DVD/DTS Poll Miller, Steve - Fly Like An Eagle (30th Anniversary) [DD DVD+CD]

[cupboy]

I don't see anything wrong with that. It's not classical music.

 

[Quad Linda]

I gave this a 9. Despite it's flaws, it's the best this album has sounded. The first week it came out, I ran to FlipSide, bought the Q8 and popped it into the Pioneer QP-444 in my '76 Buick Regal. BTW: had it on a slide mount alternating with an auto-reverse cassette. Similarly, I got the 30th when it first came out. I always liked Steve and had been buying his albums since '68. Musically, this album is the nuts. The worst tracks are still pretty good.

The Dolby D, sonic animalies and editing make it less than perfect. I've owned the Q8, Mofi LP, Mercury (German) CD, DTS CD and the 30th. Today was my first chance to a/b the 30th to the DTS CD. This album always sounded a bit like an 8 track: compressed with a top & bottom that don't go all the way, but are fudged with eq. There are several '70's albums with that compressed, rolled off sound. The 30th opens it up, at the expense of smoothness. Still, I'd rather hear it this way. There are many things I've never heard before. Many just plain weren't there. The highs often sound brittle, and there's an anomaly in You Send Me reminiscent of a washboard scraping. Perhaps a damaged tape is responsible. The tonality, for better or worse, I would chalk up to the master tapes. The engineering is good overall, but there are some boneheaded things. Between that and being lossy, 9 is the best I can do, and that might be stretching it. Still, the mix is pretty nice, it sounds way more open, and the music is damn good. 9.

Regarding a 5.1 Book of Dreams, I would expect more of the same. Even though BOD came out the next year, the albums were recorded during the same sessions. That's my recollection. The tonality is likely to be the same. It could be a wonderful mix if the boneheaded mistakes are eliminated. One can only hope.

 

[fredblue]

A solid "9", a "10" if it had been DVDA!

Love the album, love the mix, the whole package is very nice indeed. Shame about the DD-encoded 5.1 and the ropey video quality but at least it's there!

 

[leevitalone1]

Steve Miller band stuff was like Todd Rundgren stuff, always well produced, with lots of good bass and
attention to sound quality. I would love to see this on dvd a or BD!

 

[marcuslaw]

Thanks for the post Felix. Though I never thought I'd order a DVD in order to get a mere DD 5.1 mix, I just pulled the trigger on the 30th Anniversary Fly Like An Eagle (2006 Dolby Digital Mix). For years I held back on buying the DTS edition because of the issues you list in your post. I'm glad to see many of them were addressed with the 2006 release but also dissapointed it wasn't packaged in a lossless format.

 

[fredblue]

Thanks for the post Felix. Though I never thought I'd order a DVD in order to get a mere DD 5.1 mix, I just pulled the trigger on the 30th Anniversary Fly Like An Eagle (2006 Dolby Digital Mix). For years I held back on buying the DTS edition because of the issues you list in your post. I'm glad to see many of them were addressed with the 2006 release but also dissapointed it wasn't packaged in a lossless format.

I for one am hopeful that you'll still enjoy the 30th anniversary mixes, regardless of their lossy DD codec. Be great to know how you rate it in the end.

 

[atlantasteve]

I really enjoy this disc, even the dvd concert. Having heard this album LOTS and LOTS of times, it was almost a revelation hearing it in surround. The percussion is prominent, as are the keyboards. The main reason I listen to HQ cd's is to get a new experience listening to some of my favorite discs. This one didn't disappoint me.

 

[Fourplay]

Hi All,

I am having a problem playing this disc. I now have two copies of it and am trying to play it in my Oppo BD-95 player. I get the prompt "Wrong Region Code" despite the text on the disc itself stating No Regional Restrictions. Tried a firmware upgrade and that did not solve the issue. Has anyone else experienced this issue with these discs?

These are the only discs this player has ever rejected, and I am currently playing a DVD-Audio without a glitch even though it looks like it has been through a peanut butter and razor blade sandwich. Hmmm.

Ken

 

[neil wilkes]

Hi All,

I am having a problem playing this disc. I now have two copies of it and am trying to play it in my Oppo BD-95 player. I get the prompt "Wrong Region Code" despite the text on the disc itself stating No Regional Restrictions. Tried a firmware upgrade and that did not solve the issue. Has anyone else experienced this issue with these discs?

