Classical music review, CD box set, Audiophile recordings, Mecury Records, Living Presence, Special 3 Microphone Recording Process, You are there effect

Music Review, for www.RichsRecordEmporium.com


CD Box Set, Decca Records Special Collector Edition of the 3 Microphone Audiophile recordings by Mercury Living Presence

 

This CD box set is also available on 180 gram vinyl as a consolidated collection

 

Genre “Classical”

 

Audiophile Rating: Performance Quality 10 / Sound Quality 9 (as good as it gets for CD)

 

 

 

This may be the single greatest purchase an audiophile could possibly make.  Decca Records recordings on CD are always “Audiophile Grade” I have many Decca CD’s in my collection, and the sound quality is second to none, and very few labels, other than say “Reference Recordings” are their equal for classical music.  If you have a fine quality audio system, and appreciate classical music, this may be the single greatest value ever recorded onto CD.  There are 50 music CD’s in this box set, all of which are not only on the Decca label, but on which the “original master tape” was a very special set up in some of the world’s greatest musically acoustic environments, even sometimes out of doors.  The recording process called “Living Presence” was famous in its day as achieving the absolute most natural of recording quality. This dynamically advance recording methodology was attempted to be copied by many other labels, the closets to the results being that of label RCA’s “Living Stereo” recordings – also coveted by audiophiles for their superior sound quality. But this Living Presence was done by a unique process using just three (3) microphones, and the results were unrivaled.  

 

Prior to my purchasing and listening to this box set, I had about 70 CD’s of classical music and about 150 LP’s.  As a fan of St. Louis’s original classical music station “Classic 99” now only available on-line (no longer broadcasting on radio waves), I had always found it frustrating to attempt to buy what I was listening to.  For instance, I would here excerpts from say “The Planet’s” by Leonard Bernstein then shoot down to the record/cd seller and find “The Planets, but by a different composer than what was on the radio, and different conductor.  I’d stand there looking over the record (or CD) with complete befuddlement.  Sometime it would be the same label as the radio announcer said, other times a different one as well.  Classical music in particular gave me the most trouble trying to figure out “what to buy” by “which conductor” with “which symphony” (lots of time the conductor’s travel around), and on which label – after all, some of these labels were not the best sounding (hissy background or poor dynamics).

 

Well if you’ve experienced any of what I’m talking about trying to buy your own recordings of classical music take this one comfort – especially if you have just begun building your collection. THIS BOX SET is an absolute STEEL!!!  You get some of the best versions of the composer’s works, by some of the best conductors of their time, at the best symphony halls and with the best symphonies, recorded by the best equipment and methodology, and on the best classical label.  THAT’S AS GOOD AS IT WILL EVER GET!!!   By the quality of each CD alone, each one should sell for about $24.95 each, for 50 CD’s that would be $1247.50 that you would have to invest on similar quality recordings piecemeal. But this box set retails for $175.00, making these audiophile recordings just $3.50 each.  So if you don’t have a “great classical collection” this is your chance to have an “instant – great classical collection”.  This is the highest value audiophile CD deal that I know of.  And better news yet – we sell it at considerably less than retail!   Cheers

 

--Mark