A Short Survey of Audiophile Record Labels (TAS 197)

The word “audiophile” has always struck me as one that carries two messages. One speaks of appreciation, connoisseurship, a passion for great sound and the equipment that delivers it, the closest thing indeed to the absolute sound of live music—while the other seems loaded with elitism, snobbery, a specialized club for the golden-eared only, a place where sound (form) trumps music (substance).

The latter description is often attached to audiophile record labels, which, usually lacking the budget and other means to attract top talent, often present mediocre music in stunningly great sound. But it would be a mistake, as well as simply unfair, to lump all audiophile labels into a single wobbly stack of LPs, CDs, and SACDs. To clarify, I’m not speaking about mainstream labels such as RCA, Mercury, Blue Note, etc., that spent years building superb sounding catalogs with some of the world’s leading music makers. While labels like these may have an audiophile aesthetic, they aren’t the small, mostly independent labels I’ll be covering here. That said, those great mainstream labels form a solid backbone for the audiophile labels they spawned, those that specialize in reissuing past classics. It should also be pointed out that reissue labels owe something of a debt to TAS-founder Harry Pearson. Without tooting our own, it’s a simple truth that HP’s longstanding “Super Disc” lists and championing of these labels turned those old, once relatively obscure LPs into collector’s items, which in turn paved the way for the reissue market.

It’s not uncommon for audiophile labels to be started by guys that also make high-end equipment. And while I can’t be certain that Bob Fulton started things—he was also a pioneer of specialty cables—I distinctly recall an early and very live sounding recording of a high school chorus singing, well, does it really matter? Back in the day, your local high-end shop would also have stocked LPs (no CDs yet) by early practitioners such as Sheffield Lab and Crystal Clear, both of which specialized in spectacular sounding and hard to make direct-to-disc recordings; Mark Levinson, who made recordings for use as reference tools with which to build his early gear; and from Japan, Denon, which made original classical recordings, along with King Analog, one of the first to reissue heralded classical recordings on vinyl.           

With apologies to any I’ve overlooked, and a few, like Cisco, which has just recently been resurrected, here’s a condensed view of the main players.

The music side of the equipment catalog and Web retailer Acoustic Sounds, Analogue Productions is the brainchild of a Louisiana-born music fanatic named Chad Kassem. The label records its own original blues releases in a converted church now called Blue Heaven Studios, but the majority of its catalog focuses on superb LP and hybrid SACD reissues from Fantasy Jazz, Blue Note, and Impulse among others. Double-LP 45rpms may be all the rage, but Acoustic Sounds and its mastering arm, AcousTech, must get credit for being the first to go there.

A labor of love for former high-end retailer and current Wilson Audio guru Peter McGrath, Audiofon Records specializes in creating near spooky “you-are-there” recordings of classical chamber and orchestral music. McGrath has a true ear for music, and frequently records some of the world’s finest instrumentalists, as well as the Florida Philharmonic. McGrath is also a pioneer of stunningly real-sounding multichannel recordings.

While it may be justly known for its specialty cables, AudioQuest has spent many years recording music. With releases on vinyl, CD, and SACD, and mostly engineered by Joe Harley, who is also associated with Groove Note and Music Matters, AudioQuest Music covers mainly small jazz, pop, and blues ensembles. 

Overseen by brothers David and Norman, Chesky Records began as a reissue house but quickly morphed into a producer of original recordings. Chesky releases run the gamut, but typically focus on the New York jazz scene as well as the excellent original compositions written by David Chesky.

Classic Records made its first big splash reissuing “golden age” RCAs. The company’s catalog has since broadened considerably to include Mercury and other classical labels, and a string of superb rock and jazz titles—all with impeccably reproduced cover art and extras. Classic has also championed 200-gram vinyl as well as special vinyl formulations (such as its new “Clarity Vinyl”), and offers pretty much all manner of standard and heavyweight vinyl, as well as a bevy of different digital formats. Its out-of-print catalog now includes many collectible reissues.