What is your personal reference audiophile recording (best sound quality)?

[Jud]

Does that mean no Charlie Parker,Hendrix,Miles''birth of the cool,''Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters,Pablo Casals,Louis Armstrong,Duke Ellington......and...and....and...?

 

How very strange you should think that was what I meant. The thread is about recordings people think are references for sound quality. I said sound quality by itself doesn't interest me, I need something that's also good musically. How you interpret that to mean the exclusion of great musicians, I'm not sure.

[elcorso]

One of my favorites: Harold Farberman "The All Star Percussion Ensemble" - CD rip

 

Recorded in 1983.

 

 

Roch

[peterbj]

So sorry Jud. Please take no offence.I was a little too fast.

[Jud]

So sorry Jud. Please take no offence.I was a little too fast.

 

Me too - my apology as well, no offense taken. I've got a Robert Johnson record that isn't "audiophile" by any stretch, but that's a small price to pay to hear the guitar and voice that launched a thousand blues-rockers. Muddy Waters' "Folk Singer" *is* justifiably considered an audiophile recording. Also have a nice Mosaic box set of Louis Armstrong's stuff....

[bleedink]

Haven't followed the whole thread but What's New (which I abhorred when I was a wee teen listening to her on MTV--WTF?!) has to be one of my go to reference discs. That voice! Thank goodness as one grows older our tastes sometimes expand beyond their comfort zone. This was one of those discs for me. Showed me there was a lot more to music than what typically comes out.

[dl2]

Nikolaus Harnoncourt - Bach / Matthäus-Passion, Teldec 2001, DVD - A rip with DVD Extractor to flac 24/96 and play with Audirvana: Mode 1, x2 oversampling, stepness 7, filter length 1,8 M, Cutoff 1, preringing 0,65.

 

[bleedink]

Geez and here I thought I was the only one listening to Flim and the BB's! Though they are extraordinary CDs I can't help but think they'd be more spectacular the closer one got to the original master. Great stuff! Almost forgot about them. Do you know how Lost in Space was recorded? Analog? Curious about the DSD transfer on that one...

 

 

Flim and the BB's, Thom Rotella Band or just about anything from the DMP stable, late 80's excellent recordings, with pioneering upsampling to boot.

 

Aimee Mann - Lost in Space MFSL

 

Todd Rundgren - Something Anything MFSL

 

Carpenters - A Song for you MFSL

[burnspbesq]

The best sounding recording in my collection, a first pressing of the Sheffield "James Newton Howard and Friends," bores me to death, so it only comes out when I'm evaluating gear.

 

A great-sounding record that I enjoy listening to is the DSD download of Vijay Iyer's "Solo."

[kevalin]

I ordered 15+ titles from this thread and jazz percussion. CA has not only improved the quality of my music collection but expanded my horizons. Thank you everyone, especially Ted-b, Barry L. for your contributions!

[kurb1980]

Best sounding recordings...

Rush - Moving Pictures [Vinyl] (US Original 1st Press) Mastered by and must have RL in the deadwax (both sides)

Michael Jackson - Thriller [Vinyl] (US Original 1st press) Before MJ was credited as Co-Producer on back of gatefold)

Paul Simon - Graceland [Vinyl] (UK Original 1st press)

Peter Gabriel - So [Vinyl] (UK Original 1st press)

Steve Wilson - The Raven that Refused to Sing (And Other Stories) [blu-Ray]

Pink Floyd - DSOTM [Vinyl] (UK Original 1st press) Must the be the A3 // B3 pressing)

 

I could go on and on but I will stop there for now....

[Laurent (Hifi)]

some great sounding recordings in my collection include:

• Anouar Brahem: "Astrakan Cafe"
  
• Bill Evans Trio: "Waltz for Debbie"
  
• E.S.T: "Live in Berlin"
  
• Eva Cassidy: "Live at the Blues Alley"
  
• Jacintha: "Autumn leaves"
  
• Jacky Terrasson: "Rendez-Vous"
  
• Keith Jarrett/Charlie Haden: "Jasmine". You can add any of the "Montreal Tapes" recordings from Charlie Haden to the list as well.
  
• Marcel Kanche: "Vertiges des lenteurs". The first track "Elle m'en veut" has a deep bass that will challenge any amplifier and speakers...
  
