What CD label do you usually buy for classical music?

[Grinnin]

When buying classical CD's, do you usually gravitate towards one label or is that not a consideration? Do you tend to look for this label first?

 

[Todd]

Labels are basically unimportant to me. I'm more interested in composer, repertoire, and artist.

 

[DanielFullard]

Im not bothered about labels......

 

[PipeOrganBuilder]

I would tend to agree with Todd. While I may be looking for a specific work on a specific label by a specific performer, I don't usually play favorites.

 

[acciaccatura]

The label is not important - but I find my collection influenced by what sound philosophy (if any) a particular recording company offers. However, modern recordings are mostly good quality... the more I listen to CDs, the more the artificially silent sound world bothers me. Music is a live medium, performed by live people - it should be heard live. Me thinks...

 

[Kromme]

All sounds good but i buy EMI more because other labels are not easy to find in stores deutsche grammophon,decca and philips are also available but in a very limited way for example it is impossible to find any solti recordings in stores in Turkey

 

[Wunderhorn]

I usually read reviews on a CD before I buy it, because I want to make sure to spend my money properly. All of the main brands and even a number of the not so well known are on my shelves.

 

[Art Rock]

My Classical CD buying came almost to a halt about seven years ago (well, the collection had already grown to 2000, which is enough), but there were some labels that I preferred:
Naxos: excellent quality/price ratio, and a lot of real gems.
Chandos, Bis, Hyperion: rarities 9especially British and Scandinavian) in great versions.

 

[Krummhorn]

It seems with all the technology advances in recent years, that the sound quality isn't much different from one label to another. In the 'vinyl years' it made a much clearer difference due to the pressing equipment used and the quality of the master tape. In today's digital world, the sound quality is much better and more equal across labels. Even some music CD's that I burn at home are great enough quality for my standards.

 

[LovesBachandGershwin]

Yes, Art Rock is right naxos is a great label with some really well done pieces and it is so cheap, I think it's all recorded in russia and europe. I trust naxos a lot if I'm just going to be a cheap recording of something at a store, other than that if I am looking for a serious piece of music I look for the conductor and orchestra. But Naxos they have some superb recordings for bargain prices. Their recording of Vivaldi's dixit dominus is awesome.

 

[Sybarite]

Less snobbery and more a question of being secure in the knowledge that it would be a quality production, I used to dedicatedly buy Deutsche Grammophon – particularly in the days when I was buying vinyl.

Now, as one or two posters have said, I'm less inclined to see label as a major concern.