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eClassical Christmas Calendar 2015


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All,

 

I wanted to start this thread for any discussions/posts around the eClassical Christmas Calendar 2015, which, for those of you not familiar with it, entails the following (quoted from the main page linked above):

 

We are celebrating our fifth year of high-resolution downloads from Sweden with a special pre-Christmas promotion. Every day, from December 1 until Christmas Eve, you will find two different 24-bit albums from BIS and harmonia mundi at a 50% discount that day. If you miss one, don't worry too much, you will still have the opportunity to download it at a reduced price the next day, but then it is at 25% discount.

 

Today's deals include a set of Grieg pieces from BIS and a Mussorgsky/Schumann pairing from Harmonia Mundi.

 

Looks like there may be some early gifts for myself this year...

 

Enjoy!

Office: iPod classic/iPad -> Shure SE425 IEM Home: Oppo BDP-83/Synology DS211j -> Integra DTR-7.8 -> Revel speakers

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Just finished downloading the Grieg piece. Objective DR data is stellar, as usual, for this BIS recording:

 

foobar2000 1.3.7 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1

log date: 2015-11-30 21:05:13

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Analyzed: Grieg, Edvard / Grieg - Piano Concerto (1-5)

Ogawa, Noriko / Grieg - Piano Concerto (6-8)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

DR Peak RMS Duration Track

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR15 -0.47 dB -21.63 dB 13:12 1/8-(In Autumn) - In Autumn

DR16 -2.36 dB -24.75 dB 13:29 2/8-(Piano Concerto in A minor) - I. Allegro molto moderato

DR15 -9.37 dB -29.76 dB 6:46 3/8-(Piano Concerto in A minor) - II. Adagio

DR14 -0.62 dB -21.96 dB 11:00 4/8-(Piano Concerto in A minor) - III. Allegro moderato molto e marcato

DR14 -0.96 dB -21.02 dB 12:25 5/8-(Symphony in C minor) - I. Allegro molto

DR15 -6.94 dB -27.01 dB 7:34 6/8-(Symphony in C minor) - II. Adagio espressivo

DR13 -0.92 dB -18.76 dB 5:21 7/8-(Symphony in C minor) - III. Intermezzo. Allegro energico

DR13 -1.00 dB -19.35 dB 8:46 8/8-(Symphony in C minor) - IV. Finale. Allegro molto vivace

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Number of tracks: 8

Official DR value: DR14

 

Samplerate: 176400 Hz

Channels: 2

Bits per sample: 24

Bitrate: 5645 kbps

Codec: FLAC

================================================================================

 

Total download size is about 2.7GB. Quick initial listens are very positive for the Piano Concerto, which I am most familiar with. Sonics are excellent, with the piano placed adequately front and center on first listen with my new Shure IEMs with plenty of "breathing room" for the rest of the orchestra. I will leave the performance analysis to the other experts here, but it is well worth the price of admission in my (inexperienced) opinion!

Office: iPod classic/iPad -> Shure SE425 IEM Home: Oppo BDP-83/Synology DS211j -> Integra DTR-7.8 -> Revel speakers

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Nice. I got the Paul Lewis album...good reviews out there. I realized that i only had one old live recording from Sviatoslav Richter of Pictures at an exhibition (the piano arrg.)...so i bought!

 

Just finished downloading the Grieg piece. Objective DR data is stellar, as usual, for this BIS recording:

 

foobar2000 1.3.7 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1

log date: 2015-11-30 21:05:13

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Analyzed: Grieg, Edvard / Grieg - Piano Concerto (1-5)

Ogawa, Noriko / Grieg - Piano Concerto (6-8)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

DR Peak RMS Duration Track

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR15 -0.47 dB -21.63 dB 13:12 1/8-(In Autumn) - In Autumn

DR16 -2.36 dB -24.75 dB 13:29 2/8-(Piano Concerto in A minor) - I. Allegro molto moderato