• Michel Jonasz: "Pole ouest"
  
• Michel Petrucciani: "Live Solo"
  
• Miles Davis: "Kind of Blue"
  
• Musica Nuda: "Musica Nuda 2".
  
• Patricia Barber: all of her albums have a fantastic recording quality. I tend to like "Mythologies" particularly.
  
• Tord Gustavsen Trio: "Being there"
  
• Youn Sun Nah: "Voyage"
  

 

Laurent

[Musicophile]

Really nice stuff posted here. There's many I fully confirm, and even more others I still need to discover.

[Teresa]

Does that mean no Charlie Parker,Hendrix,Miles''birth of the cool,''Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters,Pablo Casals,Louis Armstrong,Duke Ellington......and...and....and...?

 

Some of the people you listed about have great sounding recordings and of course great musical quality.

 

One of my top picks was Duke Ellington: Blues In Orbit (MFSL SACD) and both Classic Records and MFSL have released many superb sounding 180/200 gram LPs of Duke Ellington's great music.

 

Also Experience Hendrix and Sony Japan have released many excellent sounding Jimi Hendrix 180 gram LPs. Even the original pressing of Electric Ladyland is a great sounding recording but the new pressings moves these up a notch.

 

Also lots of great sounding Louis Armstrong on Classic Records 180/200 LPs.

 

MFSL has issued Muddy Water's Folk Singer in various formats, the 200 Gram LP once again is superb.

 

Miles Davis has more great sounding SACDs that you can shake a stick at.

 

Robert Johnson is very early mono, don't know how much this can be improved, has anyone tried? One can get a lot of modern versions of Robert Johnson songs from Cream and Eric Clapton albums, many with great sonics.

[Robert Hutton]

Some of the people you listed about have great sounding recordings and of course great musical quality.

 

One of my top picks was Duke Ellington: Blues In Orbit (MFSL SACD) and both Classic Records and MFSL have released many superb sounding 180/200 gram LPs of Duke Ellington's great music.

 

Also Experience Hendrix and Sony Japan have released many excellent sounding Jimi Hendrix 180 gram LPs. Even the original pressing of Electric Ladyland is a great sounding recording but the new pressings moves these up a notch.

 

Also lots of great sounding Louis Armstrong on Classic Records 180/200 LPs.

 

MFSL has issued Muddy Water's Folk Singer in various formats, the 200 Gram LP once again is superb.

 

Miles Davis has more great sounding SACDs that you can shake a stick at.

 

Robert Johnson is very early mono, don't know how much this can be improved, has anyone tried? One can get a lot of modern versions of Robert Johnson songs from Cream and Eric Clapton albums, many with great sonics.

 

That Ellington/Blues In Orbit SACD is a great call, outstanding in every respect.

 

The Miles SACDs are pretty decent also, although the prime material - the mid 60's Quintet - was not really that well recorded. The earlier stuff - the MFSL SACDs are the way to go.

[kevalin]

Those who do not know Andrew Bird, may be interested in these:

 

Andrew Bird "Hands Of Glory"

Andrew Bird "Break It Yourself" Deluxe Edition (CD/DVD)

 

Cheapest at Andrew Bird | Store (also has vinyl)

[Cycleman]

Here are several albums that I love for their fine mix of sound quality and beautiful music and performances (listed in alpha order by artist):

 

New Favorite, Alison Krauss & Union Station

Chinatown, The Be Good Tanyas

Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier (2011), Andras Schiff

Love's Illusion: Anonymous 4

Le Voyage De Sahar, Anouar Brahem

Carmina Celtica, Canty

The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton, Clogs

The Harrow & The Harvest, Gillian Welch

Bach: Cello Suites, Jan Vogler

Grace, Jeff Buckley

Massachusetts, Lori McKenna

My One and Only Thrill, Melody Gardot

Tamer Animals, Other Lives

Impossible Dream, Patty Griffin

Getz/Gilberto, Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto

Stella Maris, Trio Mediaeval

One Cello x 16: Natoma, Zoe Keating

 

There could have been more, but those ones stand out. And there are many others where I love the music much, but the sound quality doesn't quite hit the peak or a peak or my peak.

