BIG Blu-Ray Audio drive from Universal Music in 2013

[Robert van Diggele]

Hi Adam, what kind of download voucher did you get with the FNAC, as fnac.fr still mentions MP3 and FLAC.

 

[fredblue]

It is all the things you say, but it is also the soundtrack to Les Miserables, and frankly I wouldn't wish to risk anyone finding me with a copy of that lying around the apartment. Your dedication to all things hi-res surround is admirable, Fred.

Bang & Olufsen make high-end lifestyle systems for wealthy buyers who care far more about styling than audio quality, so I'm not sure that their involvement is a seal of much audiophile value, but I am curious - what exactly is their involvement?

I finally found the Dolby PLII Music setting over the weekend (it was in my amp's standard settings, and I had previously been looking under advanced concert), and had some fun with it. It was barely effective at all on Breakfast in America, very good on Legend and most impressive by far on Songs In the Key of Life. I don't know why the effect was so different across those three BD-As, but it was amazing what it conjured up from a 2-channel source.

It did not, however, really sound much like discreet 5.1 to me. In spreading the sound around the speakers by whatever algorithm it uses, it produced a slightly unfocused effect, in some ways diluting the sound quality. Sometimes I'd switch back to stereo and find the music far more powerful, something I admit unwillingly as a surround devotee. It's certainly an interesting option and an impressive trick, but we really do need some proper 5.1 mixes in this new format.

As for Amazon being cheaper than the HFPA store, that's a given. They forcibly undercut everyone - a £20 book on its own publisher's website will be £10 on Amazon on the day of release - and I've never seen a proprietary shop that offered its wares for as little as the prices Amazon force them to accept (with promises of scale).

well.. it's not my default listening material (though thanks to all this Hi-Rez/Surround malarkey I've had my musical horizons broadened so wide they're on the verge of bursting at the seams!) but I rather surprised myself by enjoying the Les Mis movie and its soundtrack (despite Russell Crowe's "singing"!).

as for dedication to the cause, yes its above and beyond and it's probably nuts to want/have to get everything.. but that's just anally-retentive completist collector crazy old me! ..plus I've learned to my cost/peril/whatever it is that by not scooping up these kinds of promo things when they first appear when they're cheap and easy to get they invariably end up becoming expensive/unattainable, so I jump on them pronto and let everybody here know!

i'm no B&O fanboy but when they get things right they really get things right! I have had a few of their bits over the years and some of them (my Beolab 6000's in particular, 10 years down the line) are still going strong and are as amazing as ever! their involvement in this Les Mis BDA related to the new surround mix being commissioned by them as a promo specifically for their latest home cinema rig.

glad you're enjoying DPLII Music, I like to squeeze that little bit of extra immersion out of it by switching On "Panorama" and spreading the fronts out as much as poss by notching them just one down from shutting the centre off altogether (I think its "6" on my Yammy). it's certainly no substitute for discrete surround but it can be very effective and for certain rock & pop stuff I love it so its on a lot now for 2-ch material.

lets face it, Shamazon are cutthroat bastards who've killed it for just about everybody else.. it's not right.. but.. its business/market forces/whatever it is.. I'm not going to pay for shipping from the very people making these discs when I can get them sent for free by the Shamazon sharks!

 

[fredblue]

Hi Adam, what kind of download voucher did you get with the FNAC, as fnac.fr still mentions MP3 and FLAC.

no idea Robert, I've never used those BDA download vouchers to this day! I'm really not into downloading, I'm a physical (product) kinda guy if I can help it! I like shiny discs!

 

[Failed Muso]

no idea Robert, I've never used those BDA download vouchers to this day! I'm really not into downloading, I'm a physical (product) kinda guy if I can help it! I like shiny discs!

If you're not using them...

 

[fredblue]

The Les Mis BD-A just arrived.

Pics & 1st impressions to follow...

 

[fredblue]

 

[Caspersozza]

I really wish Amazon would level the playing field slightly (and contribute to society) by paying fair taxes in the countries where they make all their money but, given how much business I put their way, I'm in a pretty poor position to get too morally indignant.

 

[fredblue]

 

[fredblue]

 

[fredblue]

 

[fredblue]

 

[kap'n krunch]

if only I liked these kind of musicals...oh well..very happy for those of you who do!!!

 

[mdmost]

I sent the seller a message about seeing if they could ship to the US but never heard back. I'd love to get one of these discs especially for that price. Does anyone want to do me a solid and buy one and ship it to the States? I have Paypal and can send you the money.

