut. I am reevaluating all my Classics and am adding a few APs when I am curious about the new cuts.

This is a magnificent work. It's almost universally acknowledged as Bartok's masterpiece. He wrote it at the end of his life, while very sick. I have the AP recording of Reiner and the Chicago performance and it's quite good. Reiner knew the piece very well, since he also was one of the ones who commissioned it, or so the story goes. I would also recommend Ormandy w/Philadelphia [Ormandy, a fellow Hungarian], Karajan and the Berlin Phil [on DG] and Leonard Bernstein's w/New York [Columbia Masterworks/Sony]. Bernstein's is considerably more exciting and passionate than Reiner's precise and controlled performance. It just depends on your personal preference for interpretation and performance. But they are all excellent, imho.

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

George, thank you so much for your comment, and for mentioning some of the other great performances of this masterwork. I've got Reiner's other Bartok disc on the turntable lately, Music for Strings Percussion and Celesta, and will do a follow up on the AP reissues of both of these soon.

@georgeholoubek6600

Жыл бұрын

@@ThePressingMatters Thank you for the very informative review and looking forward to your next one. That's a great one as well. A lot of your viewers who aren't familiar with Bartok, may know that one from Kubrick's movie, "The Shining."

Scott: Like you I am a big fan of the RCA Living Stereo LPs. I have a dozen of the Analogue Products reissues and 5 earlier pressings. I do not have this particular one, but you commented on the bass clarity and we have discussed before these do not have dead quiet backgrounds. I recently dug out my Analogue Productions reissues to play on my newly upgraded system. I made an interesting discovery, which might possibly help on your system too. My new system sounds so good that I have been playing these LPs 5-10 db louder that ever before. I discovered an interesting thing was happening at these higher volumes on the Living Stereo LP's. The two mid-woofer cones on each of my Sonner Legato Duos were constantly fluttering-quiet passages included. The frequency was higher that the 60 Hz rolloff frequency for my subs because they were perfectly still during the quiet passages. One of my subs is near the metal cart my turntable is mounted on and though I had a home made solution with 1" high density particle board and AQ Q Feet. I thought that the record noise present on these Living Stereo LPs was being amplified and I suspected I was getting acoustic feedback. I ended up getting an 18" x 16" x 3" IsoAcoustics Delos TT isolation platform based on my suspicions. When I described my suspicion to my audio dealer, he concurred and sent me home with one of their in store units for a week. It took me less that 15 minutes and I realized problem solved!! No more fluttering mid-woofers.I bought the demo unit and got a good price. The only mid-woofer motion I now see, is only when there is bass present in the music. The other bonus is much better clarity in the bass on these LPs. At the lower volumes I used to listen to these pressings at showed no fluttering woofers. The affect on the bass clarity was something I never noticed because I figured that was the way the record was recorded. You might wanted to look into your turntable's isolation to see if you can't improve the sound.

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for your experience with this. I may very well need something like this for all my components. My equipment is on a wooden console, not something specifically designed for isolation. Also my turntable, the Basis 1400, has their least sophisticated isolation system. I thought it might be good enough but perhaps it would be good to look into a platform like you did. To hear that difference immediately is quite something. So many times tweaks are hardly discernible but turntable isolation is really an essential concept that must be addressed . Thanks for inspiring me to look into this!

@jfm0830

Жыл бұрын

@@ThePressingMatters You're most welcome. Your videos have inspired me in my audio journey as well, so thank you. In this case the fact this solved the issue was immediately visually apparent because the mid-woofers now only moved when there was actually bass content present in the music.They were stationary in the lead in groove and between tracks.When the music started, suddenly I noticed there was more clarity and definition in the deep bass content on the Living Stereo LPs. Earlier in the day I played the Neil Young with Crazy Horse LP: Toast. I noticed on this particular rock LP I was getting the same effect. This was what pushed the action stations button for me. I played Toast for the second time that day after buying the Delos to check for the mid-woofer fluttering. I quickly noticed the deep, rumbly and poorly defined bass was suddenly transformed. I had thought that was Crazy Horse being Crazy Horse at their most out of control selves, or that was the mix they wanted. In your case I would definitely look into an isolation platform for your turntable. I would add no matter where it is mounted. After the results I had with isolation/dampening I would definitely talk to your dealer about this subject, particularly where you have tube gear. Good luck in your trip down yet another audiophile rabbit hole. It was well worth it for me.

