What are the characteristics quality recordings?

I think another part of the equation is the arrangement of songs or segments in the recording. To me a good recording unfolds something like a well written story.It has something to do with tension and congruity. An example of a bad recording in this respect and in my opinion are those Best of compilations where someone has decided to throw together what they consider to be the best efforts of a given group or artists. I suppose it is not an entirely fair criticism because obviously if a group or artist have been recording for a long time the sound quality of individual tracks will vary considerably. But what I find more difficult to listen to are the way these selections are set together. To me there is almost a disregard for the work they represent, and I find this often enough that I could dare say it. It is almost as if the producers of these arrangements are saying that because the whole of these selections were popular that it really does not matter how they are thrown together. pretty trivial? I suppose. I am suprised to write that it does matter to me as criteria for well presented work.

As Timf says, the sequence of selections can be very important. This is most evident in the area of Classical music. How would Mozart's Jupiter symphony go over if you played the movements in reverse order?

From the responses you have gotten so far, I'm confused as to what aspects of the recording you are talking about. As far as the technical aspects go, I think one of the characteristics of a quality recording is that "the original dynamics of the music are preserved." A common problem with many recent CDs is that the music is normalized, compressed, etc. to make the playback volume as loud as possible. This enhances playback on portable players, jam boxes, and car stereos. However, it ruins the natural dynamics of the recording. You can look at a song with a PC using a wav file viewer, i.e. Cool Edit Pro, and easily see if this type of modification has been made. If all of the peaks throughout the music are at exactly the same level, it has obviously been modified (unless it is because of a drum machine, etc.)

For myself the answer is simple. The performance and the quality of the music's reproduction, combined with my appreciation of the music, causes me to ignore completely what my system is doing and I become totally emersed in the music. I really can't identify just one set of recording practices that cause this to occur as different techniques can render excellent results depending on the music itself. Simple mic'ing on solo instruments, multi mic'ing on large groups, etc. If I had to pick just one technical issue though, I'd select dynamic's. I'm not fond of any type of compression.

One such recording is Faure's Requiem, in its original version, by Herrweghe on Harmonia Mundi. The simplicity and shear beauty of this music defies listening to the audio aspects of my system.

Considering the sonics that make for a good/excellent recordings of acoustic music, I find the following characteristics important, in the priority listed:

1. Natural frequency response with accurate timbre and harmonic balance. There is no absolute correct tonal balance because in live perfromances this will vary all over the place depending on the instruments and the acoustic environment where performed. But, unnaturally equalized recording that hype the bass response or other portion of the frequency range won't make the top of my list.

2. Immediacy and transparency - the music must sound direct, natural and alive, without a layer of sonic gauze between me and the instruments; more often found in minimally processed recordings and recordings with simple and direct recording chains. Many original pressings fail this test for me, notwithstanding a certain tonal allure some of these may have.

3. Dynamics - the recording captures dynamic shadings cleanly, and delineates the subtle micro-dynamics that are critical to making the recording mimic a live experience (even more important that the absolute dynamic range on a macro scale). These subtle shadings of volume are what make the music come alive, and are often obscured by overprocess in the recording or mastering chain, or by the playback system.

4. Soundstaging - the recording captures the soundstaging laterally and in depth and recreates a natural and believable acoustic space in which the performers exist. (Yes, I'm one of those soundstaging freaks.)

Some of the recordings in my collection that exhibit these characteristics, and which I value highly for that, include the following LPs:

Stravinsky Firebird, Dorati, Mercury SR-90226 (Classic Records 45rpm reissue)

Stravinsky Petroushka, Danon, Chesky CR42 (Readers Digest series reissue)

Bach Suites for Solo Cello, Starker, Mercury SR3-9016 (Speakers Corner reissue)

Schuller Seven Studies on a Theme of Paul Klee, Dorati, Mercury SR-90282 (Speakers Corner reissue)

Shostakovich The Age of Gold Ballet Suite, Martinon, RCA LSC 2322 (Classic Records 45rpm reissue)

Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8, Borodin Qt, Decca SXL 6036 (Speakers Corner reissue)

Kodaly Hary Janos Suite, Kertesz, Decca SXL 6136 (Speakers Corner reissue)

Ravel Works for Orchestra, Skrowaczewski Analogue Productions APC 007

Italian Violin Music 1600-1750, Banchini, Klimo OW 002

Musique Arabo-Andalouse, Paniagua/Atrium Musicae de Madrid, Harmonia Mundi HM 389

La Spagna, Paniagua/Atrium Musicae de Madrid, BIS 163/164

Carissimi Jephta, Collden/Angby Kammer, Proprius 7840

Tarentule-Tarentelle, Paniagua/Atrium Musicae de Madrid, Harmonia Mundi HM 379

Louis Armstrong, St James Infirmary from Satchmo Plays King Oliver, Audio Fidelity ST 91058 (Classic Records 45rpm reissue)

Count Basie, 88 Basie Street, Pablo 2310-901 (Analogue Productions 45rpm reissue)

Bill Berry, Shortcake, Pure Audiophile PA-002

Bill Evans, Know What I Mean?, Riverside 9433 (Analogue Productions 45rpm reissue)
.