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That's true, but most piano recordings also sound "wrong" in the midrange too, and they sound just as wrong on my speakers, as on my headphones.
I remember that solo piano recordings where difficult to listen too in analog times. The wow&flutter would add a graininess even when being below 0.15% with a good LP player (relating to the German Gleichlaufschwanung from the Din45500, the corresponding wow&flutter was typically 5 to 10 times lower). Cassettes never saw values below 0.2% which made them useless for solo piano, even reel tape decks needed at least 9.5 ips.
For classical music, with short notes, vinyl then was just ok, but solo jazz piano like Keith Jarret’s with longer notes being held, sounded mostly awful. And even with turntables being well below 0.1% GLschw, the eccentricity and non-flatness of LPs made things worse.
Since the digital age, jazz solo piano has taken a tremendous boost in popularity and I attribute that to the better sound of it. The only way that I can reliable tell if a recording is a MP3 compression or a true CD quality is still solo piano. And yes, a real grand piano still sounds much better than any reproduction in any audio system.
I've got the Naxos set. The "Pristine" set has awful noise gating, really obvious. Over the headphones, one gets the impression that the noise ( that rises and falls depending on the treble content ) is in stereo, with a vague center image for the piano. I turned the Pristine transfer off after about two minutes. It was a relief to go back to the Naxos transfer. I've heard most remasters of this set. If my memory serves me well ( doubtful ), the EMI UK LP transfers, 1980ish, are the best. Naxos is second best. The unfiltered Pearl transfers are too noisy but the EMI CDs are worse, no-noised to death. But what I just heard from Pristine might be worse than that. Honestly, noise reduction software has to be more sophisticated in 2020 than what I just heard.Thanks for your comment. (Btw, I think you mean Schwankung, not Schwanung.) I agree with you about the depredations of wow & flutter . Have you gt any opinion about the German software company, Celemony? Andrew Rose used their product in his remasterings of Schnabel's Beethoven from the 1930s. The removal of wow & flutter gives his tone - always considered to be particularly beautiful - a solidity that was lacking. You can listen to a snippet of it here:
https://www.pristineclassical.com/products/pakm039
A comment from the peanut gallery: There are three variables in our evaluation of recordings, not just two: the recording and its technique (room, mics and their positioning, mastering) the piano itself, and the pianist. The third may well be the most significant one in most of the recordings we consider to be outstanding.
My reference piano recording is Chopin Nocturnes from François Chaplin in 24/88.
https://www.qobuz.com/es-es/album/nocturnes-frederic-chopin/3760009292222
Preview:
Thanks for your comment. (Btw, I think you mean Schwankung, not Schwanung.) I agree with you about the depredations of wow & flutter . Have you gt any opinion about the German software company, Celemony? Andrew Rose used their product in his remasterings of Schnabel's Beethoven from the 1930s. The removal of wow & flutter gives his tone - always considered to be particularly beautiful - a solidity that was lacking. You can listen to a snippet of it here:
https://www.pristineclassical.com/products/pakm039
A comment from the peanut gallery: There are three variables in our evaluation of recordings, not just two: the recording and its technique (room, mics and their positioning, mastering) the piano itself, and the pianist. The third may well be the most significant one in most of the recordings we consider to be outstanding.
Two that come to mind have been mentioned in this thread:...on the subject: are there any piano records wich sounf ore like a live piano? I mean, those recording are great but don't match the much narrower "stereo field" of a real piano
Two that come to mind have been mentioned in this thread:
https://play.primephonic.com/album/00028946097526
https://play.primephonic.com/album/054536902529
To my ears, these are among the best in terms of sounding natural and lifelike, capturing the timbre of the piano really well. They must have had a great room and set up the mics perfectly. Yet they aren't necessarily the best in other aspects. Somehow they still sound great despite the fact that you can hear the limitations of the original analog recording. Some modern digital recordings that are "cleaner" just don't sound as natural or lifelike to me.
In the Wilson recording (second link above) I can hear something funky in the tape hiss, some sort of non-random correlated noise, probably created by flaws in the A/D conversion process. And just a hint of wow/flutter/warble in the sustain. But it's low enough level not to interfere with enjoying this otherwise great recording.
I'm not saying I prefer euphonics to accuracy. More that getting the room arrangement & mic setup is far more important than whether you record it analog or digital and what bit rate or format you use.
"In my mind's ear I hear my ideal piano sound. It’s a round, dark and full sound, with a singing quality. It's almost like a symphony orchestra hidden inside the piano, able to produce as many musical colours as possible. The danger with the piano is that if you don’t take care of your touch, it can sound very harsh and mechanical while with the right touch, dynamics and intention you can make a simple triad sound like an orchestra."
Make the threadI was going to start a thread on good recordings, but searched this one. For piano, the Sony Classical Recordings from the last few years are excellent. Look for Ivo Pogorelich and Igor Levit, but you can search the label on Roon.
https://www.sonyclassical.com/relea...-54-78-rachmaninoff-piano-sonata-no-2-op-36-1
Now off to look for the “great symphonic recordings thread”
Very insightful and at times very funny podcast with Mike Del ferro here;Here is a brand new album that I have been enjoying this weekend it is an intimate and very melodic solo album from Toots Thielemans' pianist Mike Del Ferro.
Superbly well recorded. Highly recommended and on introduction offer at this moment.
Skylark - Mike del Ferro
Interesting. I have to disagree. I believe with that type of material the recording was very good IMHO. I think more "breathing space" would denigrate the percussive and direct nature of the material. I any event, to each his own and thank you for your comment.