HiRez Poll Bowie, David - THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS [Blu-ray Audio (Dolby Atmos)]

[rwwear]

Mine just arrived! I have to say this may be the best Atmos mix I have experienced! Crisp, clear and very immersive! Hearing things I have never heard even on the 5.1 SACD. Keep up the great work Ken Scott! Only disappointment, the fold out cheap cardboard sleeve, otherwise awesome!!!

Haven't tried the Atmos mix but the stereo is much, much better than the SACD.

 

[The Pagemaster]

Sounding really great Ken. The vocals do indeed sound amazing. Also, the acoustic guitars are awesome on every track. I know we are on THIS album but, I HAVE to ask, what are the chances of a BLACKSTAR surround and atmos mix. It was talked about and then never happened. That album would be insane in multi. Thanks again Ken for being in here. Please do not let the negative opinions that may be broadcasted among the positive get to you. Ken Scott IN THE HOUSE!

 

[alek2702]

Sounding really great Ken. The vocals do indeed sound amazing. Also, the acoustic guitars are awesome on every track. I know we are on THIS album but, I HAVE to ask, what are the chances of a BLACKSTAR surround and atmos mix. It was talked about and then never happened. That album would be insane in multi. Thanks again Ken for being in here. Please do not let the negative opinions that may be broadcasted among the positive get to you. Ken Scott IN THE HOUSE!

There's a Tony Visconti spacial surround mix of Blackstar already but it's stuck in the Sony 360RA format (there are Atmos/DTS conversions floating around though AFAIK).

It's pretty great indeed, one of the better Bowie surround mixes I'd say.

Also, steering this back on topic, while not the most discreet mix imaginable, the Atmos Ziggy is pretty great, gave it a 9.

Never really got the hate on the SACD 5.1 either, it was a great expansion of the original mix into surround.

 

[castironshore]

This album is in my DNA: I know every nuance of the stereo version from listening to it my whole life. I'm listening on a 5.1 system, so I know I'm missing some stuff that's in a proper Atmos setup. It has been interesting reading the comments in this thread, as opinions seem to be all over the place. My two cents for what it's worth, are that this sounds much better than the old 5.1 mix. Meaning, the sound quality of each individual instrument is much better to me. In particular, the drums and acoustic instruments sound more realistic/modern, but not in the bad sense of modern. They are dynamic (unlike in the stereo 2024 remix which I dislike tremendously), not overly limited or compressed, or having any weird EQ. As far as the surround, this disc sounds better the louder you play it. There is plenty of discrete information coming out of the surrounds. As one person pointed out, not as much isolation as something like Larks' Tongues in Aspic, which might have been nice. But, on the other hand, I think this particular album would have fallen apart if there had been that much separation. Many comments about Mick's guitar being too quiet. It seems less prominent than on the stereo, but as someone else pointed out, that is because Bowie's vocal is more prominent, not because the guitar is actually buried. It's not so quiet that it takes away from my enjoyment. In fact, I think it's sufficiently loud. The acoustic guitars seem more prominent than on the stereo, which sounds great to me. I'm giving this a 10.

 

[castironshore]

Speak to Universal. PLEASE speak to Universal.

Hi Ken. I know comments about this have been all over the place, but I find the surround to be a wonderful mix, both in sound quality and speaker placement. I gave it a 10 (and just posted my reasoning for it in detail). Would you do us a favor and post a link to the best person or persons at Universal we should contact to encourage more surround Bowie mixes? I can't find any email addresses that look like they might go to anyone other than regular customer service. Thank you for such a great mix, and keep up the great work!

 

[AtAlls2Words]

Still no sign of this on streaming?
Amazon sale has the Blu-ray at £14 now and I’m not sure I can wait any longer !!!

 

[Schymark]

Still no sign of this on streaming?
Amazon sale has the Blu-ray at £14 now and I’m not sure I can wait any longer !!!

It’s amazing

 

[Ken_Scott]

OK, I will let you all know what I'm hearing. This could be something that will be rectified quickly but the word I'm getting is that Apple is cutting back on working with Dolby ATMOS mixes which is causing the lack of streaming on certain albums and, unfortunately, causing labels to reconsider funding ATMOS mixes. I know no details as to why this might be, just passing along what I have so far heard, but one can only hope that this situation gets sorted soon.
Cheers

 

[SomethingAnything]

I w

OK, I will let you all know what I'm hearing. This could be something that will be rectified quickly but the word I'm getting is that Apple is cutting back on working with Dolby ATMOS mixes which is causing the lack of streaming on certain albums and, unfortunately, causing labels to reconsider funding ATMOS mixes. I know no details as to why this might be, just passing along what I have so far heard, but one can only hope that this situation gets sorted soon.
Cheers

I wonder if this could apply to Tidal as well, the streaming service I use (though I have this BD).

 

[Hefeman]

The HDMI output on my 8 year old Marantz SR6010 bit the dust last night. Had to make an emergency purchase of a new Marantz Cinema 50($1800). So reevaluating the Ziggy Atmos. My comments about a forward centric mix are taking a hit. I'm hearing more detail from the rears. Maybe the mix is just growing on me but it sounds better. Need to let my ears adjust to the new sonics.

 

[bayards]

Superior to the original surround release, but agree that Ronno's guitar solos are a bit muted. Shame. Fidelity is sublime. Roll on "Alaldin Sane".

