2. digital
  3. 129868-1601

Glare on Choral recordings, classical vocals

Dear all,

I'm hoping for some clarity on an issue of the quality of choral vocals in digital recordings. It's either my system or the recordings. There is a glare and harshness in the crescendos, and I wonder if it's natural room clipping in the studio or cathedrals in which they are recorded (the delay in some of these spaces can lead to a natural harshness and smearing of the sound), or if I have poor setup in terms of the DAC and/ or the preamp. I use a B&K PRO-10MC and a Schiit Bifrost Multibit. This setup has resolved any issues with digital glare except in the domain of choral music. Do I have to suck it up and consider upgrading to the Gungnir or another device? Should I consider a tubed preamp, maybe the Schiit Freya?

The problem is far less noticeable on vinyl, but most of my choral collection is in the digital domain. 

I've always had problems with the Tallis Scholars recordings on the Gimell label, which are almost always recorded in cathedrals. However, I did listen once to a Tallis Scholars CD on a dealer's rig with a Conrad-Johnson tube pre and Totem Model 1 Signatures, and there seemed to be much better resolution, though this was 20 years ago and I think my younger self was just blown away by the sound in general.

I've noticed that audiophiles and reviewers seldom write about choral music. Is it because they don't like choral music, or is it because it is just really difficult to record choirs well, therefore making choral music a poor choice to show off a system?

Any choral music-loving audiophiles care to comment on their experiences and solutions? 
 
Many thanks,


Paul
paulburnett
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,733 posts
 
Run a good 2L digital recording thru itThe Himmelrand is excellent
i have Vandersteen 7 which I consider brutally revealing to source
but I also record a bit of voice direct to digital and on high speed analog tape - fewer things are more difficult to get right IMO
i would start with source material of excellent provenance and work to end of chain
changing speakers first is IMO inane...
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,733 posts
 
Also if your speakers and system are doing analog well without glare... that tells ya something...

mahler123
3,014 posts
 
I listen to Classical exclusively and am familiar with the problem that the OP describes.  Fwiw I have found that as I upgraded my DAC the problem resolved.  I went from an Oppo 105 to the Mytek Manhatten (Oppo is the transport) and now the congestion and glare are things of the past
schubert
7,386 posts
 
There are many posts that say Vandy 2ce are not good on classical .
Never heard them myself .
tubegroover
2,320 posts
 
Schubert, I"ve read many of the same comments but in my experience, 10 years, not the case, quite to the contrary. It all depends on all the factors that are always in play in many of these threads regarding audio, room, matching components and last but certainly not least personal preference. I personally had excellent results with the pair of 2cs I owned with regard to classical music but that started 30 years ago. I still consider them one of the true superb values in audio, a classic product, certainly not all things to all folks but a product that, for the price, offer a great deal of musical satisfaction across all genres. The proof is in their longevity and the numbers sold, certainly worthy of consideration for those looking for full range at a reasonable price.
More to discover