Good sounding Deutsche Grammophon recordings

DG vinyl, in general, lags behind Decca and other labels. I'm referring to pre-digital recordings, sound quality only. The early stereo recordings, like Karajan's 1962 Beethoven Cycle, have compressed dynamics. I don't know why, perhaps to make the records easier to track. Later DG went to large numbers of microphones, which hurt the more natural soundstage the early recordings had.

Compare the Beethoven Piano Concerto set Kempff with the Berlin on DG to the Ashkenazy/Chicago on Decca/London. The DG set sounds pretty good if you can find it first label. But if you listen to the Decca set you'll see what DG did to the dynamic range. Between the two I still listen to the Kempff because the performance is my favorite, but Ashkenazy has far better sound.

Compare the early Brahms Symphony set on DG, Karajan, to the Solti on Decca/London. The DG sounds pretty good, but it pales when compared to the Decca set. As with the Beethoven set, Kenneth Wilkinson was the Decca recording engineer. That almost always means great sound quality.

What is really odd is the sound quality of Karajan's 1962 Beethoven Symphonies on SACD. While I usually don't like SACD, in this case I prefer them to vinyl. The SACD has much better dynamic range, no compression like the vinyl.

I believe the early DG recordings, before they went to vast numbers of mic's, probably have better sound than we've ever heard. If the Karajan 1962 Beethoven SACD's are any indication. Like Colombia, DG's mastering of the early recordings may have been a good fit in the early 1960's, but it prevents us from hearing what is really on those tapes today.

Egrady, Thank you for the informative comparisons. I'll be seeking out some of these Decca/London sets. The info about Kenneth Wilkinson is good to know as well. This thread is turning into a good resource for lovers of classical music on vinyl

For those who may be reading this thread and who are interested in some similar additional information, here are two other threads to spark your interests:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1205460173

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1083989129&openfrom&13&4#13
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Not a great DG recording but an amazing performance of Beethoven's 5th symphony with Carlos Kleiber/Vienna Philharmonic. He was an amazing conductor! If you want to see a conductor that is totally in touch with his musicians and his art watch him on You tube - Jet

I just pick up near mint vinyl copies of Karajan's 1962 Beethoven Symphonies no 3, 5 and 7. These recordings sound very good on my system. Back in December I bought the complete set of the 1962 cycle and thought it sounded pretty bad but these individual records for some reason sound very much better. Actually they sound really great which was very surprising - Jet

there were several re-issues of the boxset...so it really depends which year pressing it is....

Before they went digital and before they went to transistors.

Jetrexpro, my thoughts exactly on the Berlin recordings. Those in the Jesus Christus Kirche were much better. As I recall, the change in venue was forced on him and he wasn't happy.

Brownsfan, I feel its a worthy pursuit trying to find the best of the Berlin/Karajan recordings. Non of them are going to be great sounding, but they are such a great orchestra with a great dictatorial conductor that demanded perfection in a bygone era; its simply necessary to hear these records as this level of orchestra playing/performance is stunning.

red stereo labels have best recordings.

Czarivey, as it happens I picked up Karajan/Beethoven Symp 1 and 2 from the 1962 cycle today and I agree with you. 1 and 2 have the fancy crown and the silver "stereo" label in the center and it does not sound nearly as good as no 3,5, and 7 which has the red "stereo" label over on the right hand side. Thanks so much for this tip.

Can someone clarify "red stereo label"? Looking at my DGs the older ones (but not yet tulip) have the silver Stereo word in the center. Most others have red printing for more than the word Stereo. I don't own any with only the word Stereo in red.

OK...have a good time reading.....

http://fischer.hosting.paran.com/music/dgg-lps/dg-6digits-intro.htm

Thanks Prcinka, I was looking at record labels, not jackets. Now I'll need to look again.

Prcinka referred to phase reversal in the first response to this thread; but it was never followed up. With use of an absolute phase switch I have found DG records to be generally very good, certainly above average. Being able to listen to a record (or CD/DVD) in normal and reverse phase allows one to select which setting provides more clarity,nuance,dynamics and a deeper view into the soundstage. I think many of the negative comments would disappear if the listeners had the chance to choose the setting they prefer.

This is a wonderful thread. Why wonderful? Because it points out how many music lovers post on this site. I'm talking about music lovers vs equipment freaks.

I agree on the "tulip" DGs. Most of them sound really good.

And speaking of the Mercury's, I have a lot of them. Here's what I've found ... The Phillips "Golden Imports" are Mercury reissues that have terrific sound and quieter vinyl than the originals. Don't pass 'em up.