Recording levels
Thu, May 13 2010, 7:56PM
Can anyone advise me on how to listen to music that is comfortable to listen to and at a level of volume that neither deafens you by its loudness, or during its quiet passages makes it impossible to hear. I so much enjoy the symphonies of Shostakovich - the box set I have has Haitink conducting either the Concertgebouw or the London Philharmonic - and yet I am fed up at having to either turn up the volume so as to hear the music during the quiet parts only to then find myself rushing to turn the volume down for fear of the neighbours complaining about the loudness. I have tried wearing headphones but this either leaves me unable to hear the phone or door bell or, worse still, exposes my hearing to continued noise. Before I donate this box set of CDs to a charity shop could anyone provide a possible solution. At the moment I`m trying to listen to his 12th symphony but have given up because of this problem. Thank you, Bob
Fri, May 14 2010, 6:40PM
#2
RE: Recording levels
There's no way to say this without sounding heartless and flippant. Your best solution is ............................... move. Or stick to old recordings. Modern, state-of-the-art recordings have a near-live dynamic range, in contrast with many recordings back in the 60s and before. As in a concert hall, pppp should be a whisper and ffff knock you backwards. Engineers used to compress this range, often still do. If they don't and you've got close or hyper-sensitive neighbours, you've got a problem. I know the Haitink Shostakovich 12 very well, perhaps one of Haitink's most un-Haitink performances. He really lets it rip in the first movement and the Concertgebouw is on fire. It's the perfect piece to start/continue a war with the people next door.
Headphones are the perfect solution. Activate the answering machine, ignore the doorbell, and chill!
Sat, May 15 2010, 7:38PM
#3
RE: Recording levels
Thank you all who offered advice on my query concerning volume levels. I will do as suggested - apart from moving home as this would be too expensive, unless of course I sell my music. Thank you both for your imput. Bob
Sun, May 23 2010, 5:37PM
#4
RE: Recording levels RE: Recording levels
It's as much composers as recordings: not just |Shostakovich, what about Bruckner's brass!? I just listened to the Speakers Corner facsimile LPs of Solti's LSO Mahler 2 and it's not just modern recordings or CDs that can exhibit a wide dynamic range. (I'm still utterly perplexed though by the 1960s Mahler phenomenon when until then his work was scarcely heard but that should be another forum topic perhaps).
Sun, May 23 2010, 7:13PM
#5
RE: Recording levels RE: Recording levels
(I'm still utterly perplexed though by the 1960s Mahler phenomenon when until then his work was scarcely heard but that should be another forum topic perhaps).
I've always been convinced it has more than a little to do with improvements in recording techniques. Walter's CBS recordings, the first Bernstein cycle, Szell's great Mahler 4, Barbirolli's 5th, all date back to those years and were amongst the first stereo recordings of Mahler symphonies. Compare, if you can, to Walter's earlier recording of the 5th symphony and you can hear what a difference decent recording makes. Mahler's complex and shifting textures, violins playing above the stave, wide dynamics, all benefitted hugely from the advent of stereo. I find, say, Beethoven perfectly acceptable in 'historic' recordings, but not Mahler - perhaps with the exception of the Walter/Ferrier Das Lied.
Shostakovich dynamic range can be taxing, but I suspect there may be more at work here, since this is a well-recorded set.
I'll take a stab at ill-connected, worn, or junk wiring. These can be the death of sound reproduction. Worn and junk problems are most noticeable on well-recorded material. Check CD Player/Amp. interconnect and speaker wire.