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

@@jfm0830 It's something I'm not consciously noticing like you did, but I'm certain that audible improvements would be achieved with some isolation products. Room treatment is another important matter I need to start addressing. It is a "mixed use" living area so it has to look decent too, lol. Probably start with some carpeting. Right now it's just wood floors. Thankfully they are solid and there's no transmission of footfalls to the turntable at all.

@jfm0830

Жыл бұрын

@@ThePressingMatters I wasn't noticing the effect audibly either, I just thought it was inherent in the bass of that particular LP or group of LP's. It was only when it was I had better isolation that I noticed the improvement. My eyes tipped me off to the problem initially and not my ears. I don't know if you have your speaker grill covers on or not. I became aware of this problem when playing the Living Stereo LPs LOUD. My grill covers are always off. When playing all the Living Stereo LP's I was suddenly noticing the 4 mid-woofer cones constantly fluttering. It was easily observable fro my listening position 9' away. My sub-woofer cones were not fluttering, This told me the frequency was above the 60 hz roll off frequency that I use on my subs. I suspected some of the surface noise and tape hiss inherent in these albums was being picked and amplified through transmission through my TT cart from the floor. I didn't not get this affect on most records. As a test: Remove your speaker grills and put on any of the Analogue Productions Living Stereo LPs. All 12 of mine do it. None of my Analogue Productions Jazz reissues do this. Turn the volume up fairly loud. I was at 80-85 db C-weighted and 90-100 db peak when listening to the louder sections of the pieces. See if any of the mid or low range speaker cones are constantly fluttering any time the stylus is playing any part of the record.

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

@@jfm0830 Ok I'll try that tonight. I usually have the grills on. It would be great to get improvement of any kind, so I'm looking forward to trying this!

Kubelik/Boston/DG & Solti/LSO/Decca, best versions I've heard.

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

I do have the Solti on Decca - I'll have to give it another spin! Thanks for the reminder!

Certain Living Stereo originals are famous for certain things. Some that come to mind that are known for their exceptional massed string sound are the very 1st one, LSC 1806, also 2111 and LSC 2313, the 2313 is also known for it's dynamics. Among some others known for their dynamics is LSC 2449, LSC 1817, also another that comes to mind is The Pines Of Rome..The Fountains Of Rome. That one plus the LSC 1817 Offenbach had less compressed pressing variations which are more desirable and worth more money than the more common matrix number ones. RCA had many repeat titles on some of the piano concertos with different pianists doing the same piece. Can't think of any violin concertos off hand that they repeated. Heifetz was their main man. Most of the Reiner interpretations were great. A few which got lower ratings for performance and sound were his Dvorak New World Symphony and Beethoven Symphony 5. Turntable sound can be improved to the point that you would think you have a new turntable and cartridge by various things. Metal releases vibrational energy, good for speaker stands; but is putting your equipment on something that will release extraneous vibration right up into your equipment the thing to do? That's where you really have to know what you are doing. I have found that what works best under turntables is not what sounds best under cd players or tape decks. I have experimented with 50+ different materials in my years. Also what is placed on top of speakers and equipment can make a nice improvement. Extraneous vibration and unsympathetic resonances are a main reason why most peoples sound keeps them not really satisfied and looking to upgrading audio equipment.

I love nerving out on classical pressings

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

So do I :-) Is this one you have? I'm about to pick up a few more APs. Any suggestions or any one you'd like a review of?

