Classical speakers that do violins well??

Classical music (the OP's interest) is often not recorded in a studio. More likely it's recorded in a concert hall, a church or a recital hall.

If you've every been privy to comparing a Neumann to a Schoeps, to an AKG, to a Shure, to an Audio Technica, to a Beyer, etc., etc. you'll know that the mic colors the sound at least as much as most speakers.

If you've lived with a recording from take through mixing through master, you'll realize that seldom is the final master the same as the original take. Tacet is one label that tries to keep that unalterred, but they use Neauman-based rebuilt tube mics that are noted as some of the most euphonic available. (I love them in fact).

I highly recommend Tacet to anyone wanting to test their system's string timbre. They really get it right, with a loads of overtone without undue edge. You hear the body of the instruments, not just the strings.

A cymbal... sheesh. Yes, a challenge to record well, but not really a great test of string timbre. Talk about letting the budget limit and influence the validity of the test. Mrtennis, don't you know any "real" musicians. (Drummers and percussionists are real musicians, but cymbal wackers are NOT). I'll bet neither your or your helper knew how to make the cymbal properly resonate. It's not as easy as it seems.

Dave

Shadorne, the real question is how many recording engineers use the same equipment in their personal systems.

Tbg,

Some do use the same speakers at home - of course many may not feel the need given what they have all day at work - why even bother to compete with a pro setup....why take your work home. However, some artists/engineers do buy speakers after encountering them in high end studios...not that like you or me they won't have five or ten other pairs of ordinary consumer speakers at home....they will. Of course domestic requirements may mean that they do not put ugly behemoths at home in a small room or the kitchen or the patio....but I hope you get the idea.

The needs of a recording studio are different from those used for entertainment.

I agree, home playback does not require the same in terms of electronics (no mixer/compressors/limiters and all manner of expensive tube and analog processors and no need for hundreds of mics etc.) I also agree that studio near-field monitors with narrow dispersion that are used for mixing are ill-suited to the home where you want good sound in a wide area with a lively reverberant soundfield rather than a vice-grip position for your head and having the sound beamed at you (clinical sound).

However, I believe that a good speaker is important to both home and studio. The studio "main monitors" are generally the ones that are designed to be the most "impressive" - this is what the artsists hear themselves on. These are designed to make the artists/conductor pleased about the decision to use the studio....they are the usually the best quality speakers in a studio that is cluttered with many smaller two way near-fields (so guest engineers can use whatever near-field they prefer to mix on).

. . . back to Vienna. . . Bob, your Aragon 2004 should be in the very safe range for the Strausses or other Vienna offerings. The damping factor of my JRDG 7M monos is just under 200 and work well with the Mahlers. By the way, if the Strausses were still exceeding your budget, the Beethoven Grands or the Beethoven Baby Grands my fit the bill. I have heard the Beethoven Baby Grands at RMAF on my classical test CD and they were delicious. Please do feel free to PM me if you wished more info. Saluti, Guido

Guido, his budget is 2-grand, so getting something higher up the VA ladder than the Bachs is going to require luck in the used market. If he could stretch for those used Strausses he'd be fixed forever, but by the time you add shipping and insurance, then you're well over his budget.

Also, with luck he could wait for some used Beethovens (Grands or Babies) but that could be a long wait.

Dave

Yeah, the Strausses are a bit beyond my budget—and probably a bit larger than would fit comfortably in my humble abode. But perhaps the Beethoven Babies, Mozart Grands or Bach Grands would be possibilities. Besides, I have a real problem with a speaker named Strauss being bigger than a speaker named Beethoven!

Since we're talking about microphones, does anyone have a copy of the first Stereophile test CD? On it, J. Gordon Holt reads one of his articles through a series of changing mics. It's only a slight exaggeration to say that he sounds like a different person on different mics. The differences are really ear-opening.

Thanks again, all.
-Bob