Telarc

[deacongreg]

When you talk about making SACD`s, your talking about extracting the best and putting it on wax or cd, for the optimal quality in sound. Which brings me to Telarc. Long before there was cd, Telarc was manufacturing high quality classical recordings on wax. Their recording of the "1812 Overture" was classic, in that it took the very best system, speakers, amps, and record player to reproduce those cannon shots from the "1812." If memory serves, there where only a couple of sytems that could reproduce those albums that were high rez for that day. This was the 1980`s, and Pioneer was hot with the Laserdisc.
That brings me to today, Telarc makes some of the best sounding SACD/Hybrids on the market to date. They represent the SACD format, well.

Has anyone had the same experience with Telarc?

[David DelGrosso]

Originally Posted by deacongreg

Telarc makes some of the best sounding SACD/Hybrids on the market to date. They represent the SACD format, well.

Has anyone had the same experience with Telarc?

Absolutely.

Many EXCELLENT orchestral recordings... and Telarc has also produced some "non-Symphonic" gems:

For anyone who digs "the Blues," this 5.1 surround recording is superb! Telarc International:

And this "New Age" compilation of medieval and contemporary vocal music, is absolutely stunning: Telarc International:

Anybody else have a stand-out favorite?

DD

[The Kipnis Studios]

Has anyone considered why Telarc is so good at capturing sonic reality?

What is it that makes Telarc, or another recording company, so adept at recording "the sound" of a live ensemble!???

[emaidel]

I've been a loyal Telarc fan since its inception, dating back to 1977. I purchased many a Telarc digitally-recorded LP, and used them often for demonstrating equipment for companies I worked for.

Their CD's are absolutely first rate, and the reason is the engineering, most of which was done (on the "redbook" CD's at least) by Jack Renner, who is now retired. It is his efforts with the choice of digital recording devices, as well as meticulous choices in both the quality and positioning of microphones. Perhaps most importantly, none of Telarc's purely classical CD's use any form of signal processing. That means NO equalization, limiting, and most significantly, compression.

Telarc is also an enthusiastic supporter of the DSD recording medium, and its companion playback device, the SACD. My own experience with Telarc SACD's has been mixed, however, as Jack is no longer there, and some of the newer recordings seem to be much too distant with far too muted a sound on percussion instruments, resulting in a sound that can legitimately be called "dull."

Not all Telarc SACD's are duds, though, and some are unbelievably good. As I've posted on this site before, their DSD remastered recordings originally done with the Soundstream digital tape recorder are remarkable examples of just how good the SACD medium is.

Lastly, for those interested in good CD sound, who don't own an SACD player: Telarc's SACD's are all "hybrid" discs, and the CD layer is often quite good on its own.

[wes]

Originally Posted by emaidel

Not all Telarc SACD's are duds, though, and some are unbelievably good. As I've posted on this site before, their DSD remastered recordings originally done with the Soundstream digital tape recorder are remarkable examples of just how good the SACD medium is.

What is your must have SACD list.

[emaidel]

Originally Posted by wes

What is your must have SACD list.

I don't own enough to compile a complete list, but I'd certainly include all of the Soundstream remastered SACD's, as well as:

Mahler's 3rd
Williams' "A Sea Symphony" - one of the best sounding discs I've ever heard
Kunzel's "Bolero" - the most exciting and dynamic Bolero I've ever heard
Runnicles' "Carmina Burana"
Spano's "Berlioz - Requiem"

The only popular SACD's I own are "Tommy," and "The Dark Side of the Moon," which, contrary to other postings, sounds pretty good on the stereo-only layer - at least on my Marantz SA-8001 player.