Hoping that these will all be available via Amazon, here in the USA, and that many will be 5.1 !!!
BIG Blu-Ray Audio drive from Universal Music in 2013
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Acoustic Sounds will be selling these HFPA blu-ray's too by the looks of it...
http://store.acousticsounds.com/c/381/Blu-ray_Audio
http://store.acousticsounds.com/c/381/Blu-ray_Audio
Sadly, I think the "5.1" in the titles can't be trusted. As has already been pointed out, the one that we know does have 5.1 - Serge - is not noted as being 5.1, so they're not being accurate. Beck and Queen make sense, Nick Drake would be possible though is a bit of a surprise. I have the Drake comp SACD and find it disappointing in 5.1 but I hope it's true, any new 5.1 mix augers well for future surround releases.
Some interesting articles Neil. A bit too complicated for me, but I think I got the gist, and I was particularly interested in the bits about mastering for vinyl.
I’m not sure my system (or ears) are good enough to tell the difference between high quality versions on various formats. But I think it’s true that a lot of people of who prefer vinyl are preferring it because it is a ‘flavour’ they are used to, not because it truly sounds higher fidelity. Hence vinyl lovers calling vinyl ’warm’ and digital (CDs especially) ‘cold’, when, as one of the above articles points out, it’s had to be EQ’d away from the studio master to fit onto vinyl. (In theory it should be EQ’d in reverse on playback but often I imagine it’s not a perfect reversal, especially if, say, a US 60s pressing is played on a modern UK amp – I’ve been reading about the RIAA curve on Wikipedia, but again had to pick up the gist rather than all the specifics
)All of which brings us to the important question of whether this 'Pure Audio' is a flat transfer, truly as the 'artist intended'. (I suppose the upcoming Yes disc with a flat transfer plus an HQ needledrop will be interesting to compare.)
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard a discussion on TV or radio about why vinyl is better, and it nearly always ends up simply being because the vinyl fans like the cover art being bigger. It’s very rare somebody says it’s really because of the fidelity – Neil Young being the exception, but even he supports DVD-A and BD-A now.
(I’m not a vinyl hater – I have hundreds of vinyl discs, and treasure some of my scratchy 60s singles - but FLACs are so much more convenient!)
Very interesting 5.1 and a new format :
Audio is taken from the original master tapes and delivered in 24bit/96 khz with 3 choices of sound format: PSM, Dolby True HD or DTS - enjoy music as it was meant to be heard in the studio
Somehow i doubt the 5.1 but a surprising chice for HFPA and one I will take
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My copy of Stevie Wonder's "Songs In The Key Of Life" turned up, and I've only managed to listen to a few tracks but wow the clarity is excellent, seems to make full use of the dynamic range. No compression by the sounds of it. Shame its only 2.0, but a great buy - both sonically and musically.
Universal Japan has released 5 Stevie Wonder albums on SHM-SACD. Assuming the sources are the same, I'd suggest nabbing any of these that also appear on the European Blu-Ray format.
Elusive Disc are also now listing pre-orders for HFPA blu-ray..
http://www.elusivedisc.com/Universal-Blu-Ray-Audio/products/794/
October's gonna be a full old month!
http://www.elusivedisc.com/Universal-Blu-Ray-Audio/products/794/
October's gonna be a full old month!
Beck's Sea Change says it's 5.1 DTS and PCM on Elusive Disc so I'm definitely in on that. It shows both Nirvana releases are 2.0 only but I love those albums so much I'll get those too. I already have Sea Change on DVD-Audio so it will be fun to A/B them.
