My favorite Brandenburgs version for many years has been the one played by AAM Berlin (1999) followed by MAK Goebel (1987), but I have to listen to Café Zimmerman's more because I also think it is excellent

I don't listen to music with my As you say ^ Partner ' It's my mates of wife I listene with A glass of wine. u said enough. Berlin Ok. We get it

Peccato che manchi un confronto con la registrazione del 1965 fatta da I Musici, ancora oggi la più godibile.

Who makes their tubes?

Revolution or gullible western consumers?

DAC's do make a difference I admit that freely. I think though that too much fuss, to the point of being obessive compulsive at times. There is deminishing returns at some point. At what point does the return on investment in DAC deminish? $300, $1200, $2500, $5000, $7000 where is the line in the sand where you get 95% of what can be had? If the DAC is the most important thing which I think is a true statement how much DAC do you need? I really enjoyed your A-B-X blind testing!

Very interesting chat, thanks! Both speakers employ technology to shape the output and outcome - the Pearl Acoustics approach is to apply technology to the design of the driver and the box while the BBC applied technology to the driver, crossover and the box. Both approaches work and have the advantages and disadvantages.

First I absolutely enjoy your video's always great content. I like how balanced your video's tend to be and your open mindset to let the chips fall where they may! Onkyo makes a very affordable CD player the 7030 for $299 it has been in production for some time now. Mine is older and uses a Wolfson DAC but I think the latest one uses AKM. When I bought it I bought it back in 2017 to keep by my bed to listen to guided meditation CD with headphones. Now it is part of my system. I got tired of purchasing used Sony Discman portables that would fail after a year of use.

Great video. I love my Sugden A21 from 1969. I was so amazed at the quality of sound through my Tannoy Berkley speakers. They match so well.

I play mine straight out of an SMSL SU-10 with no preamp and that works just great.

I just got one of these and the biggest surprise was how good the bass is.

👌 Thank you, Harley.

Good lord, I was not expecting this thing to perform as well as it is. Great recommendation, thank you sir.

Really enjoyed this video, thanks Harley. I have Trevor Pinnock's English Concert version which I must have had for 20 years and it still sounds great to my ears. The Café Zimmerman does sound wonderful, but sadly doesn't seem to be available on CD.

So the best musical impressions were obtained using acoustic equipment costing cents and pennies. Absolutely true....

Brilliant stuff. Thoroughly enjoyed it and .. never knew the Rega story. I'll look upon Rega in a whole new light !. Just one technical note ... Even £1k to £2k hand held spl meters struggle to measure below 30 - 35 dB. Up in the land of multi thousand pound (B & K or Gras) £10k - £20k will get you "close" to the "0" dB accepted limit of human hearing, so I'd imagine the app & smartphone combination is actually measuring it's own noise below about 35. If I'm wrong, and their self induced noise is around 20 dB ... let me know. So many of us want noise measuring capability down to 20 (or even less) without massive cost.

Oh! quin problema, em quedaria diverses versions; sigui pel fraseig, l'acústica, el sentit del detall o el respecte al conjunt...Gràcies per aquesta nova proposta.

A Brandenburg concertos recording you might enjoy- Paillard Chamber Orchestra. with Jean - Pierre Rampal on flute . one of my Brandenburg favs .

I would buy the SPL elector IF i had the $€£ simply because it's made in a factory about four hours drive from my house by very tidy germans .😂 Seriously things made IN germany tend to exhibit high build quality ,,,,so ?

Thank you so much, made me smile and put a spring in my step 😊

Like Glen Gould said : playing Bach Bradenburg Concerto No 5 it’s not about the finality, it’s about the happiness of being…

I couldn't wait for your favourite to end., it was painfully dreadful. I liked the first one you played, Concerto Italiano.

