There are countless ways to get your music these days. My favorite source is still the SILVER DISC!
CDs
CDs have improved dramatically over the years. For many years, most of them have been outstanding! When you hear audiophiles dissing the silver disc, they haven’t been LISTENING- for quite a while.
I have so many phenomenal sounding Red Book discs that I literally can’t count them. A couple of my recent purchases are from the Piano Classics label. In general I’m not a big variations fan. But on a tip from my piano teacher, I decided to broaden my horizons and try out a couple she said I shouldn’t miss.
Alexander Gavrylyuk plays the Brahms variations on a theme by Paganini.The disc rounds out with four additional works, Mephisto Waltz, Tarantella, Danse Macabre & Isolde’s Liebestod. The sound is clear as a bell with stunning range and dynamics. Short of sitting in Gav’s studio, you couldn’t get
closer to the music. And by the way, Brahms’ spin on Paganini is nothing short of amazing.
Next, is an equally incredible recording by Zlata Chochieva. Zlata has recorded the Rachmaninoff variations on a theme by Chopin. Creative… dexterous and beautiful! The disc is rounded out by Rach’s Sonata #1. Music doesn’t get much better than this. Neither does the sound. The combination of grand piano sound and exquisite musicianship is what our hobby is all about.
There is no record rumble. There’s no snap, crackle or pop. They’re easy to play and handle. You can even play them in the car. They’ll last longer than we will. They remind us what a great format the CD can be.
SACDs
If you want truly state of the art sound without spending half your life diddling with your computer, buy SACDs. SACD offers a 24 bit rate that is equal to high resolution downloads- with none of the computer hassle!
If you want to get a fist fight started, get a few audiophiles in a room and start discussing the best way to save digital files! The opinions are varied and the discussion will soon be heated. It’s just like talking politics.
SACDs provide state of the art fidelity. Play Chopin’s Preludes by Ingrid Fliter on Linn. Toss on
Dean Martin’s “Dream With Dean” – Analog Productions from a 1962 master. Your jaw will be on the floor.
Your Computer
If you enjoy putzing with your computer, knock yourself out. But for me, no thanks. It’s a pain in the neck. The meta data absolutely DOES NOT WORK for classical music. I don’t trust that my music will be properly archived either.
Remember Escient? Yeah, so do I.
In Summation
As you invest more money into the great hobby of hi-fi, stick with silver discs! I’m fine with streaming for background music. But for fidelity, convenience and archives, discs are still the best investment going.