What are the characteristics quality recordings?

Considering the sonics that make for a good/excellent recordings of acoustic music, I find the following characteristics important, in the priority listed:

1. Natural frequency response with accurate timbre and harmonic balance. There is no absolute correct tonal balance because in live perfromances this will vary all over the place depending on the instruments and the acoustic environment where performed. But, unnaturally equalized recording that hype the bass response or other portion of the frequency range won't make the top of my list.

2. Immediacy and transparency - the music must sound direct, natural and alive, without a layer of sonic gauze between me and the instruments; more often found in minimally processed recordings and recordings with simple and direct recording chains. Many original pressings fail this test for me, notwithstanding a certain tonal allure some of these may have.

3. Dynamics - the recording captures dynamic shadings cleanly, and delineates the subtle micro-dynamics that are critical to making the recording mimic a live experience (even more important that the absolute dynamic range on a macro scale). These subtle shadings of volume are what make the music come alive, and are often obscured by overprocess in the recording or mastering chain, or by the playback system.

4. Soundstaging - the recording captures the soundstaging laterally and in depth and recreates a natural and believable acoustic space in which the performers exist. (Yes, I'm one of those soundstaging freaks.)

Some of the recordings in my collection that exhibit these characteristics, and which I value highly for that, include the following LPs:

Stravinsky Firebird, Dorati, Mercury SR-90226 (Classic Records 45rpm reissue)

Stravinsky Petroushka, Danon, Chesky CR42 (Readers Digest series reissue)

Bach Suites for Solo Cello, Starker, Mercury SR3-9016 (Speakers Corner reissue)

Schuller Seven Studies on a Theme of Paul Klee, Dorati, Mercury SR-90282 (Speakers Corner reissue)

Shostakovich The Age of Gold Ballet Suite, Martinon, RCA LSC 2322 (Classic Records 45rpm reissue)

Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8, Borodin Qt, Decca SXL 6036 (Speakers Corner reissue)

Kodaly Hary Janos Suite, Kertesz, Decca SXL 6136 (Speakers Corner reissue)

Ravel Works for Orchestra, Skrowaczewski Analogue Productions APC 007

Italian Violin Music 1600-1750, Banchini, Klimo OW 002

Musique Arabo-Andalouse, Paniagua/Atrium Musicae de Madrid, Harmonia Mundi HM 389

La Spagna, Paniagua/Atrium Musicae de Madrid, BIS 163/164

Carissimi Jephta, Collden/Angby Kammer, Proprius 7840

Tarentule-Tarentelle, Paniagua/Atrium Musicae de Madrid, Harmonia Mundi HM 379

Louis Armstrong, St James Infirmary from Satchmo Plays King Oliver, Audio Fidelity ST 91058 (Classic Records 45rpm reissue)

Count Basie, 88 Basie Street, Pablo 2310-901 (Analogue Productions 45rpm reissue)

Bill Berry, Shortcake, Pure Audiophile PA-002

Bill Evans, Know What I Mean?, Riverside 9433 (Analogue Productions 45rpm reissue)
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Damn, Rushton! That was excellent! It is awful to admitt but I do not think I have ever heard anything approaching proper soundstaging. Everything I have heard always seems a little larger, little smaller than what I imagine the real thing sounds like.

Hi Timf, thanks for your comment. As to reproduction of size, I tend to differentiate that from soundstaging in my own listening. For me, soundstaging is about relative positioning in the recreated acoustic space, and a natural rendering of the instruments in that space: do I hear instruments spread naturally across the stage and in depth, or are instruments jumping around due to spot miking or is the soundstage totally flat due to excessive use of multi-miking, inept capture of stereo imaging or excessive processing that has destroyed phase relationships. (Some folks talk about height here as well, but that's not a hot button for me.)

Some great examples of excellent soundstaging on recordings, and recordings that make it very easy for others to hear exactly what one is talking about in this regard, are:

Holst "Savitri" with Janet Baker, Argo ZNF 6 (In this wonderful recording, listen to the entry of the husband at stage far deep right and listen to his voice as he moves across the stage and then up to the front of the stage. Also listen to the voice of Death at the far left rear of the stage. On a good playback system, the spacial location is precise and specific as the singer move around the stage.)

Allegri "Miserere", Tallis Scholars, CFP 40339 (The Scholars split into two antiphonal choirs in this recording, with one clearly in the far distance of the church in which this was recorded. If you have someone who claims not to understand what is meant by "depth" in a sound system, or how sounds can be behind the back wall behind your speakers, play this for them.)

"Size" can refer to size of the soundstage or apparent "size" of the instruments. In a favorite recording of mine, the Starker Bach Cello Suites (listed above), Starker plays a cello that appears to be 6' tall. The close miking really makes this instrument sound oversize. And yet, when I listen in a small room to a live solo cello, and if I'm sitting right up close in the first row next to the performer, this LP is not far off from what I've heard live in these settings, notwithstanding what I might otherwise imagine it should sound like.

In LP playback, I've found that different cartridges make a big difference in apparent size of both instruments and soundstage. These variables have made me somewhat more tolerant of the "size" issue.

Best wishes,

WOW - Some excellent responses to this post! Thank you.

I would enjoy hearing from other people regarding their views on this topic - particularly on what cds or albums exemplify a good recording in areas of music such as rock, jazz, etc.

Thanks again

John

I've always wondered, Bufus, why I have to turn Pearl Jam CD's WAY DOWN when I play them. They are so much louder than my other CD's. Is that due to "normalization, compression, etc..."?

Or just maybe the Ed Vedder honeymoon is over for me... sigh.

Cheers.