I'm going to get a SACD player (new oppo blu-ray) and I'd like to buy some classical SACD or DVD-A. I'd like to get the best quality multi-channel recordings. I understand that some SACD are from older 3-channel analog tape, while other SACD are from multi channel digital. I'd like to start with the music listed below.

Mozart Symphonies including #25
Mozart horn concertos inc #4
Mozart piano concertos
Holst the Planets
Stravinsky Firebird (suite or full version?)

It would be awesome is anyone can point me to the best recordings of this music, or other composers or performances I might like too. Thanks

-Eric

Welcome to the forum Eric Crowder.

JohnK is the guy you want to talk to. He has a vast collection and knowledge of classical music recordings. He is usually on here much later in the day and I am sure he will be able to answer your question as well as give you some excellent suggestions.

In the new SACD order, the following tips might be worth noting:

1) The old "Phillips Classics" is now called Pentatone and is still as good. They RQR (remastered quadraphonic records from the early 70s are quite interesting).

2) Among the newer production houses "Arts" is one of the bests.

3) A lot of those re-mastered from 3-channel tapes are very, very good and cheap

For Mozart symphonies, I recommend this recording:

http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Symphonies-...46203489&sr=1-5

There no important recordings of the integral yet on SACD. Beware of two integrals with Mozart (one symphonies and the other one piano concertos) that are actually CDs re-vamped as multi-channel in Argentina using DPLII (read the "comments" sections for more details).
A new series with Adam Fischer is on its way, but he has not yet reached #25.

For Mozart piano concertos, there are none that are particularly good, but the new series with Zacharias are at least OK and the sound is good.
http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Piano-Conce...46204061&sr=1-2
http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Piano-Conce...46204061&sr=1-3

There are other works from Mozart that have amazing SACD recordigns:
http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Requiem-Moz...46204219&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Clarinet-Co...46204219&sr=1-2
http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Symphonies-...6204293&sr=1-29
http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Serenade-Ha...6204293&sr=1-32
http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Kirchschlag...6204376&sr=1-57


MY LUNCH I READY. I MIGHT ADD MORE LATER.

Eric, welcome. I'd first suggest not getting too enthusiastic about multi-channel SACDs. Very few classical compositions(e.g., the Berlioz Requiem)have performers positioned to the side or back of the audience. The surround sound on most classical recordings is made up of the ambience reflected from the sides and back of the recording venue. I always play 2-channel source material in surround by using modes such as DPLII, Neo:6, Neural Surround, etc., to extract the ambience from other directions that had to be mixed into the front channels(there was no place else to put it)and send it to the surrounds where it belongs. They do a quite good job of this, depending on how much ambience is available to redirect, and the spacial effects of multi-channel classical SACDs may not be significantly better. Aside from that, an SACD may or may not be better in general sound quality than a CD, depending on the care that was taken in producing it.

Having said that, some suggestions in the areas that you mentioned can be made. The Mackerras set of #s38-41 that Eric linked is probably the outstanding Mozart symphony set in multi-channel SACD, but try for a better price than the regular Amazon list. There's no SACD with #25, although there's a fine Mackerras CD which includes it.

For the Mozart Horn Concertos, a good choice would be Marriner and Civil , an original "quad" recording, so it's actual surround, not like many of the SACDs from 2 and 3 channel source material.

For the Firebird Suite the Jansons is fine.

The Planets is one of my real favorites(I have six), but no SACD currently available is recommendable in my view. Play the Mehta or Dutoit CDs in surround.

For a DVD-A at a reasonable price, this is an excellent Swan Lake .

Obviously not classical, but I have Blue Man Group-Audio on DVD-audio, and just had a chance to listen to it on the weekend with my BDP-83 and it was absolutely phenomenal.