speakers for classical music

Guido my friend, that's mostly pretty polite classical music, as easy to make sound good as jazz. I DO notice that, at least for the ones I know, they're all great performances. The Dvorak gets a little more challenging, but it's really pretty easy on most systems.

My challenge to any system is Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Fransico Phil doing Mahler's 6th. The 3d and 4th movements have it all, from lyrical strings and winds to bombastic percussion, brass and basses. This is both a wonderful performance and incredible symphonic recording.

Dave

well, yes, to some extent at least they are '[polite' selections. . . but, try to listen to Larah St. John. . . she is not a 'very polite' girl. . . word dyonisiac I should say comes to mind in the sheer emotive intensity of her playing. Yet, in most cases, I am much more interested in the low level detail than anything else.
Good suggestion about Michael Tilson Thomas on Mahler 6th . . . I'll source it before the Fall. Any suggestions for an exceptionally musical interpretation -- and hopefully well recorded -- Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring? And no. . . not that one. . . you know I don't do no Riner and no stokovsky *grins* G.

Actually, the Dvorak 9th with Bernstein is a pretty interesting recording. . . in some cases, it can soun. . . even sort of swampy. . . yet it can also highlight the capability of a component to dig into the information and bring music and venue into the reproduction. . . remember my recent observations on Ref 3 and Capri with this particular track?

105dB continuous at the listening seat is "crazy loud".

I agree and there are few non horn speaker designs that can achieve this cleanly at two or more meters. I would not recommend listening at these levels and agree that 95 db spl is plenty loud already. Of course if the speaker can handle it then you have plenty of headroom for those occasional highly dynamic drum recordings.

I need to look for a new Rite of Spring, Guido. Sady my only one on hand is early Telarc by virtue of it being vinyl, it said encapsulates the worst of digititus for all eternity. (I think it was Atlanta in the late 1970s, not the greatest). No rescue by upsampling is possible given its conversion to analog. Strange irony if you ask me.

MTT's Mahler has me thinking that I should look further into his work for modern, well recorded options with high performance potential.

Dave