08-Nov-2016, 22:37
(08-Nov-2016, 02:36)Will Wrote: I listen almost entirely to classical music - and a lot of "historic" recordings from 1940s onwards (and including lots of recordings from the 1960s and 70s). I am always careful to research the origins of the digital file - particularly the date of the remastering. A check on review sites - including Amazon will give you an indication if there are problems with the sound quality.
The problem is that there is a lot of cheap and nasty digital versions of classical records out there.
I generally have found the sound quality to be excellent - but with the caveat that improved systems can reveal problems in the source recording that may not have been apparent before. For example, I recently purchased Furtwangler Beethoven 5 & 7 (studio) in its latest reincarnation - only to notice a low rumble in some passages (which I am sure could have been eliminated with careful digital editing without interfering with the quality of the music). However, overall I am still happy with this purchase.
The other point I would make is that you need speakers that are suited to classical music. I am not an audio nerd, but in previewing speakers for my latest system, there was a lot of differences in "musicality" in the various speakers I auditioned. Some speakers were definitely better at classical music than others.
So true
btw I still enjoy listening to Furtwangler, I like him also in Bruckner 7 symphony chapter 2 from 1949. ( very bad connotation with this recording though ) Somehow it doesn't get old