The issue with the Topping remotes is not the remote unit it is the IR receiver in the unit. This is poor design by Topping. My initial approach was to try a quality remote with learning ability which made no difference. The effective, solution was to remove the highly reflective glass from the Topping which is screen printed on the internal surface and has only a tiny clear spot in front of the IR sensor (this limits the angle from which IR can reach the sensor). I carefully cut a new panel from a DVD case and fitted this in place of the factory part. Problem solved. I can now point the remote in any direction, even bouncing off the walls, perfect. Not particularly elegant but when warranty expires I will remove the screen printing around the sensor area of the original glass panel. I really have no idea why Topping has not addressed this easy to rectify design flaw. I think a larger clear area in front of the sensor should be the cure although the DVD case is also way less reflective than the original glass screen. A very long 2mm hex key is the only tool required to do this modification. The original glass window is not glued in place and this procedure is totally reversible.

Can we visit this listening room?

This is just a superb video. Great information, well explained, good pace. Just marvelous. Thanks!

MARANTZ 6300 is the ROLLS ROYCE OF THE TURNTABLES IT WAS BUILD FOR MULTI MILLIONAIRES - in NEW YORK BACK IN 1970’s IF YOU KNOW BY LOOKING AT IT AND FEEL IT - YOU KNOW -

Musica Antiqua Koeln.

My seven favourite symphonies are by Sibelius. I revere Sibelius and I have quite often listened to all seven chronologically in one sitting. It is an extraordinary musical journey starting with the sublime clarinet solo of Symphony No 1 and ending with the serene cadence of the 7th (which when the time comes is the last thing I want to hear on earth) Vanska is my man. Used to be Berglund but I think Vanska has a really profound understanding of what Sibelius is about. Symphony No 3 is very special especially the slow movement. Only Sibelius could have written this masterpiece. It stays in my head for hours after I’ve heard it. Outstanding music.

Magnificent. The harpsichord solo was (to my ear) starting to stray into the territory of Ligeti, Continuum, and Hungarian Rock. Certainly I’m sure Ligeti will have learned from this extraordinary writing. Another fascinating episode Harley. I’m very happy to reconnect, and my 93 year old Dad is happy too. He remembers you very well. Regards Keith.

Cafe Zimmerman are magnificent. I love to do what you are doing here: comparing two or more performances by different ensembles of the same piece of music.

I might not have audiophile ears but I can tell that the Sugden have smoother bass compare with the MF thru KZbin! PS I am SPA-4 & DAP-800 owner living in a detached bungalow :)

Depending on weather conditions, my P10's mat clings to records after playing two or three in a row. So while I love my P10, which I consider to be a bargain, I don't like its felt mat. I'm seriously considering upgrading to a Technics SL1000R.

Amazing as usual

Albert Schweitzer wrote: "The Brandenburg concertos are the purest products of Bach's polyphonic style. We seem to see before us what the philosophy of all ages conceives as the fundamental mystery of all things--that self-unfolding of the idea in which it creates its own opposite in order to overcome it, until it finally returns to itself having traversed the whole of existence".

THANK YOU ! Every time I get a notification about your new upload it puts a smile on my face. I realize what goes into making these exceptional videos and I really appreciate it. You changed the way I listen to music. Keep up the great work !

Cafe Zimmermann!

Sigo periódicamente sus videos y realmente son maravillosos. Me encantó las versiones que ha expuesto. Personalmente me crié con las versiones de Richter (debido a mis 78 años). He escuchados muchas, pero hoy en día, mi preferida es la de Masaaki Suzuki , vale la pena escucharla.

Akademie Fur Alte Musik is my favorite. I listen to that CD very often. Thanks for another excellent analysis.

What we have in common is that I often enlighten my Sunday mornings with the Brandenburgs, too [I "upgraded" from Billie Holiday in the 1990s]. Since its release, the Cafe Zimmermann version [and the Zimmermann Bach box] have been residing on top of my loudspeaker...ready for the "lonely island". I also own the Rinaldo and Loussier recordings and a dozen more. I would like to point you to a great Canadian recording on Sony's Vivarte label...by "Tafelmusik" directed by the late Jeanne Lamon. Probably as good as Cafe Zimmermann. According to the booklet, Cafe Zimmermann was kiddy corner from St. Thomas in Leipzig. The ensemble attempts to reproduce the sound of the era...hence the name. Have not been in St. Thomas since 1988...in an adventurous trip from West Germany over to the communist east. Your video brings up many valuable memories. Thank you very much.

