Which is the best recording of Bach's Mass in B mi

My favourites:
(1) Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, Gardiner
Archiv (1985)
(2) Bach Ensemble, Rifkin
Nonesuch (1982)

I just got done listening to the Gardner/Archiv Monteverdi. The recording is great. I can hear the voices much better. Thank you for all your advice. I can't wait until the "Mass" comes. By the way, are there any suggestions for speakers that work well with choral music? In my short time with this hobby, I'm finding it difficult to find speakers that sound good with choral music, especially with orchestral accompaniment. I've auditioned PSB, B&W, Magnapan(sp), Paradigm, ProAc, and Thiel in the $1,500 to $2,500 range. Any suggestions?

Regarding your request for speaker suggestions, what might be helpful is some feedback on what you liked and disliked about the various speakers you've already auditioned. Also, should we assume your indicated price range is what you want to spend on speakers? Are you open to purchasing used?

Reason I ask (and disclaimer) - I have a pair of Magnepan 3.5r's - which are physically similar to their current $4,500 list model but fall into the sub-$2K range used. I also listened to Paradigm, B&W and Thiel and far preferred the Maggies. But that's just me.

The speakers you mention all have significant differences in strengths and weaknesses. Not to mention that planars (i.e., Maggie, Martin Logan, Quad ESL, etc.) and dynamics will present acoustic music with quite different results.

If you could elucidate on your audition experience, it might help us make some more informed suggestions for your continuing audition.

As a point of reference, I would note the larger Maggies are an order of magnitude better for large scale orchestral and choral than the smaller 1.6QR's you may have auditioned. As well as, IMHO, the other brand's models you probably heard.

Timwat,

Thanks for your post. What I'm listening for is detail and separation in the choral parts without being muddied up with bass. So far almost every speaker I've listened to has sounded muddy, especially when the choral parts are introduced. The PSB Platinum T8 were the only ones that I thought produced the sound I was looking for. They were $7,000 and out of my price range. The Maggies were indeed the 1.6. They were probably the next best, but the highs seem to scream at me. They only sounded detailed at high volume levels. Today I listened to B&W 604's with a Yamaha amp like mine. To date, they have the sound I like best. Not good enough to buy mind you. I'm still searching. Understand, I'm new to this and I suspect I don't know what to listen for, or there may be some quality in a cheaper speaker that fools a newbie. I have rambled here and I suspect this subject has become a thread for the Speaker Section. Anyway, I received the Gardiner Mass and it is awsome. The smaller choral group and orchestra sound much better on my small speakers. Thanks to all for the suggestions.

Baileyje, given the listening priorities you've mentioned, I recommend you consider a used pair of Celestion SL700 speakers. These are stand-mounted monitor speakers that should sell for about $700-800 on the current used market, with their dedicated stands. They originally sold for just under $3000 in the late 1980's. The reason for suggesting these speakers is that they are outstanding for voice and choral music, with beautiful and detailed reproduction of midrange and mid-bass (through the range of the cello). On mass choral, they have a wonderful ability to differentiate individual voices and vocal lines. I lived with a pair for over a decade, matched to a pair of 70-watt tube amplifiers.