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Linn Recordings experience

herb

herb

brain's right hemisphere
I saw Sir Charles Mackerras conduct an SCO MozartSymphony a few years ago, so bought an SCO 38-41 Symphony CD by Linnrecords. It is by far the worst sounding CD I have, it is blurred and phasey - not at all realistic by any standard.

Are they all like that?
 
herb said:
I saw Sir Charles Mackerras conduct an SCO MozartSymphony a few years ago, so bought an SCO 38-41 Symphony CD by Linnrecords. It is by far the worst sounding CD I have, it is blurred and phasey - not at all realistic by any standard.

Are they all like that?
Click to expand...

It is an outstanding set and an outstanding recording. Here is the gramophone review, where they heap praise on it ..

“(Mackerras) handling of it – joyously supported by the playing of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra – is supremely skilled; rarely will you hear such well judged orchestral balance, such effective marrying of textural transparency and substance. The Jupiter in particular has a wonderful bright grandeur, yet reveals details in the brilliant contrapuntal kaleidoscope of the finale that too often go unheard.”

The recording won at least the following awards:

Best Classical Record of 2008. The Sunday Times
Best Classical Record of 2008. HMV Choice
#1 in Top 10 Symphonies List. Gramophone
A Disc of the Year. BBC Radio 3's 'Record Review'
A Disc of the Year. BBC Radio 4's Front Row
A Disc of the Year. Classic FM's The New CD Show
Recommended. Gramophone
Classical CD of the Week. The Sunday Times
Orchestral Disc of the Month. BBC Music Magazine
Album of the Month. HiFi News

It’s more likely your hi-fi is duff than this is a duff recording, I have listened to it many times, and have heard him and the SCO play Mozart. Nothing wrong with the recording imo.
 
herb said:
I saw Sir Charles Mackerras conduct an SCO MozartSymphony a few years ago, so bought an SCO 38-41 Symphony CD by Linnrecords. It is by far the worst sounding CD I have, it is blurred and phasey - not at all realistic by any standard.

Are they all like that?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure about that particular recording but a quick survey of Linn's YouTube channel shows that they don't do real stereo with orchestral music. Some labels get away with multi-track but "blurred and phasey" does indeed come with the territory in my experience.
 
AndyU said:
It is an outstanding set and an outstanding recording. Here is the gramophone review, where they heap praise on it ..

“(Mackerras) handling of it – joyously supported by the playing of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra – is supremely skilled; rarely will you hear such well judged orchestral balance, such effective marrying of textural transparency and substance. The Jupiter in particular has a wonderful bright grandeur, yet reveals details in the brilliant contrapuntal kaleidoscope of the finale that too often go unheard.”

The recording won at least the following awards:

Best Classical Record of 2008. The Sunday Times
Best Classical Record of 2008. HMV Choice
#1 in Top 10 Symphonies List. Gramophone
A Disc of the Year. BBC Radio 3's 'Record Review'
A Disc of the Year. BBC Radio 4's Front Row
A Disc of the Year. Classic FM's The New CD Show
Recommended. Gramophone
Classical CD of the Week. The Sunday Times
Orchestral Disc of the Month. BBC Music Magazine
Album of the Month. HiFi News

It’s more likely your hi-fi is duff than this is a duff recording, I have listened to it many times, and have heard him and the SCO play Mozart. Nothing wrong with the recording imo.
Click to expand...

Is there any chance that those awards were granted because of the artistic merit?
 
Gosh. an unexpected response. I must admit that my Naim/ATC/Harbeth system loves old recordings and I settled on a cheap English Concert Trevor Pinnock box set of the complete Symphonies, which sounds sublime, more dynamic and focussed. I have fond memories of the live Mackerras performance and the Linn recording does not do it justice.

I guess I'm very much in the minority then....:)
 
tuga said:
Some labels get away with multi-track but "blurred and phasey" does indeed come with the territory in my experience.
Click to expand...

Which Linn classical recordings have you experience of? Which of the Mackerras recordings on Linn have you experience of?
 
tuga said:
I'm not sure about that particular recording but a quick survey of Linn's YouTube channel shows that they don't do real stereo with orchestral music. Some labels get away with multi-track but "blurred and phasey" does indeed come with the territory in my experience.
Click to expand...

Yes thanks, those mic placements look very odd to me and quite unlike those at BBC3 recordings I have attended. It certainly could be a factor, my system would show a problem. Quirky mastering biased to the Linn sound may be an issue too.
 
Arkless Electronics said:
Other than those I do have on vinyl Linn Records first release... from before they were called Linn records... they were then called ALOI which stood for "A Label Of Integrity".

This be it: https://www.discogs.com/Renée-Reaching-For-The-Sky/release/2068191
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Thanks for that, I’ve never heard of the label or the record, I’ll look it up when I’m home (flying home from Crete tomorrow night).

In my experience, Linn make superb quality recordings, but I’m just not that interested in the music itself. The Blue Nile are an excellent band though and Linn’s production ability is just the icing on the cake.
 
herb said:
I saw Sir Charles Mackerras conduct an SCO MozartSymphony a few years ago, so bought an SCO 38-41 Symphony CD by Linnrecords. It is by far the worst sounding CD I have, it is blurred and phasey - not at all realistic by any standard.

Are they all like that?
Click to expand...
I have the sacd of that and it sounds fine! Will go back and relisten
 
herb said:
Gosh. an unexpected response. I must admit that my Naim/ATC/Harbeth system loves old recordings and I settled on a cheap English Concert Trevor Pinnock box set of the complete Symphonies, which sounds sublime, more dynamic and focussed. I have fond memories of the live Mackerras performance and the Linn recording does not do it justice.

I guess I'm very much in the minority then....:)
Click to expand...
Pinnock era English Concert recordings are fine and the musical standards are top notch. A great turning point for Baroque period interpretation in Britain. I have huge respect for what Pinnock achieved and am keen to hear him live before he packs it in.
 
tuga said:


Too Many Mics
Those who associate 'audiophile' recording with a minimalist or purist approach to stereo microphone technique might be shocked to see the forest of stands that surrounds the Consort.
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If you actually read the article you would learn that the main recording is done using a classical decca tree arrangement of a few microphones; the “forest of microphones” are used for very small enhancements of solos and so on. Read the article. Listen to the recordings. Those I have of the Dunedin Consort (who I have also heard live) are very fine indeed. Try the Mathew Passion or the Magnificat, both very highly regarded recordings. Then spout off. Right now you are speaking from a position of total ignorance.
 
AndyU said:
If you actually read the article you would learn that the main recording is done using a classical decca tree arrangement of a few microphones; the “forest of microphones” are used for very small enhancements of solos and so on. Read the article. Listen to the recordings. Those I have of the Dunedin Consort (who I have also heard live) are very fine indeed. Try the Mathew Passion or the Magnificat, both very highly regarded recordings. Then spout off. Right now you are speaking from a position of total ignorance.
Click to expand...

You're a little touchy. Did you make any of the recordings or are you just a fanboy?
 
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