Patrik Enander wrote:

>I have no.  16-18 and I think it is a very good cd.  But I do have a
>problem with it and that is the sound; it's hard, clangy, almost insulting
>to the ear.  I read one review in Gramophone of another cd in the series
>where the reviewer found the interpretation very good but said that the
>sound was so horrible that he could not recommend it.

Who can we call to help alleviate this sound problem? Here comes Mr.
Equalizer armed with an almost infinte combination of settings to help you
enjoy your messed up recording.

Truth or fiction? Some of both.  I do find that an equalizer can eliminate
"hard/clangy" sound.  However, this correction can well make worse another
aspect of the sound - "separation." Concerning Kovacevich's EMI series, I
was mildly satisfied with the improvements that my equalizer brought forth.
However, it's not good sound, and buyers of this series just have to
tolerate the fact which is impossible unless you feel that Kovacevich's
interpreatations are among the best.  I do feel that way, so I'm living
with the sound.

Of course, this does lead to the question of "who in the world" is
engineering these discs, deciding on microphone placement, etc.  It is
infuriating.  In an age where technology has advanced so much, why can't
these folks give us uniformly excellent sound? Oh well, we have deficient
individuals at our highest levels of leadership - why not in the recording
business?

Don Satz
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