I love all Beethoven symphonies and have 8-9 complete sets, my favorites are symphony 7,8 because I think these have the more interesting and enjoyable middle movements which make these two the best overall for me.
I think for performances I prefer the newest modern sets which were influenced by period instrument performances of late 1980's (ie Norrington, Hogwood, Gardiner), tempos are genrally faster and textures clarified:
Abbado/DG 2000
Zinman/Arte Nova
Mackerrras/EMI
I think for performances I prefer the newest modern sets which were influenced by period instrument performances of late 1980's (ie Norrington, Hogwood, Gardiner), tempos are genrally faster and textures clarified:
Abbado/DG 2000
Zinman/Arte Nova
Mackerrras/EMI