NIV Audio Bible Voice Only CD [Unabridged, Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Zondervan (Author)

Book Description

Series: NIV Audio Bible | Publication Date: February 1, 2002

- The complete Bible---64-CD set includes both Old and New Testaments - New International Version---today's most read, most trusted translation - Single-voice narration, read by Charles Taylor, provides a clear, consistent rendering of the Bible text - Digital remastering brings unprecedented clarity and audio quality to this NIV audio Bible - Brief book introductions give you a quick, preparatory overview of each book of the Bible - Location markers make finding and keeping your place as you listen as easy as hitting 'fast-forward' or 'reverse' - Running time 77 hours - Lifetime guarantee stands behind this product's performance

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

· The complete Bible—64-CD set includes both Old and New Testaments · New International Version—today’s most read, most trusted translation · Single-voice narration, read by Charles Taylor, provides a clear, consistent rendering of the Bible text · Digital remastering brings unprecedented clarity and audio quality to this NIV audio Bible · Brief book introductions give you a quick, preparatory overview of each book of the Bible · Location markers make finding and keeping your place as you listen as easy as hitting "fast-forward" or "reverse"

· Running time 77 hours · Lifetime guarantee stands behind this product’s performance

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Audio CD
• Publisher: Zondervan; Supersaver edition (February 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310920485
• ISBN-13: 978-0310920489
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 7.3 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #311,163 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

205 of 216 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent recording of the entire Bible. NOT ABRIDGED!, October 18, 2002

By 

J. Martin (Upstate New York USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: NIV Audio Bible Voice Only CD (Audio CD)

This is an excellent recording of the ENTIRE Bible. I can only imagine that Amazon calls it "abridged" because it leaves out the music and multi-voice dramatizations of other recordings. That's really weird thinking!

To give Amazon the benefit of the doubt, this recording does leave out "Selah" when reading the Psalms, which I suppose counts as an abridgement of sorts. I haven't heard (or want to hear) the dramatized version, but it's hard for me to believe "Selah" is spoken in that version either, and Amazon doesn't call that one "abridged." Anyway, I'm grateful that "Selah" is left out in this recording. Since it's not really integral to the poetry and nobody knows what it means, it would be a serious distraction in a recording.

I do have some very minor, nitpicking complaints that say more about me than about this product. As you may have guessed, I don't have much appreciation for dramatizations of the Bible. The Bible is full of power, and any attempt to pump drama into it actually dilutes its effectiveness. This version, even though it's not dramatized, is read with a little more theatricality than I would like. I'd prefer a flatter reading. (I said I was nitpicking!) My other nit is that the volume on some of the CD's is a little low. When I'm playing it in the car and switch without thinking to the radio, I almost blast the speakers out.

Even though it's not the version I prefer for study, the NIV works well for listening to. Each chapter is a separate CD track, so it's easy to find what you're looking for. The brief introduction to each book is informative and easy to skip if you want to. This really is a great recording, at less than a dollar per CD.

56 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not James Earl Jones, but still great, May 18, 2007

By 

Nick Charles "The Thin Man" (Portland, OR. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: NIV Audio Bible Voice Only CD (Audio CD)

If you want a complete, comprehensible bible on CD, then hands down, this is the one to get.
When I first decided to take the plunge and find one I wanted to do it right, so as to not regret my decision. My first thought was to get the James Earl Jones set, but it is read to the KJV. Personally, I like that translation, but I imagined my wife and daughter would struggle to get through the old English verbage without me stopping the CD and having to translate. So as much as I enjoy Mr Jones' vocals, it wouldn't be in my best interest to purchase a bible CD that potentially only I would end up listening to. I also did not want there to be all the dramatizations you hear in many bible CD's. Even if it's done well (and I find many are not) I think it's mildly annoying. So knowing exactly what I wanted, I kept coming back this Zondervan NIV set, and ultimately bought it. I have not regretted it once. It is exactly what I imagined and wanted. Charles Taylor has a very pleasant and clear voice. For me, it conjures up an image of an older gentleman in a smoking jacket and bifocals sitting in a leather bound chair next to a stoked fire reading the scriptures out loud to the whole family. The introductory overviews before each book are very brief and informative, but nothing you wouldn't find described in many study bible book intros or a Halley's Bible Handbook. It's easy to navigate throughout the CD's since the chapters are broken down into separate tracks, which I like very much.
Some of the reviews listed here describe the inconsistent audio volume changes. I would have to verify that this is indeed the case. However, it is a flaw that I find trivial and one I can easily deal with since it is only a minor fluctuation. To illustrate, I like to listen to these CD's when I go to bed at night. When everything is quiet and the only sound is the CD I'm listening to is when I really notice it. Especially the difference in the volume of the introductive overviews as they transition to Mr. Taylor's reading of the bible. The intros are decidedly louder, but still not enough to jar me awake if I fall asleep. Also I've noticed that the volume sometimes gradually gets louder from say the beginning of a book, or even a chapter in that there is a difference from a somewhat quieter beginning to a louder end. But the change is ever so slight and very gradual.
Overall I'm extremely pleased with this product. The CD's are not only great, but they also come with a handy zipper CD case. So if you don't mind the NIV and you don't want a dramatized CD bible, by all means add this to your shopping cart.

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clear reading with no embelishments, September 28, 2005

By 

Robin C. Westerfield - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: NIV Audio Bible Voice Only CD (Audio CD)

I selected this product after looking at other possibilities, including dramatic readings. My own conclusion, and of course everyone will have their own opinion on such things, is that dramatic readings can make certain passages more interesting; however, the passage is being interpreted by the dramatic reading, perhaps differently than the Scripture intends. For a direct Bible reading, it seems a reading that keeps the focus on what the passage is saying would out way the interest value of the dramatic tone. A dramatic reading might be good to keep one's attention, however, particularly for younger listeners. Some other reviewers mentioned the low volume of the recording and that the reading was somewhat garbled in places. That may be true since I've not listened to the entire audio, but the slightly lower volume I've noticed is easily corrected by turning up the volume on the CD player, and the sections I've listened to so far are very clear. This was also a less expensive version. I've found it to be very satisfactory and would recommend it to anyone considering a non-dramatic read, particularly considering the lower cost.