HiRez Poll Bronski Beat - THE AGE OF CONSENT [Blu-Ray Audio (Dolby Atmos)]

[rtbluray]

Please post your thoughts and comments on this new reissue of the classic album "The Age of Consent" by Bronski Beat.
The album has been newly remixed in Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround and released as part of the SDE Surround Sound Series. The Blu-Ray also includes instrumental mixes in Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround as well.

 

[Clement]

First, i get nearly two and a half hours of masterful multichannel mixes on this release. Second, lyrically, this is a compelling and powerful portrait of what life as a gay man in 1984 was like (and very well may still be); additionally, i get thoughtful cultural commentary. Third, the music makes me want to dance around my listening space. Fourth, the mix makes maximum use of my 7.1 setup. Fifth, once i accept Jimmy Somerville's vocals, i am able to soar ecstatically with him.

I'm SO excited and pleased by this release (I had only heard "Smalltown Boy" in clubs back in the day) that i gratefully and gleefully double my above five reasons to arrive at my score: 10! In a perfect world, i would have come up with 10 reasons, but this release is so good, i simply can't sit still! I really dig thought-provoking dance music that packs a punch!

 

[GabeL]

Received my copy of this release yesterday and gave it a first listen. I only listened the the album itself (none of the remixes) in Atmos. Absolutely loved it!! Solid 10 from me

 

[jaybird100]

I was taken back to the days when I played this song on the radio. I didn't pay much attention to the words, but I was drawn in by Jimmy Somerville's falsetto vocals. It certainly sounded great through our air monitor speakers!
So when I saw SDE was making this available on BD-A, in 5.1 and Atmos, I had to order it. Since I run my system in a 4.0 configuration for music, I was disappointed that the rear channels, in the 5.1 mode, were so weak. Was this intentional, or is it a defect in the disc? Flipping the track to Atmos, the system came alive. I shouldn't have to that, though. If I based my rating on the music alone, it would be a 10, but this anomaly made me downgrade it to 7. I consider the disparity in levels, between front and rear in the 5.1 mix, to be a pretty serious faux pas.

 

[MisterMe]

It seems that, on the blu-ray, when you select the 2024 stereo mix you get the original one and vice versa. Has anyone noticed that ?

 

[atrocity]

It seems that, on the blu-ray, when you select the 2024 stereo mix you get the original one and vice versa. Has anyone noticed that ?

I'm really glad that you mentioned this because I didn't realize that there were two stereo mixes! It doesn't seem to be mentioned anywhere on the packaging, so when I saw them in MakeMKV I thought it was an authoring error!

So now the question is...how can you tell them apart? I have the two from the Blu-ray and one from the original 1984 CD all loaded into Foobar2000. ReplayGain values tell me that they are indeed not identical, but the mixing choices seem to be so identical that I can't determine which is which!

 

[MisterMe]

I'm really glad that you mentioned this because I didn't realize that there were two stereo mixes! It doesn't seem to be mentioned anywhere on the packaging

In the credits section of the included booklet, original mix is credited to Harvey Goldberg and Julian Mendelsohn whereas the 2024 stereo mix is credited to Kevin Vanbergen.

how can you tell them apart?

Well here is a waveform image of the 2024 mix of "Why?"


And here is a waveform image of the original mix of "Why?"


Hard limiting on the original mix but not on the 2024 one? That is usually the other way around.
That doesn't mean anything. It's more a feeling than a fact.

I wouldn't recommend the 5.1 mix as it sounds as a stereo mix spread over 5 channels as if it was processed through Dolby ProLogic II.

 

[H.A.L.]

I try not to give out 10s frequently, but this one deserves it. No "big box," thankfully, yet it has extras, and it does hit an 80s vibe that I nostalgically miss (though not the depressing environment at the time in the UK, when I was in Scotland as a foreign student). Jimmy has an extraordinary voice. I can understand why some may not like it, but I do. The Atmos mix is what really elevates it to a 10! Like being in the middle of a good rave, waving your glow stick as you dance frantically. . . .