DR15 -9.37 dB -29.76 dB 6:46 3/8-(Piano Concerto in A minor) - II. Adagio

DR14 -0.62 dB -21.96 dB 11:00 4/8-(Piano Concerto in A minor) - III. Allegro moderato molto e marcato

DR14 -0.96 dB -21.02 dB 12:25 5/8-(Symphony in C minor) - I. Allegro molto

DR15 -6.94 dB -27.01 dB 7:34 6/8-(Symphony in C minor) - II. Adagio espressivo

DR13 -0.92 dB -18.76 dB 5:21 7/8-(Symphony in C minor) - III. Intermezzo. Allegro energico

DR13 -1.00 dB -19.35 dB 8:46 8/8-(Symphony in C minor) - IV. Finale. Allegro molto vivace

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Number of tracks: 8

Official DR value: DR14

 

Samplerate: 176400 Hz

Channels: 2

Bits per sample: 24

Bitrate: 5645 kbps

Codec: FLAC

================================================================================

 

Total download size is about 2.7GB. Quick initial listens are very positive for the Piano Concerto, which I am most familiar with. Sonics are excellent, with the piano placed adequately front and center on first listen with my new Shure IEMs with plenty of "breathing room" for the rest of the orchestra. I will leave the performance analysis to the other experts here, but it is well worth the price of admission in my (inexperienced) opinion!

-

Mac mini 2.3 Ghz i7 16gb Ram with Mojo Audio Joule III PSU(2T SSD) -> Audioquest Diamond USB -> dCS Vivaldi DAC (Shunyata Alpha Digital) -> Transparent XL Gen5 XLR -> Classé CA-M600 -> Audioquest OAK single biwire -> B&W 802D3. Software: Mac OSX El Captain, Audirvana 2.2, Amarra Symphony IRC, Roon. Storage: Lacie 5big Network 2 5T. Power Conditioner: Shunyata Triton + Typhon.

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Just listened to the Paul Lewis, my third hi-res recording of the solo piano Pictures. This guy is first-rate. What control over the shape of long phrases, what attention to the weight of inner voices in thick chords! I think the Schumann is just fantastic. The Mussorgsky has awkward passages that I didn't think could be played with such refinement, what do I know? The Kirill Gerstein SACD, which made a number of year's-best lists last year, may have a little more fantasy and communicative imagination, but it's less clear in many details than Lewis. Both are much better, more disciplined interpretations than the Freddy Kempf. I haven't listened to the live S. Richter recording in a good many years, or the M. Dichter from the '80's. I used to love both of them . . .

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Today, both recordings, the Martin Fröst Mozart and the Stile Antico, are outstanding.

 

Unfortunately I already have both of them.

 

I too have them both and can wholeheartedly recommend them. A small remark is that the original sampling rate for Stile Antico's The Phoenix Rising is not 88.2kHz as stated on the eClassical website but 2.8224MHz, as it was recorded in DSD like all Stile Antico releases. I think the DSD files are available for download from Nativedsd.

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I too have them both and can wholeheartedly recommend them. A small remark is that the original sampling rate for Stile Antico's The Phoenix Rising is not 88.2kHz as stated on the eClassical website but 2.8224MHz, as it was recorded in DSD like all Stile Antico releases. I think the DSD files are available for download from Nativedsd.

 

I never realized Stile Antico are native DSD recordings. I have most of their albums but all in PCM.

 

In any case, they are exceptionally well recorded and beautifully sung.

 

Even if you don't like Early Music (pre-baroque) they are all worth checking out.

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You're right! Nativedsd states that it was recorded in 64fs DSD.

 

I too have them both and can wholeheartedly recommend them. A small remark is that the original sampling rate for Stile Antico's The Phoenix Rising is not 88.2kHz as stated on the eClassical website but 2.8224MHz, as it was recorded in DSD like all Stile Antico releases. I think the DSD files are available for download from Nativedsd.

