Re: What are you listening to?
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 1:36 pm
JSB – The wonderful Cantata BWV90 for the Twenty-fifth Sunday after Trinity....
Me too, I think that I will get it.fergus wrote:I too am actually a big fan of Solti Seán and I genuinely would like to hear his Bruckner cycle. If I picked it up relatively cheaply I probably would buy it.Seán wrote:A timely utterance as the Solti/CSO treatment of Bruckner was mentioned on CMG, not favourably either too I might add. Solti comes in for too much criticism.
Brass instruments and grand piano are very difficult to get right but the Wadia renders these beautifully in a very lifelike way. However, its approach is inherently musical - no instruments/voices are spotlighted but, as you pointed out, are simply integrated into the entire soundstage. The Wadia is very impressive on conveying a sense of scale as well as an impression of the acoustic environment in which the music was recorded. One other thing - the Wadia is notorious at taking its time to warm up so expect to see its performance improve over the coming days, Dave. I leave mine powered up 24/7. On the subject of Wadia's proprietary algorithms, I normally stick with Algorithm A. Algorithm B can be used for overly warm or flat recordings and Algorithm C can be used for overly bright recordings, but, personally, I use Algorithm A at least 95% of the time. And finally, expect to see the Wadia's performance improved further with a good quality power cable - I use Nordost Valhalla. I know you're sceptical about such things but, once you become accustomed to the sound of the Wadia with its supplied power cable, it's worth your while asking Ivan Cloney about borrowing a second-hand Nordost and taking it home for the weekend.DaveF wrote:speaking of brass, it was one of the first things that I noticed that the Wadia did differently than the Opus21. It sounds far more realistic but never harsh or bright. The Wadia has bigger bass too but its never bloated or boomy, rather its very well integrated with the rest of the spectrum. Because of this, the music has more weight and body at lower listening volumes. Still evaluating it, but these were some of the first things I noticed even just an hour after a cold start of the machine.mcq wrote: Enjoy your time with the Wadia, Dave. I think you'll find it hard to say goodbye. And, you should be mightily impressed with the way it handles Mahler (and Bruckner, as well, for that matter. Nobody wrote for brass quite like Bruckner and the impact of something like Solti's cycle of Bruckner symphonies with the CSO as played through the Wadia is quite something, I can tell you!)
I too enjoyed that magnificent piece of music making. Despite its age and the technology employed a good solid performance is still and forever a good solid performance!!mcq wrote:And the Ring cycle is, I believe, Solti's greatest achievement. Perfectly cast and with a well-drilled VPO, it really deserves every bit of praise that has ever been showered on it. Have a look at this clip - an impassioned Solti and Nilsson on mercurial form which just leaves me breathless every time I see it. This footage is priceless beyond words. And it's even better as a climax to a wonderful evening spent listening to the entire cycle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=146tTKSXu7s (The piece of music beginning at 5.20 is some of the very finest ever written. You must be made of stone if it doesn't bring tears to your eyes.)
Truly, they don't make them like that anymore.
I have read about the Wadia's notorious warm up time alright and I did notice a dramatic improvement this afternoon as I've had it powered since yesterday afternoon. Yesterday it was little 'party tricks' revealing themselves and although impressive as it was, I wasn't overly convinced that the Wadia was a worthwhile over the Opus 21. Today has changed that opinion as the capabilites of the Wadia are starting to come together now. It was the following two recordings that really had me sitting there and thinking to myself: Wow!mcq wrote:Brass instruments and grand piano are very difficult to get right but the Wadia renders these beautifully in a very lifelike way. However, its approach is inherently musical - no instruments/voices are spotlighted but, as you pointed out, are simply integrated into the entire soundstage. The Wadia is very impressive on conveying a sense of scale as well as an impression of the acoustic environment in which the music was recorded. One other thing - the Wadia is notorious at taking its time to warm up so expect to see its performance improve over the coming days, Dave. I leave mine powered up 24/7. On the subject of Wadia's proprietary algorithms, I normally stick with Algorithm A. Algorithm B can be used for overly warm or flat recordings and Algorithm C can be used for overly bright recordings, but, personally, I use Algorithm A at least 95% of the time. And finally, expect to see the Wadia's performance improved further with a good quality power cable - I use Nordost Valhalla. I know you're sceptical about such things but, once you become accustomed to the sound of the Wadia with its supplied power cable, it's worth your while asking Ivan Cloney about borrowing a second-hand Nordost and taking it home for the weekend.
yes those mods are expensive alright. Perhaps the IMF will help me out! ;-)mcq wrote:I've heard that the Blackgate capacitors (which, apparently, are no longer available) play a large part in the wow factor of the GNSC Statement upgrade. I've been tempted in the past to have my Wadia shipped to GNSC for the upgrade, but at a cost of around $5000 including shipping, I think I'd rather save for the newer 781i or the S7i. By the way, here's a link to a review in HiFi Plus of an 861SE with the Statement modifications: http://www.greatnorthernsound.com/pdf/GNSC_review08.pdf