Establishing a common analog listening bias

Hi Halcro, side one on the Royal Ballet set is dead on perfect phase - the other 3 sides are not. A common problem with many major classical recordings in the period from 1958 to 1963 - the first movement of Reiner's Scheherazade (well - not Reiner's but Rimsky-Korsakoff's....) and the "Heldenleben" by Thomas beecham are other good examples.

Agree on most everything you wrote, but the Weavers as well as Belafonte's first Carnegie album do indeed live up to their reputation with correct applied groove-compliant VTA. Then the space opens up and the audience becomes an audience and is no longer a waterfall.

But this is not about sonic differences in pressings and VTAs - sorry for the discourse.

Keep up the good work - I think we are doing fine.
Have a great weekend,
D.

Halcro, D.
>>> side one on the Royal Ballet set is dead on perfect phase - the other 3 sides are not...<<<

I follow this with great interest :-)
The one (for me) most important short coming of side 1, the stereo double album, (I also have the single 1st disc in mono), the cutter left that 'nasty' 50Hz buzz 'marking/trace' on the groove.
It can be clearly heard subsiding when going into dead wax.
There are a number of older recordings (period from 1958 to 1963) that seem to have that exact problem also, I'm thinking DG.

Maybe we can get 'Atmasphere' to comment on this, as he seems the one contributor most closely knowledgeable of cutting-lathes, and their problems.

Axel

Hi, one more?
"Ma Mère L'Oye" by Ravel with Ansermet and OSR?

Any comments on that one's 'PHASE'?

Another that's 'too good' by any chance?
A.

Hi, in general the DECCA-engineers had a more lucky hand regarding absolute phase in the recording equipment than their collegues at RCA and EMI.
Thats why on the best DECCA SXLs you will have - once your VTA is 100% (...99%) groove-compliant - a extremely convincing recreation of the actual recording location, its proportions, separation and localizing of individual voices and the sense of real air.
Ma mère L'Oye is good - but on a par with another 30-35 DECCA recordings.
Then the OSR is first rate rarely.
But this DECCA too may serve well.
Cheers,
D.

Halcro your description of what you hear off Belafonte's long time and highly regarded performance is totally mystifying.

"Voices and instruments undemanding though well recorded""

"Audience is simply an ill defined and sometimes a distorted screech of nebulous applause"

WHAT!

This excellent R.C.A. recording has been known as such among music enthuses for "decades"....