Depends on your taste . The Axis collection is as good as it gets and the selection is varied . I also like Steely Dan s Two Against Nature , and Everything Must Go. ELP s Brain Salad Surgery as well as Yes , Fragile are good classic rock titles. The first Linkin Park is great too. Grover Washington s limelight , Chicago s Chicago ,Mahler Philo symphony in A minor is superb. Pet Sounds is a must for the collection as well. |
Some sonic goodies include Steeley Dan , Everything must go and Two Against Nature, Donald Fagen, The Nightfly, The Eagles , Hotel California , the two by the Big Phat Band, and Grover Washington Jr, Winelight. |
If your setup is multichannel, and you will listen to classical, try TACET DVD D107, Mozart Flute Quartets. To really get the full impact, your rear speakers ought to be as good as the fronts. Other TACET discs are also excellent, but this is the one I use to demo my system.
I have found that DVD-A and SACD audio quality varies greatly between discs. Don't be discouraged by a few duds. However, certain Labels tend to be reliably better, and more expensive. The TACET discs will set you back nearly $30, but worth it. |
Other great dvda's are:
Tommy--the Who
Frampton Comes Alive
From the Front Row--Kansas and Pat Benetar
1011 Woodland --the Fixx-- good surprise!!
Flamenco A Go Go--Steve Stevens -- smokin guitar |
I wasnt thinking. Eldartford is indeed the dvd a software guru to seek out just as I would seek Ben Campbell for cd s . |
First, my principle criterion for great-sounding classical recordings is naturalness--I want to be transported to the concert hall.
With that in mind, all of the several Naxos clasical DVD-As ( http://www.naxos.com/mainsite/default.asp?label=NaxosDVDAudio&active=CD&Title1=NAXOS%20DVD%20Audio&InParam=((iv_type=3)AND((class_code='NDL')or(class_code='NDS'))) ) are at least very good. My favorite is the Shostakovich 7th Symphony by Yablonsky and the Russian Philharmonic O., # 5.110020. I also have several of the Silverlines with Abravenal conducting the Utah SO. They're all at least good; those produced and recorded by Mark Aubort and Joann Nikrenz of Elite Productions are best. My favorite is the Sibelius Symphonies 2 and 3, #288255-9. Evey time I listen to the 3rd and 4th movements of the 2nd I get goosebumps.
I agree heartily with Eldartford--quality is highly variable.
Also, there seems to be great differences of opinions among producers/engineers on how loud the centerchannel should be...from not used at all to (IMO) WAY too loud. I like the solidity that use of the CC brings, but often I turn it down. |
Jeffreybehr..."transported to the concert hall" is what a really good stereo system will do. Multichannel can do it somewhat better. However, multichannel can also do something that stereo can't...transport a small group of musicians, classical chamber group, jazz, or bluegrass, into your listening room. This makes perfect sense. It's the best "you are there" sound there is. It can also put you into the midst of a larger orchestra, but many folk, probably those who have not performed in an orchestra, find this annoying.
I think that center channel is very important, as it is the logical place to put a soloist. However, I agree that the center level varies a lot. I have violin concertos where, if I crank the volume up enough to really feel the orchestra, the violin is lounder than any real violin can play, and therefore is sonicly poor. It's like looking at your girlfriend's complexion under a magnifying glass!
Finally, I disclaim any status as a guru. |
Eldartford,
Between listening to concert DVDs in DTS via a coaxial digital interconnet and listening to live stage performance on DVD-A recording title via multichannel interconnect, which you find yourself listen more? Eventually, I'll develop my own preference, but I am new, and I am not always correct. Thus, I like to inquire the opinions of others. I know that not all DVD-A recordings have the same high quality and good sound engineering mix, but what have you bought lately, SACD or DVD-A titles? Thanks for the input. |
Another surprisingly excellent DVD-A is Basie Swings on Denon, if you're into this kind of music. I just played it last night on my new Denon DVD-3910 and couldn't stop tapping. |
Lej1447...Lately I have not bought any discs as I do not have time to listen to the ones I have. I have both SACD and DVD-A, and a well-engineered disc of either kind outperforms CD. Almost all my discs are classical. A couple of exceptions are AIX80008 John McEuen and Jimmy Ibbotson, Nitty Gritty Surround (Bluegrass) and Rounder 11661-0516-6 Alison Krauss + Union Station. The AIX disc is recorded on both sides and has an astonishing number of audio and video programs that you can choose from. Sonic quality is excellent. I found the Alison Kraus disc a disappointment not up to the hype.
In summary, the TACET DVD D107 is the best I have found, overall. It does not, however have deep bass or great volume. For the you need TELARC SACD-60579 The Sound of Glory, Morman Tabernacle Choir. |
I agree it all depends on the mixing of the Disk. I prefer 2 channel mixes and all the Diana Krall DVD-A recordings are the best I've heard (full bodied and silky smooth) There are more duds than good recordings especially the Rock and Roll titles. SACD's seem to be more consistent and much easier to use. I hate the menus I need to navigate on my DVD-A player.
I have a pretty decent system
Von Schweikert VR-4 GenII
EAD TheaterMaster 8000
Theta Dreadnought Amp
Samsung HD1000 DVD-A
Sony SCD2000ES (could be better but adequate)
Michael |
Mrlabguy...Why do you NEED to navigate menus when you play a DVD-A? I know you CAN do that if you are in the mood to experiment, but most of the time I just hit the PLAY button like any other recording. Others have made the same complaint, and I don't understand why. |
I agree with Eldarford--I push Play and they all play in multichannel mode.
I think that's selected in the player's initial setup. |
I prefer 2-channel over multi-channel. Default is Multi and I needed to memorize the menu to get to the 2-channel program. With SACD I only need to hit a button to switch between 2/multi/CD and the transition is instant.
I was once a surround sound fan buying up all the multichannel disks I could find, however, since my gear has significantly improved I've gravitated to 2 channel.
Michael |
As Jeffreybehr commented, 2-channel can probably be made your default through the Setup process. My Denon player, and perhaps others, let's you change this setting (but only for SACD) by a front panel button. |