These are the only discs this player has ever rejected, and I am currently playing a DVD-Audio without a glitch even though it looks like it has been through a peanut butter and razor blade sandwich. Hmmm.

Ken

Hi Ken.
That's really odd - I went to check in my BDP-83SE but forgot I have the region free circuit board added - have you thought about getting this?
It will remove all region locks on all DVD, and also allow you to reset the BD Zoning as well. It's an add-on circuit board you install manually by taking the top cover off, and putting it in place of the ribbon cable that runs from the front panel to the main electronics and is perfectly safe to use - it was even recommended to me by Oppo.....
WHen I examine my copy, it states it is region free but has a form of structure "protection" included - could it be this that is causing the problem?
Have you tried making a full backup?

 

[fredblue]

Hi All,

I am having a problem playing this disc. I now have two copies of it and am trying to play it in my Oppo BD-95 player. I get the prompt "Wrong Region Code" despite the text on the disc itself stating No Regional Restrictions. Tried a firmware upgrade and that did not solve the issue. Has anyone else experienced this issue with these discs?

These are the only discs this player has ever rejected, and I am currently playing a DVD-Audio without a glitch even though it looks like it has been through a peanut butter and razor blade sandwich. Hmmm.

Ken

Hi Ken, just curious, do you have the U.S. Capitol edition, or the later U.K. release on the Edsel label?

 

[Fourplay]

Hi Ken.
That's really odd - I went to check in my BDP-83SE but forgot I have the region free circuit board added - have you thought about getting this?
It will remove all region locks on all DVD, and also allow you to reset the BD Zoning as well. It's an add-on circuit board you install manually by taking the top cover off, and putting it in place of the ribbon cable that runs from the front panel to the main electronics and is perfectly safe to use - it was even recommended to me by Oppo.....
WHen I examine my copy, it states it is region free but has a form of structure "protection" included - could it be this that is causing the problem?
Have you tried making a full backup?

Hey Guys,

Thanks for your interest in my issue. Both copies I own are Edsel EDSX 3010 Cat numbers. I have purchased a BDP9395SuperKit_Manual_V1.4 Region Free Modification Kit, but have not yet installed it. I figure that should straighten out the problem. This kit allows either an internal or external installation option. Any opinions about which might be better?

Just have not gotten a round Tuit.

As for making a full backup, I have had marginal luck with software that claims to do this. I have produced mostly coasters. So if you want to direct me to a link about this I can try, but the time & fiddle factors tend to discourage me.

Ken

 

[jsayers]

I gave this a 9. Despite it's flaws, it's the best this album has sounded. The first week it came out, I ran to FlipSide, bought the Q8 and popped it into the Pioneer QP-444 in my '76 Buick Regal. BTW: had it on a slide mount alternating with an auto-reverse cassette. Similarly, I got the 30th when it first came out. I always liked Steve and had been buying his albums since '68. Musically, this album is the nuts. The worst tracks are still pretty good.

The Dolby D, sonic animalies and editing make it less than perfect. I've owned the Q8, Mofi LP, Mercury (German) CD, DTS CD and the 30th. Today was my first chance to a/b the 30th to the DTS CD. This album always sounded a bit like an 8 track: compressed with a top & bottom that don't go all the way, but are fudged with eq. There are several '70's albums with that compressed, rolled off sound. The 30th opens it up, at the expense of smoothness. Still, I'd rather hear it this way. There are many things I've never heard before. Many just plain weren't there. The highs often sound brittle, and there's an anomaly in You Send Me reminiscent of a washboard scraping. Perhaps a damaged tape is responsible. The tonality, for better or worse, I would chalk up to the master tapes. The engineering is good overall, but there are some boneheaded things. Between that and being lossy, 9 is the best I can do, and that might be stretching it. Still, the mix is pretty nice, it sounds way more open, and the music is damn good. 9.

Regarding a 5.1 Book of Dreams, I would expect more of the same. Even though BOD came out the next year, the albums were recorded during the same sessions. That's my recollection. The tonality is likely to be the same. It could be a wonderful mix if the boneheaded mistakes are eliminated. One can only hope.

