What Is Your FAV Recorded CD Best Sound

[David Meek]

Bet you will only enjoy the first four songs. The rest are :Z

It's a good thing we all have differing tastes. IMO, songs 2 & 3 (Money For Nothing and Walk Of Life) are the only ones I don't care to listen to. I heard far, far too much of them on FM, CD and MTV when this album first came out. The really outstanding music comes via tracks 4 through 9.

[drsiebling]

The new SACD multichannel versions of Depeche Mode's "Violator" and "Music for the Masses" are pretty phenominal. Acoustic Sounds has the import SACD versions if anyone is interested. The US versions are only available in DVD-A.

I'm also a big fan of the SACD remasters of the Peter Gabriel catalog. The "So" album, in particular, is reference material for me.

[David Meek]

One CD I'd forgotten until I put it in this morning is Mike Oldfield's Songs Of Distant Earth - yes, the same artist that did Tubular Bells. Inspired by Arthur C. Clarke's book by the same name, it's edgy New Age and so definitely not for everyone's taste but I sure like the music as well as the quality with which it's recorded. BTW, unless you have some seriously full-range speakers, you'll need a sub to get the full impact of this recording.

[CombatWombat]

Cant beat Dire Straights-Brothers in Arms DVD-A

Or Eric Clapton and BB.King-Riding with the King DVD-A
Eagels-Hotel California DVD-A
Eric Clapton-Reptile DVD-A

They would have to be my four fave in that order

[Snap]

Yes, anything by Diane Krall especially on DVD-A Multi-Channel is mesmerizing.

:agree: amen amen...... She Rocks! :T

[comeup]

I know this thread is old, but had to let ya know how much I like Dire Straits-Brother In Arms (SACD). Its not really my kind of music, but I sure enjoyed it. Some songs have a jazz touch to them and that's what I really enjoyed, although all of the albums sound quality is (5 star). This album was worth every penny and it definitely brought the best out of my system. Amazing how the imaging goes through your head coming from all directions. Its among the best without a doubt

[Russ L]

The best sounding CD that I own is one that was made live...I once said to her,that the CD quality is so good on that..."I felt Toots sweat on me"....

:rofl: I think that sonically speaking we all yearn for the Toots experience. Regards, Russ

[Russ L]

Oh right, as to the topic of the thread. My best CD sound wise? Would have to be a classical recording like Paganini's Violin Concerto on Deutche Grammophon by Hilary Hahn. The dynamics in Classical are unbelievable. Whispering clear quiet notes on one instrument and then huge melodious blasts from a multitude of instruments the next moment. I do agree with previous posts that Allison Kraus's "Lonely Runs Both Ways" and Hayley Westenra's "Odyssey" are close quality wise to the Paganini. Looks like the consensus of this thread is for me to pick up a copy of "Brothers in Arms", had an LP version long ago and remember it sounding amazing Regards, Russ

[greenhorn]

Richard Thompson - Watching The Dark - Disc 1

[gimpy]

I've just recently been turned on to AIXrecords. All of their music/video is recorded in high def'n. Their dvd's are two sided with DVD-A on one side and dvd video/dts on the other. They also have two channel stereo on the same disk, so, you actually get the pleasure of listening/watching three different music formats on one disk. And they are all superb in their sound.

I recently got the "Brand New Opry" disk, along with one of their "sampler" disks. Both are my favorite listening disks right now.

Frank

[dtb300]

I'm not talking about your fav cd, but the best sounding cd the one that makes your system sound at its best.

My opinions on best sounding recordings: Top level sounding CD/SACD to me is one that will sound the best from the budget system to the midrange systsem all the way up to the high end mega dollar systems. They are sometimes not your favorite music (though favorite music does help but it sometimes clouds our judgement) but recordings that can really show off what can be obtained from a medium of Digital, Vinyl, or Tape as each has their own leaders.

I will comment on a few of the listings here, compared to what I feel is better. Please do not take this as a flame against anyone who mentioned these, just IMO I feel the ones I have listed have better sonics and are worth checking out if you do not have them. If you have both, please let me know your opinions on both of them.