@rufus_the_cat

Жыл бұрын

@@ThePressingMatters AAPC 2129 and 2241, two Fritz Reiner Tchaikovsky. AAPC 2367 the Arthur Fielder Rhapsody in Blue and AAPC 2487 Julian Bream.

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

@@rufus_the_cat Ive been very curious about the Julian Bream disc, and I will get it now based on your comment.

Hi Scott, great video I’m very jealous! You were wondering about English plum grooved Victriola re-pressings from this era. I’ve had a listen this morning to my Victriola Martinon Prokofiev symphony 7 recorded by the Paris Conservatoire using all the Decca crew and stereo Decca tree equipment. The tax code on the deadwood confirms its origins from the late 50’s and it does sound lovely and right up your street as far as tube sound. I wouldn’t however recommend you spend much time chasing them if you can get the RCA US repressings. The only RCA English ones worth considering are those from the fifties early sixties which were recorded in England, Paris, Vienna or the Italian venue operas as for these the English Decca pressings likely had access to the original tapes which I doubt happened with any of the US venue recordings. For those the US Victriolas will be better chance of sounding great plus the art work on the English Victriola pressings is horrible.

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

Thank you, I appreciate all the information you provided about the UK Victrola. It makes perfect sense. I've got a couple of them but I admit I don't play them often. The jackets looked cool to us in the US as they were so different with the glossy lamination and abstract paintings. We rarely saw them though. I'll check which ones I have and give a listen. I'm pretty sure one is The Rite of Spring with Monteux. I think that is recorded in Europe?

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

I just checked, I did find The Rite Of Spring. I don't recall being thrilled with the performance but I will check it out and get back to you.

@analogueanorak1904

Жыл бұрын

@@ThePressingMatters Dave Hurwitz has made a hilarious video about the Monteux Paris Conservatoire bust up during the recording sessions of Petrushka, Firebird and Rite of Spring particularly impacting on the performance of Rite of Spring. I think Firebird sounds fine but ROS seemed a beautiful sounding recording by one of my heroes Roy Wallace in the best sonic sounding venue in Paris of an uncharacteristic ropey version by Monteux/PC so I think your initial reaction was spot on.

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

@@analogueanorak1904 Well I played the Rite of Spring tonight and although the sound is excellent, the performance was not that exciting. My copy probably will go into the sell pile, because of constant noise and a pretty tired jacket. I have a US Plum Victrola of this I believe so that should suffice!

@analogueanorak1904

Жыл бұрын

@@ThePressingMatters Yes O agree with the sell pile. One copy is sufficient to occasionally muse on how a dream combination does not always deliver and it’s all in the hands of the sessIon gods. If you ever get the chance to hear the oral history recording of Decca old hand Arthur Haddy he talks about the sheer hell and powerlessness experienced when a session goes awry and there’s no escape and everyone just has to see it through to its bitter end.

Just picked up a Classic 33 for $25. Anxiously waiting arrival.

@ThePressingMatters

7 ай бұрын

Hi Jerry, That's great! Some good deals on the Classics, and I'd love to hear what you think once you've heard it.

@JerryZigmontMacWorks

6 ай бұрын

​@@ThePressingMatters The Classic 33 is indeed very bright. Even on my Fisher X202-B tube system. Not disappointed but certainly would like something a bit warmer.

@ThePressingMatters

6 ай бұрын

This is something that some people find with the Classic 33s. I too have tubes in the phono pre and amp, and still this one seems bright. The AP is better but not by a lot. This music or possibly the recording seems to just come across like that.

@JerryZigmontMacWorks

6 ай бұрын

@@ThePressingMatters Thanks. Helpful to know that the AP is not that much better. I have the classic version of Shaherazade 180g coming. The Bartok and the Rimsky-Korsakov are by far, my favorites.

