Best recorded CDs - Best sounding

[Cloth Ears]

Scott,

I don't claim to be an expert by any means, but I take it as an indication of the quality and care that has gone into creating a disc.

Here's some info (from discdupe.org) that correlates with what my general understanding is:

...

Best Regards,
TerryO

[OT]
The errors all seem to occur when using a standard CD (or SACD/DVD/etc) player. This is because (as far as I am aware) that the players are not allowed to copy even a small portion of the content of the disk down to any sort of memory in order to play it. This is due to some peoples' (ie. the recording industry) weird ideas on copyright and the electronics industry being unwilling to take them on. Copying a CD down to a hard-drive can be bit-perfect, and the resulting playback should have none of the errors that traditionally occur as a result of imperfect reads (shouldn't be any jitter there either).

With flash memory being so cheap nowadays, it shouldn't be too long before a kit is available so that you can do this DIY mod to your own player. At least, that's what I'm hoping.
[/OT]

Sorry about the OT post...

 

[Blacktithe]

I have noticed through my car audio and home stereo that the promise land album by queensryche was of high quality as far as sound definition and overall clarity

 

[valvesound]

Pat Coil - Just Ahead (Sheffield Lab recording) is also a brilliant CD. Especially track 4 Lady J where the tune is carried on the symbols. Not something I have heard done before. This is also a good system test, see if you can hear the colour of the metal used to make the symbol. It ssssshould not sssssound like a sssnake in the grasssss ;-)

 

[Charles Darwin]

Symbols or Cymbals?

It'd be difficult to hear symbols.

 

[lduarte1973]

Journey - raised on radio ( sony super bit mapping version )
whitesnake - restless hart
damn yankees - dont tread
depeche mod - best of
dave mathews - behind these crowded streets
iron maiden - brave new world , dance of death
metallica - black album

 

[Chris Daly]

[OT]
The errors all seem to occur when using a standard CD (or SACD/DVD/etc) player. This is because (as far as I am aware) that the players are not allowed to copy even a small portion of the content of the disk down to any sort of memory in order to play it. This is due to some peoples' (ie. the recording industry) weird ideas on copyright and the electronics industry being unwilling to take them on. Copying a CD down to a hard-drive can be bit-perfect, and the resulting playback should have none of the errors that traditionally occur as a result of imperfect reads (shouldn't be any jitter there either).

With flash memory being so cheap nowadays, it shouldn't be too long before a kit is available so that you can do this DIY mod to your own player. At least, that's what I'm hoping.
[/OT]

Sorry about the OT post...

Well you can have your cake and eat it too- says an old saying. If you DBX Type 1 compress record your CD to a Yamaha CDR HD1500 hard disk recorder and then play that back through the DBX Type 1 expander like a DBX 150x or DBX 155 the DBX will do its purpose as a compander, dramatically improving your original CD. I agree with cloth ears that current CD playback is very poor, however the actual CD disc is terrific, there is far more on the CD than conventional players can play. Companding with DBX proves that. I have recorded all my CD's this way, and enjoy playback approaching theoretical perfect. Cheers / Chris

 

[impsick]

I just stated this on another thread but I'd say A Perfect Circle "Thirteenth Step". Amazing sound quality.

 

[mirlo]

Snarky Puppy has a few good ones.

 

[mirlo]

Sibelius: Violin Concerto, Walton: Violin Concerto

Akiko Suwanai (violin)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo (conductor)

Philips Classics 470 622-2

 

[mirlo]

All of the Van Baerle Trio's recordings of Beethoven Piano Trios

 

[mirlo]

Zabad, l'écume des nuits . {Twilight Tide}
by Duo Sabîl

Oud and percussion

Harmonia Mundi

 

[totally analogue]

Boz Scaggs album 'Dig' amazing the depth of sounds when played on good gear.

 

[HollowState]

Here's ten well recorded high quality sounding discs

Tchaikovsky 1812 - Dallas SO (Delos 20 bit)
Chasing the Dragon - Audiophile Recordings (mixed)
Pure Heart - Hiroko Kokubu - smooth jazz piano (JVC 20 bit)
A Girl Meets Bossa Nova - Olivia Ong (HDCD 24 bit)
Rachmaninoff Piano concerto 2 - Earl Wild - Chesky Records
The Lady in Red - Hot Club of San Francisco - Clarity Recordings (HDCD 24 bit)
Amanda McBroom - Dreaming - Gecko
Terba Buena Bounce - Hot Club of San Francisco - Reference Recordings (HDCD 24 bit) (or any Reference Recording)
Happy Coat - Shota Osabe Piano Trio - LIM K2 HDCD
Fairytales -Radka Toneff/Steve Dobrogosz - Odin (Norway)

 

[Pano]

I have that Litton/Dallas. It’s a good one.

 

[HollowState]

Well, here's five more.

Basie Jam - w/7 other big name players - Pablo
Folk Singer - Muddy Waters - Mobile Fidelity Gold Disc
Iannis Xenakis - Kuniko Kato - Linn hybrid compatable SACD (excellent percussion)
Rachmaninoff - Dallas SO - Analogue Productions
Red Rodney 1957 - Prevue - (Rudy Van Gelder & Bernie Grundman)

 

[HiDave]

I've got way too many...Naim, Linn, Sheffield Labs, Blue Note, Columbia Legacy, Chess,

Even Herb Alpert (with or without the TB) has remastered & re-released on CD his whole back catalogue.

Ramsey Lewis Trio "The Greatest hits" 32bit remasters on CD by Chess.....most recorded live in clubs...

Razorlight "wire to wire" single...live, one take onto a master tape....

 

[Salar]

You can't do anything wrong with ECM Records.
Almost all studio recordings have to be done within three days
and it benefits the sound:

Oregon - Oregon
Pat Metheny / Lyle Mays - As falls Wichita so falls Wichita Falls

and many, many, many more.

There is a thirteen year old documentary about the label it gives
a little impression about the label's music. Like the CD's, the trailer starts with silence:

 

[mhenschel]

The best CD I've ever heard was a sampler that HiFi News and Record Reviews taped to the cover of their magazine ... long ago.
The disc was put together by electronics company Meridian and I believe that Tim de Paravicini had something to do with the production. It had some wonderful Handel sung by Lorraine Hunt and a Bach Trio Sonata played on the organ by John Butt.
Subsequently, I bought regular releases of some of the music but sonically none of it was as as good.
I lost that disk (house break-in) so if anyone has a copy they don't want...

 

[bedrock602]

I have never been disappointed with a ECM recording on CD

 

[Michael C]

You could try those digital vynal records from mofi or the cds which are analog i think.