DISCLAIMER:

This is the Tino's personal list made to share with you what I have learned on audiophile records.

Another audiophile list? Nooo! Why?

Don't worry, if you don't find anything interesting or any news in it you can simply leave this page free of charge! This is the list of the best sounding records that I have and -try- to not consider the musical performance as an absolute value, but only the feeling to be “there” that I prove listening these records. Of course credits for my lists can be given to other famous lists, like the HP TAS list and the Salvatore's High-End Audio list.

MERCURY SR90226 (Classic Rec. reissue) Stravinsky “The Firebird” (complete) Antal Dorati London Symphony Orchestra Sound eng. C.R. Fine & W.Cozart This is my best record ever. It is difficult to choose only one record because you can like it for one parameter and another for others, but this record excels in everything. Of course it is a true MERCURY, which means very “fast” sound, detailed, powerful and with that typical high level noise floor.	MERCURY SR90313 (Classic Rec. reissue) Ravel “Rapsodie Espagnole” and others Paul Paray Detroit Symphony Sound eng. C.R. Fine & W.Cozart This is another great MERCURY recording, which exalts the rich colour palette of the Ravel music. The Rapsodie is simply astonishing.
Angel – OMR MFSL 1-519 Stravinsky “The rite of spring” (ballet) Riccardo Muti Philadelphia Orchestra Sound eng. M. Gray This is the Original Master Recording MFSL 1-519 reissue, but I have also the ORIGINAL Angel SZ37646 record that none want to buy neither for a few dollars. Even if the original has an incredible dynamic and bass response only in the OMR the full orchestra passages don't produce an harsh sound. Let's say that if you will need only 70% of the very good sound you can spend only 5% of the OMR price!	Angel - OMR MSFL 1-520 Mussorgsky “Pictures at an Exhibition” + Stravinsky “Firebird” (suite) Riccardo Muti Philadelphia Orchestra Sound eng. M. Gray The Original Master Recording were probably the most “audiophile-oriented” records ever made. This particular one (together with his brother MFSL 1-519, which I still don't have...) is the most famous. For now it is the most expensive record I have ever bought, but it deserves any $!
RCA LSC2446 (Classic Rec. reissue) Rimsky-Korsakov “Scheherazade” Fritz Reiner Chicago Symphony Orchestra Sound eng. L. Layton & R. Mohr I love the big sound of this recording.	RCA LSC2471 (Classic Rec. reissue) Liszt – Enesco “Rhapsodies” Leopold Stokowsky Chicago Symphony Orch. Sound eng. R. Simpson This is probably not regarded as one of the best Living Voice products, but I found that this record can really transmit the Stokowsky energy.
RCA LSC2449 (Classic Rec. Reissue) Bizet Carmen + Gounod Faust Alexander Gibson Royal Opera House Orch. Sound eng. K. J. Wilkinson That is probably the record most evaluated from the italian “record scout” school, founded by Stefano Rama. In reality it is a DECCA recording and, may be, it is for that reason that US collectors does not regard it as “the best”?	RCA LSC2150 (Classic Rec. Reissue) Stravinsky “Sound of the Nightingale” Fritz Reiner Chicago Symphony Orchestra Sound eng. L. Layton This is a typical example of record with variable quality: the Prokofieff side is not even comparable with the great Stravinsky one.
RCA SORIA LDS6065 AA.VV. “The Royal Ballet” Ernest Ansermet Royal Opera House Orch. Sound eng. K. J. Wilkinson This sound is quite different from the powerful and dynamic RCA sound. It is much more “brilliant” and “detailed”. I like in particular the Cajkovsky tracks.	RCA LSC2400 AA.VV. “Ballet Music from the Opera” Anatole Fistoulari Paris Conservatoire Orch. Sound eng. K. J. Wilkinson Do you want to prove a real emotion? Then try to listen the Saint-Saens “Baccanale” at high volume!
HARMONIA MUNDI FRANCE HM1025 (Speakers Corner reissue) AA.VV. “Villancicos” Gregorio Paniagua Atrium Musicae de Madrid Sound eng. J.-F. Pontefract This record has the wonderful sound of the more famous Folia, but the musical program is something less “repetitive” and for that reason I prefer this one. This is a typical “around 1980” high-end recording, when the high resolution and soundstage were the most important parameters. You can really think to have the musicians in your living room!	HARMONIA MUNDI FRANCE HM1050 (Speakers Corner reissue) AA.VV. “La Folia de la Spagna” Gregorio Paniagua ensamble Sound eng. J.-F. Pontefract This is probably one of the most famous high-end recording, and probably the most wanted of all the Harmonia Mundi, together with “Tarentule-Tarentelle” (HM379, recorded by A. Paulin) made by the same group, essentially the Paniagua family.
DECCA SXL2011 (Speakers Corner reissue) Stravinsky “Petrushka” Ernest Ansermet Orchestre de la Suisse Romande Sound eng. ? This is another Stravinsky opera. Probably he (and other russian colleagues) are the most “audiophile oriented” composers. Can You call them “composers for crazy people”?	DECCA SXL2012 Wbg Grieg Peer Gynt (suite) Oivin Fjeldstad London Philharmonic Orch. Sound eng. ? I'm not sure if this is one of the best recording made by DECCA, but it is one which I like very much also for the music program.
EMI ASD429 (Testament reissue) Mozart violin concert n3 KV216 Gioconda De Vito, Rafael Kubelik Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Sound eng. ? This record probably does not sound so good as the others in this list, but the De Vito performance is so magic that you forget everything else. The Bach side is much worse than Mozart.	EMI SAX2307 (Testament reissue) Brahms violin concert Leonid Kogan Kyril Kondrashin Philharmonia Orchestra Sound eng. ? Another wonderful performance recorded very well and reissued on heavy vinyl.
RCA - CHESKY CR-2 Rachmaninov concert n2 Earl Wild, Jascha Horenstein Royal Philharmonic Sound eng. K. J. Wilkinson Sometimes RCA and DECCA exchanged their best men and so happened that this RCA record (very well reissued by Chesky in 1986) was recorded by the DECCA guru Wilkinson (as happened for the three RCA above).	REFERENCE RECORDING RR17 Stravinsky “L'Histoire du soldat” + Rimsky-Korsakov “Capriccio Espagnol” Chicago Pro Musica Sound eng. K. O. Johnson Here we are in 1985 and the audiophile label Reference Recording has done one of their best records. Unfortunately they do not do vinyls anymore...
Updated April 2007	To be continued?

