UPDATE 2026
The part down below about Londons numbered from 6400 to 6500 being superior is not something we would agree with any longer.
UPDATE 2021
Ansermet’s performance of Espana is still our favorite — nothing in our experience can touch it, musically or sonically.
As of 2022 we slightly prefer the famous Argenta recording for Decca that’s on the TAS List, CS 6006.
Both are wonderful and both belong in any serious audiophile collection of orchestral music.
We created a special section for recordings of this quality. Classical and orchestral records that we’ve auditioned and found to have the best performances with the highest quality sound can be found here.
This has been a favorite recording of ours here at Better Records for a very long time, since at least the mid-’90s or thereabouts. We’ve mentioned how much we like the sound of Londons with catalog numbers ranging from about 6400 to 6500 or so (which are simply Decca recordings from the mid-’60s), and this one (CS 6438) is one of the best reasons to hold that view.
You get some of the Tubey Magic and golden age sound from Decca’s earlier days, coupled with the clarity and freedom from compression and tube smear of their later period. In other words, this record strikes the perfect sonic balance, retaining qualities from different periods that are normally at odds with each other. Here they work together wonderfully.
Further Reading
- Big speakers and loud levels bring out the power of the orchestra
- Advanced record cleaning is critical to finding your own Hot Stamper pressings
- Robert Brook thinks orchestral recordings are the only way to get to the highest levels in audio and I agree with him