Customer Reviews

NIV Audio Bible Voice Only CD

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Disappointing. The voice of the woman giving the introduction was as clear as a bell. But the recording of the gentleman reading scripture sounded older, low & muffled. If this is digitally enhanced, what must it have sounded like before?! I turned my cd sound volume up as high as possible and still had to strain to hear it 10 feet away. (The result was the same on my pc so I know the problem is w/ the recording not the cd player.) The scripture also was read too fast. Although I only want scripture read aloud, I'm thinking of returning this & getting the dramatized bible instead.

This is a great product and very handy for the person of faith on the go. I love having a bible on CD with each chapter on a different track for easy review of particular texts. Some prior reviewers talked about the sound quality -- and I really don't know what they are talking about because my set has good quality and the reader really captures the text. This is a fantastic way to enhance bible study.

True to the NIV text. Charles Taylor reads in a clear and concise voice. The disks are all indexed with each individual book and chapter. Well worth it.

I ordered this set for my wife, who joined a new church recently and is studying the NIV bible but has difficulty reading. Her main complaint is with the sound level of the recording; apparently the higher dynamic range of compact discs translates into trouble hearing the dialog on portable audio devices, particularly in non-quiet environments. Otherwise it's a nice alternative to the printed versions.

I grew up with a fairly negative view of God, it's nothing I'm proud of, though when I was younger I used to think I was dead clever, and big, to do so. Like a rite of passage that all youngsters need to go through as they progress to adulthood, a bit like shaking off Santa Claus. I'd assumed that many things I'd heard relating to `truths' in the Bible would actually be true, after all, why wouldn't they be?

Anyway, when I eventually got around to reading the Bible for myself a few years ago I discovered that many of the arguments against the Bible I'd imbibed were invalid as things it was purported to say, it doesn't. Somehow, in popular culture, urban myths have replaced the word of God and they get accepted as gospel! Now that's perverse.

Consequently, if someone speaks against the Bible, they're often not actually speaking against the Bible from first hand knowledge but from another person's imported prejudices against the Bible! The reason? Because they were too lazy to read it for themselves. That was the camp I fell into, but a few years back I was recommended to read the New International Version (NIV) which is something I'm now pleased I did.

For clarity, the NIV is excellent; the language is accessible, modern and clear and this brings the passages to life with a glorious lack of ambiguity. And although the text is still heavy-going in some places, it flows naturally and is much easier to follow than the muddy King James Version which just baffles me. (No offence to `purists' but as language moves on, so should Bible translations).

I've read the NIV a few times and wanted more, which is why I bought this audio version, and I highly recommend it. Sometimes I'll listen to it on it's own, other times I'll read along with the narration. I find that varying the mix helps the concentration.

The CDs are 77 hours long in total (and I never failed to be amazed the whole Bible can be read in this time!) and this covers both testaments plus each book has a 1-2 minute introduction, which can be skipped if desired. The narrator has a soft, baritone American accent and speaks unhurriedly. There is an occasional mild fluctuation in volume in certain verses due to variations in the recording level but it doesn't distract. Each new chapter is labelled verbally as well as being digitally marked to aid navigation and the whole package is neatly presented in a boxed set of 64 CDs (8 labelled, glossy folders each containing 8 CDs); 48 CDs Old Testament, 16 CDs New Testament. The entire quality is of a very high standard.

I ordered mine through Amazon `new and used' from America and it arrived quickly in a little over a week in mint condition. Including delivery, the cost was less than half the price it costs here. I'm very impressed!!

I like how it is organized etc but
the audio (the Guy narrating it) is
not clear (Clean) and not loud. I have
hard time listing to it in my 93 Honda
Civic. The Lady narrating the Intro
in the other hand is clear and perfect,
I wish she continued narrating the rest.
Hope you find my input helful

I just bought this product from a store and will return it tomorrow. You can't hear the audio unless the volume is on full. I have little children so it is impossible to turn it up anymore to hear over their play so this version is just not usable. How do you make a audio product without the quality of regular cds? Too bad.