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Well, it seems I have found my first HFPA purchase
His 'Treasury' SACD is something quite lovely and one can only imagine that John Wood remixed all the albums into 5.1 as part of that project (hopefully!) and that we may yet see 'Bryter Layter' and 'Pink Moon' joining this classic in hi-res 5.1 soon.Interesting little factoid... Up until last year, I worked for the company that grew out of the Sound Techniques studio where Nick recorded all his work. Geoff Frost, who co-owned the studios in Chelsea with John Wood, is still alive and kicking and still runs Sound Techniques as a separate business (actually, more of a hobby) from STL Technologies (the company I worked for), which he recently sold.
http://www.soundtechniques.co.uk/history.html
Well, it seems I have found my first HFPA purchase
Interesting little factoid... Up until last year, I worked for the company that grew out of the Sound Techniques studio where Nick recorded all his work. Geoff Frost, who co-owned the studios in Chelsea with John Wood, is still alive and kicking and still runs Sound Techniques as a separate business (actually, more of a hobby) from STL Technologies (the company I worked for), which he recently sold.
http://www.soundtechniques.co.uk/history.html
the Treasury SACD sounds lovely from a fidelity p.o.v... and the gorgeous music = nuff said.. but its one of the very rare occasions I wished it had just been left in stereo (recent Quatermass, I feel the same way) as there were missing multi's at the time so there was some fakery going on iirc.
Maybe the Five Leaves Left multi's do exist or have been found? I read somewhere that the recent Back to Black vinyl of Five Leaves used the original master tape for the first time.. could be interesting.. IF (and I agree with others here, it's a big IF!) this turns out to be genuine 5.1 surround I just hope it's not double stereo or faked from stereo mixdown.. not long to find out.. just a few weeks now!
My wish with these 5.1 blu-ray titles is that.. 1.) they will be great (obv.), 2.) they outsell the stereo releases (double obv.), 3.) take over the world!!
Mwah-ha-ha-ha-haaaa!!!
its a stunner isn't it!
I put it on for a Motown fan friend the other night.. He said he'd never heard Stevie's voice sound so good!
(ps. have you tried it in PLII Music yet?
)
oh and I meant to post here about it, if you want to hear what is easily one of the best things I've ever heard synthesize thru PLII, get this blu-ray...
http://www.amazon.fr/gp/aw/d/B00BSDTG9Y
you'd swear it was discrete 5.1..!! :yikes
http://www.amazon.fr/gp/aw/d/B00BSDTG9Y
you'd swear it was discrete 5.1..!! :yikes
PRICE GOUGING ON THE BLU RAY PURE AUDIO
I bought the Layla, Supertramp, Stevie Wonder through amazon Uk - and now they are getting ready to dispatch my Marley legend.
The announcement that Music Direct and Acoustic Sounds will stocks the blu ray discs is great BUT look at the prices. We in the US are going screwed.
Both sides are adverizing the blu rays for $29.99 plus shipping. free shipping if over $99 purchase. but read the fine print - not applicable on pre orders.
I paid (I converted in to US funds )
Marley legend - $20.40
Layla - $ 26.20
Stevie Wonder - $26.63
Supertramp- $ 24.48
this included shipping from the UK which was only 4 days.
I dont mind as you can see paying the price for what I want but we shouldnt get screwed.
I am contacting both the sites and tell them their prices are too high.
two wrongs don't make a right and I'm not trying to justify the price discrepancy but go the other way around and you have no idea how expensive it is to get things from the USA to the UK now!
the average CD I buy from a US eBay or Amazon seller now is minimum £9 shipping and because they will very seldom undervalue the item for VAT declaration (naughty but let's face it everybody's done it, now an awful lot of sellers don't want to take the risk) so you can add 20% to the whole caboose, you're talking about onerous duty + shipping on top of the price of a CD, its ridiculous!
as an example, if I get an SACD from a US eBay seller for £30 (not out of the ordinary now) you're talking £30 + £9 shipping + £6 import duty = Suddenly the disc is £45.. OUCH..!!
I imagine these blu-ray discs are the self-same ones pressed in Europe, so if you buy from Europe you're cutting 20% VAT right there off the price..!? hence the relative hike in the USA?
