Qobuz > FiiO BTA30 Pro > Modi > Loki > Magni > Zeus
Tonight will be a Classical evening of listening. I’m cruising around Qobuz’s 24 bit Discover section on the hunt for great Classical music.
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That previous performance, above, was amazing! I’ll be adding that one to my collection.
Moving on,
I also switched to my big system. Classical sounds better to me on speakers than it does on headphones.
Qobuz > Cambridge Audio CXN V2 > Jnog (OG) > Freya S > Vidar (Monoblock) > Klipsch R-620F
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Speaking of dynamics…
This is the best sounding orchestral recording I have ever heard. The sense of space is amazing.
If your system can reproduce the single pastoral oboe in the distance, and the MASSIVE tutti sections, with equal fidelity and poise, here is a gift.
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Tis the season! This complete album is my favorite version.
Merry Christmas!
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Check out Holst: The Planets, Op. 32 by André Previn on Amazon Music
https://music.amazon.com/albums/B07QZVP9W6?ref=dm_sh_jKHqHxBB5BibMxz07Bt3jPQ05
Just found this version 2 or 3 days ago. My favorite was the Telarc version, but now I’m not sure.
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Winter by Jim Perkins. heard it for the first time last night when I watched this video of Winter. it took the videographer 5 years to gather the clips needed to make it.
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I’m listening to this right now. You are correct about the recording, it’s beautiful. I actually found a CD on Amazon, they had one left, so I ordered it. This will be a great addition to the collection.
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it is beautiful! 
After the 70’s set I got inspired to do something I have been meaning to do for quite some time. I wanted to listen to Swan Lake - the entire performance. I have never listened to it before. But which version? After some deliberation I decided on this one. From 1992, it’s Conductor Charles Dutoit and the Orchestre Symphonique De Montréal. To me, it’s fantastic.
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I’m going to have to give that one a listen later today. I’ll report back on how I find it.
Love those older Decca recordings. They had it figured out!! Takes a real commitment to listen to complete anything. Kudos.
Comments on the music/experience?
I’ve just finished listening to this:
This was another DSD exploration of mine.
First, this is a place called ‘Chasing the Dragon Audiophile Recordings’ in London. I learned of them this morning when I happened to watch this YouTube video that made reference to them.
So I went to the site and picked out the album, above, and another one I’ll listen to later tonight.
These were encoded in DSD128. My PC and Foobar played them just fine. Then I moved over to the big stereo in the other room. That’s when I found out the limitation of the Cambridge CXN V2 network streamer. Apparently, it can only play DSD64 and nothing higher. I was bummed.
So I went back to the website and purchased, again, the same recordings only in WAV 24/192.
Then I moved the WAV files to the hard drive connected to the Cambridge and sat down to listen.
Wow. I was blown away at the sound and the performance.
From what I gather, they go all out to ensure the best possible conditions for the recording and equipment to make it happen. It shows.
I’ve never before heard such a crystal clear performance of classical music on a HiFi system. I felt like I was sitting in the audience; it was that good. I’ve been to many symphonies in person near me, and this recording was about as close to being there as I can get.
On the track Tartini D56 Movement 2 - Andante, it was so amazing I became emotional. That rarely happens to me. The solo violin was piercing, not ear-piercing, but soul-piercing.
What an amazing performance, both the music, and the high quality recording.
Highly recommended!
If you get decide purchase it, be sure your equipment can handle DSD128, or opt for the PCM WAV 24/192 version.
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WAV 24/192 > Cambridge Audio CXN V2 > Freya S > Vidar (Monoblock) > Klipsch R-620F
This was the other DSD album I purchased from ‘Chasing the Dragon Audiophile Recordings’ today. Also, purchased the WAV version as well.
Another amazing performance and superior recording. I understand that when they do a recording, it is a ‘direct cut recording’ straight to a vinyl cutter, and for the digital side, they do not edit anything, don’t correct anything, or remove anything. The recordings are a pure as they were played in person.
With that said, in Piano Sonata No. 14, movement 1, there is a sound that clearly pops out and is not the music. Someone must have dropped something, or otherwise made a sound and at times you can hear pedal noise. Those sounds will forever be a part of this recording. lol
But it’s also a testament to the incredible accuracy, clarity, and sensitivity of the microphones, other equipment, and the treatment of the room they were in to be able to pick up some of these sounds that, in most other recordings, you don’t usually hear.
Now, the performance was number 1 in my book. For many years I considered Wilhelm Kempff’s performance of Piano Sonata No. 14 to be the best I’ve ever heard.
The recording however, is rather poor by comparison. But Wilhelm’s performance, was in my opinion, stellar.
But, after listening to the performance by John Lenehan at Chasing the Dragon, it has now supplanted Wilhelm’s performance in my book.
I’ve listened to numerous people play this sonata and almost every one of them disappoints me. Either they play too fast, too slow, make mistakes, or otherwise don’t play it well. Wilhelm was always number 1 and now I have a new number 1.
This was just a brilliant performance, and a recording quality unmatched in my opinion.
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Good to know, thanks!!
Happy New Year and a thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread. Though my musical tastes are pretty eclectic, I most love classical music and all the beauty it provides. It truly fills my soul. Have a wonderful year of great listening, new discoveries and some “Wow” moments!!
Tim
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Just installed roon today. This is super cool software!
FLAC > roon > Cambridge Audio CXN V2 > Freya S > Vidar (Monoblock) > Klipsch R-620F
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