Best Recording Label

Mapleshade/Wildchild are the best recording label period. Although they record primarily jazz and blues, they have recorded some great country, rock cd's, and without a doubt the best reggae album in the United States. In addition, they also record classical. Nevertheless, their recording techniques are arguemently the best. Because the 'shade doesn't do vinyl, the best label for vinyl is Analogue Productions' reissues and Classic Records. If you want great recordings and great sounds you gotta go Classic. Finally, the most humongous soundstage and incrediable imaging for classic recordings go to The Decca Records/London Records "Phase4stereo" recordings. This series of recordings will scare you if you have a full range speaker set-up that can reproduce all harmonics and fundamentals. AIN'T NO HALF STEPPIN' HERE!

Reference Recordings.

Don't know if these qualify a "true" labels but I've had good luck with Mobile Fidelity, Audioquest, and Denon. I've got a Japanese Denon label version of Enya's Watermark that is far superior to the US release. As far as "true" record labels go, Telarc has some great classical & jazz recordings.

I like the original Mobile Fidelity recordings with the pure Japanese Vinyl and Stan Ricker doing the mastering. I think Classic is doing some wonderful things with vinyl also.

Mapleshade, Three Blind Mice Recordings, ECM, Audioquest, Analogue Productions, Telarc.