-

Mac mini 2.3 Ghz i7 16gb Ram with Mojo Audio Joule III PSU(2T SSD) -> Audioquest Diamond USB -> dCS Vivaldi DAC (Shunyata Alpha Digital) -> Transparent XL Gen5 XLR -> Classé CA-M600 -> Audioquest OAK single biwire -> B&W 802D3. Software: Mac OSX El Captain, Audirvana 2.2, Amarra Symphony IRC, Roon. Storage: Lacie 5big Network 2 5T. Power Conditioner: Shunyata Triton + Typhon.

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You're right! Nativedsd states that it was recorded in 64fs DSD.

 

It's not just us; check their album booklet on the eclassical site. Page one shows their own provenance (recorded, mastered in DSD). However, if one doesn't have a DSD-capable DAC the price is right for the 24/88.2k files on this sale.

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I too have them both and can wholeheartedly recommend them. A small remark is that the original sampling rate for Stile Antico's The Phoenix Rising is not 88.2kHz as stated on the eClassical website but 2.8224MHz, as it was recorded in DSD like all Stile Antico releases. I think the DSD files are available for download from Nativedsd.

 

According to the album booklet, the Martin Frost is also a DSD recording (unusually for BIS) rather than PCM, which makes the two different sampling rates quoted on the BIS site (44.1 and 96k, without specifying which tracks are which) seem puzzling.

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Yes, there is another Frost Mozart (with the Kegelstatt) that is famously 24/44 for the Concerto and 24/96 for the rest of the program, but this offering is not that! Weird.

 

BIS produced nine (9) SACDs before 2005 that were DSD-recorded, then went to 24/44 (and later 24/96) for cost reasons, etc. There is much debate as to which are the "DSD Nine" but this 2003 Frost is often included in those lists. SA-CD.NET (never the trusty bible for provenance) calls it's recording "mixed" which supports the 44.1/96 theory, but yet is a 2003 release and specifically states DSD in the booklet (which later BIS SACD booklets show properPCM provenance, so BIS has been transparent all along).

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Indeed...it won't diminish the experience of great music and the price is good.

 

It's not just us; check their album booklet on the eclassical site. Page one shows their own provenance (recorded, mastered in DSD). However, if one doesn't have a DSD-capable DAC the price is right for the 24/88.2k files on this sale.

-

Mac mini 2.3 Ghz i7 16gb Ram with Mojo Audio Joule III PSU(2T SSD) -> Audioquest Diamond USB -> dCS Vivaldi DAC (Shunyata Alpha Digital) -> Transparent XL Gen5 XLR -> Classé CA-M600 -> Audioquest OAK single biwire -> B&W 802D3. Software: Mac OSX El Captain, Audirvana 2.2, Amarra Symphony IRC, Roon. Storage: Lacie 5big Network 2 5T. Power Conditioner: Shunyata Triton + Typhon.

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I love Hildegard von Bingen songs from other two albums that i own but i think i'll jump these.

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Mac mini 2.3 Ghz i7 16gb Ram with Mojo Audio Joule III PSU(2T SSD) -> Audioquest Diamond USB -> dCS Vivaldi DAC (Shunyata Alpha Digital) -> Transparent XL Gen5 XLR -> Classé CA-M600 -> Audioquest OAK single biwire -> B&W 802D3. Software: Mac OSX El Captain, Audirvana 2.2, Amarra Symphony IRC, Roon. Storage: Lacie 5big Network 2 5T. Power Conditioner: Shunyata Triton + Typhon.

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I have been buying the eClassical Christmas offerings since they started doing them two years ago. I do have to be careful, since they do have both new offerings and some offerings that they did in previous years. I already bought the Stile Antico and Pergolesi albums in previous offerings.

 

We have heard Paul Lewis twice in the past few years. One of the great young pianists. We heard him play the Mussorgsky Pictures. A real treat. I have heard it played a couple of times by others (including the great Byron Janis about 50 years ago). Lewis was magnificent.

