I tend to agree with Newbee and others here. Telarc does not go for immediate sound, relying on spaced omnis for their principal recording mikes (at least in the old days), which results in a spacious sound but without the pinpoint imaging that you get with more spot mikes. I think that's a principal reason for the veiled/opaque sound you're referring to. Interestingly, it seems that the louder you play a Telarc recording, the better it sounds, don't ask me why. And I concur that the better gear you have, the better a Telarc recording sounds--I've noticed this as my system has evolved. I tend to like Telarc recordings (some of their SACDs are superb), though my speaker system, which is a quasi-omni and very wide-dispersion, may be tailor-made for their recording philosophy.
Telarc recordings
Hi folks, does anyone know why Telarc classical recordings often sound opaque? By opaque I mean that the recordings don't sound transparent (a sort of see through quality like most DECCA recordings). Because of this sound character the music often sounds dull and lifeless. That's a pity because there are plenty good performances on this Label. What is the most likely explanation for this sound character? Is it because of the mics Telarc uses or recording equipment? Or is this actually how music sounds in reality? I visited Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Davies Hall (San Francisco), the concerthall in Cologne, but they all sound quite transparent and not dull.