BIG Blu-Ray Audio drive from Universal Music in 2013

[fredblue]

original album 33 minutes give or take extras 1 hour 17 minutes. Making this I would think one of the longer HFPA discs (Along with GRRRR), Two menus as well main menu, then one for the extras.

All also all 96/24 though I can not verify that with my BR player.

Ella & Louis album is approx 54 mins long and Ella & Louis Again album ca.90 mins long.,
so Ella & Louis BDA = 2 hours 24 mins.

Sound quality is another story..

Edit: Stones Grr BDA = 3 hours 17 minutes long.

 

[Owen Smith]

I claim no technical expertise here - I can only vouch for how great the disc sounds (the very opposite of brickwalled) - but, given that it was an additional audiophile note on the SACD sleeve, it would be most odd if they were lying or didn't know what they were doing.

Assume that the technical knowledge of people writing the blurb is at lower than yours, and then work downwards (really). 1 bit data is either present or absent, you can't mix two thirds of 1 bit in the digital domain. Many SACDs are recorded and mixed in 24/96 and then converted to DSD right at the last minute before mastering, which is dumb as it would have been better as a DVD-A to avoid the conversion to DSD. Other SACDs are recorded and mixed in DXD or similar.

Quoting wikipedia:

"Because the 1-bit DSD format used on SACD is not suited for editing, alternative formats such as DXD are often used during the mastering stage. Contrasted with DSD-Wide or DSD Pure which offers level, EQ, and crossfade edits at the DSD sample rate (64fs, 2.822 MHz),[1][2] DXD is a PCM signal with 24-bit resolution (8 bits more than the 16 bits used for Red Book CD) sampled at 352.8 kHz – eight times 44.1 kHz, the sampling frequency of Red Book CD. The data rate is 8.4672 Mbit/s per channel – three times that of DSD64. DXD utilizes the vast array of plugins also available to PCM based digital audio workstations, such as Cubase, Logic, Digital Performer, etc."

Note the mentions of DSD64, DSD-Wide etc. There are a variety of formats designed for mixing DSD which then offering a simple downconversion to DSD for the disc.

 

[Robert van Diggele]

I have the bds coming from Canada, from the market seller. So a little postage is added, still a good price, around €14.00.

Yes that Queen one i realised too late that the 5.1 is not the best sound quality. Oh well...

Definately looking forward to Stevie and Supertramp.

 

[Owen Smith]

..but Queen in stereo is ok.. and with the 5.1 you better wear ear plugs or keep it very low volume, you don't want to lose your hearing! :yikes

Bizarrely the Queen ANATO DVD-A is the other way round if I recall correctly ie. the 5.1 is excellent but the linear PCM stereo has suffered loudness wars.

 

[fredblue]

Bizarrely the Queen ANATO DVD-A is the other way round if I recall correctly ie. the 5.1 is excellent but the linear PCM stereo has suffered loudness wars.

that sounds bang on

I guess it means if you want the best 5.1 you need the DVD-A (or withdrawn ES-only unfutzed with DTS based on preference!?) and the new BDA for stereo, i.e. you need both!

 

[IMachine]

Well, guys and girls.. we have an HFPA winner!

The Lionel Richie "Can't Slow Down" is ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIC!!

Very, very, very highly recommended --- indeed --- the most crankable rock & pop HFPA BDA I've got so far (15), fidelity is mouth-wateringly good!!

More to follow.. though Ella & Louis and Nina Simone aren't doing it for me in quite the same way as Lionel (re: sound quality not content, about half of Lionel is weak/dated whereas Nina/Ella & Satch = timeless... but the sound on Lionel's BDA.. OH THE SOUND.. GUYS..!! my gob is well and truly smacked!!! maybe the whole no compression/no compromise blurb isn't total bullshit after all....

I ordered now, after your review...thanks

 

[fredblue]

Ella & Louis/Again BDA first impressions.,

- there's lots of very audible tape hiss (could be a good sign in & of itself as indicates lack of noise reduction..!? though also could be not the highest generation tapes? not the first HFPA BDA I've noticed this on.. if only Universal would give some info on the source tapes used and mastering personnel and equipment etc..),
- vocals are chock-full of detail, instruments not so much (piano sound in particular is not great a lot of the time),
- in general its a bit bright and lacks the warmth and presence of the same tracks on the original French pressed Verve CDs I have of the same material,
- its enjoyable in its own right but sitting through the whole thing in one go is fatiguing on the ears due to excessive treble (trumpet at times is painful on the ears, for example.).

 

[fredblue]

Nina Simone BDA 1st listen..

- doesn't appear to be compressed, it can be cranked to healthy levels,
- doesn't suffer treble boosting, in fact top-end is almost recessed and lacking in sparkle,
- master volume levels inconsistent from track to track,
- stereo image is narrower than on the same tracks I have on an old Polygram CD,
- if this is a pure unadulterated transfer of the master tapes it could have done with a bit of mastering/EQ in the bottom end, its a bit bass-shy.