For Diana Krall, while her latest release on redbook is very good, IMO Love Scenes on SACD is better and is the best sounding of all the Krall releases.

For Dire Straits, Brothers in Arms always getting props and has some great music, IMO Mark Knopfler Shangri-La is better.

All the Steely Dan stuff mentioned is great but I have always felt that Everything Must Go is just a bit better.

I really like the music on Alison Krauss's new album but I feel it has a harshness about it, but I have always wondered what the SACD live sounded like. Can the poster comment about the SACD live versus the new album?

Flim and the BB's - Tricycle on SACD has some wicked dynamic range and is phenomenal sounding. Even now after all these years, the DMP label still has produced some great sounding disc's that have stood the test of time. If you like DMP recordings, try out Steven Davis - Quality of Sound (SACD)

Some of the discs I have which I feel have great sonics and stand my test of sounding great on multiple system listening that I have not already listed:

Audiophile Vocal Recordings - Chesky (Redbook)
Gerry Mulligan meets Ben Webster - MoFi (Redbook)
Art Pepper + Eleven (SACD)
Mingus Ah Um - Charles Mingus (SACD)
Live at Blues Alley - Eva Cassidy (Redbook)
The E.S.E. Sessions - Blue Coast Collection (SACD)

For Classical - all on SACD

Britten/Elgar - Paavo Jarvi
RCA Living Stereo - Sherherazade
RCA Living Stereo - Pictures at an Exhibition (also MoFi version)
Mozart Violin Concertos 3 & 4 - Julia Fisher (Pentatone Label)
Mozart Youth Symphonies (1,2,3,4 - Pentatone Label) 2 & 3 sound the best
Boston Symphony Chamber - Mozart Chamber Music for Winds and Strings
Haydn - The Fry Street Quartet - ISO-Mike Recording by Ray Kimber

[ROTCArmyHifiGuy]

Steve Miller Band: Young Hearts Greatest Hits Remastered Redbook cd in 24bits.

I cant believe nobody has even mentioned this pioneer and his absolute passion for quality recordings.

I mean it even includes " Abracadabra" !!!! lol.

[hdspeakerman]

Best Cd

I second DMP. My favorites are Bob Mintzer and Billy Barber in addition to Flim and the BBs. I think that the recordings are consistently the highest quality of any that I have. They encourage me to listen to music that I would never hear if the recordings were average. I like the Telarc label for their recordings but generally, I prefer DMP.

[Burke Strickland]

"He who dies first with the most toys wins"

He who enjoys his toys the most while alive really wins.

Some labels that consistently produce classical or jazz CDs and SACDs with outstanding sound:

Reference Recordings
Telarc
PentaTone (SACD)
Harmonia Mundi
Chesky
Teldec

and honorable mention to Naxos for excellent quality at a budget price.

Burke

[Hallett]

Lisa stansfield is a great cd .

[Russ L]

Some labels that consistently produce classical or jazz CDs and SACDs with outstanding sound:

Reference Recordings
Telarc
PentaTone (SACD)
Harmonia Mundi
Chesky
Teldec

and honorable mention to Naxos for excellent quality at a budget price.

Burke

A few other great labels that are not entirely Classical are Ma Recordings and Shanachie. Is this another thread? High quality labels? Regards, Russ

[wkhanna]

Is this another thread? High quality labels?

I started a thread on the 'In Tune' forum on HQ labels, as I just ordered some CD's from 'Mapleshade' for the first time, and was wondering if anybody else had heard of the label.
I was thinking of taking some of the recommendations from here to start a list in that post, if you guys don't mind.

[David Meek]

Oh yeah, Mapleshade is a good place for high-quality releases, some interesting audio products, and some "interesting" audio products, too. :W

[wkhanna]

Hey David......
I was just commenting on the recordings, not the 'snake oil'.
Buddha knows, there is enough of that out there!
I will stick with Doug’s wares cuz I know I will always get more than I paid for!

Do you have CD’s from them?

[howburger]

Regardless of my avatar, I have to say "American Recordings IV" by Johnny Cash. This CD is so clear and images better than any CD in my collection.