@ThePressingMatters

6 ай бұрын

I'm not sure if you are in the US but if you are, you might consider the APs at $40 rather than paying $30 or more for a Classic. Both are good but I've preferred the AP in most cases on my system. They have a darker sound that I find attractive, even though I have tubes in the system too. Still I'm glad to have the Classics, as you never know how your next system upgrade will render these two different approaches. Have you tried an AP and been disappointed?

I managed to find an original shaded dog years ago. I have the JVC XRCD, the original Living Stereo CD release, and the SACD. The SACD comes closest to the original and lacks the very audible print-through on the CD release in movement 3. I don't remember if the print-through was audible on the XRCD, but it's a fine-sounding release...very close to the SACD.

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

I plan to add CD / SACD playback to the system at some point. I would love to enjoy some of these free of surface noise. Thankfully the new APs have been pretty quiet. Thanks for your comment Jose, I appreciate the info.

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

Are you speaking of the BMG SACD, or one from Analogue Productions?

@joseluisherreralepron9987

Жыл бұрын

@@ThePressingMatters It's the BMG. It sounds pretty nice, a bit of the 'hole-in-the-middle' effect but not as severe as the CD from the 90's. And the print-through is gone. There is a fair amount of tape hiss, and hall rumble, but those are not an issue for me.

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

@@joseluisherreralepron9987 Yes , those kind of things are part of the deal. I recall hearing trucks and subways on some of the Living Stereo titles

Have you ever discussed your impressions of differences in sound between tube and transistor equipment? This video is the only time I’ve heard you speak about it. It’s an interesting topic in my opinion. Is transistor equipment even capable of faithfully reproducing recordings that were made on all tube gear?

@ThePressingMatters

5 ай бұрын

That's a great question. I don't think I've gone into it too much, but about a year ago I switched from transistor to tubes completely. My step before that was going to a tube preamp and transistor amp. I will be upgrading the speakers soon, and then I'll feel ready to talk in depth about what I experienced. Great idea for a topic video!

@danijelsan81

5 ай бұрын

@@ThePressingMatters looking forward to it. I’m contemplating starting that process myself. I would have to probably start with speakers as the current set is pretty inefficient and hard to drive. Tube amplifiers may not be a good match at all. Not a gear guy. I’d rather be buying records. But it’s a medium necessary to access music and we cannot do without it.

@ThePressingMatters

5 ай бұрын

@@danijelsan81 it's crucial these components are chosen to work with each other. I know this now of course but many years ago gave it only a cursory thought. This time I will be sure amp and speakers are matched with careful thought.

@danijelsan81

5 ай бұрын

@@ThePressingMatters yes, Peter Qvortrup of Audio Note UK talks a lot about that. It really is a problem that most manufacturers don’t provide a system solution, but rather specialize when it comes to design and manufacturing of components. This leaves the consumer in the dark regarding what the best matching components may be. I’ve never heard an audio note system. You mentioned in one of your previous videos that you have. What were your impressions, if you don’t mind sharing?

@ThePressingMatters

5 ай бұрын

@danijelsan81 I am very fortunate to have an Audio Note dealer here in Miami. Soundlux Audio have a wonderful dedicated room for Audio Note. If I could say one thing about their approach it is synergy. The components simply work well together. What appear to be fairly simple speakers are marvelous when mated with their amps. I like this philosophy. I had a beautiful session, around the time I first started the channel, in that room. We were listening to the Kind Of Blue UHQR and it was magical.

Did you ever pick up the AP, Scott?

@ThePressingMatters

5 ай бұрын

Yes I did. I think I comment on it in the following Living Stereo video. Maybe in Music for Strings? Anyway it's very good.

I have a SACD of this and it is noisy for some reason compared to my 1 pressing on vinyl

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

Someone else in the comments mentioned an issue with an SACD. Do you know which one you have? I believe there are at least 4!

@Anthony-fz7uf

Жыл бұрын

The SACD was done in Austria .

