BIG Blu-Ray Audio drive from Universal Music in 2013

[leevitalone1]

my supertramp blu ray arrived today, 4 days shipping from the UK. on first listen, here are my impressions. i have the remastered breakfast in america. i played both of them. the cd was louder at the same volume. the blu ray was a smoother sound, more diffused, like it was in the atmosphere. the cd was brighter but the music did appear to be coming from the speakers. i used the dolby setting. the blu ray had a subtler sound, when i raised the volume on the blu ray incredible.

jasong, are you in the US? 4 days is really good! I waited 4 days for them to process it.

 

[leevitalone1]

come on Stevie! give us the Superstition quad mix!

http://www.wsdg.com/dynamic.asp?id=press/PSNStevieWonder

can you just imagine what his stuff would sound like in 5.1? especially superstition

 

[depeche76]

Thanks for the feedback, LedMan. I have the SACDs that the Stones put out ten years ago, which are also 2.0, and I wasn't greatly impressed by those, not least of all because around the same time Bob Dylan released SACDs that sounded immeasurably better than The Stones ones, and mostly with 5.1 mixes too. Do you know if Grrrr sounds noticeably better than the SACDs?

I think the Stones Grrrr blu ray sounds very good, i also had ALL the SACD´s but somehow the sound is richer through the blu ray, i don´t know why......maybe is the configuration of my rig, or something like that, honestly i don´t know.....but i prefer the blu ray over the SACD

 

[fredblue]

the one and only 5.1 Surround HFPA BD-A so far....

...and its WONDERFUL!!! :banana:

 

[fredblue]

more piccies of latest BD-Acquisitions...

 

[LedMan]

if you are paying $29-34 dollar for the stones sacds -you're getting screwed. maybe that price for hot rocks, more hot rocks and the singles collection. i've bought them all on amazon, i have not paid over $15 for any except the hot rocks, more and singles,. the sound quality is good certainly much better then the abkco releases

Did you get them new or used for around $15 USD each? Can you link me to a Amazon listing for one? Thanks...

 

[jasong]

Did you get them new or used for around $15 USD each? Can you link me to a Amazon listing for one? Thanks...

go to amazon or amazon.uk or amazon.ca and in catergory music - search for rolling stones sacd. then you'll see the cd's scroll down to the one you want, click on it, look who has it used . look at the number of sales them have and i always email them prior to make sure it is the sacd. some have listed it as sacd and when the cd arrived it was the regular cd not the sacd.

 

[jasong]

Amazon.uk sent me a email this morning, says they are dispatching my stevie wonder keys .... blu ray earlier then expected. i saw they dinged my bank acct so it will probably be here in a week. now if they release the marley and the now holy grail of blu rays - cat stevens -tea for the tillerman ....

 

[jasong]

Amazon .uk just shipped my stevie wonder blu ray. its strange, why is amazon.uk putting these out one at a time ?

 

[Caspersozza]

There is at least one more BD-A 5.1 disc available at Amazon UK, jazz pianist Jan Gunar Hoff's 'Living', an £18.90 double disc import from 2L, the classical music audiophiles label.

The double disc format is interesting, as one is an SACD, the other a BD-A, allowing precise comparison between the formats. Nordic have apparently done this before on a classical music release called 'The Nordic Sound - 21 Audiophile Records', with the BD-A sounding noticeably better than the SACD. As classical music is where SACD really caught on, the double disc format makes a lot of sense.

The BD-A of 'Living' was recorded in DXD 24bit/352.8kHz. Mixes are.....
5.1 DTS HD MA 24/192kHz
2.0 LPCM 24/192kHz + mShuttle MP3 and FLAC

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jan-Gunnar-...1373702329&sr=1-2&keywords=Blu-Ray+Pure+Audio

If anyone has heard this, do let us know how the sound is, and how effective the surround mix. I note that a reviewer of their classical BD-A complains about the 5.1 mix putting you in the middle of the orchestra, rather than in front of fit with ambience in the surrounds - which sounds promising.

 

[fredblue]

There is at least one more BD-A 5.1 disc available at Amazon UK, jazz pianist Jan Gunar Hoff's 'Living', an £18.90 double disc import from 2L, the classical music audiophiles label.

The double disc format is interesting, as one is an SACD, the other a BD-A, allowing precise comparison between the formats. Nordic have apparently done this before on a classical music release called 'The Nordic Sound - 21 Audiophile Records', with the BD-A sounding noticeably better than the SACD. As classical music is where SACD really caught on, the double disc format makes a lot of sense.

The BD-A of 'Living' was recorded in DXD 24bit/352.8kHz. Mixes are.....
5.1 DTS HD MA 24/192kHz
2.0 LPCM 24/192kHz + mShuttle MP3 and FLAC

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jan-Gunnar-...1373702329&sr=1-2&keywords=Blu-Ray+Pure+Audio

If anyone has heard this, do let us know how the sound is, and how effective the surround mix. I note that a reviewer of their classical BD-A complains about the 5.1 mix putting you in the middle of the orchestra, rather than in front of fit with ambience in the surrounds - which sounds promising.

