Oldest Recordings that sound “audiophile”


Wondering what older recordings people have heard recently that they think to be “audiophile” worthy?

For example I just listened to “You Keep Coming Back Like a Song” by Dinah Shore from 1946 and it sounded like Dinah was in the room with me.

Probably remastered but so what, that counts!

When was the first “audiophile” worthy recording made, I wonder? How far back can it be?
128x128mapman
mapman,

’Its only in recent years have I learned to appreciate recordings made in the pre- Beatles era. Growing up, all that “old” music was deemed uncool by the likes of the rock music press and few young people then ever gave it a serious listen.’



As much as I love the Beatles I also came to love that in-between period between the decline of first wave rock and roll and the emergence of the Fab Four.

I guess we’re talking roughly 1959-63. This just also happens to be when this following album was apparently recorded, though not released until much later.

The Wonderful World of Nursery Rhymes by Vera Lynn and Kenneth McKellar.

As far as clarity of vocals goes, I can’t think of any better example in my collection. It seems to have been recorded perfectly flat and it doesn’t take much to imagine the performers right in front of you.

Thankfully it was one of those pieces of music I could enjoy almost as much as my kids did.

What’s funny is that my daughter now tells me that children’s TV is rubbish today, far inferior to what it was when she used to watch it regularly (2006-10).

Back then I remember saying the same thing to her!
I'll stick to non-classical here.  Cannonball Adderley and Nancy Wilson on Capitol.  Any of the Sinatra or Nat King Cole Capitol recordings will do, too.
From 1947 to 1950, excellent sounding mics were available, but they were expensive to make and uncommon and tended to be first reserved for high-profile, big-budget events.

I have two fine-sounding CD soundtracks, both in stereo, that were Hollywood films made in 1947:

The Ghost And Mrs. Muir   (Bernard Herrmann)
The Captain From Castile   (Alfred Newman)