 

I also bought the Martin Frost Mozart Clarinet Concerto and Quintet album. I had bought his other Mozart Clarinet Concerto album with the Kegelstatt Trio in a previous Christmas offering, but wanted the Clarinet Quintet. I haven't tried to compare the two recordings of the Clarinet Concerto. Both were done with a bassett clarinet (which is what Mozart originally wrote the concerto for). We had the special treat of hearing him play the Clarinet Concerto in Berkeley last season. He was playing and dancing with his bassett clarinet - an aural and visual treat.

 

Larry

Analog-VPIClas3,3DArm,LyraSkala+MiyajimaZeromono,Herron VTPH2APhono,2AmpexATR-102+MerrillTridentMaster TapePreamp

Dig Rip-Pyramix,IzotopeRX3Adv,MykerinosCard,PacificMicrosonicsModel2; Dig Play-Lampi Horizon, mch NADAC, Roon-HQPlayer,Oppo105

Electronics-DoshiPre,CJ MET1mchPre,Cary2A3monoamps; Speakers-AvantgardeDuosLR,3SolosC,LR,RR

Other-2x512EngineerMarutaniSymmetrical Power+Cables Music-1.8KR2Rtapes,1.5KCD's,500SACDs,50+TBripped files

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The CPE Bach Magnificat today is a great album and absolutely worth getting. Gramophone Award winner in its category 2014.

 

Agreed.

 

I bought the Aho and the Pergolesi this morning. Very much looking forward to cueing them up this afternoon.

Office: MacBook Pro - Audirvana Plus - Resonessence Concero - Cavailli Liquid Carbon - Sennheiser HD 800.

Travel/Portable: iPhone 7 or iPad Pro - AudioQuest Dragonfly Red - Audeze SINE or Noble Savant

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Great offerings today! But both in 24bit/44khz. Thinking in getting both but the Boccherini for sure. The Prokofiev is selling for $24 used and $90 new on Amazon!! So, for $7.58...

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Mac mini 2.3 Ghz i7 16gb Ram with Mojo Audio Joule III PSU(2T SSD) -> Audioquest Diamond USB -> dCS Vivaldi DAC (Shunyata Alpha Digital) -> Transparent XL Gen5 XLR -> Classé CA-M600 -> Audioquest OAK single biwire -> B&W 802D3. Software: Mac OSX El Captain, Audirvana 2.2, Amarra Symphony IRC, Roon. Storage: Lacie 5big Network 2 5T. Power Conditioner: Shunyata Triton + Typhon.

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Did some research on Prokofiev: Presto Classical sells the sacd for $15 and strangely a 24bit/96khz FLAC. Maybe eclassical listed the wrong sampling rate!?

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Mac mini 2.3 Ghz i7 16gb Ram with Mojo Audio Joule III PSU(2T SSD) -> Audioquest Diamond USB -> dCS Vivaldi DAC (Shunyata Alpha Digital) -> Transparent XL Gen5 XLR -> Classé CA-M600 -> Audioquest OAK single biwire -> B&W 802D3. Software: Mac OSX El Captain, Audirvana 2.2, Amarra Symphony IRC, Roon. Storage: Lacie 5big Network 2 5T. Power Conditioner: Shunyata Triton + Typhon.

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I know that — they use SACD media mostly for 5.1. But the thing is that the sampling rate diverge from eclassical/prestoclassical.

 

 

Nearly all BIS SACDs are sourced from PCM masters, initially 24/44, more recently 24/96.

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Mac mini 2.3 Ghz i7 16gb Ram with Mojo Audio Joule III PSU(2T SSD) -> Audioquest Diamond USB -> dCS Vivaldi DAC (Shunyata Alpha Digital) -> Transparent XL Gen5 XLR -> Classé CA-M600 -> Audioquest OAK single biwire -> B&W 802D3. Software: Mac OSX El Captain, Audirvana 2.2, Amarra Symphony IRC, Roon. Storage: Lacie 5big Network 2 5T. Power Conditioner: Shunyata Triton + Typhon.

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