audiophile mandolin recordings

[mando_dan]

I've recently been exposed to the world of audiophile recordings and was wondering what mandolin music exists in high fidelity formats. The two that I'm aware of are Bela's Drive available on the Mobile Fidelity label and a DVD-A version of The Bluegrass Sessions Vol. 2. Other must exist! I would be interesting to compile as comprehensive a list as possible.

Formats that I'd include as audiophile include special audiophile labels such as MFSL, DCC, etc., DVD-A, SACD, and perhaps some very high quality vinyl. I'm open for suggestions such as simply an amazing sounding standard CD.

Let's see what we can come up with!

[Ivan Kelsall]

I didn't know that "Drive" was available on the Mobile Fidelity label. I have many MF recordings,but not of Bluegrass Music.
The only 2 'audiophile' LP's that i have are "Direct Cut" LP's. They are "The Neophonic String Band"on Direct Disk DD105 & "Confederation" on "Sheffield Lab" LAB-9 (SL-30) with Larry McNeely with Geoff Levin & Jack Skinner on Guitars,but there's no Mandolin on it.The
"Neophonic String Band" LP,has Buddy Spicher -Fiddle/Vic Jordan - Banjo/ & Joseph Drumwright on Mandolin, amongst the musicians. Both LP's are more about the 'recordings' than the music although i can't deny that the playing is good on both. They were issued in 1977 & 1978 respectively,but you could possibly get them through a specialist 'record collector' site,
Saska ;)

[GRW3]

If you google bluegrass or mandolin and SACD you will come up with short list of albums. It's a short list because there's not a 'lot' of anything on SACD. (There are many SACD albums but nothing like regular CD.) It is getting harder to find a new SACD player. I was disappointed to learn that Sony does not include SACD in their new blue ray players even thought they have multichannnel analog outlets.

There is a lot of touting of the Blu Ray disk as a music format but I wonder if anybody it going to 'just music' on such a disk. DVD/Video music disks have been way more popular than DVD/Audio so the blu ray could give you hi quality music and video. You don't have to watch the pictures after all.

There is some thought that the ultimate solution will be downloaded super fidelity audio. You can already get lossless downloads of music. Since I am already in the process of getting my music collection on the computer this would be OK with me.

In the end, however, it's not the medium its the message. The skill of the musicians, the producers and recording engineers that make a recording audiophile quality. You could fill the data banks of a supercomputer with data of overcompress mediocre music and it would still sound like ####.

[Bob Borzelleri]

...It is getting harder to find a new SACD player. I was disappointed to learn that Sony does not include SACD in their new blue ray players even thought they have multichannnel analog outlets.


Here's what I'm waiting for. Click on the thumbnail and note the list of formats on the face.

[mando_dan]

Here's what I'm waiting for. Click on the thumbnail and note the list of formats on the face.

What's the icon next to DVD?

[SternART]

Tony Williamson has an audiophile CD out on the tweaky Mapleshade label.
Mike Marshall's Gator Strut is a Mobile Fidelity SACD
Grisman's Hot Dawg was a Mobile Fidelity CD (out of print & expensive if you can find it)

For great sounding CD's try the Tone Poems 1 with Grisman & Tony Rice, or Tone Poems 2 with Grisman and Martin Taylor. Regular CD's in HDCD, minimalist analog sound, they are fabulous on my tweaked out audiophile rig. There are a lot of HDCD projects out, including most Acoustic Disc releases. To my ear these have a warmer, woodier sound with more string decay than other forms of mastering, especially if your digital converter, has a Pacific Microsonics HDCD chip. I find these HDCD's great for acoustic music, even on a regular CD player, without HDCD capability, but of course a notch better with the right converter chip.

The very best newly recorded CD's are sometimes better sounding than a new release of an old recording that they just slap onto the newest format, be it SACD, DVD Audio......whatever. They have continued to learn how to get better sound out of the less bits CD format, which is part of why the competing SACD and DVD Audio formats never caught on except with audiophiles.

Most of the best sounding recordings are classical......try anything on the Reference Recordings label, Professor Keith Johnson recordings in HDCD. Incredible layering and depth of sound.

[jefflester]

Grisman's Hot Dawg was a Mobile Fidelity CD (out of print & expensive if you can find it)
http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48261

~:>

[cmorbro]

Alison Krauss with Union Station "So Long So Wrong " is a MFSL title.. amazing sound on vinyl. Adam Steffy is great on this title..as they all are..

[cerrogordo]

There have been recent LP reissues of Doc Watson albums Southbound and Pickin' the Blues. I have the former and the original release of the latter and it sounds amazing.

Jorma Kaukonen's Blue Country Heart (not really bluegrass) is SACD multichannel -- I find it a bit bright sounding. There seem to be a lot of recent SACD releases by some labels.

[tree]

I don't know if this qualifies, but Doc & Dawg is one that I'd be tempted to listen to with a great set of headphones.

Two mighty fine musicians, as relaxed with each other as 2 friends can be, produce music with breathtaking tone, space and depth.

[mando_dan]

Thanks for all the great replies! Keep 'em coming.

[Marcus CA]

The first Nickel Creek album is available as an SACD. I also had a copy of the regular pressing, and the SACD has WAY better sound.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Re.Blu-Ray - Over here in the UK,it' was the big non-event of 2008.The cost of the players has dropped dramatically,but at a typical price of £28 UK ($40.00 US),the discs just aren't selling. The cost,plus the fact that the huge majority of Blu-Ray discs are just re-issued DVD's anyway,has stopped people from buying them.We've had the same thing over & over with music ie.the same stuff recycled so many times that folk just won't be conned into buying it 'again'. The film companies have made small fortunes selling their DVD's & to expect us to buy them again,purely because they're on a new format, is cynical (IMHO),they think we're that dumb !.I still have over 200 Video tapes that i've bought over the years.I can't even afford to replace those with the DVD's
as many of the films,in spite of being donkey's years old & having been shown on UK TV countless times,are still full price.Now they want me to to buy the Blu-ray discs of the same films - oh yeah ! well,cut the price by 75% & i'll consider it. If it's a question of watching a favourite film or NOT watching it,i'll go with the old video tape thanks a lot !. IMHO,it's about time the film companies got realistic re.what people can afford to buy,especially at this time of great economic downturn in all our countries,
Saska:mad:

[Bob Borzelleri]

What's the icon next to DVD?

It's SACD. I have one of the current upconvertor players and it plays all the high end audio formats as well as being one of the best DVD players at any price.