Well, I dusted off one of my vintage CDs that I use for evaluating my music systems - TELARC's Time Warp - to run through my newly upgraded audio system.

Amazingly it is still available despite being released in 1984. This CD was recorded when digital was still in its infancy & according to the liner notes:

"During the recording of the digital masters & the subsequent transfer to disc, the entire audio chain was transformerless. The signal was not passed through any processing device (ie, compression, limiting, or equalization) at any step during production". "The digital information was not subject to any analog intersteps, thus preserving the integrity of the original digital master".

This indeed is an uncommon recording as most are not done without manipulation of some kind these days. If you want to hear a production that has been absolutely not altered, this is a good one. It is really too bad that TELARC is no more (swallowed up by Concord).

If you get it, be sure to heed TELARC's Warnings - "Damage could result to speakers or other components if the musical program is played back at excessively high levels". That warning probably would still be valid today although our modern gear is more robust.

Info & reviews here:

http://www.amazon.com/Time-Warp-Zarathustra-Jerry-Goldsmith/dp/B000003CTH

My M2s & EP400s sounded simply stunning when reproducing this dynamic CD - dead silence to full bore with tremendous bass at times. Strings were smooth & lush as were wind instruments. The lower end & percussion shook the floor with authority. Overall it was a very pleasing session, so much so that I ran through it several times. It is still in my Denon's disc tray, ha!

This Axiom sats/subs system definitely passed the muster for me, subjectively speaking of course...

TAM