"Whose" Beethoven do you like?

Just to give you a different perspective, Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music did a set which I think is superb. The orchestra size, instruments, and deployment are authentic. These recordings are spirited -- lots of giddyup -- and beautifully recorded on Loiseau-Lyre. You can hear much more detail in the smaller ensemble than in the modern orchestra, and it's closer to the band Beethovan would have had in mind when orchestrating.

Jdeitch11 Well stated and that is why I like the Gardiner. I will look into the Hogwood set.

Gardiner and Hogwood have the ability to make the original instruments sound a lot fuller and robust than most other conductors in that format. I can listen to both of them even though I am not a fan at all of original instruments overall.

I concur with the recommendation of Karajan's 1962 recordings, except for the 6th - sounds like he was in a rush to get to his next performance. Many years ago when I first realized how much I liked the 6th, I went looking for "the" definitive performance, and ended up buying the Bohm, Masur, Sanderling, Dorati, Walter, and Reiner. I like the Bohm best - much better than the Walter, which others like. However, I do not like the Bohm 5th - lacks the tension of Karajan. I concur with the Carlos Kleiber 5th. Incidentally, there is a 9th that is of academic interest - played live, then recorded by Bernstein when the Berlin Wall fell. The orchestra is a collection of musicicans from all over the world. There was one change made to the text - "Freunde" was changed to "Freiheit" - Freedom. Is there any music "better" than the slow movement of the 9th, except maybe for the Hammerklavier Sonata ?

I favor purchasing each symphony by different conductor. This way you can listen to different insights. My favorites would be #3 with Pierre Monteaux (Philips), #5&7 with Carlos Kleiber (DG), #6 with Bruno Walter (Sony) and #9 with Klemperer (EMI).