Your recent music purchases

[Dusty Chalk]

Rarum, Vols. 5 (Bill Frisell), 9 (Pat Metheny), 12 (Jack DeJohnette), and 18 (Eberhard Weber) (already have Vols. 1 [Keith Jarrett] and 3 [Chick Corea]...I think). I think I'm going to go all out on the rest of the Rarum series. Too bad they don't have a box set...(wanders off to check that there really isn't before committing)...ach du lieber and dagnabit, there is: I-VIII, IX-XX...I guess I'll have to return these.

[humanflyz]

Beck - Sea Change (SACD)

Wes Montgomery - Smoking at the Half Note

Wes Montgomery - Full House

Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli - Djangology

Eric Clapton - Slowhand (SACD)

[Fitz]

The last few weeks have been pretty slow for me for any new music purchases, this is all I have to show for it.

[jinp6301]

The last few weeks have been pretty slow for me for any new music purchases, this is all I have to show for it.

WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT

[grawk]

The last few weeks have been pretty slow for me for any new music purchases, this is all I have to show for it.

Ooh! How is it? Evangellion is one of my favorite anime ever.

[jinp6301]

eva has the best soundtrack of all anime ever. But I dont have that one

[Fitz]

It's one of the Japanese-only releases. I'll know how it is when I get it... I bought it for $6 from a guy in Japan.

[riceboy]

[909]

i went a bit silly on eBay...

The Beatles

Revolver

JAPAN 1987 CD

Black " 30TH Anniversary" obi

CP32-5327

The Beatles

Magical Mystery Tour

JAPAN 1987 CD

Black " 30TH Anniversary" obi

CP32-5334

George Harrison

All Things Must Pass

JAPAN 1993 2CD box w/obi

TOCP-8027.28

Jimi Hendrix

War Heroes

JAPAN 1991 CD w/ black obi

POCP-2024

shipped EMS from Japan so it shouldn't be much longer...

[909]

i certainly hope so. i spent way too much, don't know what i was thinking. the beatles discs are said to be taken from the same source as the ones made for the american market. the only beatles obi worth getting is that abbey road black triangle, but i just need to hear if those other ones are any better than my american pressings. supposedly, the original obi All Things Must Pass is the holy grail so i believe this reissue is near identical. i just bought the hendrix on a whim since i've never seen it before.

[909]

you are welcome to have a copy of my version.

[milkpowder]

Bought a few today:

Brahms Violin Concerto, Double Concerto

Julia Fischer, Daniel Muller-Schott (cellist), Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra Amsterdam/Yakov Kreizberg

PentaTone

Harmonia Mundi 50th Anniversary Box-set

Multiple Artists

Harmonia Mundi

Beethoven Violin Concerto, Kreutzer Sonata

Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov (pianist), The Prague Philharmonia/Jiri Belohlavek

Harmonia Mundi

Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, Octet, 3 Lieder

Daniel Hope, Sebastian Knauer (pianist), Coe Soloists (octet), Chamber Orchestra of Europe/Thomas Hengelbrock

Deutsche Grammophon

"This is K2 HD Sound!"

Multiple Artists

First Impression Music

[tom_hankins]

My most recent purchase was two tickets to the symphony this afternoon.

milkpowder,

We saw Leila Josefowicz play one of your recent purchases. Beethovens violin concerto.

[milkpowder]

It's great. Performance-wise, I recommend the Faust-Beethoven for the concerto alone. Personally, I prefer Vengerov or Perlman's version of the 9th sonata. SQ-wise, you'd expect nothing less than spectacular from Harmonia Mundi.

My audiophile uncle has hyped up the PentaTone recordings for the past couple of years. Somehow, I've managed not to buy them. My all-time favourite recording of the Brahms Violin Concerto is Mutter w/ NY Phil-Masur (not the Berlin Phil-Karajan) both for recording quality and performance. I've never been a great fan of DG recording quality, but the performances are nonetheless breathtaking. The Mutter-Masur is no exception. Anyway, I finally got my grubby fingers on the Julia Fischer PentaTone recording today. On first listen it's absolutely superb. The quality of the recording is mindblowingly good considering the modest gear I'm currently using. The resolution is more or less on par with the time I played the Mutter-Masur-DG CD through my dad's Esoteric X-03SE or the a certain dealer's X-01 Limited, P-01/D-01, Chord Blu/DAC64. In other words, the amount of detail captured in the PentaTone recording is much greater. If you have a good CDP (or SACDP), I urge you to pick up a copy of this. Performance-wise, I have to say Mutter is still ahead of the game, just...