The RCA SACDs of Living Stereo titles were not that good. At least the ones I tried. The Mercury Living Presence SACDs were much better. RCA gives all kind of technical info like what cables they used in making the SACDs. One thing in the chain that diminishes tone colors, and voila; you have diminished tone colors and when you have that, you can hear it on every note. That's what I'm sure I hear with the SACD titles vs. the regular redbook Living Stereo titles, on the ones that I have both the redbook cd and SACD of the same title. SACD should not be looked on as a "Savior" or something, especially in this particular series. Actually SACD was a bit of a disappointment. When they announced in 1998 that a new cd format was coming out, which instead of a 44.1K sampling rate per second, it would have a sampling rate of a whopping 1 million times per second. Whoopee, a lot of us thought; with visions of double or triple the sound quality dancing in our heads. A sampling rate of a million is well over 20 times more than 44.1k. Upon hearing my first SACD, my excitement was soon tempered. "Yeah, I do think I hear a little more open and smooth, but not even as much as when you clean the input terminals on your equipment after a year. Maybe the word "Super" in the title built it up too much and got our expectations too high; but still, shouldn't a 20+ times higher sampling rate add up to more than subtly better? It was a failed medium. You would be surprised how many workers in used lp/cd shops don't even know what an SACD is. Regular Redbook cds are capable of at least as good a sound quality as the early Mobile Fidelity lps which became popular around 1980; minus the accentuated upper treble which let us hear every cymbal tap with a totally newfound clarity and cleanness. Half speed mastering was great for the high frequencies especially... Mofi with all the critics over the DSD fiasco, they did put us onto a lot of great music we might not have otherwise discovered. Poco, Little Feat, Earl Klugh, Hiroshima etc. Some of the titles they came out with, they probably shouldn't have. Some were not perfect recordings to begin with. One was the first Boston album. It wasn't a perfect recording soundwise because of all the multi tracking and studio manipulation, but there's so much detail. It is considered by many to be the best rock debut album of all time. With its layers upon layers of detail, it was an obvious choice for audiophile treatment. CBS released it as a half speed mastered Mastersound, and it was easily one of their best. Many decades later Mobile Fidelity released it as an audiophile pressing. It gets $500 on the out of print used market for the Mofi. I have the regular cd, and on my maybe incomparable cd player, at least without going new car prices on a cd player, listening to it the other day made me wonder if the many people who paid those ultra high prices for an out of print audiophile pressing of this, were "applauding" or "regretting" their purchase. It's certainly a recording where I could see it being rational for people to try to get a version where they could hear it all; as there is SO much detail to hear. The purity of the guitars is impressive. That alone,makes it a great listen, but Brad Delp's voice is one that just needs to be ultra clean to not sound strident when he elevates into his higher registers. I actually wondered if it was even possible to reproduce that voice of his without it sounding thin, pinched and strident. Well it's possible; I think. Now that I have cd playback with magnifying lens resolution, I can hear that ever so slight distortion on his voice in his upper registers is overload distortion of the microphone. Clearly I can tell that now. When he goes way up in pitch he usually also goes way up in volume, and it is microphone overload. No doubt about it.. There is a saying that if your system can reproduce the first Boston album with no edginess without the highs being rolled, your system is around State Of The Art. I really do think that is true; and is a terrificaly good benchmark.

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

Im going to try that test this weekend. I have the Kevin Gray Friday Music reissue and always thought it sounded superb. Haven't heard it yet on my new set up. I'll let you know!

