Tracking without mistracking, that is the goal... if you’ve got skips, you’ve got bigger problems.... I highly doubt there is any official CD of this that is sourced from a needledrop. Telarc took their early CD releases very seriously.
Well, I can say my Rega Planar 8 with the Apheata III tracks it with no problem, as well as my Marantz SA-10 tracking that SACD perfectly!
Not just one, but two, both SACD. Take a look at post #54 and my post #81. Both are Erich Kunzel, mine is the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and the other version is the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Probably the very finest LP version of this was done by FIM, which is shown in Post #22 & #23
Great I wasn't aware of the SACD's, you might be able to help me. I am sure I used to see the post number somewhere in the thread but they seem to have disappeared. They are probably still in front of my nose but I don't find them, where are they? Thanks!
The top SACD pictured is the exact same recording (but probably not an identical mastering) as the recording that the OP referenced. The second SACD is an entirely new recording which was made sometime in the early 2000's. The LP was probably my very first reference-quality recording I ever purchased back in the early 80s. I was obsessed with getting my setup to be able to track that cannon blast back then. But I quickly tired of that recording, and the determination to make my system make a really loud bang, and instead started concentrating on how it sounded with music who's primary claim to fame wasn't just a very loud a cannon blast.
They are both exceptional to say the least, however I started looking for my LP and it's gone, I am sick!! Hope I find it somewhere.
I didn’t know there was an SACD of the original version, thought there was only the re-recording - doesn’t seem this one is anywhere on discogs. Is it a hybrid? Or just an SACD layer? I’d like to see them release the original recording as a hi-res download. Give us the raw 50kHz data, just upsampled to a more “standard” sampling rate. Untouched in every other way. That would be pretty definitive. I noticed on discogs, it seems like the absolute earliest CD release is a West German pressing with a DIDZ code. Anyone have that? I’ve had/ripped other early CD pressings, one with a DIDZ code (the clipped one) and one with a DIDX code (the less clipped one) but neither were WG pressings.
The Redbook version I purchased I'm pretty sure is the original version which was sold in the US. I purchased this Japanese pressing in 1984, if I'm not mistaken. It has a the code "DIDZ-10015" on the disk. I've never examined the output with a scope. But it is was one of those early Telarcs which was specifically advertising its dynamic range. So I've be very surprised if it was compressed more than the LP. This version was digitally down-sampled to 44.1 from the original soundstream tapes. But Telarc thought that the analog output of the soundstream recorder sounded better than the digitally downsampled version. So one of the SACD versions was created by making a DSD dub from the soundstream's analog outputs, much like (I believe) was done with the LP version. And yes, like all Telarcs it features a redbook layer.
I own the CD and was never very impressed with the sound of the canon (over driven digital recorder?). Of course I have heard a real cannon and like a real thunderstorm or a real steam locomotive the scale is hard to replicate.
Underground trains were a nuisance at one or more of the London recording studios, and they were designed as studios. I know that the early Telarc recordings were done "on location" in concert halls, so ...
I own the DVD-A and formed the same impression. A bit underwhelming, even cranked up to reference level.
Just picked up a used copy of this LP (German made, A11 pressing - Discogs linky) that was originally from a collection of demo discs in one of the local high-end stereo shops in town. My 1200MK2 with KAB damper and AT VM540ML made it through with no major issues. There is a bit of... preamp clipping? groove damage? liftoff on the part of the 540? on a few of the shots that are making the headshell visibly wobble a bit (!), but I'll have to hit up a few friends to see if that's just my system or not.
I wonder about this? I have a Telarc CD of this recording but is this right? It has a sticker that says DSD but the whole thing looks a bit strange. I have searched and there was a short lived vinyl CD thing but I don't know about this: EIN STRAUSSFEST Vinyl CD | eBay
Take a look back at my post #129, those are two of the best I have heard. The one on the bottom is a newer recording. Of all my SACDs, those are hard to beat. You need a system that can handle the "juice" it's challenging, so play with care and respect your equipment.
That's why this disk was always considered a cartridge torture test back in the day. It sounds like your cartridge managed to keep from skipping a grove, and that is doing better than many. However it didn't exactly pass with flying colors if it sounds like clipped.
Given the provenance of this particular copy, I took a look using my loupe to see if there was any obvious groove damage on a couple of the shots (including the last one, which seems to be the one several folks called out as being one of the trickiest). While there's no major damage, it's obvious from some of the marks alongside the groove at points that this one has thrown a few styli in its day, so it may not be the best example. But I do agree that the headshell wobble indicates that there would be room for improvement on my setup. Not that I'm going to get too worked up about this - I don't think I need to completely reset my setup based on one viciously cut track.
Only one copy available on Discogs for $275(mint). Too steep for me to check it out! Tchaikovsky*, Erich Kunzel Conducting Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra - Tchaikovsky 1812
Just noticed that post and, with regards to the first SACD, was left wondering what a mash-up of 1812 and American in Paris might sound like. I've got the second SACD in my collection and it is indeed a great demo disc. Jeff
