Exceptional well recorded 2 channel music (1 Viewer)

[EdNichols]

Just bought new speakers and have gone through my cd collection and was wondering if anyone has suggestions on well recorded music that really brings out the sound of the instruments . Some of the CD's I have I really thought would sound good (Star Wars Orchestra)didn't impresse while some send chills down my spine(Lord of the Dance). I like anything from pop to classical, but don't want to waste money on music I think may sound nice and then find it is not recorded well. Any suggestions?

 

[Angelo.M]

Check out the Chesky label for well-recorded stuff, including Rebecca Pidgeon's The Raven, an excellent 2-channel demo disc.

 

[EdNichols]

Thanks for the info. Maybe I should have stated my thread as well recorded demos. All I know is some big time artists that you would think would have the bucks to make a good recording don't sound that good.

 

[Danny Tse]

Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms

Exceptionally recorded. Depending on your speakers and room, some tracks give sense of surround sound. Excellent music to boot. Get the remastered CD or if you want to push it to the limit, the Asia-only XRCD version.

 

[Seth_S]

Bruckner: Symphony No.8, Boulez/VPO on DG
Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn, Szell/LSO on EMI
Hindemith: Orchestral Works, Sawallisch/Philadelphia on EMI

 

[Rick_Brown]

Nightfly by Donald Fagen (singer for Steely Dan). This CD has been a demo disk for many years. Also just re-released on DVD-A.

 

[EdNichols]

Thanks again. Hopefully these will have good sound stage. Love that deep sound stage!!!

 

[Brian L]

Obviously, a lot depends on your tastes, but a few quickies...

Thomas Dolby - Aliens Ate My Buick
Queensryche - Empire
Guns and Roses - Use Your Illusion 1&2

Most anything on Telarc, Chesky, Delos, and AIX (all audiophile labels).

I also like the Telarc movie music compilations by Eric Kuntzel and the Cincinatti Pops.

BGL

 

[JordanS]

The Eagles with 'Hell Freezes Over'

 

[LanceJ]

I knew it was a good idea to buy this issue of "EQ" magazine!

This is from their The Best Recordings Of All Time feature in their December 1999 issue. This list was generated through an online poll and represents the 10 best sounding recordings. Each title has an extensive review of it--worth digging up this issue somewhere.

Number 1: Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

Number 2: Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)

Number 3: Pet Sounds (1966)

Number 4: Abbey Road (1969)

Number 5: The Nightfly (1982)

Number 6: Led Zeppelin IV (1971)

Number 7: Electric Ladyland (1968)

Number 8: Thriller (1982)

Number 9: Stereotomy, by The Alan Parsons Project (1985)

Number 10: The Downward Spiral, by Nine Inch Nails (1994)

LJ

 

[Jeff Keene]

Number 1: Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

Maybe referring to LP?? The Beatles CDs sound awful on my system.

 

[LanceJ]

Skimming through this very long article I didn't see any mention of CD or vinyl. Sorry!

LJ

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Too many to mention, but here are some meandering thoughts:

Ricki Lee Jones: Live at Red Rocks is very amazing.

If Ryan Adams:Gold is anything close to the SACD then I definitely recommend it.

The Nightfly is definitely good and the Steely Dan boxed set was fairly well done as well.

I like Van Morrison's new Down The Road.

Badi Assad: Solo and McCoy Tyner: New York Reunion on Chesky Records are favorites.

On Reference, anything by Eiji Oue (sic?) and the Minnesota symphony.

The Trinity Sessions CD on the Calrec Ambisonic mic - you can hear the AC in the background!

For research on more good albums...

The Absolute Sound has a wonderful Super Disc List from Harry Pearson and you can search the archives at www.stereophile.com for records of the month and Records 2 Die For.

 

[Jagan Seshadri]

Pink Floyd's "The Wall" has a very good stereo mix.

-JNS

 

[Todd Schnell]

If you want something a lil more rock'n, my latest is Porcupine Tree - In Absentia.

Todd

 

[Curtis Lotter]

I just went through an upgrade myself and immediately played what always seems to end up first at bat. The cases are still sitting out.

My top three:

Holly Cole: It Happened One Night - a great live recording.

Cowboy Junkies: The Trinity Session - I LOVE that mike Lee!

Pink Floyd: The Wall - always seem to play Mother first...

Oh, and another case that's still sitting out, maybe as good as any of the recordings, Roger Waters: Amused To Death - that QSound does some amazing things

 

[Al B. C]

There's two by Lyle Lovett:

"Joshua Judges Ruth"

&

"Lyle Lovett And His Large Band"

Get either one, or both! You won't be disappointed.

 

[Brian E]

Maybe referring to LP?? The Beatles CDs sound awful on my system.

Probably. Most people consider all of the Beatles CDs to be poor sound quality wise.

 

[Ted Lee]

just about anything recorded by sting, but i really love his first two solo releases: "the dream of the blue turtles" and that other one (sorry...not at home).

i also really like suzanne vega's "tom's diner". i often use that cd to test speakers.

 

[Tim Reed]

Anything on the Mapleshade label. These are the best recordings I've ever heard (and that includes the Chesky stuff, Reference Recordings, Telarc, and DMP etc - - I've got a bunch of that stuff going back 20 years).

The guy who does the engineering (go to the Mapleshade site to read about it), does everything he can NOT to fool with the recorded signal. No overdubbing(one shot recording). No equalization etc. Just great mikes and great equipment. In the end, it sounds like it is right there in your living room. Its noticeable better than anything else I've heard.

Another great recording - - Eva Cassidy Live at Blues Alley. (Boy was she an amazing singer !! ) Whoever recorded that performance is a master !

The new Peter Gabriel (Up) is pretty good as is the Porcupine Tree (In Absentia - -mentioned above).

Any of the Cowboy Junkies CDs are good.

If you've got a 5.1 system, then the Roger Waters DVD (In the Flesh) is outragiously good. When 5.1 is done right (rare), it destroys 2 channel.

What we need is for Pink Floyd to get together and re-record Dark Side with today's technology. IMO - - its the greatest rock album of all time - - but it sounds like it was done in the early 70's (which it was of course).