HiRez Poll Black Sabbath - PARANOID [Blu-Ray Audio]

[edisonbaggins]

I vote 9. A very strong 9. Well-executed Quadio blu-ray release. Highly recommended.

Life in Surround Review

@ForagingRhino @GOS

 

[omega4]

My copy arrived safely to home in the UK in perfect condition. The other three arrived tariff free the next day. I found time to enjoy the first three tracks ahead of a full listen later this week. I had just been reading the very interesting posts on The O'Jays "Ship Ahoy" SQ LP quad mixing and how diagonal pans were used to provide sounds to the listening centre.

So, I was taken aback to hear the vocals on War Pigs. They start out front and centre then move left front but with reverb only in the rear right. I played it a few times to make sure my ears were still working. I cannot recall ever hearing this arrangement in a surround mix. The quad was mixed for CD-4 so the SQ rules would not have applied. I presume it's not just my blu-ray?

Other than that - wow! I know there is a lot of discussion about the sonic value of 24/192 vs 24/96 and even 16/44, however, for me the subtlety of the higher resolution feels fully justified with the ring of those cymbals. Stunning quality at least for me anyway.

I'll vote once I have re-acquainted myself with this brilliant Quadio release - I have owned the CD-4 since it was released in 1974 but have not heard it for a very long time.

 

[JimHansonDC]

This was an amazing upgrade to the very compressed and weakly mixed 5.1 version. Once I got it dialed in for my system it was cranking and rocking beautifully

It did take me a bit of work to dial in a good sound though which was odd. First I'll note that my L&R surround speakers are a bit smaller although the same brand (Martin Logan) as my fronts. But I have.a Trinnov preamp that does an amazing room and speaker correction incl. amplitude and freq. response & I've never had any real issues. The pic below shows my room freq. response is pretty flat to start and almost smooth after correction .

But for this record I had to really boost the amplitude to make a match with the fronts. There was also a large amount of what felt to me like overly high levels in the mid bass, or 100-400 hz range. It gave a very boomy and almost clip-like feel to the bass parts. For some reason the kick drum was less affected. The sound was like what you get when you're banging needles into the red.

This was especially noticeable in the places where Geezer and Tony were playing essentially the same lines. The combined sound was just a wall of noise that was unpleasant. I would blame the room or that except it is very well bass-trapped and treated and does not do this on any other records.

I EQ-ed that 100-500 range down about 4 db and it cleared up. Once I did that the whole effect of the quad mix blossomed and I was immediately nodding my head along with the 1 & 3 beats as God intended.

There were a few spots where Ozzy got washed over by the mix but I didn't have the same feel some did that he was overall too low. The drums sounded great especially in places like War Pigs where the fills are basically carrying the melody. In the places where the bass was playing lead it was just great to have it isolated, clear and properly pounding. Tony's guitar parts have always been the standard for heavy riffs and they were just a joy in this mix.

Whatever the issues with the EQ I had, once it was fixed I fell in love with this mix. My wife said "enjoy your new music" as I headed in to listen and for 50 year old songs they were as new as new could be.

 

[somethingcleveridunno]

When I was young and long-haired, I was all about Side A.

Now I'm creaky and bald, and I'm all about Side B. The album really started coming alive tonight with Electric Funeral.

The clarity between this transfer and the previous DVD isn't even a competition. There's so much in Iommi's overdubs and in Ward and Butler's playing that comes through like I've never been able to appreciate.

There are mixing choices I don't love, especially the... I think it's a tambourine... in the rear channels during Paranoid. That was just annoying. Big agreement on Ozzy's vocals needing a little bump. And maybe take a little bit of the reverb off, as they sometimes migrate from "doom awaits you!" to "please help, I fell down the well," especially on Fairies Wear Boots.

 

[stoopid]

No EQ adjustments necessary on my 5.1 surround setup. Other than Ozzy's vocals being a smidge low on War Pigs, this was a near perfect experience. [Another recent] rare 10/10.

 

[ar surround]

I gave it a 9, which is the same rating I gave the Q4. Really, there is little to complain about on this new reissue. I wish that Ozzie's voice was bit more up front on War Pigs. This new Quadio certainly blows away that horrid DVD CD-4 rip that was dumped on us back in 2009. But you know, the Q4 sounds pretty darn good too.

My only fear is that @GOS will send Sabbath wraiths after me for not voting a 10.

 

[GOS]

I gave it a 9, which is the same rating I gave the Q4. Really, there is little to complain about on this new reissue. I wish that Ozzie's voice was bit more up front on War Pigs. This new Quadio certainly blows away that horrid DVD CD-4 rip that was dumped on us back in 2009. But you know, the Q4 sounds pretty darn good too.

