EJ - Diamonds (DD 5.1 Atmos downmixes) & MCH SACD mixes

[kfbkfb]

Being an outlier, I listen to the DD 5.1 downmix of Atmos content.

I was wondering if anyone has compared the songs on Diamonds (in DD 5.1, not Atmos) that also appear on the EJ MCH SACDs?


Kirk Bayne

 

[LuvMyQuad]

Being an outlier, I listen to the DD 5.1 downmix of Atmos content.

I was wondering if anyone has compared the songs on Diamonds (in DD 5.1, not Atmos) that also appear on the EJ MCH SACDs?


Kirk Bayne

I cant answer your specific question about Diamonds, but i did try out a few 5.1 DD mixes of other albums before i became Atmos capable. The sample size is small, maybe 10 albums or so, but I wasnt impressed compared to the downmix of the 7.1 TrueHD to 5.1 done with my AVP.

In maybe half the cases. i found the DD 5.1 fidelity seemed a notch lower (could well have had different masterings) and in the worst cases the mixes seemed like afterthoughts. Almost like what you might hear through an upmixer. The others were somewhat better, but they were never as satisfying as the TrueHD downmix.

My son was visiting a few weeks ago, we played the Atmos Gabriel I/O album, admittedly a stellar example of the Atmos format. He commented on how it sounded so inferior to the 5.1 DD rip i had made for him, as he is also limited to 5.1. Since i keep all these rips, we did a little informal comparison. It was really no contest.