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.
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.