struts
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The "sound" of jitter
Elk
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Interesting reading. Thanks!

Good to hear from you. I have missed your posts and your writing.

struts
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Thanks Elk, it feels good to have "reconnected". I see you are still standing out in your field but since I was last here you seem to have generated ten times more posts than me! I look forward to catching up on them in due course.

No doubt subliminally inspired by JA's article "Watching the Detectives" I am as we "speak" downloading the 24/88.2 "Studio Master FLAC" version of the "Dublin" Messiah from the Linn Records website. 2.5GB! Yikes!! Nevertheless I am delighted that SOA software as well as hardware is now finally freeing itself from the tyrrany of the sliver disc and that such high quality programme is now becoming so readily available.

Although I am not able to stream hi res files with the Sonos (I will have to work out how to downconvert it to 16/44.1), listening to that through the m902/HD650 (which is directly connected to my study PC) will be this evening's relaxation. I can't wait.

Elk
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So how did the "Messiah" sound? (Nice performances and sound from the snippets I listened to on the website).

I have the exact same m902/HD650 combo available . . .

struts
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Absolutely superb! I cannot praise it highly enough.

I have seen the Messiah performed live a couple of times and I have to say that on both occasions authentic tempi were only achieved at the expense of a considerable loss of clarity in the choral line. I only have the Pinnock version on disc and although it is regarded as something of a classic I have to say that I instantly prefer this reading. Everything is so much crisper with the smaller forces; it certainly makes a very persuasive case for the Dublin score - and the soloists are superb.

The sound quality is definitely SOTA, as one might expect from Linn, although I would have to say that to my ears it does not significantly improve on the very best quality 16/44.1 programme I have heard (e.g. Lyle Lovett's "The Road to Ensenada" or David Roth's "Pearl Diver").

Not cheap, but then again I have paid the same or more for "audiophile" recordings of considerably less artistic merit. This one definitely gets the struts thumbs up!

Elk
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Excellent!

As I noted earlier, I like the performances from the snippets available on the web site. One of my local stores has the hybrid SACD, which I plan to pick up.

Thanks for the heads up.

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