I'm on that bandwagon too that feels Phantom puts out the best brass sound when they are at their best (1989-1991, 1993, 1996, 1997). 1996 to me, live, was the most incredible brass performance I have ever witnessed. I think Cesario called them "searing" -- and to others' points, when you listen to top classical recordings from top symponies, when you reach the climax points with brass, a "quality" edge comes through -- it's entirely in keeping with the mood intending to be set at those points. Even more challenging is putting out a quality, supported sound at very soft levels, and even the PR of the past few years still excells at that as well.
Harvey Phelps