My only fear is that @GOS will send Sabbath wraiths after me for not voting a 10.

 

[CanadianMetal]

How long does Rhino take ? from the time you order till you get the sabbath disk to your location within the USA

 

[quicksrt]

How long does Rhino take ? from the time you order till you get the sabbath disk to your location within the USA

8-10 days delivered. Paranoid was the disc that nearly always arrived first (in my experience and from reading) without delays. It was the rest of them, especially Starship and Geils that hit road blocks.

 

[Petr Kropotkin]

... I wish that Ozzie's voice was bit more up front on War Pigs.

I was shocked when I heard it, sounded like Ozzy was 20 metres behind the band, under a blanket. It was so bad, I thought it was a fault with my setup, so I'm glad it's not just me who notices it. But it really ruins the track for me (as someone who bought the album when it first came out, and for 50 years "knows" how prominent he "should" sound).

 

[nikomen]

I gave it a 9, which is the same rating I gave the Q4. Really, there is little to complain about on this new reissue. I wish that Ozzie's voice was bit more up front on War Pigs. This new Quadio certainly blows away that horrid DVD CD-4 rip that was dumped on us back in 2009. But you know, the Q4 sounds pretty darn good too.

My only fear is that @GOS will send Sabbath wraiths after me for not voting a 10.

Well I balanced out John’s 9 with a 10 Gene

 

[quicksrt]

"Paranoid" quad mix has such nice fidelity independently of it being in quad. So it starts with the knockout sound, rich details on those distorted guitars. Love hearing more "thereness" and then the layout of the four channels is fucking cool.

This 10 rated Spotlight disc holds it's own next to A Space in Time, Aqualung, and even Wish You Were Here as a cornerstone album of rock, and appearing in a 70's quadraphonic mix.

 

[Progfiend]

One of the highlights for me is the bass, hearing it like never before. And some interesting tambourine that I don’t recall hearing before. Otherwise, the sound is crisp and clean. Love the panning of the original quad mix - lots of fun. Another great Quadio release, sounding just as it should! 10!

 

[Healthcare29]

BS one of my fave bands though I'd not heard Paranoid album for years (10+) as I'd head it so many times, so was nice to reaquaint. I doubt anyone on here with even a passing interest in BS won't get this, a fine quad I voted 8, I had to knock off a point for the War Pigs mix but nice if you want to hear Tony.

 

[bgf1973]

without a doubt the best version. never sounded better. I vote 10

 

[Atomic Punk]

i'm scratching my head over all the 10 votes. i get the excitement over this release. it's an awesome album for sure. but Ozzy's low level in War Pigs are a pretty big negative and that's pretty much recognized by almost everyone. i find the sonics to be pretty good, certainly not a 10. the surround mix is well...kinda sporadic. and i'm one that enjoys an aggressive surround mix. i do think Electric Funeral and Hand of Doom sound pretty good. but i'm wondering....if you give this a 10, what do you give titles like the quad of Dark Side of the Moon and the dvd-audio of Gaucho? a 13?

 

[ar surround]

i'm scratching my head over all the 10 votes. i get the excitement over this release. it's an awesome album for sure. but Ozzy's low level in War Pigs are a pretty big negative and that's pretty much recognized by almost everyone. i find the sonics to be pretty good, certainly not a 10. the surround mix is well...kinda sporadic. and i'm one that enjoys an aggressive surround mix. i do think Electric Funeral and Hand of Doom sound pretty good. but i'm wondering....if you give this a 10, what do you give titles like the quad of Dark Side of the Moon and the dvd-audio of Gaucho? a 13?

Some people, myself included, rate releases based on what was widely previously available. In the case of this release it was that horrid 2009 DVD. Consequently the ratings of beloved titles such as Paranoid can appear inflated if one compares everything on an absolute scale. So yes, if this is a 10 then the others you have mentioned are 10's on steroids.

 

[rusinurbe]

This is just so much better than the DVD from 2009 yes it was 14 years ago we were given the horrible transfer as the best we were going to get. The blu ray is a revelation and exciting as old school quad mixes go. The bass thumps out the drums crash the guitar fizzes and ozzy growls.

 

[WBP]

Loving this one, I'm going for a 9, very adventurous mix and my fav title of the recent 4 quadio releases, highly recommended

 

[Atomic Punk]

Some people, myself included, rate releases based on what was widely previously available. In the case of this release it was that horrid 2009 DVD. Consequently the ratings of beloved titles such as Paranoid can appear inflated if one compares everything on an absolute scale. So yes, if this is a 10 then the others you have mentioned are 10's on steroids.

i get that