[William Sommerwerck]

IMHO the best way to get a good classical recording is to use a good
hall to make the recording and put the microphones on the right place.

I couldn't agree more. I'd also like to start a campaign against the
complete swamping of almost every recording of "early" music with
reverberation, as if (a) we'd not realise it was early music unless this
big audio sign was up saying "this is early music, listen to the reverb"
and (b) all pre-baroque music was played and listened to in vast
cathedrals and caverns...

Again, this is off-topic, but it needs a response.

It's not just the "early music" that's swamped in reverb -- most recordings
of the music of any era has added reverb.

I've felt for some years that we're not hearing early (and Baroque) music
properly, because this added reverb audibly "contradicts" the acoustics of
the relatively small spaces in which these works were performed. (I'm not
talking about the Vespers of 1610, okay?)