Which Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 to keep.

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Quadzilla

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Since 2002/2003
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I appreciate the advice I received about my two Mahler SACDs, and I am hoping that there are a few Shostakovich fans here. I have two multichannel Symphony No. 5 SACDs, and one is open (the Rostropovich). The surround sound presentation is OK, but I would likely listen to it more on my 2-channel system because I have a true SACD player rather than the OPPO in my home theatre system.

The other (the Kreizberg) is sealed, and it also contains Symphony No 9. I am not very familiar with 'PentaTone Classics', so I am hoping that someone can tell me if this one is more immersive than the other. I could open it, but it is easier to sell if it is still sealed. Based on the stickers it is highly-rated, but that doesn't often mean that much. What do you guys think? This is the end of the questions, I promise. My sell pile is almost complete.
 

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I appreciate the advice I received about my two Mahler SACDs, and I am hoping that there are a few Shostakovich fans here. I have two multichannel Symphony No. 5 SACDs, and one is open (the Rostropovich). The surround sound presentation is OK, but I would likely listen to it more on my 2-channel system because I have a true SACD player rather than the OPPO in my home theatre system.

The other (the Kreizberg) is sealed, and it also contains Symphony No 9. I am not very familiar with 'PentaTone Classics', so I am hoping that someone can tell me if this one is more immersive than the other. I could open it, but it is easier to sell if it is still sealed. Based on the stickers it is highly-rated, but that doesn't often mean that much. What do you guys think? This is the end of the questions, I promise. My sell pile is almost complete.

If you visit HRAudio.net, they have 17 pages of Shostakovich SACDs listed so you can peruse the various titles and some have multiple reviews. http://hraudio.net/search.php?format=0&keywords=Shostakovich

Example: your Pentatone SACD has three reviews listed: http://hraudio.net/showmusic.php?title=4454#reviews
 
There are no reviews about the Rostropovich disk, but the Kreizberg disk has a few glowing reviews. I will keep the PentaTone disk because it also has the 9th Symphony and hoping that is has a better surround sound mix. Thanks for the link. My sell list is now complete. I appreciate the help.
 
There are no reviews about the Rostropovich disk, but the Kreizberg disk has a few glowing reviews. I will keep the PentaTone disk because it also has the 9th Symphony and hoping that is has a better surround sound mix. Thanks for the link. My sell list is now complete. I appreciate the help.

This might shed some light on the Rostropovich LSO SACD. Almost all of the LSO LIVE discs were/are recorded in the VERY DRY acoustic of London's Barbican Hall and were not prized for their sonics. Over the years, FULL DSD LSO LIVE Recordings recorded in that hall have improved immensely.....but ARE ambient [and NOT discrete].

As far as Pentatone Surround........mostly AMBIENCE only save for a few of their reissued RQR series from DGG which are discrete.
 
This might shed some light on the Rostropovich LSO SACD. Almost all of the LSO LIVE discs were/are recorded in the VERY DRY acoustic of London's Barbican Hall and were not prized for their sonics. Over the years, FULL DSD LSO LIVE Recordings recorded in that hall have improved immensely.....but ARE ambient [and NOT discrete].

As far as Pentatone Surround........mostly AMBIENCE only save for a few of their reissued RQR series from DGG which are discrete.


I opened the PentaTone disk, and I have to say that the surround sound effect is very good ... maybe not extremely discrete, but much better than just ambience. It is also much more dynamic than the LSO disk, with a lot more instrumental definition across the soundfield; including front to back. Once in a while a single stringed instrument will pluck a for few measures out of a rear speaker. Pretty cool actually.
 
I opened the PentaTone disk, and I have to say that the surround sound effect is very good ... maybe not extremely discrete, but much better than just ambience. It is also much more dynamic than the LSO disk, with a lot more instrumental definition across the soundfield; including front to back. Once in a while a single stringed instrument will pluck a for few measures out of a rear speaker. Pretty cool actually.

Good to know. As a rule, the Pentatones are not known for their discreteness but on occasion even Pentatone and BIS have dabbled in discrete elements on their multichannel SACDs.