The DG Mendelssohn Violin Concerto was OK. On the cover of the album was a quote from a music critic from the London Observer: "The most exciting British string player since Jacqueline du Pre". That was what really made me buy this CD. In all honestly, I don't think it was anything particularly special. The performance was lively and energetic.Recording quality is pretty good, especially for DG. I haven't been a great fan of DG's recording quality. It varies so much from recording to recording, but it seems like they've got it down to a tee with this 2007 release. The position of the mic can be clearly heard and it does seem a bit strange that they decided to put the listener right in the middle of the orchestra, behind the soloist (very close-mic'ed too)! As a result, I don't think this recording works well for headphones.

The HM 50th Ann. box set and FIM K2 HD sampler was ordered online, so I still haven't received them yet. I do have high hopes though, especially the FIM K2 HD sampler. It's meant to be the newest incarnation of CD mastering technology pushed to the very limit.

[tom_hankins]

Thanks for the info. I will start hunting down some of the recordings you have mentioned.

[milkpowder]

Woah, just got the Jazz at the Pawnshop XRCD as recommended on the other thread. It's much better than the CD version which I'm used to (never heard the SACD, XRCD24 versions). I wonder how K2 HD remaster will sound. Bitrate-wise there's a huge difference between CD and XRCD. I use ALAC and the XRCD rips weigh in at an average of 200kbps more than the CD rips. It's almost as if a veil has been removed.

Of all my purchases today which I've listened to, I think the Harmonia Mundi Beethoven recording was the best-buy. The sound quality is great and the performance is no slouch either. I just don't know how they do it. Consistent quality throughout their catalogue.

[tom_hankins]

Woah, just got the Jazz at the Pawnshop XRCD as recommended on the other thread. It's much better than the CD version which I'm used to (never heard the SACD, XRCD24 versions). I wonder how K2 HD remaster will sound. Bitrate-wise there's a huge difference between CD and XRCD. I use ALAC and the XRCD rips weigh in at an average of 200kbps more than the CD rips. It's almost as if a veil has been removed.

Of all my purchases today which I've listened to, I think the Harmonia Mundi Beethoven recording was the best-buy. The sound quality is great and the performance is no slouch either. I just don't know how they do it. Consistent quality throughout their catalogue.

The sacd is also very nice.

[milkpowder]

The sacd is also very nice.

I don't have an SACD player at university Otherwise, I would certainly buy more SACD recordings. It might just be me being a skeptic, but I don't think the mastering engineer puts much effort into the CD layer of SACDs. You'd probably be better off getting an exotic XRCD/2/24/K2-HD (or even a normal redbook) than rely on the CD layer of hybrid SACDs. That said, SACDs are much cheaper than the JVC-technology-infused discs.

[postjack]

I don't have an SACD player at university Otherwise, I would certainly buy more SACD recordings. It might just be me being a skeptic, but I don't think the mastering engineer puts much effort into the CD layer of SACDs. You'd probably be better off getting an exotic XRCD/2/24/K2-HD (or even a normal redbook) than rely on the CD layer of hybrid SACDs. That said, SACDs are much cheaper than the JVC-technology-infused discs.

or just snag needledrops where applicable.

[Duggeh]

Woah, just got the Jazz at the Pawnshop XRCD as recommended on the other thread. It's much better than the CD version which I'm used to (never heard the SACD, XRCD24 versions). I wonder how K2 HD remaster will sound. Bitrate-wise there's a huge difference between CD and XRCD. I use ALAC and the XRCD rips weigh in at an average of 200kbps more than the CD rips. It's almost as if a veil has been removed.

I find a huge correlation between bitrate and volume level. Albums with lower volumes or more dynamic masterings have lower bitrates. Thats why most pop and rock music is higher bitrate.

(Just bought )

[milkpowder]

I find a huge correlation between bitrate and volume level. Albums with lower volumes or more dynamic masterings have lower bitrates. Thats why most pop and rock music is higher bitrate.

(Just bought )

That's quite an interesting comment you made there. The CD is indeed quieter than the XRCD.

(you've been busy stimulating the economy haven't you: New amps, sources and discs )

or just snag needledrops where applicable.

Trust me, I will

[Duggeh]

That's quite an interesting comment you made there. The CD is indeed quieter than the XRCD.

(you've been busy stimulating the economy haven't you: New amps, sources and discs )

Trust me, I will

Buying and selling my man, got to crush the little man by squeezing my evil monies out of the small shareholder via the Northern Rock debacle.

[postjack]

Phish Vegas 96, LE Box

Grateful Dead "Road Trips Fall '79", with LE bonus disc

[John D.]

The Shepard's Dog - Iron and Wine

Heaven Is In Your Mind - Traffic (US remaster w/ bonus tracks)

Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures (Taken From The Vaults) Vol. 1

These just came in the mail, listening to The Shepard's Dog as I'm

typing, very nice

[Salt Peanuts]

Derek and the Dominos - Layla (vinyl)