My top 3 best sounding 2014 purchases.

May I congratulate you on your excellent choices.

The Batik album The Old Man and the Sea from the little Sound Liaison label, I find especially intriguing.

I think that the hand of the recording engineer has been crucial in making the gorgeous music of this download succeed to such a high degree.

It is an album ''translating'' the words of Hemingway to music and when you know that the head engineer Frans de Rond has a very successful background in radio plays it explains the visual character of this recording.

Very refreshing recording approach.

quote from the Sound Liaison website and a bit I found on his Linkin page;

Frans has received several awards for his work with radio plays. His ability to create an almost visual sound field has made him the most popular engineer for radio plays in the Benelux. The ability to make sound visual is also what makes the audio recordings of Frans de Rond so unique. 

Prix Europa 2002 'Ik Zeeuws meisje' (Best European Radio Drama)
Prix Italia 2012 'Mama Tandoori' (Best Original Drama Radio)

Nominated 'Zilveren Reismicrofoon 2014

 

Thanks.

Here are mine:

BP.

Here is a gorgeous you tube performance with Weilerstein and Barenboim.

Not sure if this means albums one has purchased in 2014, or albums released in 2014 that one has also purchased.

If it's the former, I would say these (the first was recorded in 2004, the other two recorded in 1993; one is SACD, the other two vinyl):

My top 3 at this moment;

Soundliaison

 Naim

 HD tracks

This one is not in my top 3 and it is not really my type of music ( my son bought it) but I have to admit that the production and soundstage is excellent, not usual for this type of music and I have to admit that upon repeated listening I tend to like it.

Naim label

Thank you for the Elgar cello concerto recommendation; I'm going to seek it out.  Did you buy an LP or a digital format?  I'm digital-only.

On the HD Tracks site it says;''This product is not currently available due to region restrictions''. But her other recordings can be downloaded....strange..?

(I'm in Europe)

+ All 12 of the Music Matters Blue Note 33rpm reissues. Sorry that's a lot more than three 

Morning Phase is the twelfth studio album by American musician Beck

Pale Communion is the eleventh studio album by Swedish heavy metal band Opeth

Made Up Mind is the second studio album from blues-rock group Tedeschi Trucks Band

"…3 best sounding 2014 purchases…"

I can live with a poorly sounding, great album.

I can't live with a best sounding, poor album.

I do think we all agree to that statement but I also think it is possible to get the best of both as the many excellent suggestions above prove.

I was actually thinking of albums released in 2014 but so many good suggestions has come in that I think I better just make a new thread.

Quad 33's suggestions is from 1994 but  holds up quite well, lovely recording.

Each on vinyl.

I don't buy much current music but I think these three LPs were all very well done both musically and in terms of sound quality. The first two are from especially seasoned veterans, but even for Beck this was his twelfth album.

Randy, Morning Phase is one of the few Beck albums I really like.  Modern Guilt is #1, Morning Phase #2 (I think).  Modern Guilt gets played a lot by us, especially in the car on long trips.

I have always had a problem with 3 sir.

Stu is back.  

I will stick to my top three though... You had some good time off, surely you can choose a couple of albums that were kind of "special" to you. 

Tony

Tony,

It took me nearly a hour and needed help to post the above yt link

Over 500 albums this year man,

Its hard to pick just three best sounding ones?

Easy to pick my top ten favourites but not the best SQ three because to many have rocked my boat.

Two of the best SQ CD albums ever have to be the September 2014 Limited edition SHM Flat recordings straight from original tapes to CD Steely Dan albums

.Pretzel Logic and Countdown To Ecstasy.

They are both absolutely outstanding SQ.

My mistake, Stu. Now , surely, you have a  couple  of NEW stuff released in 2014 that really must have you thinking: " this 5hit is cool " or whatever adjective you might have used. 

I heard a rumour Sir Mick is going to get Scott to sing live when the blue and white army go up next year.

Pretzel Logic and Countdown To Ecstasy.

They are both absolutely outstanding SQ.

 

You seem to prefer the old Steely Dan albums  in terms of Sound Quality,

listening to Show bizz Kids, from

''Count down to ecstasy'' as I am writing, I almost think you have a point.

This 180g vinyl albums outstanding SQ really took me by surprise when i first played it a few weeks ago.

Peg Leg was 75 in 1962 when he recorded these brilliant blues tracks.  

Its a 2013 release.

This brilliant double vinyl album   

Is high on my best sounding 2014 list.