TACET is one of the few classical labels that do discrete recordings and great multi SACDs and even DVD~A. If you want to experience 360 sound, try some of the TACET classical physical discs. http://hraudio.net/search.php?format=0&keywords=TACET
 
I opened the PentaTone disk, and I have to say that the surround sound effect is very good ... maybe not extremely discrete, but much better than just ambience. It is also much more dynamic than the LSO disk, with a lot more instrumental definition across the soundfield; including front to back. Once in a while a single stringed instrument will pluck a for few measures out of a rear speaker. Pretty cool actually.

Must have been an error. :rolleyes:
 
What can I say? There were even a few discrete Silverline disks. :mad:@:

There were some incredible and wildly discrete Silverline [DVD~A 5.1/DUALDISC] titles aside from the multitude of 'fake' upmixed stereo 'surround' titles from that label.

Kal's just being 'coy.' Don't forget, he writes a superb bi~monthly column "Music In The Round" For Stereophile Magazine and has FIVE MATCHED B&W Full Range speakers [unless he's upgraded, which, knowing KAL, he already has].
 
Shostakovich and Rostropovich were friends and colleagues, and Rostropovich has an invaluable connection to the music. That said, I saw him conduct a few times near the end of his life and was really underwhelmed - the orchestra just wasn't under his command. I haven't heard the Kreizberg either, although I've generally enjoyed his work - they both have good orchestras although the LSO has a bit of an edge.
 
It's a state of the art recording [as are ALL Reference Recordings] with NO discrete elements. An excellent performance, though. The Adagio IS gorgeous!

Audiophile Audition's 5* review: http://www.audaud.com/shostakovich-...mph-orch-manfred-honeck-reference-recordings/

I tend to think of classical surround mixes in 3 categories: 1) discrete; 2) not discrete but enough rear activity to create a wide soundstage; 3) barely audible ambiance only in the rears.

Where do you think this one would fit? (I want you to pick #2 because the disc is sitting in my cart waiting for me to pull the trigger)
 
I tend to think of classical surround mixes in 3 categories: 1) discrete; 2) not discrete but enough rear activity to create a wide soundstage; 3) barely audible ambiance only in the rears.

Where do you think this one would fit? (I want you to pick #2 because the disc is sitting in my cart waiting for me to pull the trigger)

TWO. Very spacious soundstage and ambient rears. Just buy it!
 
There are no reviews about the Rostropovich disk, but the Kreizberg disk has a few glowing reviews. I will keep the PentaTone disk because it also has the 9th Symphony and hoping that is has a better surround sound mix. Thanks for the link. My sell list is now complete. I appreciate the help.

I have this disc and it is a good one and so I think you have made the right decision.

However, I must enthusiastically endorse Kal's recommendation to buy the Honeck Shostakovich 5/Barber Adagio on Reference Recordings. This is definitely the best multi-channel version and can stand side-by-side with the fabulous Kurt Sanderling and Leonard Bernstein stereo versions of the Shostakovich 5. Indeed, anything on Reference Recordings sounds wonderful and anything that Manfred Honeck does these days seems to be quite wonderful. Besides the Reference Recordings that he has made, there is a great CD of the Dvorak Violin Concerto with Anne-Sophie Mutter on DG and a truly superb unfinished stereo SACD Mahler cycle (so far Nos. 1,3,4,5 with several others reportedly in the can) on the Exton Label.
 
I bought this one in a fit of hometown pride after it won two Grammys. It is wonderful. Just the liner notes are worth the money. Honeck thinks on a whole different plane from us mere mortals and his breakdown of the works brought things to my attention that I would never have come to on my own. As impressive as his writing is, his conducting is even stronger. There wasn't a moment where I lost my focus on the music. His reading is enraptured.

Plus, for us gearheads, the engineers get a page to discuss what they did (spoiler alert: DSD 256 throughout). The surround mix is not discrete, but I've listened to a handful of concerts at Heinz Hall, and this disc actually does sound like Heinz Hall.

It's quite brilliant. I'm both cheap and not a guy who listens primarily to classical, but tonight's listening session is making me want to go purchase all of the Honeck SACDs on Reference Recordings.
 
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