Have you heard the DCC gold cds mastered by Steve Hoffman? He did the Greatest Hits, BOD and FLAE and they sound fantastic. <In 2 channel though..>

 

[Quad Linda]

MoFi LP from 1980 of FLAAE sounds great, too, especially with an MC cartridge. I'll pass on the gold of this, since I'd rather listen in surround. I bought the Q8 the first week it was out, and have the DTS-CD and DD Anniv. Thanks for the tip. I may pu the BOD & Greatest.

Welcome to QQ, jsayers.

 

[Q8]

I think the DD mix is amazing. This is one of the discs that got me into surround. It still feels a little loud/compressed though. Surround effects are very impressive though I also have the 180 gram vinyl reissue that came out around that time, but I've left it sealed.

I gave this an 8

 

[peterzach]

I hadn't listened to this for a while and relistened to this title this weekend and the mix is very well done. I give this title a 8,dropping a few points since its not lossless but having said that it's one of the best sounding DD releases out there.

peter

 

[knifeman]

Hi All,

I am having a problem playing this disc. I now have two copies of it and am trying to play it in my Oppo BD-95 player. I get the prompt "Wrong Region Code" despite the text on the disc itself stating No Regional Restrictions. Tried a firmware upgrade and that did not solve the issue. Has anyone else experienced this issue with these discs?

These are the only discs this player has ever rejected, and I am currently playing a DVD-Audio without a glitch even though it looks like it has been through a peanut butter and razor blade sandwich. Hmmm.

Ken

I know this is an old post, but I just bought a copy of this and I'm having the exact same problem as Ken did. My player is a Yamaha BD-A1010 with current update (current meaning 2 years ago). This is the first time I've had an issue like this. Has anyone found a way to resolve this, or should I file this away until the day I upgrade my player?

 

[leevitalone1]

It may not be your machine I have seen disc an experience that twice now they just s*** the bed I had my Beatles Love dvd-a just stop accessing the DVD a portion of the disc and we tried it and several quality machine before I replaced it and just recently I had a newer DVD audio go on me it won't play anything in any machine we try it in so I suggest trying another machine to see if that is the issue and if it does play I would contact oppo. The other machine try the same thing if it works in another player I tell you to contact the manufacturer but I don't think it'll do much good

Sent from my VS425PP using Tapatalk

 

[knifeman]

It may not be your machine I have seen disc an experience that twice now they just s*** the bed I had my Beatles Love dvd-a just stop accessing the DVD a portion of the disc and we tried it and several quality machine before I replaced it and just recently I had a newer DVD audio go on me it won't play anything in any machine we try it in so I suggest trying another machine to see if that is the issue and if it does play I would contact oppo. The other machine try the same thing if it works in another player I tell you to contact the manufacturer but I don't think it'll do much good

Sent from my VS425PP using Tapatalk

Thanks for the response. I assume Yamaha no longer supports this player, hence the most recent firmware update being two years ago. That being said, this player has never had an issue of not being able to read a disc before this one. I'll just hang on to it until I can try it in another player. Now, I just received Big Big Train's Stone & Steel Blu-ray in today's mail. According to Neil Palfreyman's tech info on BBT's site, my system probably will not be able to play this either. But after reading the glowing reviews here, I had to take the chance. We shall see.....

 

[knifeman]

Sorry. Posted same message twice. Couldn't figure out how to delete it.

 

[sjcorne]

With all this talk of comparing "Monday Morning" from the Acura Sampler to the new DD encode, I figured I'd go back and compare the other two tracks that appear in lossless MLP form on the sampler, despite being either lossy or presented in a different codec on the surround albums they are sourced from.

Here's both versions of "Fly Like An Eagle". The version on the acura disc had the 20 seconds of the "Space Intro" attached, so I did my best to sync the Dolby versions together in Audacity. Much like "Monday Morning", the Acura version is mastered quieter and has more top end. However, the frequency curve on these two is WAY different. I would assume the LFE being boosted so much on the Dolby version contributed to those results.

I guess this is another disc that we should've gotten a DVD-A of. We'll see how "One Of These Nights" fares next...

2008 Acura DVD-A:


2006 Dolby DVD-V: