has anybody noticed that the sound quality of DG's recent recordings has got worse? This is common to almost all Abbado's recordings. The sound is thick and monotonous, without details ja unfocused. Worst of all is Abbado's Beethoven-cycle that sounds kind of muddy, to my ears at least. It sounds like all the high frequencies have been cut off. Listening to these recordings makes me very tiresome. Is DG trying to create a new image? Karajan used to prefer a very clear sound. Has Abbado been making the opposite? I like the Chandos's clear and atmospheric sound for instance but I very seldom have a new CD from DG because its dull image. Am I just imagining? Jukka Virtanen, Espoo, Finland