Love the album though and there's not anything chronically wrong with it, just it's nothing mind-blowing and I felt listening all the way through that in the right hands & properly transferred these tapes could/should sound spectacular, as it is its a good/very good sounding disc.

 

[fredblue]

I ordered now, after your review...thanks

You're welcome IMachine It may even be better than the Stevie Wonder disc, its that good!

If Universal are reading this (lord knows there's enough lurkers on this thread, they must have one or some of their personnel snooping round on here!) do ALL your Motown back catalogue on HFPA Blu-ray to the standard of the Lionel Richie disc (and throw in some 5.1 and/or Quad mixes you've got in your vaults along the way) and you'll please an awful lot of people, I guarantee it.

Who'd have thought 6+ months ago when these HFPA's were first coming out that the best-sounding of these discs would be a Lionel Richie album from 1983...?!?

 

[DuncanS]

I have my first three ordered:
Queen - ANATO
Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
Supertramp - Breakfast in America (at the moment for GBP10.26 at Amazon UK!!!)

Thanks for mentioning the Supertramp price, not my favourite of theirs I prefer "Crime Of The Century", but at that price its a must!

 

[Robert van Diggele]

 

[Caspersozza]

Who'd have thought 6+ months ago when these HFPA's were first coming out that the best-sounding of these discs would be a Lionel Richie album from 1983...?!?

Fred, you're killing me. I was just listening to Can't Slow Down on vinyl yesterday (never needed it on CD), and it sounded so good that I was really comfortable with my decision not to bother with the HFPA stereo disc. Now I'm intrigued again.

 

[Caspersozza]

Nobody here has commented yet on the quality of the Velvet Underground & Nico HFPA, but I guess I'm going to bite the bullet after today's very sad and unexpected news.

R.I.P. Lou Reed. Those words hardly seem real. Having not died by the end of the 70s, I assumed that he was bulletproof. "Difficult" is the politest word used about this prickliest of men, but his music changed everything, and I can't think of any other artist whose influence so spectacularly outstripped their record sales.

Hip, nihilistic and bitter on the surface, his songs were often underpinned by a burning, heartbreaking humanity - just listen to 'The Kids' off Berlin, about a woman losing her children - and the riches he shared with us too complex to detail here without writing an essay.

As ridiculously cool as his delivery is on 'Venus In Furs', I always loved the simple, transgressive joy of 'Some Kinda Love' from the Velvet Underground's eponymous "quiet" third album. "Between thought and expression lies a lifetime" he sings, and Lou Reed gave us enough thought and expression to last a lifetime. He was a stranger but, because of the beauty he created, it feels like a friend has died.

 

[fredblue]

Fred, you're killing me. I was just listening to Can't Slow Down on vinyl yesterday (never needed it on CD), and it sounded so good that I was really comfortable with my decision not to bother with the HFPA stereo disc. Now I'm intrigued again.

eek! :yikes "I'm a killer queen..!"

you don't have to get arguably the best-sounding pop HFPA on the market, of course..

 

[fredblue]

Nobody here has commented yet on the quality of the Velvet Underground & Nico HFPA, but I guess I'm going to bite the bullet after today's very sad and unexpected news.

R.I.P. Lou Reed. Those words hardly seem real. Having not died by the end of the 70s, I assumed that he was bulletproof. "Difficult" is the politest word used about this prickliest of men, but his music changed everything, and I can't think of any other artist whose influence so spectacularly outstripped their record sales.

Hip, nihilistic and bitter on the surface, his songs were often underpinned by a burning, heartbreaking humanity - just listen to 'The Kids' off Berlin, about a woman losing her children - and the riches he shared with us too complex to detail here without writing an essay.

As ridiculously cool as his delivery is on 'Venus In Furs', I always loved the simple, transgressive joy of 'Some Kinda Love' from the Velvet Underground's eponymous "quiet" third album. "Between thought and expression lies a lifetime" he sings, and Lou Reed gave us enough thought and expression to last a lifetime. He was a stranger but, because of the beauty he created, it feels like a friend has died.

well you know ordinarily I would have probably got it by now.. but from what I've read around on the album over time, any new reissue (hi-Rez or otherwise) would be hamstrung by the original recording itself, not least because it's not amazing-sounding but also because there's no high frequency stuff going on in it (tops out at 14k., is what I saw somewhere sometime, I don't know where now i'm afraid).. I dunno, I'll probably end up getting it.. though now Lou Reed has sadly died it'll probably become sold out/skyrocket in price overnight..