I don't own that one but I'm sure I read/heard its a worthwhile purchase. it's not one of these Universal label "High Fidelity Pure Audio" titles though so for now the Serge Gainsbourg remains the only one in 5.1 -- hope for not much longer!

 

[fredblue]

Amazon .uk just shipped my stevie wonder blu ray. its strange, why is amazon.uk putting these out one at a time ?

hmm.. it is a bit odd! @:

still, I think you'll enjoy it! superb sound quality.

 

[jasong]

hmm.. it is a bit odd! @:

still, I think you'll enjoy it! superb sound quality.

Fred, I know i'll enjoy the stevie. Your comments about it had helped sway me.
I just think its odd how amazon.uk is letting these out piecemeal. i thought FNAC had exclusive world wide rights til sept. amazon.uk puts out supertramp and now stevie wonder. i could see them putting ou titles that were not selling in france, but i figure stevie and supertramp have to have been selling well.

it will be interesting to see who the next title released on amazon.uk is.

i'm hoping that come sept/oct, if they roll it out for the states, there will be addirional titles and 5.1 mixes

 

[Caspersozza]

Amazon UK are saying Stevie Wonder will be available next Wednesday, but Marley still in September. My contact at Universal - usually so efficient - has now totally ignored two of my emails on this subject in recent weeks. Very odd.

Fred, what is the difference between the audio-only 2L Blu-ray discs and Universal's High Fidelity Pure Audio range, other than branding/packaging? As far as I can tell, just the absence of a Dolby mix, but I may be wrong of course.

 

[LedMan]

go to amazon or amazon.uk or amazon.ca and in catergory music - search for rolling stones sacd. then you'll see the cd's scroll down to the one you want, click on it, look who has it used . look at the number of sales them have and i always email them prior to make sure it is the sacd. some have listed it as sacd and when the cd arrived it was the regular cd not the sacd.

Thanks, I'll at least pick up Beggars and Let it Bleed to compare to the SHM-SACD releases. HMV Japan is expecting Cat Stevens blu ray in August.
-

 

[fredblue]

Fred, I know i'll enjoy the stevie. Your comments about it had helped sway me.
I just think its odd how amazon.uk is letting these out piecemeal. i thought FNAC had exclusive world wide rights til sept. amazon.uk puts out supertramp and now stevie wonder. i could see them putting ou titles that were not selling in france, but i figure stevie and supertramp have to have been selling well.

it will be interesting to see who the next title released on amazon.uk is.

i'm hoping that come sept/oct, if they roll it out for the states, there will be addirional titles and 5.1 mixes

i have a theory about this..

..the releases in the trial run that are unique to France (the majority being of French artists) are FNAC exclusives..
the Jazz & Classical titles appear to be part of the FNAC exclusivity deal too, as they're still slated for mid-September..

..the other few titles (Supertramp, Stevie Wonder-- so far-- but I bet you Bob Marley, Layla & Velvet Underground will come sooner too) which have English liner notes, artwork, menu's etc., I suspect were already prepared around the same time as the Stones' Grrr.. (they have the same black-background menu system etc., the French-only titles are different onscreen and their booklets are all in French.) but were held back for some reason and were never intended to be part of the French trial, they just turned out to be handy headline-grabbers for Universal France.

Lets face it, the Stevie & Supertramp have probably sold as well to US & UK customers as domestically in France and attracted more attention to the format worldwide.. how much interest would there have been outside France if the trial had only included Jacques Brel, Serge Gainsbourg, Barbara, etc..!? I hear those French titles have sold well in France, as expected.. but I would be intrigued to know just how well the French artists have sold compared to the three International rock & pop titles? I'm guessing the French artists have outsold the other titles in France, any exports have been mostly of the US/UK rock & pop variety. just a hunch/hunches.

 

[fredblue]

Amazon UK are saying Stevie Wonder will be available next Wednesday, but Marley still in September. My contact at Universal - usually so efficient - has now totally ignored two of my emails on this subject in recent weeks. Very odd.

Fred, what is the difference between the audio-only 2L Blu-ray discs and Universal's High Fidelity Pure Audio range, other than branding/packaging? As far as I can tell, just the absence of a Dolby mix, but I may be wrong of course.

I don't think Universal in the UK know quite what to do with these BD-A's!

they know there's a market for them.. their marketing people over at their Facebook page will be reporting back on a small but hardcore following = 557 likes at the min, rising by at least a couple of new people daily.. its hardly a torrent of interest.. but there is some interest, despite little or no promotion to speak of until Dolby's recent press conference.. but how are they to market them!?

I fear a balls-up unless.. they can get a load more big-hitters like those names that were bandied about in France that never materialised.. like U2, Queen, Abba, Dire Straits, etc..

I also think more needs to be made of the added-value of having a Hi-Res download as part of the package.

