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Reference Recordings

Am I the only one who doesn’t like the sound of the highly touted Reference Recordings.  While there are some exceptions (e.g. Prokofiev “Alexander Nevsky,”) I find the orchestral perspective on most of their discs so distant that the sound is muddled and sound staging practically non existent.
Anyone else feel that way?
rvpiano

Showing 2 responses by rcprince

rcprince
3,080 posts
 
I have found them to be fine, maybe a slightly distant soundstage but pretty natural sounding to me compared with listening in a concert hall from mid-hall.  Their SACDs with the Pittsburgh SO are very good in that format.   I would not necessarily think Johnson's miking is minimalist, though--I don't think he's ever been above multi-miking.  Telarc was more minimalist than RR..
rcprince
3,080 posts
 
In listening further, it seems to me that the Minnesota Orchestra recordings do have a recessed quality not found on the others.  I still get a soundstage, but it does have a distant perspective.  I'd be curious how much the hall has to do with that--perhaps Schubert, who I believe lives in Minneapolis, has heard the orchestra in that hall and could chime in.  The new recordings from Pittsburgh and Kansas City are really good. and quite different in perspective., as were the recordings from Dallas.  
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