 

[atrocity]

well you know ordinarily I would have probably got it by now.. but from what I've read around on the album over time, any new reissue (hi-Rez or otherwise) would be hamstrung by the original recording itself, not least because it's not amazing-sounding but also because there's no high frequency stuff going on in it (tops out at 14k., is what I saw somewhere sometime, I don't know where now i'm afraid

The first two VU albums are, by any kind of "hi-fi" standard, completely terrible recordings. The terribleness kinda works with the darkness of the music, but I've never really understood why they're so awful. It's got nothing to do with when they were recorded--plenty of their contemporaries sound great--they're just filled with distortion and grunge. Immediately upon reading of Lou's death yesterday I ran downstairs and cranked "Sister Ray". Beautiful...and horrible. It sounds like someone just turned all the faders up to 11 and left them there. Even the quieter songs like "Lady Godiva's Operation" sound...just...off somehow. I've never seen anything that indicates if that sound was intentional or due to no budget or...whatever. Given Tom Wilson's involvement, it's extremely unlikely that it was due to simple incompetence.

Anyway, as much as I love their music, I just can't see myself spending big bucks for hi-rez versions.

 

[LizardKing]

I just wandered into my local JB Hi-Fi store here in Wellington and was surprised to see a stand offering some of the HFPA discs! :yikes

I was nearly tempted to get the Queen - ANATO disc, but as I have both the DVD-A and 30th DVD I passed on it (for the moment).

Also such a shame they didn't put the 5.1 on the Layla Blu-ray.....:howl

Looks like the campaign's gone global!!!!

 

[HomerJAU]

I just wandered into my local JB Hi-Fi store here in Wellington and was surprised to see a stand offering some of the HFPA discs! :yikes

I was nearly tempted to get the Queen - ANATO disc, but as I have both the DVD-A and 30th DVD I passed on it (for the moment).

Also such a shame they didn't put the 5.1 on the Layla Blu-ray.....:howl

Looks like the campaign's gone global!!!!

After reading your post I searched on JB's AU website and they have several listed for pre-order at $29.99. To be released 8 November. Hopefully they will be included in their regular 20% off blu-ray sales.

I've ordered Supertramp Crime Of The Century from Amazon as my 'trial' disc since I don't have this in any Hi Res format. I have the Rolling Stones GRRR and that was hit and miss. I'm not going to buy any duplicate titles I already have, especially if I have a surround version.

Still waiting on some decent reviews of HFPA. Not much around yet.

 

[fredblue]

I've given feedback and listening impressions on every HFPA BDA I've bought so far (from when the first discs were released in France in May of this year until now) and posted them all here for QQ members to hopefully read and digest.

I may not be a professional reviewer/critic but I'm an honest enthusiastic experienced amateur, with over a decade of experience of (and considered listening to) Hi-Rez/Surround music mixes and masterings under my belt.

If you flick back through the (admittedly numerous) posts here, you'll find all my comments on a number of these HFPA BDA discs. I hope they might prove useful in time in QQ members' purchasing decisions on buying these HFPA BDA's.

As a general observation, I'd say the majority of these discs have solid if unspectacular stereo presentations of said albums, with a handful being what I consider excellent if not essential purchases, should the music itself be to your liking.

At this point, the genuinely excellent worthwhile HFPA BDA purchases are, imho:
Breakfast In America - Supertramp,
Songs In The Key Of Life - Stevie Wonder,
What's Going On - Marvin Gaye,
Histoire De Melody Nelson - Serge Gainsbourg (primarily for the 5.1 mix),
Getz/Gilberto,
Messe Pour Le Temps Present - Pierre Henry/Bejart,
Can't Slow Down - Lionel Richie.

If dynamic range compression is an issue to you, you'd best avoid the Bob Marley, Queen (5.1 mix only, stereo is fine), Pierre Henry and Serge Gainsbourg discs.. but you'd be missing out on great-sounding yet uncrankable discs, clearly taken from impeccable source material that have regrettably been mastered too hot with too little headroom.

The most pointless release so far has to be the Amy Winehouse, it offers little to no audible improvement on the original CD mastering and in fact has been speculated upon being upsampled from that very CD.

The likes of Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Armstrong & Nina Simone suffer transfers loaded with tape hiss, bright-sounding with little warmth. Only get if you must have them, or don't already own them in some shape or form. Better masterings and transfers of those albums are readily available.

 

[Caspersozza]

The Velvet Underground HFPA disc has just arrived (ordered yesterday from Amazon), while Exile On Main Street ordered last week directly from Universal's pure Audio shop is still a no-show.

I've only had time to skim each of the tracks, but first impression is that it sounds better than any previous version of the Velvet Underground's debut album that I have heard, but still pretty grim. The first two tracks sound awful. It gets noticeably better from Femme Fatale onwards, and keeps getting better as the album progresses. In general the quieter, more spacious tracks sound far better than the distorted guitar grunge ones, with maybe I'll Be Your Mirror the best example of audio on the disc.

There is no mention of 192khz anywhere on the disc, which is fine, as the first two Velvet underground albums are wilfully lo-fi, they pretty much invented the genre. Apart from its legendary status as an influential album, I can see no reason why Universal chose this for the first tranche of HFPA releases - 90% of the pop/rock canon would be more deserving.