 

[bayards]

Hello, Ken Scott here, I just wanted to stop by and thank you all so much for your comments, even the rough ones, about my first foray into the world of ATMOS. I have to say that I'm proud of what Emre and I did and it is so gratifying to see that others enjoy it too. It was never meant to be better than the original just different so I just have to hope that going forward both versions are available. Once again, thanks.
Cheers,
Ken

Boy did good - says Report Card from Bromley. 69 yearolder here who has all 5.1.4 ears working - just!

 

[zabble]

Ken Scott goes into detail about mixing Ziggy in Atmos in his interview with Warren Huart in the link below. Here Ken pulls back the curtain on his mixing process revealing how and why the drums on the new mix sound more “modern”. Also interesting is his general philosophy regarding referencing the original stereo mix when mixing for Atmos. Although the interview is 3 hours and 15 minutes in length, it is a fascinating conversation that spans his career.

The Atmos talk begins at 1:55:36 and finishes around 2:08:43.

 

[ssully]

I was very happy with Ken Scott's old Ziggy 5.1....and I'm very happy with his 7.1 mix now.

Even though it's different, it still remarkably retains the feel and vibe of the original 1972 mix. Nothing sounds unduly 'modernized'. It's excellent.

 

[Willie Wilson]

Listening in 9.2.4 Atmos

After three listening sessions, I am reminded why I love this album. Great songs, succinct arrangements, excellent performances and a unique sound that’s not overbearing or obtrusive, but instead engaging and purposeful.

All of this holds true and is brought to new life on this blu-ray edition. I hear things that were not so evident on my RCA LP from years ago. Backing vocals in greater clarity, bass parts with true presence and drums that aren’t too crisp but still sound like early Bowie drums.

What I found interesting was the change in sound across the big three rock songs - Hang on to Yourself, Ziggy Stardust and Suffragette City. They seemed to have more of a “live” feel compared to the remainder of the album. It’s as if the sound was coming from a hall as opposed to the studio. Vocals are more stage-like and not as dry.

There are subtle differences in presentation throughout the album and I’m okay with that. We know what to expect from the original version, so let’s bring some additional color and texture while staying true to the intent and vision.

Overall, this is brilliant. Great separation and mix. You hear everything and it all works well together. Excellent job by Ken Scott in restoring a 53 year-old classic.

Highlights for my ears:
Soul Love
Moonage Daydream
Lady Stardust

Highly recommended. Voting 10.

 

[Michael Marshall]

Listening on 9.2.4 Atmos

After three listening sessions, I am reminded why I love this album. Great songs, succinct arrangements, excellent performances and a unique sound that’s not overbearing or obtrusive, but instead engaging and purposeful.

All of this holds true and is brought to new life on this blu-ray edition. I hear things that were not so evident on my RCA LP from years ago. Backing vocals in greater clarity, bass parts with true presence and drums that aren’t too crisp but still sound like early Bowie drums.

What I found interesting was the change in sound across the big three rock songs - Hang on to Yourself, Ziggy Stardust and Suffragette City. They seemed to have more of a “live” feel compared to the remainder of the album. It’s as if the sound was coming from a hall as opposed to the studio. Vocals are more stage-like and not as dry.

There are subtle differences in presentation throughout the album and I’m okay with that. We know what to expect from the original version, so let’s bring some additional color and texture while staying true to the intent and vision.

Overall, this is brilliant. Great separation and mix. You hear everything and it all works well together. Excellent job by Ken Scott in restoring a 53 year-old classic.

Highlights for me:
Soul Love
Moonage Daydream
Lady Stardust

Highly recommended. Voting 10.

The ONLY quibble that I have with this fantastic reissue is the packaging which is flimsy at best and NOT reflective of the time and care put into the sonic improvements made or of the historic importance of the original release. It is, however, priced extremely competitively but I, for one, would have gladly paid a few extra bucks for better packaging comenserate to this landmark release.

 

[GilWave]

The ONLY quibble that I have with this fantastic reissue is the packaging which is flimsy at best and NOT reflective of the time and care put into the sonic improvements made or of the historic importance of the original release. It is, however, priced extremely competitively but I, for one, would have gladly paid a few extra bucks for better packaging comenserate to this landmark release.

Agree completely - especially with Bowie, as he set the stage (no pun intended) with his first box set, Sound & Vision - which sells for a small fortune now on eBay

 

[rwwear]

My only quibble is the menu which is much louder than the music and tends to blast you out of the room. Why do we even need sound for the menu?

 

[SomethingAnything]

My only quibble is the menu which is much louder than the music and tends to blast you out of the room. Why do we even need sound for the menu?

Agree, we do not. The only one in all my collection that I'm OK with is the PF Animals one, as it's a whole piece of music unto itself. It's like a lengthy, ambient bonus track. A hidden track in full view.

But this is less a failing of the Bowie BD and more a comment on this annoying custom, something that suggests many disc authors don't play music BDs/DVDs themselves, or they surely would realise how annoying this habit is and immediately desist ... and perhaps even send us all heartfelt apologies for the many years of irritation they have inflicted upon us. A promise that they will never do it again would be acceptable as a form of recompense, but then I'm easily pleased.

Addl: Maybe also chocolates.
Addl #2: oops, this is a poll thread.

 

[jimfisheye]

I can picture menu generating and authoring getting tacked on at the end and not vetted. Anyone involved in audio work or production is going to have been HTPC for the last 30 years. Checking if sort of deprecated hardware disc player features work is probably handed off to an intern. An intern that probably listens to streaming on their phone.