Windham Hill an audiophile label?

I was in college during most of the period you referenced and had the following on vinyl:

WH-1014 - Passage - William Ackerman [1981]
WH-1017 - Breakfast in the Field - Michael Hedges [1981]
WH-1030 - Southern Exposure - Alex De Grassi [1984]
WH-1032 - Aerial Boundaries - Michael Hedges [1984]

I was just starting to get serious about my gear during those days. I had an Onkyo TA-2090 that was a highly regarded cassette deck at the time and had transferred most of my vinyl to tape, as I refused to bring my gear into the dorms. Enjoyed listening to mix tapes of many selections from these albums as study music.

Yes, they were well recorded albums at that time. The importance to me was that they were selections I used in my learning process while experimenting with quality source reproduction.

A couple from Youtube. There are many more.

Watchtower
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV_zXdvK_0g&feature=related

Harp Guitar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN3439l4HR0&feature=related

Some great responses.

Listening to all of the releases again has made me appreciate the music anew. Most of the albums sound great, and I've found all but one or two very worthy musically.

I've found that listening on vinyl and turning up the volume makes for some fairly intense listening. My wife, on the other hand, loves Windham Hill, but does treat it like background music.

Some standouts:

Michael Hedges, Aerial Boundaries - One of the great albums of all time. Hedges redefined acoustic guitar. I believe this is up there with Kind of Blue, Dark Side of the Moon and Sgt. Pepper as a must have for any music lover.

Alex de Grassi - Turning: Turning Back and Slow Circle. Terrific solo guitar.

An evening with Windham Hill Live - Various Artsts. Great cross-section of music, well recorded, and upbeat.

Shadowfax - Shadowdance. Fusion - with an eastern touch.

Liz Story - Solid Colors. If all new age piano were like this, it would be redefined as modern classical compositions.

George Winston - Winter Into Spring. I know, Autumn is the favorite, and may be the better album, but I've played it too death, and Winter Into Spring seems to hold up better.

I've also had a few surprises with the catalog - Robbie Basho is awesome and intense. His vocal album Visions of the Country was never re-issued, but is worthy, and unlike anything else on Windham Hill. David Qualey's Soliliquy is a classically-influenced album that still sounds fresh and thoughtful.

In short, if it's been a while since you've played your Windham Hill albums, take them out for a new listen.

My sisters boyfriend used to own a house in Belmont CA which his parents will'd to him. He built a recording studio in the house which a few Windham Hill recordings were done. The place became so popular that he got bought out of the house he grew up in.