@sidesup8286

Жыл бұрын

@@ThePressingMatters I think the very last track on the album is where I hear the upper ranges of Brad Delp's voice at times get a little hard, rough and thin sounding and the backup singers at times also. Maybe more artificial than rough. A few other places too. The album was put together like Frankenstein in Tom Scholz basement studio. The musicians were not in the presence of each other. One guy mailed his track contribution in from L.A. and it was all mixed down to sound like a group that was playing together in the same place. I made an improvement to my transient response tonight, among a few other areas. Just a teeny bit faster transient response makes such a big difference; sounding effortless, instead of mechanical and labored. I am using the worst of all pressings; the regular redbook cd, and through revealing headphones. I don't know if through speakers those flaws would come through. Speakers might gloss over them. If your system is ultra clean and flat response, there won't be obvious edginess in the sound. It will still sound a little artificial. The Boston redbook cd was quite harsh and edgy, before all my mods years ago. Eliminating loads of distortion has now made this a very enjoyable cd. Except for the last track and in a few other places, this doesn't sound like a real flawed recording anymore, soundwise. It does sound a bit artificial though; but with the type of music it is, that is not real important.The music is great though. I would love to hear the Mofi version. There's a guy somewhere trying to sell a sealed copy of it for $2,399. I'll pass. Wish I would still have some of the early Mofis I had.

@ThePressingMatters

Жыл бұрын

@@sidesup8286 Hey I used to enjoy the hell out of this album on an 8 track in my Chevy Malibu. We all thought this was a great sounding album and while I've become more discerning of sound quality, it's impressive for what it is ... a totally constructed, somewhat artificial rock album. I don't think we had heard anything like it before. It perfectly captured that summer. I haven't put it on yet since we've been talking about it. I'm pretty curious how I'm going to react. I'll let you know soon :-)

@sidesup8286

Жыл бұрын

@@ThePressingMatters I recently won an auction of around 80 classic rock cds for 20 some dollars. The Boston cd was in there. I have been revisiting a lot of 1960s/1970s music that I haven't heard for a long time. I haven't found a cd that wasn't in immaculate condition yet. If it would have been a lot of 80 lps, I doubt if I would be saying that. There's some Yes, some Eagles, Elton John, Van Halen, America, Black Sabbath, Tull, Zeppelin, Supremes, Springsteen etc. I'll get to give a second listen to Springsteen's Nebraska album. Which I didn't get much out of on the first listen. Some say it's a masterpiece. Hmmm. His Darkness On The Edge of Town is a masterpiece along with his The Wild The Innocent & The E. Street Shuffle album. They both belong in the top 25 rock albums of all time. Born To Run should be in the top 70. A few of the cds are compilations. Totally forgot how "Good" Bad Company & Bachman Turner Overdrive were recorded. Forgot how much Mott The Hoople's singer tried to sound like David Bowie. Or was it Bowie? Forgot how good the song Maggie May by Rod Stewart is. It belongs in the top 10 songs of all time. A true classic. When I do my mods to improve sound quality, I pick out 3 cds and play them over and over again on succeeding days in the same order, as the sound of stereos changes and picks up sound quality as they warm up in the first few hours of warm up. The 3 cds I've been using lately to see what my mods have done are in line with my present classic rock groove. They are all cds that I used to have the audiophile lp pressing of: Silk Degrees-Boz Scaggs....Fly Like An Eagle-Steve Miller Band and Boston-Boston. Silk Degrees was the first album I got to hear Berrylium drivers on, in a store. Yamaha was way ahead of it's time back in the 1970s. I had the Fly Like An Eagle regular lp and then later went for the Mofi pressing of it. Same with the Boston debut lp, which I eventually bought the CBS Mastersound half speed lp of. Comparing the three titles on cd, their sound quality is the same order as the lps were. On a scale of 1 to 10 (for rock lps of the era), I'd give Silk Degrees an 8, Boston a 7.5, and Fly Like An Eagle a 7. The cymbal taps on the title track of Fly Like An Eagle sounded way less prominent and clean as on the Mofi I remember. I miss that some. The frequency response on the cd vs. lp of Silk Degrees was much closer. On the Boston cd. The first time I had it, it was one of the biggest drop offs in sound quality vs the lp ever, the CBS half speed master lp trounced it. It went from a pretty impressive recording on lp to just barely listenable on cd. The cd had an overriding exaggerated electronic signature and some harshness, which changed it from an above average recording to sounding like a below average recording. Years later, with cd playback many grades above what I had, those many years ago, Boston sounds like an above average sounding rock recording again. Almost never any sign of harshness, and only occasionally signs of strain, which I mentioned in my last post. I have no doubt in my mind that what once sounded like a sub par cd, has way more detail than I heard playing the 1/2 speed Mastersound lp, decades ago with an $1,800 turntable/cartridge setup. The timbre sounds cleaner than I've ever heard it before too. Whether the timbre is more likeable, that I can't remember, but I'm sure it is close. Analog does have that seductive quality with timbre. The preamp I was using back then was the cleanest sounding solid state preamp on the market according to Pearson at The Absolute Sound. So the Boston cd only is a gem for sound quality and only flowers into a beautiful swan if your cd playback gear is really clean and natural. Some Traffic albums are like that too. Like the Boston album, they sound like they have an edge to the sound from processing and a bit of distortion. But the album is such a classic that it's worth having and hearing even if your equipment is not the greatest. Tom Scholz even "invented" devices that gave the electric guitar special effects for this album. Sounds like about as much fun as you can have in your own home music studio.

