Over the last couple of hours I put away the laptop, turned out the lights, and gave "Love" a more serious listen. Heck, I even dimmed the displays on the amp and DVD-Audio player---and I never do that!
The result is my appreciation for the 5.1 mix is growing.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm still a big believer in having the center channel be in a primarilly supportive role rather than a focal point for the vocals. Nonetheless, I'll admit that maybe---in some cases---they were correct in their judgement to utilize the center channel so heavily for vocals. I haven't narrowed it down exactly or whatnot, but it seems that a center focus on some of the older tracks like "I Want To Hold Your Hand" works pretty well. Likewise, "For The Benefit of Mr. Kite" sounds splendid with vocals in the center channel. And for probably most of the tracks I am finding that the vocal concentraton toward the center channel neither dramatically improves nor severely detracts from my enjoyment. That said, I would have placed more of the vocals from "Something" into the left/right channels to open them up a bit more. ("Something", to me, has always been one of my favorite songs and it just doesn't seem quite as beautiful here as I think it should be.) One last observation regarding the center channel concerns "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds". ***If I'm not mistaken,*** it sounds like the vocals start more like a solo vocal placed decidedly into the center channel. And, as the verse progresses, the vocals seem to go from being more narrowly focused toward the center channel to instead having a slightly wider soundstage until the the chorus is reached---and then everything gets big and really opens up. I'm not sure if I like this or not from an aural enjoyment standpoint, but I certainly do find it interesting.
Concerning various uses of the surround channels: I love the screaming crowd noise from "I Want To Hold Your Hand". In fact, pretty much all of the songs have wonderul sounds coming from behind. The best thing, though, is that I never feel as though the soundstage has moved too far to the back. The soundstage often feels like the entire room, yet my focus typically stays toward the front. That's quite an accomplishment!
As for audio quality and sonics. I think they're good. I'm probably not the best judgement in this area, but I do find various discs to sound more pleasing than others. The "Love" album on DVD-Audio (not talking about the surround mix) tends to sound and feel decent enough. Although I've felt more moved by the warmth of some recordings, I've also heard worse. I guess if I were to complain, I'd wish for a little more bass to be added to some of the tracks.
Oh, and musically... Like I said in my previous post, I feel as though most everything was tastefully done. Some of the mashups I particularly enjoy, such as the "Lady Madonna" stretch. In a way, I almost feel as though there should be more of these more extreme/dramatic mash-ups. But I suppose that if the entire disc was too drastic then the few we off-the-wall moments we do have wouldn't feel so special.
Yep, despite my concern over the use of the center channel, I cannot yet rule out a perfect 10. Or it might only end up being an 8 or a 9. We'll see... There's no rush. Just know this: In my opinion, it's pretty good!