I don't know, i'm just saying it's an expensive business right now buying discs on import, more than ever, so maybe it's all to do with that but in reverse to UK buyers getting stuff from the USA?@:
the average CD I buy from a US eBay or Amazon seller now is minimum £9 shipping and because they will very seldom undervalue the item for VAT declaration (naughty but let's face it everybody's done it, now an awful lot of sellers don't want to take the risk) so you can add 20% to the whole caboose, you're talking about onerous duty + shipping on top of the price of a CD, its ridiculous!
as an example, if I get an SACD from a US eBay seller for £30 (not out of the ordinary now) you're talking £30 + £9 shipping + £6 import duty = Suddenly the disc is £45.. OUCH..!!
I imagine these blu-ray discs are the self-same ones pressed in Europe, so if you buy from Europe you're cutting 20% VAT right there off the price..!? hence the relative hike in the USA?
I don't know, i'm just saying it's an expensive business right now buying discs on import, more than ever, so maybe it's all to do with that but in reverse to UK buyers getting stuff from the USA?
@:
Caspersozza
Active Member
Amazon have just shipped my Legend HFPA, so I should have that on Monday. Finally. I am puzzled, however, by how the rumoured compression on this disc sits with their avowed pure audio sales pitch....
"Universal Music Group has gone back to the original master tapes to deliver fully uncompressed, high-resolution versions of many of your favorite albums. Mastered at 24bit/96k, the label’s Blu-Ray Pure Audio Discs deliver the sound the artists heard in the studio when these classic albums were recorded."
"Universal Music Group has gone back to the original master tapes to deliver fully uncompressed, high-resolution versions of many of your favorite albums. Mastered at 24bit/96k, the label’s Blu-Ray Pure Audio Discs deliver the sound the artists heard in the studio when these classic albums were recorded."
two wrongs don't make a right and I'm not trying to justify the price discrepancy but go the other way around and you have no idea how expensive it is to get things from the USA to the UK now!
the average CD I buy from a US eBay or Amazon seller now is minimum £9 shipping and because they will very seldom undervalue the item for VAT declaration (naughty but let's face it everybody's done it, now an awful lot of sellers don't want to take the risk) so you can add 20% to the whole caboose, you're talking about onerous duty + shipping on top of the price of a CD, its ridiculous!
as an example, if I get an SACD from a US eBay seller for £30 (not out of the ordinary now) you're talking £30 + £9 shipping + £6 import duty = Suddenly the disc is £45.. OUCH..!!
I imagine these blu-ray discs are the self-same ones pressed in Europe, so if you buy from Europe you're cutting 20% VAT right there off the price..!? hence the relative hike in the USA?
I don't know, i'm just saying it's an expensive business right now buying discs on import, more than ever, so maybe it's all to do with that but in reverse to UK buyers getting stuff from the USA?
Shipping prices are rising. But Jasong's point is that it is still cheaper to buy as import from the UK, instead of a domestic buy in the USA. At least, that is how I read his post
And these discs are already quite expensive, so starting with a 29.99 USD price tag, will not make them bestsellers I am afraid.
ah I see.. silly me yes they're overpriced at list price in the States.
ultimately, like we've all said before they'll only succeed if they have decent masterings, more surround and more importantly good music by artists that haven't been well represented by Hi-Rez/surround so far.
we'll see..
yes they're overpriced at list price in the States. ultimately, like we've all said before they'll only succeed if they have decent masterings, more surround and more importantly good music by artists that haven't been well represented by Hi-Rez/surround so far.
we'll see..
Believe it or not, I think they/UMG mean digital compression (of the mp3 variety, etc.)
@:The Legend disc isn't a total waste of plastic at all - fidelity is very nice, the grainy grunge from the old CD is lifted, it's very airy and detailed-sounding...
it just commits a couple of unforgivable sins in my book:
1.) No overall volume level matching from track to track (from song to song you never know what you're going to get til it starts! One song is ok, the next - BOOMF, too loud... schoolboy error on a compilation album, imho! you don't want to have to keep turning the wick up and down during a compilation!),
2.) Bass is seriously boosted out of proportion - I don't care what anyone @UMG says, no CD of Legend I've ever heard has this much bass, its overwhelming at times and there's not much that can be done about it on my setup (or that I can be arsed fiddling with for the frequency I'll play this).
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