Customer Reviews

The Complete Caruso [Box Set]

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This is a re-release of the RCA complete Caruso set from the late 1980's. The transfers were made in the late 1970's at the dawn of the digital era and were state of the art for that time. But in cleaning up the surface noise these old digital transfers seriously flatten out the sound of Caruso's voice.

I would suggest that people interested in Caruso check out the complete Caruso series on Naxos with new digital restorations by the great sound engineer/artist Ward Marston. (The Complete Recordings of Caruso and also on single discs). On the Naxos CD's the voice is preserved in a much more natural and subtle sound while all of the other noises are eliminated as much as possible. It's much more satisfying and true to the original recordings than these old RCA transfers. It's a little more expensive, but you should have the best available. It's only fair to Caruso.

The difference between the RCA and Naxos Caruso is not between bad and good but between very good and excellent. If you find the Naxos set too expensive, this RCA set is not a bad second choice. Compared to Naxos, RCA does away with more surface noise. (But Naxos does a better job with the popping noises.) Caruso sounds more mechanical on RCA, more human on Naxos. Without a doubt, Naxos shows Caruso to better advantage. I own and like both sets, but if I could only keep one it would be Naxos for sure.