Thanks, i definitely beginning to appreciate Bernstein's Mahler more. That's being said i understand by now this is a classic Mahler cycle because of it's high ratings from other listeners. Mmm ... it will take time for me to absorbe the 'whole cycle' and draw my own conclusion.
The problem with ripping or duplicating a CD-R with a label unbalancing it is that most duplication processes do it at speeds >>1X, which exacerbates the problem.