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Why do Classical CDs sound less Alive/Real/Present ?

Of course GIGO always applies but some of my CDs are on decent labels.
When I listen to symphony recordings as an example, the sound loses its presence
and sounds a bit like I am using a much lesser grade of equipment.

My system has all components in excellent shape as well as a good amount
of acoustic treatments. The room is not large at 16 x 14 x 8 + adjacent open kitchen
behind seating of 10 x 13,  so I am wondering if what I hear is just the nature of the
beast-ie. a lot of instruments going on at one time?

I seem to recall this has always been the case in other settings as well.

What say ye? 

gadios
mike_in_nc
1,159 posts
 
Some classical recordings are really bad -- shrill violins, and not very natural in general. However, some can be quite good. Try a few recordings on the BIS label, especially those with Ingo Petry as the recording engineer or producer. (He is a genius.) I’ll be surprised if they sound like you’re using a lesser grade of equipment.

The BIS recordings don’t always sound like an orchestra in a hall -- there is some spotlighting -- but to my ears they sound clean, clear, and well balanced, with natural timbres.  There are also good recordings from the 1950s and 1960s but the modern BIS versions, being all digital, have better pitch stability, among other things.
roberjerman
4,319 posts
 
I recommend the classical recordings made by Donald Fine (Mercury Living Presence) using just one mic above the conductor. So the sound captured is what he heard. I like this better than the multi-miked approach - though good recordings (RCA Living Stereo) can result. London/Decca's mike "tree" was used quite successfully with Solti's Ring - a landmark recording!
roberjerman
4,319 posts
 
Get some of the Mercury Living Presence CDs mastered by Wilma Fine! Far more natural sounding than the typical Columbia and Deutsche Grammaphone multi-miked affairs!
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Choose ADD or AAD rather than DDD. And tubes over transistors. The Golden Age for recording was circa late 50s to mid 60s.
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,318 posts
 

These all represent small variations or bandaids.

I stand by my original response.

I have long answered that a large symphony orchestra in full hue and cry is the hardest kind of recorded music to get to sound anything like the real thing in a typically sized domestic space with a stereo system, however good/resolving/full-range/whatever it may be.

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