This is pretty close to the best, if not the best, classical music recording I have ever heard...period. And here's the funny part, it is not a vinyl record nor is it a CD. It's a music download. Where can you find this gem? At High Definition Tape Transfers (HDTT), where else? To use their words
"High Definition Tape Transfers specializes in rare classical recordings mastered with the best mastering equipment available." You know something, after buying two titles and listening to them today, I don't doubt them one bit.
http://www.highdeftapetransfers.comI bought two titles today. The one I recommended above and this one:
Which I can also strongly recommend.
Both are great performances and feature incredible, three-dimensional sound, from the light and airy strings all the way down to thunderous percussion. There is so much detail in these recordings that you can single out instruments and hear them clearly. This is what seperates these two recordings from the pack as far as I am concerned. And when the orchestra gets loud...the sound doesn't lose one bit of coherency like it does with so many other classical recordings.
Another great thing about HDTT is flexibility. You can download FLAC files at CD resolution or you can download High Definition audio files at 24/96, also in FLAC format. If you prefer media then you have your choice of a CD or a DVD-R that is burned in the DVD-A format. Frankly, I can't think of a single reason anyone would want to settle for anything less than the 24/96 FLAC files. Sure they are big downloads. High res FLAC files give you greater options. For example, you can use Foobar 2000 to convert FLACs to WAVs, and then use software like Disc Welder Bronze to burn your own DVD-A discs (this is what I did). Or you can use software such as Adobe Audition or Audacity to convert and resample 24/96 to 16/44.1 and burn your own audio CD if you don't have a DVD-A player or a Silm Devices Transporter to play the high res formats. The downloads do not have DRM. HDTT has won me over and I will be a regular customer. I'm already planning my next purchases, namely a Dvorak violin concerto and Schubert Symphonies 2 & 8.
--Jerome