 

Dave, who has probably added about 300 new albums to his collection since the beginning of 2013 due to spending time on this board and the various posts and upgrades to his system that make the SQ that much more enchanting

[Boris75]

My favourite test disc is Bartok's wooden prince by Boulez and the CSO, DG (yes, I know, DG is not one of our usual audiophile labels, but this disc is different and won a grammy for recording quality):

By the way, I have recordings which I find to offer better music, sound quality or both. But as it happens this CD, which is very good on both music and sound quality, was the first one I used when I started to care about the quality of music reproduction and therefore I know it inside out, and for this reason it has become my reference. In particular, the introduction of the Wooden Prince is pretty challenging to hifi systems as it starts from strings playing a very low level and yet it is important to hear individual instruments emerge quietly one after the other from this also quiet background. In my first mid-fi system (Yamaha CD player, NAD B320, JMLab DB28 speakers) I tended to use the first two or three minutes of the disc to go and get a cup of coffee or something as it sounded as nothing happened. With my current setup these first three minutes of music are riveting. Another thing: it is really the Wooden Prince that I recommend in this CD; the Cantata Profana is well recorded as well but I find it awfully boring.

New Picture.bmp

[christian u]

At the moment these 3 are my reference.

Probably a year from now it'll have changed.

I love clear placement of the instruments.

And these recordings are very clear,you really see the band in front of you.

And depth is also one of my priorities,together with a natural sound of the room(reverb,echo),not dry, but lush.

And a wide dynamic range,so little or no compression.

I'm an old fan of the singer Carmen Gomes,I have the recordings she made for Marantz including a couple of test CD's where she is singing a track or two.

But this is really a whole new level recording wise,it makes the older recordings sound...well old.

good to see new companies embracing the possibilities of modern recording technology and putting it to use so well, and the sound is so warm, almost analog.

 

Way out west,from Sonny Rollins, I use so I remember where I am coming from.

A friend of mine remastered my old LP,which I have had since my youth and I still love the sound.Actually I find that there are similarities in the sound with the Sound Liaison recordings.Maybe it all comes down to good old fashioned engineering.

If you go to the Sound Liaison site you can listen to the tracks before you buy.

Music Store

[imispgh]

Mix CD- (each comes from amazing CDs as well)

Donald Fagen - Morph the Cat

Susie Suh - Petrified to be Godlike

Chris Rea - You Must Be Evil- from Road to Hell

All Blues - Miles Davis Kind of Blue

Gladiator Waltz -Gladiator soundtrack

The Down Town - Days of the New

Dark Water and Dark Shades of Blue - Xavier Rudd

Chant of the Fathers - Rockenfield and Speer

Lowdown - Boz Scaggs Live

[SoundRebels]

few my favorites:

- bass extension: BBNG2 by BADBADNOTGOOD - (few months ago they offer free hi-res download, but now only 16/44.1 - link); Tataku: "Best of Kodo II 1994-1999"; Nils Petter Molvær - "Khmer"

- guitar: "Stalkers In Tokyo" by Whitesnake; "Acoustic Live" by Nils Lofgren

- vocal: "Misa Criolla" Ramirez (with Mercedes Sosa) - great test for soundstage

Mercedes Sosa"Cantora 1" - awesome "La maza" (feat. Shakira); THE ANGELS: "Live and Joyful in Charleston"

- soundstage precision and neutrality: MIDNIGHT BLUE:"Inner City Blues"

And of cource more dynamic and powerfull tracks from Megadeth, Stonesour and Dream Theater.

[kevalin]

I have to thank everyone that contributes here since I have been introduced to some amazing artists by this and similar threads on CA. Susie Suh - "Susie Suh" CD that contains 'Petrified to be Godlike' is a really impressive find.

[Fabithierry]

Radiohead: In Rainbows (16/44,1) Amazing Mastering from Nigel.

 

Arctic Monkeys: Humbug. is a pleasure to hear the drums and as was recorded the guitars

[MrAcoustat]

Anything by Hadouk Trio i have all their albums.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqLnYT09upU

[MrAcoustat]

Anything by Leonard Cohen Japanese pressings.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qvW63z1uzg

[MrAcoustat]

Anything by Jacques Loussier Trio on the Telarc label.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCaxD9850ZU&list=PL3F0PKy36n1CbGqOEuocpea6 nXRLHQDId