No Rough Edges and Amazing Reproduction of Vocals
928581
I searched for about a year for 'the last pair of speakers I'll ever buy' to the point I was losing interest. The search criterion was; even, uncolored, full range response, able to fill a very large carpeted basement room but still in cost range appropriate to speakers that only get used a little, i.e. when my wife goes out. The reason I finally decided on JBL was because of their years in the business and their share of movie theater market. I figured this should translate into JBL being able to sell quality at lower cost.
Everything sounds good on these but since they are being driven by an ancient NAD 3140 rated at 40W/channel I don't believe they've been able to reach their potential with many of my recordings. Happily they are outstanding when they reproduce vocals like those from Innocence Mission or The Cowboy Junkies; female crooners with soft voices that nonetheless project to the front of the sound stage.  Last Friday I got to crank them up for a favorite, Paul Simon's 'Graceland' and it was flawless to the point I was surprised when at the end was reached because the time seemed much too short.
2490315
Overall, the recording is intimate and represents the band very well. There is a little bit of reverb and on the first song, there is a spot where it sounds as if the master tape is dubbed together. Other than that no complaints on the sound. The performance is great. If your looking for new music, all the songs come from other albums. If your looking to here them live, raw, in the flesh, this is the recording for you. Highly recommended. I can't believe these guys don't get a ton of radio play. If your new to Dawes, Nothing is wrong is a fantastic album. If your familiar with the band, and looking for new music I recommend Middle Brother. This is a mixture of the guys from Dawes, Deer Tick and Delta Spirit. They even do Million Dollar Bill (I think before the Nothing is Wrong album came out). Highly recommended-
1030968
If you have ever asked yourself "why don't they make music the way they used to?", give this CD a try. Anyone who loves good music will find something on this collection they will like. Natalie's voice is as smooth as vanilla ice cream and the dynamic range of her voice is as impressive as it gets. The arrangement and production of the music is beyond fantastic. I love the selection of songs she chose to cover on this album, there are 22 gems here. Each is backed up with big band sound, top notch production and perfect mixing. My favorite track is "Orange Colored Sky". Natalie nails the mood of the song perfectly and frankly she out does her father's version. "Route 66", "Straighten-up and Fly Right" are great cuts too and again Natalie does justice to her father's versions of the standards. Probably the most notable song is the outstanding electronic wizardry of "Unforgettable".  Natalie's duet with her late father is an impressive accomplishment but it's not the only reason to purchase this CD.  Fourteen Million copies have sold so far and it is no mystery why. There is a lot here to please any music lover or audiophile.
3930404
My Sony recorder from 15 years ago finally died a noble death, and I am thrilled that this one has slid so effortlessly into its place. As a classical singer looking for something to record dress rehearsals, this has been ideal for creating quick accurate feedback.  Unlike my former sony, this Tascam recorder has mic's attached, as well as a very sensitive in-put adjustment system.  The loudest peaks in the music do not sound over-blown, yet the softest moments are also picked up beautifully.  One can either use head-phones for more specific details, or switch to the little speaker provided on the body of the recorder (which sounds like it's canned, but works in a pinch).  I'm very pleased, and look forward to another 15 years of accurate recordings.
2970185
WOW!  When I combined the X5 with some good Bose speakers and paid the extra for high sample rate music (e.g. 192khz-24 bit FLAC files from HDTracks), it's almost like being in the recording studio with the artists.  You can hear every separate voice, instrument, hand-clap, finger-snap, etc..  I actually out-loud said "Wow"!  One caution:  you need to be computer savvy enough to be able to copy files from your music folders to an external drive.  This ain't iTunes with synchronization built in.
3408460
I have many bootleg recordings, but when I received this I was most surprised at the sound quality. Very rarely is there a bootleg which has such clear fidelity. I was very pleased. BTW, don't let the pic of "Colosseum Live" confuse you. Just another data integrity breech. Beatles Live at the Sam Houston Colosseum is a must have for any collector, or Beatles fan.
522411
A miraculous recording.  I have just listened to it twice, and I am entranced.  To being with, Brahm's easily muddied textures are crystal clear.  This is due in part to playing of the very finest quality and unanimity of understanding - no gimmicks, just very, very good playing and ensemble - and partly due to some of the cleanest, clearest recording I have ever heard.  The quality of the playing and the sound leap out at you from the fist measure: this is something special.  There is full investment in the inner drama of the music, done with musical means, and never beating you over the head with it, as some younger quartets are won't to do.  Buy this.  It is wonderful and amazing, and CD to live with for a very long time.
3802557
I loved watching Jordan Smith on The Voice. While I think that the live performances were a shade better in sheer energy (there was a synergy between Jordan and the audience), these are perhaps a shade more well-done technically. What really comes through is Jordan's soaring voice and expressiveness. Just close your eyes and listen to the music. While I like them all, I think my favorite tracks are Great Is Thy Faithfulness, Hallelujah, Climb Every Mountain (perhaps colored by my memories of the show as I remember whispering "Yes" at the end of the powerful performance), and Mary Did You Know.

If you enjoy vocal performances, try out this recording. I don't think you will be disappointed.
204970
I leave to others the arguments over why these are or are not recordings worthy of praise or a sniff of distain.
Personally, I was amazed at the artistry of both pieces. Seemed to me that many neat little musical bits and details appeared in these two performances that I've not heard elsewhere.
But I was more amazed at the quality of the recordings...1950's and '60's analog masters that put me more into the middle of the performance than many DDD recordings I've heard. If that was the result of "original-image bit-processing", then I'm going to look for that little moniker on other recordings I'm considering.
I think this CD is wonderful.
739304
The musical content of this LP is undeniably great; the actual sound quality of any vintage vinyl is in the ear of the beholder. Judy Garland is enthusiastic, funny, and in great vocal form here, you will not be disappointed.

