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MDG is an audiophile label which is about music, not just pure sound.
Considering that so many people carped about the lack of good music and the overall poor recording quality in the last couple of Votes, I think there should be a poll asking, 'What's your favorite audiophile record label?' says reader Travis Cunningham. He'd also like to hear what people think about the sound each label achieves.
Chesky, the sonics are superb. Also, "Professor Johnson's" Reference Recording label is also excellent. However, their catalogs are something I wish were more comprehensive. Although, with high end audio, I find that my musical tastes have been expanded.
I don't care who releases an album. My priorities are: 1) Is the music any good? 2) Can I find it in my local record shop? 3) Is it well recorded? Question 3 is irrelevant if the music is great anyway. It would be nice if all records were well recorded/mastered, etc, but I'd rather have a cruddy-sounding record of great music than a pristine reproduction of vapid noodling.
John Marks Records. Interesting music by talented artists. I'd like to hear what JM could do if he ever takes on/or is allowed the challenge of recording a major orchestra/conductor. Then again, he may not want the hassle! Every disc I have from him is a 9 or better for sound and quality and performance.
Naim. I like their recordings better than their equipmentnot that their equipment is not good stuff, it's just that their recordings are exceptional. I really like 180g Telarc and Chesky has had good stuff but they're too wishy-washy.
ECM, hands down. Some (many?) would argue that it is not really an "audiophile" label, but therein lies its beauty. Manfred Eicher and his engineers never strive to appeal to a specific group of buyers. They simply release consistently (well, almost) great music, and the fact that the sound is always first-rate is a given, rather than a conscious part of their marketing strategy.
Classic Records. Speakers Corner gets a really close second. I didn't have a favorite until Classic started turning out the Genesis and Led Zeppelin remasters. If you were familiar with the sound of the early Genesis releases, especially the American ones (dire!), what Classic has done is remarkable. And the just released Townshend/Lane Rough Mix is also superb. There are a number of good companies providing terrific reissues (some of the Sundazed and Absolute Analogue catalog comes to mind, also Analogue Productions.) But I have to give the nod to Classic Records. On the other hand, Simply Vinyl has a terrific catalog but the quality of the sound is so widely variable I wonder where the "masters" come from. I don't really wonder about that anymore though. Oh, and that EMI Millenium Series was very good also (esp. Music from Big Pink and Thick As A Brick). And while we're on the topic, could somebody please do a remaster of Muswell Hillbillies? It cries for it (and so do I!) Is my age showing sufficiently now?
Telarc. In addition to using cutting edge digital recording technolgy (for example Direct Stream Digital), Telarc also uses audiophile quality equipment to assure clean and accurate capture and transmission of digital data. However, the most important aspect of the art of Telarc is it records great musicians (eg
Telarc. In addition to using cutting edge digital recording technolgy (for example Direct Stream Digital), Telarc also uses audiophile quality equipment to assure clean and accurate capture and transmission of digital data. However, the most important aspect of the art of Telarc is it records great musicians (e.g. Ray Brown, Jim Hall, Benny Green, Oscar Peterson, McCoy Tyner, Junior Wells and James Cotton; to name only a few) and music people want to hear! Because of these factors, I have a large library of Telarc CDs. Thank you, Telarc!