Dvorak Symphony No. 2 Classic records excellent


I am listening to Classic Records reissue of Dvorak 2nd symphony Monteux/ London Symphony Orch. It is excellent. It is the 200 grams issue and it is very quiet and dynamic. The best one I have heard so far! Classic is getting better. Highly recommended!! I am excited! This is the best lp I have heard in a while from Classic. This one and the Carmen/Faust. If they keep doing this, I will be very happy and so will many other analog lovers. Has anyone else heard this one and if so, how is the quality of yours? Any quality control stuff, bad pressings? Mine is excellent! The quietest and best sounding reissue! As I said, I am excited for anyone who loves vinyl if this is a preview of things to come.
tzh21y
I don't think it's *always* the case that originals are "much better more air". The SC Mercs have been well reviewed and some have been found to be superior to the originals. Likewise see the reviews of the recent Blue Note reissues from AP and Music Matters.

But generally, I agree that originals tend to sound better.
This is an interesting thread. Like a lot of collectors I sometimes find it difficult to find a particular performance/pressing in nm condition at the local area.

There is always ebay and often times I resort to ebay to source particular performances on particularlabels. But this can be sometimes costly and sometimes risky.

For that reason I was happy to read a positive on the Dvorak Symph No. 2 from Classic Recs. So I surfed over to "the music.com" and ordered one online. Price was about $34.00 plus ship. OK so far. The record arrived to my door within 5 days of placing the order and in perfect condition.

The pressing itself from Classic Records appears to be a very good one. No obvious defects. Nice enough reproduction of the outer jacket and artwork. It plays quiet. Very quiet. All in all a nice pressing from Classic Records. Kudos.

Then, a week later, I happened to drive by a local record store on my way home from work. I had some time so I stopped in and started flipping through the bins. Lo and behold! What did I turn up but LSC 2489, Dvorak Symphony No. 2, Monteux/London Symphony Orchestra. nm/nm. Sometimes, luck is with us.

So I brought it home, cleaned it using Disc Doctor and gave it a spin. Because I already had the 180g from Classic Recs I was able to make some a/b comparisons.

In this case, I agree with Kennyb. The original has a better sense of, as Kennyb puts it: "string tone and tonal colors".

I'm spinning on a home brew TT (belt driven w/AC synchronous motor)and Graham 2.2tonearm fitted with an Ortofon Jubilee MC cartridge. With this little rig I can easily adjust vta to accommodate the individual record. I did notice that there was a different setting required for each of the above two records to fully flesh out tonal balance and optimize textures and detail. About 1-1/2 marks difference on the Graham vta scale seemed to do it.

So with this measure of care, I was still able to ascertain that the original pressing offers better tone and textures. In particular violins, violas, cellos. Those frequency ranges.

I don't mean to speak negatively of the Classic Records remaster on this performance. It is great to have this option. But once in a while we get lucky and score a nice original copy. In this case, my ears prefer the original. Besides, it is a true pleasure to discover an old shaded dog pressing, in the wild, so to speak, and still in near mint condition. It doesn't happen that often, in my experience.

-Steve
Lucky?? As I said previously, this is not a rare record. With the one I just bought, I now have three. After I cherry pick the one I want to keep, the other two will end up in my give away pile.

If you guys like this music, do try Dvorak's chamber music. I prefer it to his orchestral pieces. The Piano Trio's or Piano Quartets on with the Beaux Art's Trio on Phillips are charming works and easy to locate. Cheap to boot when you find them. Well worth the effort.