Telarc recording quality


I have several Telarc CDs, some classical and some jazz, the jazz being mostly Tierney Sutton's recordings. I am always amazed (and delighted) at the quality of the recordings. Sutton's CDs, in particular, are clean with an immediate sound, so to speak, as well as being superbly balanced and focused.

What is it that Telarc does so well that others don't? Or, are my ears really screwed up?!
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Showing 1 response by zenaissance

To my ears, Telarc recordings often sound very recessed, muddy and not detailed- there is too much bloom but not in a good way (eg Dohnanyi's recordings of Beethoven symphonies). The lack of detail makes the music sound very sterile at times including their jazz recordings. When compared to superb classical cds from Reference Recordings, it is like night and day. Mind you, the dynamics on the Telarcs are quite good and there are some good recordings (Frederick Fennell/Cleveland Winds, Jacques Loussier, Mackerras/Sheherazade,Tieney Sutton etc). However I often find a thickening of textures in the music which is not entirely natural and seems rather blunt as if a thick veil or curtain is covering the speakers. The recordings need to be a little sharper (not too impressed either with the DSD technology).

My 2 cents.