Harold

[luvdozer]

Whenever I audition any kind of audio gear and I want to hear what the equipment sounds like under different conditions, I bring along all of the following CDs because of the quality of the recordings.

As mentioned above - Johnny Cash - American Recordings IV. Rick Rubin is a truly gifted producer

U2 - Achtung Baby. It also happens to be one of my favorite discs generally, but the quality of the recording from track to track is a stunning sonic journey.

Radiohead - The Bends. It probably isnt a great disc to use for auditioning speakers because there probably isnt a single natural sound on the whole disc. Nonetheless, beautifully produced music is beautifully produced music - no matter what the source.

Nine Inch Nails - Downward Spiral. Sometimes, audio equipment needs to be test-driven off road, not just on the highway.

Nickel Creek - Why Should the Fire Die. Frankly all of their discs would make my list. I only picked the most recent release because they reach new heights in both the complexity of the music and the sonic beauty of the mix. The band's musicianship is so good that only the best recording can do them justice.

Pearl Jam - Vs. Vitalogy might be a slightly more ambitious production overall, but "Daughter" is the single best track for evaluating a speaker's imaging ability among the 700+ CDs i own.

Carmina Burana - 1989 Phillips; Seiji Ozawa and the Berlin Philharmonic. There are numerous later recordings of this piece that might be better, including a couple on SACD, but among the classical CDs i own, this relative old one was beautifully recorded.

In addition to the discs listed above, I also bring alone Toad the Wet Sprocket - Fear, and a couple of Cake CDs - usually Fashion Nugget and Prolonging The Magic. The Toad CD has many different passages that go soft to load, loud to soft, acoustic to electric, electric to acoustic. The fastidious Glen Phillips made them all work very well. The Cake CD's might not have the most ambitious mix ala "brothers in arms" however, I always use them to audition speakers because the bands sound is uniquely minimal with each instrument having room to dance. nearly every track contains passages of straight acoustic guitar, jazz guitar, a single trumpet and a collections of odd precussion devices. Over the course of the CD, you will hear each instrument hold single notes for several seconds with minimal distractions from other instruments. I have always found that a great way to audition speakers is to hear how well they reproduce a recording of a single instrument holding a single note.

[Chris D]

Great list there, man! Do you have the SACD's of Nickel Creek? I love them! The particular album you mention I think is only redbook CD--I haven't heard it.

I'm still trying to figure out which recording is supposed to be the "definitive" one on Carmina Burana. Would you say that it's that one?

[chrispy35]

D'oh, wrong thread...

Idiot.

[luvdozer]

I'm still trying to figure out which recording is supposed to be the "definitive" one on Carmina Burana. Would you say that it's that one?

I honestly dont know. I do know that this particular recording received rave reviews when it was released way back when. i have also heard people complain about the volume differences between soft and loud parts.

I just dont know about newer versions.

[James63]

Dave Matthews Band - Some Devil. Some Devil is my #1 pic for standard CDs that I own. The whole album sounds great (better than his others...not that they are bad).


Audioslave - Revelations is a well recorded album. It is nice to have a current rock album that is recorded well.

Dream Theater - Awake. This album is very well recorded. A must have for a metal head.

[zmanbands]

Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio

Girl Talk, Midnight Sugar, Misty. I have all 3 the lsat 2 of them in SACD. Extremely well recorded.

[David Meek]

Z, what kind of music is it?

[zmanbands]

Classic Jazz

Classic Jazz recorded in the mid 1970's. These too are thought by some to be the best recordings ever made. I have 700 Cd's and 900 LP's. They are my best.

[wkhanna]

They are on my to-buy list now!
Thanks, Z!

[zmanbands]

Hey, I live in Butler Pa

What is your system? Look on amazon marketplace. Girl Talk is not cheap. I have a CD burner.

[zmanbands]

WKHanna

I see your system in your profile. I just got the kingcats. Best IC's I ever had, They are still breaking in.

[wkhanna]

I live in Mt Washington, PGH, and work in Ellwood City, not far from Butler.

We should definitely get together!

Check out this thread.
link

[zmanbands]

WK can you make that thread clickable?

How do I find the above thread?

[wkhanna]

Sorry.....

try this