HiRez Poll Depeche Mode - PLAYING THE ANGEL (SACD)

[JonUrban]

Please rate this disc here. This poll should only concern the UK released SACD, although you are welcome to post comments about the US released DTS and DD surround mix as well. If you do so, please indicate in your post that you do NOT have the SACD.

Thanks

 

[analogdemon]

I do not have the SACD. I envy those in Europe who got an SACD. Over here in the States, we have the CD/DVD package (which comes in an SACD super jewel box nonetheless) with a PCM 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 mix. Why no DVD-Audio?!

The album is fantastic. I've heard every one of Depeche Mode's studio albums and I'd place this one in the top five. The surround mix is very, very good. They make lots of use out of the center channel, which is cool.

9 for the album, 9 for the mix, 3 for not giving us DVD-Audio...all in all, I'll give it an 8!

 

[DrMabuse2001]

Bought this SACD/DVD package from the UK on release day. Early reviews of the album have been stellar - "Best DM since "Violator", "Band is reborn" - that kinda thing.
First of all, NOT very impressed with the album, have not made it all the way through in one sitting. I have tried several times but find it to be a bit of a bore. IMHO
As for the 5.1 SACD, the mix is somewhat non-immersive and lacks dynamic "wow". Ben Hillier produced the album and he usually delivers a somewhat murky, grungy sound so I guess that is not a surprise but it is unusual to hear a predominantly electronic band sound so im-precise.
Would be very curious to hear some other opinions.
Did I miss something?
/\/\

 

[YmSeb]

I've read the most diverse opinions about this release...

From the artistic point of view, I won't comment, but I understand that depending what you were expecting (or not), you can be either disappointed or satisfied. Before you make any final judgement, listen to the entire thing carefully. This album is not so easy to digest

From a MC point of view, this is clearly not an agressive mix, but does it have to be this way with Playing The Angel ? I'm not so sure. I find it immersive, even if not demonstrative. I was expecting far worse, so to me it's really OK.

This is the first time ever that I see such a package here in Europe : a SACD combined with a DVD-V with PCM 2.0, DD and DTS 5.1.

Unlike what's written on the inlay, it's not DTS 96/24 though, but 48/24.

 

[DrMabuse2001]

This album is not so easy to digest

I am not a newbie to DM, have bought every album they have done so far, I guess I was just expecting something different. Just starting to get suspicious of these "raves" for bands that are perhaps past their "best before" date but still have considerable power in the media.
I LOVE challenging music for sure - Coil anyone - but I am really curious what people are seeing in this record. You feel it is not an easy record but what has been the "great reward"? Not being an a**hole just curious.

 

[YmSeb]

I am not a newbie to DM, have bought every album they have done so far, I guess I was just expecting something different. Just starting to get suspicious of these "raves" for bands that are perhaps past their "best before" date but still have considerable power in the media.
I LOVE challenging music for sure - Coil anyone - but I am really curious what people are seeing in this record. You feel it is not an easy record but what has been the "great reward"? Not being an a**hole just curious.

Sorry for the misunderstanding : my remark was not directed to DM fans like you seem to be.

To DM fans, there is nothing to digest, I guess you know well what they are about

I just wanted to warn people here who would buy this SACD (because it is in surround) and who are not familiar with DM (except with the hits Just Can't Get Enough or Personal Jesus, etc.). I'm quite sure they wouldn't like it at the first listen.

To answer your question, the reward has not been so great, I must admit. At the first time, I was honestly disappointed, but after a few listens, PTA began to grow on me. I don't understand neither the rave reviews, nonetheless.

I think it's a decent effort and the acceptable surround mix made me like the album much more than if it had been in stereo only.

 

[DrMabuse2001]

hey there!
didn't want to seem like I was being defensive, it's all good

 

[elmer]

I can see from the poll here that there is quite a difference of opinion! I was never a big fan of DM - but I got this one because I wanted to hear something that wasn't 30 years old done in MC. I was pleasantly surprised with the Goldfrapp SACD from Mute and thought why not? Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised again - this is definitely not everyone's cup of tea. An odd combination of Industrial/Techno synth textures and Dave Gahan's Bowiesque "rock crooning."

A few of the comments on this thread mention the conservative MC mix - but I disagree. Very dramatic use of the rears and sub. There are some great demo spots on this disc. Don't listen to the lyrics - very gloomy. But overall a very different, atmospheric disc. My one major criticism is that the bonus DVD is not region 0 - would like to have compared the DTS and DD 5.1 mixes. Otherwise I found it very different and challenging to listen to (in a good way). If you have an aversion to heavy use of synths and drum programming - you should probably avoid this - however if your feeling a bit adventurous, you will be rewarded.

