2. digital
  3. 129868-1601

Glare on Choral recordings, classical vocals

Dear all,

I'm hoping for some clarity on an issue of the quality of choral vocals in digital recordings. It's either my system or the recordings. There is a glare and harshness in the crescendos, and I wonder if it's natural room clipping in the studio or cathedrals in which they are recorded (the delay in some of these spaces can lead to a natural harshness and smearing of the sound), or if I have poor setup in terms of the DAC and/ or the preamp. I use a B&K PRO-10MC and a Schiit Bifrost Multibit. This setup has resolved any issues with digital glare except in the domain of choral music. Do I have to suck it up and consider upgrading to the Gungnir or another device? Should I consider a tubed preamp, maybe the Schiit Freya?

The problem is far less noticeable on vinyl, but most of my choral collection is in the digital domain. 

I've always had problems with the Tallis Scholars recordings on the Gimell label, which are almost always recorded in cathedrals. However, I did listen once to a Tallis Scholars CD on a dealer's rig with a Conrad-Johnson tube pre and Totem Model 1 Signatures, and there seemed to be much better resolution, though this was 20 years ago and I think my younger self was just blown away by the sound in general.

I've noticed that audiophiles and reviewers seldom write about choral music. Is it because they don't like choral music, or is it because it is just really difficult to record choirs well, therefore making choral music a poor choice to show off a system?

Any choral music-loving audiophiles care to comment on their experiences and solutions? 
 
Many thanks,


Paul
paulburnett
schubert
7,386 posts
 
That's true rotarius , but today mostly single-driver ones .
Nearly any speaker from a grand on up is up to the job, 9 times out of ten 
its something else in the system .
schubert
7,386 posts
 
Afterthought, if you are really a choral geek MN Public Radio has a feature 
I doubt is found anywhere else in world ,

A VERY high quality 24/7 Choral streaming station .
classicalmpr.org  
paulburnett OP
46 posts
 
Thank you all for these responses. For those who are curious, you can view pics and a description by clicking on my username. My room is small for my speakers, but I have done numerous room treatments. My amp is at least 200W into 8 ohms, and 400 into 4, so there is no power problem. I have Vandersteen 2CE signatures, which are good-quality speakers. 

I guess a more focused question is, have digitally oriented choral music fans noticed a difference in moving to a DAC in a better price/ quality range? Do tube preamps make a difference in softening or further resolving choral vocals? 

It sounds like, for some of you, that these changes make a difference. 

Schubert, thank you for the music link. I grew up in Manitoba, and sang in choirs full of Mennonites, so I know what those Germanic and Scandinavian prairie communities can do for a choral music scene! 

Enjoy the music,

Paul


schubert
7,386 posts
 
True North Brave and Free !
Just hope I live long enough to see a Canuck team hoist the Stanley.
Canada is totally off the American radar, I think they don’t want us dummies doing any "compare and contrast".

And yes, believers singing get a turbo boost from the creator .
rotarius
431 posts
 
Paul, I had the the 2CE sigs once upon a time and large scale classical just sounded horrible no matter what amp they were hooked too.  I recall pairing them with a Bryston 4BST and a Belles 150a, pretty good amps imo.  That midrange driver got congested and harsh.  Replaced them with ET LFT8B and they did a lot better in that regard.
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