Oh and they need to get some bloody surround on at least some of them too!!

If Universal were to put out some of their unreleased 5.1 surround mixes (the rest of the Elton's, the Steely Dan's, etc.) they would sell by the bucketload - with or without proper marketing - word of mouth would see fit to that!

As for differences between the UMG's & the 2L's I'd say yes the branding is one thing that separates them (which is just a bit dumb and as QQ Neil Wilkes has suggested could bring about customer confusion etc..) aside from that I believe there's remote control navigation differences (superior on the 2L's) plus the 2L's have 5.1 of course., so they're the same but kinda different/better.. or would be if they had the clout of Universal's back catalogue!

 

[artwwweb]

Even the Serge disc is slightly disappointing in that it does not have the video content that is on the deluxe CD (or so I believe - I only have the CD, not the BDA). Why would they not put that on? @:

I was hoping that the new Mike Oldfield discs due for late Summer release (Crises, 5 Miles Out) would also be BDA releases. He’s on Universal and it seems like it would be a good idea for a number of reasons ('new' release, combined promotion, ready-prepared 5.1 mixes). But it looks like we’re just getting Dulby discs again. If they haven’t joined up their thinking for something like that I am slightly pessimistic about any exciting 5.1 BDA releases.

 

[fredblue]

Even the Serge disc is slightly disappointing in that it does not have the video content that is on the deluxe CD (or so I believe - I only have the CD, not the BDA). Why would they not put that on? @:

I was hoping that the new Mike Oldfield discs due for late Summer release (Crises, 5 Miles Out) would also be BDA releases. He’s on Universal and it seems like it would be a good idea for a number of reasons ('new' release, combined promotion, ready-prepared 5.1 mixes). But it looks like we’re just getting Dulby discs again. If they haven’t joined up their thinking for something like that I am slightly pessimistic about any exciting 5.1 BDA releases.

I agree its disappointing the Serge is missing some of the extras from the deluxe edition.. but including video material would go against the grain of their no video "Pure Audio" intentions with these releases.. it's a bit dumb, here we have a format that could finally present no-holds-barred, stuffed-to-the-gills, fully-loaded versions of one album on one disc (alternate versions, demo's, remixes, instrumentals, interviews... among other incredible possibilities) or loads of albums on one disc.. yet the intention is to have one version/mastering of one album, with little or no extra material and no video.

a waste of blu-ray capacity? yes.. there's so much emphasis on purity that even surround is seen as superfluous, unless you like/appreciate/want no-frills great-sounding stereo, these things by and large are not gonna do it for you. as they say upfront there's no video content, its just one (often "short") album or there's no 5.1 mixes and they don't conceal that then you know what you're in for and you either opt in or you forget about them because I've a suspicion Universal are going to stick to their guns with these and maintain the "purity" mantra/hokum* (* delete as applicable!).

I'm already hooked on them, in part for their collectibility (I'm a sucker for a new format, or a niche within a niche kinda thing!) plus all those I've got so far sound great (which is the most important thing lets face it!) that I'll keep buying them until they stop releasing them (only time will tell..) but its certainly not a "one size fits all" format and it may all be 'too little too late' and not the saviour of surround (or at least format that finally brought surround music to the masses) that some (myself included) may have been hoping for.

 

[LizardKing]

I agree its disappointing the Serge is missing some of the extras from the deluxe edition.. but including video material would go against the grain of their no video "Pure Audio" intentions with these releases.. it's a bit dumb, here we have a format that could finally present no-holds-barred, stuffed-to-the-gills, fully-loaded versions of one album on one disc (alternate versions, demo's, remixes, instrumentals, interviews... among other incredible possibilities) or loads of albums on one disc.. yet the intention is to have one version/mastering of one album, with little or no extra material and no video.

a waste of blu-ray capacity? yes.. there's so much emphasis on purity that even surround is seen as superfluous, unless you like/appreciate/want no-frills great-sounding stereo, these things by and large are not gonna do it for you. as they say upfront there's no video content, its just one (often "short") album or there's no 5.1 mixes and they don't conceal that then you know what you're in for and you either opt in or you forget about them because I've a suspicion Universal are going to stick to their guns with these and maintain the "purity" mantra/hokum* (* delete as applicable!).

I'm already hooked on them, in part for their collectibility (I'm a sucker for a new format, or a niche within a niche kinda thing!) plus all those I've got so far sound great (which is the most important thing lets face it!) that I'll keep buying them until they stop releasing them (only time will tell..) but its certainly not a "one size fits all" format and it may all be 'too little too late' and not the saviour of surround (or at least format that finally brought surround music to the masses) that some (myself included) may have been hoping for.

But interestingly Universal went for the "full monty" with the Primus - Sailing the Seas of Cheese disc... which BTW is very well done... 4 visualization options & a great surround mix...

Maybe because it was already in the pipeline? Also its not marketed as a "Pure Audio" disc & comes with a CD....