 

[JohnG]

I love the SACD mix, its even better than the pretty good DD 5.1 mix.

This is an album that is growing on me. It is a good return to form after the disappointing "Exciter".

My favorite tunes on the new album are "Precious" and "Nothings Impossible".

I'm also gonna see the boys at MSG in December.

 

[IDJIT DRAGON]

I had to give it a few listens but it is growing on me - often these type of albums, where your unsure at first, end up being among one's favourites. Musically it's an extravagant mix of more typical melodic DM interspersed with grungy, industrial instrumentation and some cracking bass

The MCh mix suits the music perfectly - I'll give it a 7

PS The 2 Ch LPCM version of Clean on the DVD sounds fantastic on my system - it gets a 10 from me!!


Cheers


Martin

 

[sspsandy]

I picked up the American release of this on Thursday. It is a redbook cd plus a DVD with the album in PCM stereo, DD 5.1 and DTS 5.1. It also contains the videos. All I can say is these guys can still deliver the goods, this is a fantastic album (I'm also going to see them at the Garden). This mix is quite interesting, very cool usage of the various channels. I like how they use the center channel as an extra surround channel, in places you have the vocals and main theme coming from the 2 front speakers, and the surround and center channels are used for effects to punctuate the sound, like a triangle on top of the stereo. I found this release to be far more satisfying than I was led to believe that it would be here. If you are interested in an innovative surround recording, reminiscent of Linkin Park Reanimator in inventiveness, you can't go wrong with this one.

 

[winopener]

Excellent disc, took 3 weeks to fully appreciate it. Very close to what "electronica" should sound in 5.1; could had been a bit more aggressive, however excellent mix.
Good packaging too: sacd and dvd with dts 24/96.

 

[cupboy]

Unlike what's written on the inlay, it's not DTS 96/24 though, but 48/24.

How do you determine that? My dts decoder (original made in the USA Millenium) has no indicator telling me any of those details. Do some decoders display that info?

 

[YmSeb]

How do you determine that? My dts decoder (original made in the USA Millenium) has no indicator telling me any of those details. Do some decoders display that info?

That's right, my A/V receiver (Harman Kardon AVR430) does display this kind of information (same with PCM...).

 

[MIDIQ]

I have the DVD version not the SACD version. I thought the music was OK and the mix was just OK also. Not great, and also not bad, just OK. So far i only have this one and Speak & Spell (SACD), which i liked quite a lot. I plan to get the others too. I like the older synth sound better. I gave it a 7.

 

[cdrx]

I really like the MCH-mix of the SACD. Sadly I like the mix better than the songs on this one.

 

[nickcave]

ias the only depeche mode sacd with dts 48/24???? why not DTS 96/24???

check this please!!!

 

[neil wilkes]

ias the only depeche mode sacd with dts 48/24???? why not DTS 96/24???

check this please!!!

Well, in the interests of nit-picking, you don't get DTS at any bitrate or sample rate on an SACD. That is for the DVD section.
Also, my copy says on the sleeve that it is DTS 96/24, DVDDecrypter says it is 48KHz (but that is because no further development has been done to it to allow it to identify a DTS 9624 stream so it can only "see" the Core stream). Pulling the bitstream off it will still give you the proper 96/24 one though.
AFAIK, it is certainly DTS 96/24 on the DVD.

EDIT.
I'll pull the stream off the disc & look at it in the DTS-HD StreamTools.

Also - one more thought about this whole series in general.
It makes a VERY pleasant change for the LFE to be set correctly, and not being overdone.
All too often I see the LFE streams at up to 6 and higher dB hotter than the main channels.
(This is not badly set BM either, but with Denon's "Source Direct" mode which outputs exactly what is on the disc with all BM bypassed)
I have lost count of the DVD-V discs I have where the LFE is just wrongly set. Well done Mute.

 

[Ge Someone]

All too often I see the LFE streams at up to 6 and higher dB hotter than the main channels.

Isn't that the infamous +10dB issue (a lot of players boost the LFE output by +10dB (as per DD requirement) ? I have to set the "LFE input adjustment" on my receiver to -10dB (not source direct) to avoid LFE booming on certain discs.

 

[neil wilkes]

Isn't that the infamous +10dB issue (a lot of players boost the LFE output by +10dB (as per DD requirement) ? I have to set the "LFE input adjustment" on my receiver to -10dB (not source direct) to avoid LFE booming on certain discs.

It could well be.
However, the better solution is to do the blasted encoding properly in the first place.
ANyway - getting OT here.
I can confirm that the DTS stream on this disc does appear to be 24/48. Unless DVDDecrypter is not pulling the DTS off properly in the first place - which is a definite possibility. The recovered, demuxed (from the VOB) says in the DTS streamplayer that it is 24/48 resolution.