@sidesup8286

Жыл бұрын

You hit the nail on the head about the Boston album. It is impressive for what it is. The instruments are layered in multiple layers like symphony orchestration. It's obviously processed sounding a bit, but maybe it's a miracle cartridges can track it. With so much layering and dynamics. Cartridges can have trouble with just two instruments playing at the same time. Some cartridges which otherwise are good trackers can have trouble tracking a flute and piano being played at the same time without audible breakup. Re: the 1st Boston album on vinyl, they say the pressings with the name Wally engraved in the clear wax is the reasonably priced pressing to get. See if your clear wax around the label says that on either side. For sheer amount of breathtaking detail the Mastersound 1/2 speed lp is best. The Mofi is supposed to be good but for all intents and purposes it's in the out of print price stratosphere, like the picture on the cover. I know a local record dealer just outside the city who not only has a Still Sealed CBS Mastersound 1/2 speed master of the Boston debut album, but it is also a Promo 1/2 speed master. I guess the radio station didn't know what a half speed master was and never opened it. It was an early Mastersound. Perhaps they thought it needed some kind of special 1/2 speed equipment to play it I see a sealed Mastersound 1/2 speed for $400 elsewhere, so I guess my local store's price of $265 isn't bad, with the added unbelievable bonus of it being a Promo half speed master, (with the stampers still razor sharp), which I'm sure makes it thousands of times rarer still. I've never had a 1/2 speed master Promo Copy. Considering the fact that a sealed Mofi pressing is escalating to 4 figures, that might not be a bad investment for someone. When the price of something is out of reach, people often seek the 2nd best alternative. Some even say this particular CBS beats the Mofi for sound. I had it once, and it was one of the very best mastersounds. Some sounded digital to me; not the Boston! I did some more going through my new cd lot, and some cds that "don't" beat hardly any for sound are Led Zeppelin cds. I have some early cd pressings and in the lot were some cds which were released years later; produced by Jimmy Page. I had great optimism. Didn't sound bad at the start, but midway through the 1st side, I realized the sound was so thin, that I thought something might be wrong with my stereo. Then I put on America's greatest hits and that same thinness hit me again. I was getting worried. After playing that halfway through, I put on a best of Yes album. My fears were relieved. The sound quality and fullness was back. In the interim I even did a mechanics related mod. So the 2 "dog cds" for sound quality did have a silver lining. They motivated me to try something which ended up in another sound improvement. I've been on a real modding binge to improve my digital sound quality lately. I do think I've near doubled my sound quality in the last month. To do that before had taken me decades. I do look at cds the way I used to look at 1/2 speed master lps. The cleanness and clarity is really there, but with the same frequency response we are used to.