I bought this album to replace my parents' over-worn original copy, and although the cover looks identical, the editions are not exactly the same. If you are a serious collector, then I would suggest asking for additional details (beyond what may show on the website listing) to be certain you are getting what you think---I didn't! Here are some details from the edition I got:

1. 2-disc vinyl album, marked WBO-1569 from Capitol Records
2. Set list and liner notes show in photos below
3. Recorded April 23, 1961 in front of an audience of 3165
4. Note on recording quality: "This monophonic microgroove recording is playable on monophonic and stereo phonographs. It cannot become obsolete, it will continue to be a source of outstanding sound reproduction, providing the finest monophonic performance from any phonograph."
1609881
There's something about a live recording in a club setting that you can't get with a studio recording. For one thing, there's no fixing any mischords or mislicks (mistakes). And there's the intimacy between the audience and the artist. This recording is very clean and sharp. By sharp I mean one can clearly hear the vocals and instruments. I read a review which said the bass player was hard to hear but I had no problem with this although the bass is not as prominent as the guitar and drums. I highly recommend this recording.
4179739
The 44VSL is pretty darn amazing.  I use the product  through a PC after not having such luck  doing the same with a Pro Tools configuration.

The sound reproduction through the device is remarkable.  I record folk and blues singer songwriters, and actors doing voice over.  The quality of the 44VSL is consistently very good.

I have recorded in high end studios off and on throughout my career.  On occasion, I make a CD of tunes I recorded with Studio One and the 44VSL in my home, and songs that were done in a very high end studio (thanks to the label), to see if "the layman" could distinguish the difference.  Answer... Not really.

I record acoustic guitar and voice and maybe a couple of other instruments and midi here and there.  Somebody who does work with bands and electronic music may have a different opinion as that would be beyond my expertise.  The built in pro effects and fat channels allow the recording artist to hear  that "live" vibe and whatever else that may provide a boost in the performance of a song that will not be recorded (unless you want to) so that you capture the best performance possible, but still record flat so that you can mix to whatever suits the artist and song the best.

What I can confidently state though as a professional touring and recording artist, that for a solo guitar player singer songwriter, the 44VSL is  just great!!
3963376
Amazing collaboration very high quality sound mix, instruments can be distinctly picked up throughout the recording even subtle sounds
4129121
I own a record player and I've got my dad's copy of this album and I love it. The vocal harmonies are amazing and they have a saprano that can hit the stratospherically high notes!
2022598
This a fantastic product - 3 beautiful discs for about twenty dollars.

The most popular selections from the Messiah are "For Unto Us A Child is Born" and "Hallelujah". So, let me review those two tracks.
The choir's sound is clean, yet rich and colorful. Each voice part executes the rapidly moving section at the end of the phrase "for unto us a child is born" with clarity and beauty, setting the choir apart as a world class one. (Most amateur choirs butcher this section, their voices not being agile enough; and even some professional choirs nail the intonation but that's about it)
The rich and resonant soprano section in the Hallelujah chorus makes the top notes seem so effortless and triumphant. I sing soprano so I can truly tell good soprano sections when I hear them (and the bad ones too!), but I'm sure the other sections are also equally good in this recording.

All the other tracks are great. I loved the alto soloist in "Thou that tellest good tidings to Zion".

In other words, don't let the price scare you. This is really a recording worth having.
284974
I just marvel at some of the "reviews" here, seriously.  You just have to sit and wonder how nutty people are.  How about the guy who complains that the sound does in this recording - muddy and terrible.  Is he listening on Casio speakers?  Because the recorded sound and engineering on this CD is superb - clean and clear as a bell with not a hint of mud.  You want mud, listen to this and then listen to the famous Earl Wild recordings - it's shocking how muddy that is compared to this, and Wild's performances are wonderful.  And then there's the guy who thinks Ms. Lisitsa is more concerned with her image than the piano.  These covers are done by the label - it's how they think they can sell it.  It's no different than any of the young violinists or pianists or whatever, whether male or female - the label's are selling an image that will appeal to young people or make folks think the performer is "hot" - I find it rather silly, but you can't blame the performer - at all.

Now that we've got that out of the way - I'd just gotten Ms. Lisitsa's wonderful album of classical music from the movies, which has THE best version of the Warsaw Concerto EVER - finally!  So, I knew I liked her and I knew I liked her production team from Decca.  And this CD of the Rachmaninov concertos is just a beautiful recording in every way.  Someone complains that the piano is too heavy in the blend - um, no.  The balances are wonderful here.  The performances get the job done and sometimes rather beautifully.  These are excellent renditions of all four - but the second and third are really top-flight.  So, highly recommended - she's a wonderful artist and the band is terrific.
3165064
The sound quality is much better than I feared. I had a bootleg CDR called Middle Earth which was horribly reverb drenched, probably recorded with open mics, possibly to a standard 1/4" cassette. (think "Turns On" series)

This CD however, actually is a line recording and is as clean as a 1967 Soft Machine performance possibly could have been. I would love to have such a fine document of the band *with* Daevid Allen, but until then, this is a welcome addition to my collection and above average quality in comparison to similar recordings of its kind.