MERCURY SR90226 (Classic Rec. reissue)

Stravinsky “The Firebird” (complete)

Antal Dorati London Symphony Orchestra

Sound eng. C.R. Fine & W.Cozart

This is my best record ever. It is difficult to choose only one record because you can like it for one parameter and another for others, but this record excels in everything. Of course it is a true MERCURY, which means very “fast” sound, detailed, powerful and with that typical high level noise floor.

MERCURY SR90313 (Classic Rec. reissue)

Ravel “Rapsodie Espagnole” and others

Paul Paray Detroit Symphony

Sound eng. C.R. Fine & W.Cozart

This is another great MERCURY recording, which exalts the rich colour palette of the Ravel music. The Rapsodie is simply astonishing.

Angel – OMR MFSL 1-519

Stravinsky “The rite of spring” (ballet)

Riccardo Muti Philadelphia Orchestra

Sound eng. M. Gray

This is the Original Master Recording MFSL 1-519 reissue, but I have also the ORIGINAL Angel SZ37646 record that none want to buy neither for a few dollars. Even if the original has an incredible dynamic and bass response only in the OMR the full orchestra passages don't produce an harsh sound. Let's say that if you will need only 70% of the very good sound you can spend only 5% of the OMR price!

Angel - OMR MSFL 1-520

Mussorgsky “Pictures at an Exhibition” +

Stravinsky “Firebird” (suite)

Riccardo Muti Philadelphia Orchestra

Sound eng. M. Gray

The Original Master Recording were probably the most “audiophile-oriented” records ever made. This particular one (together with his brother MFSL 1-519, which I still don't have...) is the most famous. For now it is the most expensive record I have ever bought, but it deserves any $!

RCA LSC2446 (Classic Rec. reissue)

Rimsky-Korsakov “Scheherazade”

Fritz Reiner Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Sound eng. L. Layton & R. Mohr

I love the big sound of this recording.

