I just finished a spread sheet of all my M7’s and have’em lined up to evaluate /compare over the next couple weeks.
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Anyone in particular that is a top contender? I have briefly listened to the Minnesota/Vanska. I haven’t expanded much in to Mahler yet but I do have a number of his symphonies flagged for review. Most of them from recommendations on this thread, IIRC.
I’ve been mucking about with my amp so I’ve been listening to more familiar pieces to see if the changes I made are any good and feel that I now need to start meandering the classical landscape again.
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I’ve always been a fan of Abbado /Chicago. He somehow gets the original “Star Trek” TV tune (I bet you wondered where that came from) and that section of the 1st movement to sound mystical / otherworldly, and winds up that movement with a great bang and great ensemble playing from the CSO. Bernstein’s first go from 65’ has about the best final movement I can think of (which is why I like to refresh my thoughts from time to time) that in many performances comes off as way over the top bombastic and loses the humor of Mahler’s having fun with the typical Classical Period symphonic structure of a journey from “darkness to light”. It strikes me more of a journey from darkness to joy. I do these re-evaluations of Mahler’s (and other composer’s) music from time to time over the years as I add new recordings. Just something I do for my own enjoyment.
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Thats the best reason, sharing it with others is just a side benefit for the rest of us.
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I came across this from Digg:
I head the difference on my iPad speakers, but I’m going to listen carefully on a decent chain. Should I post this or a pointer to it for the others, or should I just leave it entre nous ?
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Initially I thought I heard a difference in the low end, but then after jumping between the 3 (time-wise) it became a big omelet to my ears. 
I failed miserably on that task with the HD800S.
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I might try this later. Will post my inevitable failure. There are a few of these kind of videos online but I’ve never actually tried to listen to differences.
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That was fun. On my vintage 2007 Samsung craptop I’m lucky it still makes any sound at all. That being said, the budget cello sounded coarser, not as smooth or less refined tonally. I could not tell any difference between the $180K and $1M cellos. I also think no matter how much canned music one listens to it can never sound anything like live sound.
I suspect that profession musicians have ears that are more finely tuned and sensitive to sounds than audiophiles who just listen to gear.
On the other side of that coin: I heard many years ago that some profession musicians sometimes aren’t all that critically concerned about reproduced playback quality, their brains fill in the missing information.
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They aren’t listening to what you’re listening to. It’s like watching an engineer look at a sunset over a tranquil river. They are usually studying the bridge.
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I’ve read that with these mythical instruments that the musicians more feel a difference than actually hear it 
.
I’m going to warm up the tubes and try it later.
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I need to fire up the Hive Nectar. The $5000 cello was easy to pick out - it had a sort of thin timbre, and almost rattles on the extreme low note repeated several times about 3/4 of the way through. Much closer between the two high-end instruments. I don’t know enough about the recording. I expect that Wendy can tell the difference with much less detail because she knows exactly what to listen for. But this is a very interesting test.
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Well, that was interesting.
First, I’m not impressed with the recording and/or YouTube sound. I think the mic was too far away from the strings - there’s a definite hollow sound in the room. I would very much like to hear this comparison produced by someone expert in capturing this instrument.
First, the base-level cello. It played the notes just fine. Sound was a little thin, but you notice this when you compare to the other two. There is decidedly less resonance - perhaps the wood is stiffer, or maybe the shape just doesn’t do as well as the others.
It’s much harder to tell any difference between the two good cellos. But what is notable, is that they inspire a better performance. Certainly Ms. Laws hears the difference, and it seems to me that her touch has more authority and her vibrato has more power in it with the $1M instrument. It’s as if she knows what it can do, and is doing her best to show it off.
So, in truth, I can’t tell if differences I hear on the two good cellos are the result of performance or instrument quality. I’d need someone knowledgable to point it out. Both of these instruments don’t simply play notes - the produce a complex tone. On the iPad, with iPad speakers, I thought the difference was in the bass. But with the Bifrost 2 to Stax Tubes to Hive Nectar, I can hear a more musical quality throughout the range. In the quiet passages, the tone is sweet.
I think I can discern an “ever so much more so” quality enhancement with the $1M cello, but it also seems that the performance is a bit that way also.
So, interested in your thoughts - and if this is worth pointing to in other parts of the forum, and if so, where.
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You can make a case that vibrato is a function of equipment. Quality of fingerboard, distance of string off fingerboard could both lead to greater or lesser ability to move the hand in a perfect vibrato without losing the fundamental note.
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I agree with all your points. I liked the tone of the second cello much more than the first one but I struggled when comparing the second and third. I liked the performance the best when she used the third cello.
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Sounds like the law of diminishing returns we grumble about all the time with higher end audio gear. The $150K cello sounds like the sweet spot to me.
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New release. The Bolero is mighty fine. Mastering/recording is such that you feel like you are sitting a few rows back in the audience, which is my only real criticism of it as I prefer a more forward presentation for orchestral pieces. The conductor seems to have a robotic control of his orchestra on this album.
This one I really like, also a new release. Im generally not a fan of baroque, at least not yet, but Vivaldi seems to skirt the line between baroque and classical periods for me. Bright and more forward recording but not harsh or fatiguing, at least not for me with my gear but could be a test of your tolerance of high frequencies.
Excellent performance from Bolette Road and an excellent mastering as well. A surprising recorder version of the 4 Seasons Concertos is included, which I am not fully sold on but nonetheless is an interesting listen.
Both are on Tidal, I checked.
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Ondine does some top notch SQ quality recordings.
Well, I’ve got 3 (of 14) recordings of Mahler 7 left to listen to and compare. Should be thru the last 3 this coming week. The variations in performance, conductors interpretation and recorded qualities and what they bring out about the recording venues and how they support or not various instruments is always key. Biggest variations I’ve found has been with any instruments capable of going below say 50 to 60 Hz.
On an equipment note: I found a 90’s vintage Melos SHA-1 hybrid HP/Pre with 90’s vintage Sovtek 6DJ8’s in it that I purchased in the 90’s but can’t remember specifically when. I brought with me when I moved to my current home in 2004, stuck in the bottom of a closet with other gear on top, and forgot about it!!!.
It was in its original packing carton with all associated packing materials but no manual, but it’s a pretty straight forward SE design with nothing to figure out.
Gave a quick listen, expected noisy caps or resistors. Still dead quiet when I hooked it up and turned it on, LOL.
Sounds dam good! Gonna cook it today with my break-in CD and give it a workout this week too.
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I havent heard much from this house so I’ll keep that in mind.
I know nothing of Melos but thats an awesome rediscovery! Reminds me of when I found my old gameboy with Mario Kart still in it that actually turned on right off the hop! Hadn’t been used or charged in maybe 10 years or longer!
I have come across some people saying to recap gear after 10-15 years but I dont know if there is any scientific basis for that, especially if initially well made. Unless I heard something off I wouldnt do it just out of some notion of maintenance.
Keep slogging through the Mahler!
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Regarding the Melos; if I hear anything in the way of noise (buzz, hum, crackle) or if it starts sounding “wrong” somehow I would most likely get it repaired and updated. As I understand it the company (Melos) stopped doing business prior to 2000 (I think), but the chief technical person there got permission from the owner to do repairs and updates and set up business to do just that.
https://melosaudiorestoration.com/ Don’t know if this operation is still in business or not.
I think Melos used some of the best component parts available back then especially the ALPS volume control.
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The early Melos preamps are very well regarded, but the later production stuff had terrible QC issues.
I have an MA110B I still use (no headphone out though).
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