HiRez Poll Brubeck, Dave - TIME OUT [SACD]

[Cai Campbell]

Cai,

Did you open your DualDisc of this title to compare the DD surround mix to the SACD? (I still have mine sealed)

I was wondering if it was exactly the same thing, and what we can expect from Sony as far as future DualDiscs are concerned.

:-jon

I haven't opened the DualDisc... I assume it is the same mix as the SACD.

 

[Cai Campbell]

I surprised as this mix brings much new to the recording, I think the center channel is the most important in this mix. As I would not review a disc I don't own I would not review a MC disc with out a fully functioning MC set up either

Don't jump to conclusions. My center channel is better than most folk's main speakers. I am just exceptionally critical. My system, including center channel, is more than adequate to make a fair and proper evaluation. That doesn't keep me from complaining about the fact that I wish that my center channel were not compromised (most people would not notice or agree that it is a compromise; I'm being overly complete in even mentioning it).

I maintain that this is an awesome title, and the three-channel mix is great, but as a surround title it simply does not add much over the stereo mix. If I were not intimately familiar with this title and the stereo mix, I would probably be falling all over myself in singing the praises of the three-channel mix.

For the record, I do like the three-channel mix better than the stereo mix. But I do not feel that it is a major step forward. It is definitely not a title I reach for when I'm in the mood for surround-sound.

If you think that the three-channel mix is a quantum leap over the stereo mix, then perhaps you are not getting good stereo imaging with your setup.

 

[Cosmic Debris]

Sound is very good. The Surround Mix though I wish had more in the rear channels to offer the listener. It has a great Soundstage though and is still better than the HDCD remaster to me.

 

[Chris Gerhard]

I just purchased this one and recently purchased several other classic jazz albums including A Love Supreme on SACD, Kind of Blue on CD, and several Vince Guaraldi CD's. A reasonably good job was done on this mix and the album is certainly deserving of its status. I had never owned any of this music in any format previously. My only complaint with this disc is I can't play single layer SACD anywhere but home which of course has nothing to do with what is being rated here.

Chris

 

[stereoptic]

I got this one about a month or so ago. I always loved the album, the SACD is clean and vibrant. The mix is healthy and well done considering there isn't much to spread around

 

[oxenholme]

Hmmm. I seem to have Take Five on the original UK Fontana 45 rpm, on the CBS Time Out stereo LP, on the original CD, on the gold Mastersound CD, on the multi-channel SACD and on the dualdisc.

Wonderful music - I'm just not the world's number 1 fan of ambience in the rears.

 

[beached]

Just got this one. This is a 3.0 with hissing in the rears. I Gave it a 7. This is one of the strangest mixes. No LFE. Even when I get a "derived" LFE from my fronts I have to double the Subs volume to get what I consider normal tonal balance. I am guessing this is due to the original masters having very little LF info. It was 1959 after all. The tiniest rear ambiance. Full throttle centre. On "Take five" the sax is totally isolated in the centre. This is, however, cool. It could have been better. More rear ambiance and a dedicated LFE would have made it a 9 at least.

 

[JohnA]

Gave it an 8 (feeling generous today!)
The music is a 10, but surround it ain't.
I use a phantom center for SACDs so the only 'surround' experience for me is some ambiance attempt - i.e. the signal from the fronts slightly delayed and fed to the rears.
Why do they even bother?

Why can't they just be straight and release it as a Stereo SACD?
It would get a 10 then.

 

[ChristopherLees]

Gave it an 8 (feeling generous today!)

Why can't they just be straight and release it as a Stereo SACD?
It would get a 10 then.

The tape is 3 channel...if you turn off the rears you have the 3 track tape playing in front of you..You can't get much straighter than that.

 

[JohnA]

Chris, my center channel is phantom, no space for a 'proper' centre HiFi speaker I'm afraid (it would need to be similar/identical to the front pair, which are large electrostatics)
So it comes out from the front speakers, exactly the same as the Stereo version.

Still sounds great though!

 

[SoonerCaniac]

A very tough disc to rate. What can I say about the music that hasn't been said? It's timeless, quintessential jazz and the musicianship is first-class, so on those merits alone you have to own this SACD. The recording is 50 years old, so it has its understandable limitations both in terms of fidelity and mix. Nevertheless, it's hard to ignore the hiss which is downright distracting sometimes, especially during the quieter moments on the piano. That's a shame because the instruments sound wonderfully lifelike and dynamic, most notably the alto sax. The alto sax is AMAZING on the center channel, but that's about all you're going to get out of the extra 3 channels, with very minimal ambience from the rear that I found largely ineffective. You can't turn up the levels on the rears without being welcomed by substantial hissing. Despite the poor rears, all-in-all this is a good "front soundstage" or what I call "ambient" mix thanks to the excellent center channel and placement of the piano to the right and the drums to the left. So...my ratings at this moment (subject to change!):

Music: 10/10
Fidelity: 8/10
Ambient Mix: 7/10
Discrete Mix: 0/10
Overall: 8/10

"Next-Best-Thing Disc"

 

[fredblue]

A "7".

The most wonderful album! I used to play this a lot in my college days, playing it again the other day to appraise it for the QQ Poll was a great experience, the album itself is still incredible and musically and sonically way ahead of its time.

Sadly the surround mix doesn't do anything to enhance it. I realise it's limited by its source but I'd rather it was stereo-only if there was so little they could do to open up the sound.

Fidelity is superb for its time (1959?) and I didn't want to be mean but as a surround sound album, I just couldn't rate it higher, though I so wanted to.

 

[MrSmithers]

If anyone is still looking for this, I'd say the AP stereo DSD version is actually better. This is one of the very few times I would say that...

You can get the stereo DSD download here

 

[edisonbaggins]

I have this on on stereo and mc sacd. I should A/B someday!

 

[gvl_guy]

Not sure what I was expecting with a multichannel disc where the original recording was from 1959. As stunning as the music is on this disc, there's no point in saying it's anything other than phenomenal stereo (or 3 channel if you are using a center channel.) The rears have zero happening.

 

[ar surround]

Not sure what I was expecting with a multichannel disc where the original recording was from 1959. As stunning as the music is on this disc, there's no point in saying it's anything other than phenomenal stereo (or 3 channel if you are using a center channel.) The rears have zero happening.

I read somewhere that the stereo SACD was the preferred way to go vs. the "multichannel." That's what I bought and I'm very happy with it. Very nice presentation using Auromatic 3D.

 

[humprof]

Finally, an anniversary that's older than me! "Take Five" recorded 65 years ago today. (But seriously? They were thrown by 5/4?)
https://www.npr.org/2024/07/01/nx-s...rubeck-shook-up-the-jazz-world-with-take-five