What is the best sounding Mahler symphony cycle?

Here's a real sleeper recommendation for no. 4.

On the shelf I have Bernstein, Fischer, Maazel, Mengelberg, Salonen, and Szell, but I always return to Franz Welser-Most.  In particular, Felicity Lott floats the soprano part in the fourth movement more beautifully/ethereally than any other recording I've heard.

Which are the better recordings from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra: the Bernard Haitink cycle, the recordings with Mariss Jansons, or the new recordings with Daniele Gatti?

Anyone interested in reviving this thread?

I have Bernstein’s early 60s cycle recorded with the NY Philharmonic, and remastered by Sony (2009). I also have Bertini/Cologne/EMI and Inbal/Frankfurt/Denon, as well as individual discs (primarily Boulez/DG with 4 different orchestras). The Boulez discs sound really good but I’m looking for a SET with audiophile sound.

I’m aware of the Tilson-Thomas/SFSO set on SFS Media, and the LSO/Gergiev set. Are there any others on SACD? Does anyone have both Tilson-Thomas and Gergiev, and how do they compare? How about Chailly/Concertgebouw? How about Vanska/BIS (which have issued all the symphonies except 3, 8, and 9) ?

Thanks for resuscitating this thread.

I have both the Bernstein Sony and DG sets. Also the Inbal on Denon. And I downloaded the Maazel NY Philharmonic’s set. I own near complete sets of various other conductors. It’s hard to pick the best sounding set, as SQ various from symphony to symphony.

I love the HDTT hi res masterings of Barbirolli’s 5th and 6th.

The Mahler symphonies in general lend themselves to excellent sounding recordings.

Well, I splurged for the Tilson-Thomas set on SFS Media. Should be here in a few weeks (back-ordered on Amazon but got it at a good price). I'll be sure to report out. I have a feeling that when the Minnesota/Vanska completes their Mahler cycle (they still have 3, 8, and 9 to record), it will be offered as a package and I'll def pick that one up, because BIS just seems to be incapable of making anything but a superlative recording.

I love Mahler. I've been to Mahler Fests in Berlin and Amsterdam, and have seen the 8th live nine times in my life (including in LA/Dudamel in May 2019, which blew me away). I'm not a musicologist, so I can't analyze details about how one orchestra plays versus another (except for tempos). Any major orchestra that's been recorded will do a yeoman's job, at least. So, in the end, I try to listen to recordings that are well-recorded. My system (Bryston amp/preamp, Meridian 508.24 CD player, Thiel CS 2.4 speakers) is fairly revealing, and I'm unwilling anymore to listen to shrill, muffled, noisy recordings. I avoid historical recordings because I hate mono and they're usually filled with noise.