Dvorak Symphony No. 2 Classic records excellent

This was from back in the day when RCA licensed many Decca recordings, so there are various Decca pressings as well.

Here's another pressing of this recording on Decca Ace of Diamonds (which I have no experience with):

http://cgi.ebay.com.sg/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370500202351

If you encounter the London STS pressing (STS 15157), make sure it does not have a yellow label (though it's possible it never appeared with a yellow label.)

Here's an example with an orange label:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Dvorak-Symphony-No-7-Pierre-Monteux-London-Symp-LP-/280702368094?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item415b2a395e

These shouldn't cost more than a few bucks in a big market like L.A.

(The yellow ones are the greatly inferior US domestic pressings (poor and thin vinyl). The orange label pressings were made in the UK and generally seem to be as good as regular London/Decca pressings.)

I just compared the CD layer of the hybrid SACD of LSC-1934 to the 180g Classic. The Classic sounds decent until the treble gets pushed. The massed strings that appear about 3 minutes in are absolute ear bleeders. And so are the trumpets that blare a bit later.

I hear a better sense of the hall with the CD rip. The stage doesn't have as much depth on the LP. There's more air around the drum in the 2nd movement with the CD rip.

The Classic sounds fuller and makes the CD sound thin. I can see some folks preferring the Classic because of this. But, the sound of those massed strings and those trumpets are an absolute deal kiler for me.

Chashas1 makes a good point about my room and my gear. I have changed every component except my speakers since buying that Classic. I've changed rooms too. The strings on the Classic sounds as dreadful to me now as they did when I first played that LP.

OK, now I've looked up what LSC-1934 is (Reiner's Concerto for Orchestra). Am I supposed to have these catalog numbers memorized?

I have the Classics reissue as well as the BMG hybrid SACD. I remember the Classics Lp and the BMG CD layer sounding remarkably similar (I was not that impressed with the sound in either case; I think RCA engineers were still learning to record in stereo at this point). I'll have to try both with my current equipment.

Had a chance to compare the Classic Lp reissue of the Reiner Concerto for Orchestra with the CD layer of the BMG hybrid SACD issue. Please disregard my earlier comment about deficiencies of the recording. It's not "modern" sounding, but I have no complaints.

Now, is the Classic too bright? Maybe a little. With all tubes (except the SS phono board) and Vandies nothing here offends me, though I can hear that it is mastered for "brilliance".

The CD layer sounds cleaner and so more hall ambiance comes through. The Classic has plumper bass. But both seem quite satisfying to me. I would consider the Classic a very successful Lp mastering.

I have to admit that I am not hearing that hardness or pushed highs. The horns sound like they have body, and so do the strings. The clarinet sounds wonderful on this reissue. I like the way it sounds. I was actually very suprised upon first hearing it. What is your tracking force set at? Could they be better? Yes, definitely, Do I prefer it to CD? Absolutely. They were better on 180 gram, not sure why, but to my ears they are. The record has depth and better mids a hundred times over than my Cds. Some of the older records sound much more compressed and have more surface noise than this record.