I Choose.....

[matthewpiano]

With the Cambridge it was anything that involved large orchestral forces, or anything that was less than perfectly recorded such as the 1980s output of Barclay James Harvest. The treble always seemed to be detached from the rest of the frequency range.

The Pioneer was far less problematic to be fair but I found its imaging to be unstable and it could sound a little thin and lifeless on occasion, again in larger scale stuff. Simpler stuff like the early Tom Waits albums, sounded lovely but something like the Rostropovich recording of Shostakovich Symphony 5 on LSO Live (which is beautifully recorded) somehow never came to life.

 

[Anonymous]

thanks for that, will try those cd's on my systems .... could you be a bit more specific on the BJH cd as I only have the best of BJH ... aswell as the other cd's?

 

[Anonymous]

also wish to mention, that what I have found, is that it's all about synergy ... put a carp cdp or carp speakers onto a reasonable amp and the music sound rubbish ... so in a nutshell, speakers and cdp need to be matched aswell,

but am sure that you are aware of this

 

[matthewpiano]

Barclay James Harvest - Face To Face (Eclectic Records Remaster)

Barclay James Harvest - Ring of Changes (Polydor original CD)

Bartok - Concerto For Orchestra (Fischer - Nimbus)

Tears For Fears - Famous Last Words (The Collection)

Shostakovich - Symphony No.5 (LSO/Rostropovich - LSO Live)

Mendelssohn - Mendelssohn Discoveries (Chailly - Decca)

Moody Blues - Long Distance Voyager (Decca/Threshold Remaster)

Holst - The Planets (Boult - EMI Great Recordings of the 20th Century)

Dvorak - Cello Concerto (Lynn Harrell - Decca)

Tchaikovsky - Fantasies & Overtures (Pappano - EMI Classics)

Jethro Tull - Beastie & The Broadsword (Remaster)

Supertramp - Crisis, What Crisis?

 

[matthewpiano]

dim_span:
also wish to mention, that what I have found, is that it's all about synergy ... put a carp cdp or carp speakers onto a reasonable amp and the music sound rubbish ... so in a nutshell, speakers and cdp need to be matched aswell,

but am sure that you are aware of this

That is exactly why I've gone for the matching C545BEE CD player.

Any future spend now will go on a DAB tuner (probably a NAD to match, but possibly a move back to a Denon TU1800DAB) and further expansion of the music collection. A dedicated headphone amp for a head-fi set-up in the bedroom is also on the cards.

 

[Anonymous]

thanks for that Matthew ... must be honest, I only have 3 of those, but I buy loads of cd's and will get some on your list then test these on my system aswell as my son's setup ... am inteested to see how 'complex' recordings will sound in comparison ... I normally use 5-6 cd's which have very good reviews as regards quality of recording, aswell as 4 of my own choice which i enjoy and know very well

am waiting for a hifi shop in cambridge to give me the go-ahead for a 2-3 hrs audition comparing my son's amp (pioneer A300R precision) hooked up to their systems which includes some really good amps/speakers/cdp's ... and will definately get a few of these cd's on your list to use

 

[Anonymous]

matthewpiano:Barclay James Harvest - Face To Face (Eclectic Records Remaster)Barclay James Harvest - Ring of Changes (Polydor original CD)Bartok - Concerto For Orchestra (Fischer - Nimbus)Tears For Fears - Famous Last Words (The Collection)Shostakovich - Symphony No.5 (LSO/Rostropovich - LSO Live)Mendelssohn - Mendelssohn Discoveries (Chailly - Decca)Moody Blues - Long Distance Voyager (Decca/Threshold Remaster)Holst - The Planets (Boult - EMI Great Recordings of the 20th Century)Dvorak - Cello Concerto (Lynn Harrell - Decca)Tchaikovsky - Fantasies & Overtures (Pappano - EMI Classics)Jethro Tull - Beastie & The Broadsword (Remaster)Supertramp - Crisis, What Crisis?

We do have similar musical tastes! Only thing I don't know is the Barclay James Harvest - will have to have a listen. BTW Although I really like the Lynn Harrell (an underrated cellist imo) have you heard a recent recording by Jean-Guihen Queyras on harmonia mundi - rather lovely I think.

A Tchaikovsky recording which I think gives a system a good workout is a Chesky disk of the violin concerto with Perlman and a few lollipops - a bit of hiss but incredible dynamic range.

 

[idc]

matthewpiano:...... A dedicated headphone amp for a head-fi set-up in the bedroom is also on the cards.

That sounds like an excellent idea. Leave your main system alone and satisfy your urges in the bedroom.