The simple answer is that before Elgar most classical music was “tune music” and after him there was more “mood music”. Tune music has a discerneble melody and mood music does not, it meanders from phrase to phrase. I don’t assume one is better than the other but Elgar wrote both types of music.

Thanks for making this video. CDs and CD players were a galaxy leap forward from cassette tapes and when you buy the CD you own it and the quality will never degrade if you take care of them. In my college days i used to walk around with a Sony Discman strapped on me everywhere. I even own one today. Its a great piece of history.

Great listening session, thank you for presenting such a variety of executions/ recordings. I know and love the Concerto Italiano and Concerto Koeln versions. Cafe Zimmerman one sounds less striking to me but it might be down to the fact I’m not familiar with it. Very beautiful staccato in the second movement by the Akademie fuer alte musik Berlin. I will listen to all of them in the next days, then will come back here. Following up after repeated listening of all the versions, I really appreciate the take of Cafe Zimmermann . The clarity is exemplary with a special accent on the contrapuntal structure of the JS Bach composition, revealing and impressive. There is another trait, almost haydnesque softness as opposed to the archaic French style of the Akademie fuer alte musik take on the second movement.

I’m about to move into an 18th century house. I know what I’ll be listening to (once I’ve sorted out the broadband and my hifi, which is tricky with 30cm thick walls!)

My mum and I went to a Jacques Loussier concert when I was a kid; both, in our ignorance, expecting straight Bach!

I wonder have you listened to the Quad 303? I am guessing I hear a shudder in the room as the very thought of class B is mentioned. Truth is a stock 303 was and still is a wonderful amplifier and if restored and or upgraded the 303's are very special despite the fact that they break the very rules we were told should not be broken. They switch off and on so they run cool and last for a very long time. While the 405 was seen by many consumers of the day as the 303'3 replacement having twice its power I prefer the sound of the 303. Thanks for your interesting videos.

I've 2 versions in my record collection for many years. These are my reference recordings and that will be the case till I die. On modern instruments under Max Pommer. On authentic or period instruments under Christopher Hogwood. Abbado I keep for things like Brahms, Bruckner etc. I think his talent doesn't lie in Bach interpretation.

The EU is celebrating the 200th anniversary of their anthem today. Would love to hear your deep thoughts on it soon. Meanwhile I hope you are booked for a lovely concert of the 9th Symphony today evening. Enjoy 😊

Maybe off topic, but: I would like to see a speaker manufacturer, (like Mark Audio), steal a page from guitar pickup makers. Make two matching drivers. Reverse wind one coil and flip the magnet. Connect them out-of-phase. (Reverse polarity actually). Now the signal would be in-phase, but the back EMF would cancel, thus minimizing, or eliminating, the concern for amplifier damping factor. A Sibelius with this configuration could be sweet. (Not that it isn't already.) 🙂

Wonderful episode! Watching how this music brings joy to you is very infectious. The world is a much better place with videos like this, thank you. Was not aware of Cafe Zimmermann until now. Quite impressive - pieces were beautifully played and recorded. Gone is the typical large scale, "wall of sound", plodding Brandenburgs.

Thank you Harley, I know the No 5 well but my six versions were not in your list and for me Café Zimmermann will be a good addition to my list. You being involved in recording and publishing classical music, what is your view on the influence of streaming? When I read that only the very big pop artists make money from streaming, how will the niche market of classical music survive? This is one of the reasons why I only buy CD's or downloads. I prefers downloads because of the possibility of higher bitrates and the immediacy between purchase and delivery. I think that record companies should put more effort into downloads, often you don't even get the front cover or booklet as a download.