 

[fredblue]

I sent the seller a message about seeing if they could ship to the US but never heard back. I'd love to get one of these discs especially for that price. Does anyone want to do me a solid and buy one and ship it to the States? I have Paypal and can send you the money.

looks like the listing has ended but I'll keep my eyes peeled.

 

[mdmost]

Thanks fred. After that one ended, I found a similar Ebay listing for the same thing for $14.99 and free shipping here in the US so I bought that. I figure that would come out to about the same with shipping from the UK. Excited to try it out. I've already figured I'll buy the two Nirvana blus, Sea Change and the Nick Drake blu. Waiting is the hardest part.

 

[fredblue]

Thanks fred. After that one ended, I found a similar Ebay listing for the same thing for $14.99 and free shipping here in the US so I bought that. I figure that would come out to about the same with shipping from the UK. Excited to try it out. I've already figured I'll buy the two Nirvana blus, Sea Change and the Nick Drake blu. Waiting is the hardest part.

You're welcome great job finding another seller to ship to you in the U.S.

I have 8 of these Universal HFPA blu-ray's now (2 of which are in 5.1 surround) and they are mostly excellent, with a further 10 on pre-order (3 of which will hopefully be in 5.1 surround).

Excitingggggg..! :banana:

 

[fredblue]

as regards the "Les Miserables" HFPA 5.1 BDA, here's some initial thoughts..

Lead vocals are full in the centre channel with bleed into front L&R.. I guess anyone wishing to hear Russell Crowe or Hugh Jackman's "unique" vocals (in all fairness recorded "live" on the film's soundstage set, hence their "warts and all" nature) may wish to isolate the centre channel to fully experience the actors' distinct takes on all the familiar numbers.

rears are fulsome, you will not be listening out for them to see if they're in use, though they're often duplicating the fronts with a little extra sound or two thrown in here and there in a largely "double stereo plus" mix. the final battle scene has more aggressive use of the rears, as the liner notes suggest.

it's an engaging and immersive mix but don't expect extreme vintage Quad-like separation/discreteness.

fidelity is excellent, as is almost a given with these HFPA's.

mix options are 2.0 PCM, 5.1 PCM and DTS HD MA 5.1. disc defaults to 2.0 PCM on auto-startup.

menu presentation and navigation is identical to the Rolling Stones "Grr..!" BDA, so if you have that already you know what to expect.

i'm going to give the Les Mis BDA a further listen tomorrow and report back with more thoughts. I have not played the PCM stereo as of yet.

 

[mdmost]

If anyone in the US is looking for a copy of the Les Mis Pure Audio, the seller I bought from has 4 more:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=121187413269

$14.99 and free shipping. Not a bad price at all.

Some yahoo is trying to sell one for $100 on Ebay.

 

[fredblue]

If anyone in the US is looking for a copy of the Les Mis Pure Audio, the seller I bought from has 4 more:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=121187413269

$14.99 and free shipping. Not a bad price at all.

Some yahoo is trying to sell one for $100 on Ebay.

I reckon this disc could go one of several ways, it'll either become a rare/pricey/sought after collectors' piece or it'll remain an obscure under the radar title known only to a few or (if there are enough copies of this in existence and there are a fair few for sale online right now) it could be a cheap easy way for people to get into the HFPA format and see how good these things sound and how interesting and varied (random almost) the selection of titles is on blu-ray audio.

let's face it the format hasn't properly launched worldwide yet and we've already got pop, rock, folk, contemporary/chart, jazz, Classical, movie soundtracks and reggae artists and albums on the format. the likes of Bob Marley, Nirvana, Nina Simone, Amy Winehouse, etc never made it to DVDA or SACD.

I'm hopeful it'll be the latter

I should also add there's several interesting "alt rock" albums also coming to HFPA that haven't been mentioned yet including Feist's "Metals" coming in the next batch, which is a wonderful album that its appearance on HFPA may (I hope) open to a wider audience.

 

[fredblue]

More forthcoming HFPA titles not previously mentioned elsewhere are up for pre-order now..

Tree Of Life - Yodelice

http://musique.fnac.com/a6445997/Yodelice-Tree-of-life-Blu-Ray-Audio-Blu-ray-audio

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yodelice

Metals - Feist

http://musique.fnac.com/a6445985/Feist-Metals-Blu-Ray-Audio-Blu-ray-audio

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metals_(album)

Chet Baker's Holiday

http://musique.fnac.com/a6446013/Chet-Baker-Baker-s-holiday-Blu-Ray-Audio-Blu-ray-audio