RCA LSC2471 (Classic Rec. reissue)

Liszt – Enesco “Rhapsodies”

Leopold Stokowsky Chicago Symphony Orch.

Sound eng. R. Simpson

This is probably not regarded as one of the best Living Voice products, but I found that this record can really transmit the Stokowsky energy.

RCA LSC2449 (Classic Rec. Reissue)

Bizet Carmen + Gounod Faust

Alexander Gibson Royal Opera House Orch.

Sound eng. K. J. Wilkinson

That is probably the record most evaluated from the italian “record scout” school, founded by Stefano Rama. In reality it is a DECCA recording and, may be, it is for that reason that US collectors does not regard it as “the best”?

RCA LSC2150 (Classic Rec. Reissue)

Stravinsky “Sound of the Nightingale”

Fritz Reiner Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Sound eng. L. Layton

This is a typical example of record with variable quality: the Prokofieff side is not even comparable with the great Stravinsky one.

RCA SORIA LDS6065

AA.VV. “The Royal Ballet”

Ernest Ansermet Royal Opera House Orch.

Sound eng. K. J. Wilkinson

This sound is quite different from the powerful and dynamic RCA sound. It is much more “brilliant” and “detailed”. I like in particular the Cajkovsky tracks.

RCA LSC2400

AA.VV. “Ballet Music from the Opera”

Anatole Fistoulari Paris Conservatoire Orch.

Sound eng. K. J. Wilkinson

Do you want to prove a real emotion? Then try to listen the Saint-Saens “Baccanale” at high volume!

HARMONIA MUNDI FRANCE HM1025 (Speakers Corner reissue)

AA.VV. “Villancicos”

Gregorio Paniagua Atrium Musicae de Madrid

Sound eng. J.-F. Pontefract

This record has the wonderful sound of the more famous Folia, but the musical program is something less “repetitive” and for that reason I prefer this one. This is a typical “around 1980” high-end recording, when the high resolution and soundstage were the most important parameters. You can really think to have the musicians in your living room!

HARMONIA MUNDI FRANCE HM1050 (Speakers Corner reissue)

AA.VV. “La Folia de la Spagna”

Gregorio Paniagua ensamble

Sound eng. J.-F. Pontefract

This is probably one of the most famous high-end recording, and probably the most wanted of all the Harmonia Mundi, together with “Tarentule-Tarentelle” (HM379, recorded by A. Paulin) made by the same group, essentially the Paniagua family.

DECCA SXL2011 (Speakers Corner reissue)

Stravinsky “Petrushka”

Ernest Ansermet Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

Sound eng. ?

This is another Stravinsky opera. Probably he (and other russian colleagues) are the most “audiophile oriented” composers. Can You call them “composers for crazy people”?

DECCA SXL2012 Wbg

Grieg Peer Gynt (suite)

Oivin Fjeldstad London Philharmonic Orch.

Sound eng. ?

I'm not sure if this is one of the best recording made by DECCA, but it is one which I like very much also for the music program.

EMI ASD429 (Testament reissue)

Mozart violin concert n3 KV216

Gioconda De Vito,

Rafael Kubelik Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Sound eng. ?

This record probably does not sound so good as the others in this list, but the De Vito performance is so magic that you forget everything else. The Bach side is much worse than Mozart.

EMI SAX2307 (Testament reissue)

Brahms violin concert

Leonid Kogan

Kyril Kondrashin Philharmonia Orchestra

Sound eng. ?

Another wonderful performance recorded very well and reissued on heavy vinyl.

RCA - CHESKY CR-2

Rachmaninov concert n2

Earl Wild,

Jascha Horenstein Royal Philharmonic

Sound eng. K. J. Wilkinson

Sometimes RCA and DECCA exchanged their best men and so happened that this RCA record (very well reissued by Chesky in 1986) was recorded by the DECCA guru Wilkinson (as happened for the three RCA above).

REFERENCE RECORDING RR17

Stravinsky “L'Histoire du soldat” +

Rimsky-Korsakov “Capriccio Espagnol”

Chicago Pro Musica

Sound eng. K. O. Johnson

Here we are in 1985 and the audiophile label Reference Recording has done one of their best records. Unfortunately they do not do vinyls anymore...

Updated April 2007

To be continued?