Best sounding Beethoven symphony LPs

Well I have some recommendations for complete boxed sets, but right up-front, I like my Beethoven clean, clear lined, and energized. I'm not up to deep, 'brooding' Beethoven.

Harnoncourt's set which blends the efect of the HIP but uses modern instruments. Scrubbed from the over orchestrated performances that were so common for so many years and are still highly regarded.

Bernsteins set - despite his general reputation for overblown distorted interpertations of a lot of music, in this set he gets the 'beat' - it is uplifting and energized. He did a similar set of the Schumann Symphonies with the same result. Whoda guessed. :-)

Vanska recent performances - a complete set of performances but not in a box set yet. You have to buy them individually. Excellent sound, SACD if you care, straight ahead performances. BTW I like them best with the volume up a bit.

Wand's set on RCA. Very tradition 'Germanic' performances.

I agree with Rushton, the best Beethoven is not found in sets. And as he has already recommended, BUY the Kleiber 5th! There is no other like it, IMHO.

I'm very fond of my Von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra 7th Symphony, DGG 2531 107. I think the detail is amazing. In fact I listened to it late last night through headphones and again this morning through my speakers after hearing the 7th used in the film "The Knowing."

Bernstein's boxed set with the Vienna Philharmonic (Deutsche Grammophone) offers both good performances and outstanding,up front sonics.

I second the vote by Rushton and add Symphony 4, Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic DG 2531 104

The Klieber perfomances are excellent. Some of the better performances on LP, however, do not offer the best sonics. One case in point would be Szell's. I have the ones on the Epic label - I am told the original releases sound better. There are also some great performances on the Angel label by Giulini and Klemperer. Some of the Böhm ones on DG are great performances, but again not so great sonics. The Karajan ones are hit and miss, depending on which set of his you are listening to, and I am not familiar enough with them all to comment on which are the best.

For many musicians, the best period instrument performances by far are those of John Eliot Gardiner, though these are only available on CD to my knowledge. Much better interpreted and performed than the Norrington versions, for sure.