Elton John "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" HFPA Blu-Ray Release

[fredblue]

Yes, this is what I was looking for. You're doomed. Of course, only joking. You have some nice stuff there! A while back, I've heard that different equipment handle codecs differently and this may be one of the reasons why one format sound better over another.

Haha! thanks, its all pretty bog-standard kit but I like it. Could well be that's what it's all about, something in the chain is better with BDs than SACDs (I'm guessing the BD player!? ) I really don't know.

still, its funny (peculiar!) how steelydave has come up with the same findings and he's Einstein to my Elmer Fudd where these tecchy things are concerned!

 

[blue.monk]

I've Seen That Movie Too is one where the acoustic guitars seemed less forward in the mix, plus the electric (wah-wah) solo (which starts in the centre and works its way out and around the other speakers towards its climax) seemed better integrated on the BD.

I spent some time with this song (no big hardship - underrated gem IMO) but to my ears and setup I did not hear the same contrasts noticed by our good friend, fredblue. The level of the acoustic guitar (rear right) seemed identical to me, as did the prominent piano overdub in the same channel after "baby you're crazy". The guitar solo bits also sounded the same to me - both the swirling panned backwards lines and the melodic forward part that begins half way though that section in center channel. The overall feel and balance seemed the same to me for both SACD and Blu-Ray. Nor tonally could I detect a difference. For example the 'esses' seemed to contain the same level of sibilance in both.

Ray's tambourine seemed less attacking and bright on the BD than the SACD all the way thru All The Girls Love Alice.

This also sounded the same tonally to me on both. Funny, might the differences be found in the way various players process the formats?

Regardless I'm still happy to have the Blu-Ray. I'm quite fond of the stereo mastering plus having the whole LP on one disc is sweet. And there's the neat variation of the non-fadeup in Social Disease!

 

[fredblue]

Thank you for taking the time and sharing your findings blue.monk. This is why I reckon it's so important for more members to try these things out for themselves. No one's in a position to set themselves up as an all-knowing oracle and I wouldn't dream of doing so, though this is a 5.1 mix I'm pretty familiar with and I have been a bit harsh on these HFPA Blu-ray's where they've been a letdown, so I do feel in a fairly good position to chip in with me two'pennuth and be as even-handed as possible

I said weeks ago it was just my listening experience and I'd be just as happy to be proven wrong and have swallowed a big old Blu-ray placebo. That might well be the case, I'm happy to be proven wrong, it's all good

Since then I've been asked to list the gear I'm playing this surround stuff on, so if any QQ members know of any obvious things I may have missed as to how certain components in my rig might do things differently or that I could change some setting or other on BD player or receiver please do chip in with suggestions and I'll try it all out

It might be worth mentioning, I get the BD Player to decode the DSD of SACDs into PCM and Bitstream the various DTS & Dolby codecs to the Amp so that it can decode them. Quite whether that could result in any audible/detectable difference along the lines of what I've come across here, I've no idea?

Yes! Well said! The Social Disease goof does make this disc totally unique! Whether that makes it worth getting for other QQ-ers who can say but I know for me I'd have had to buy the BD in the end "just" for that

 

[Perp]

Yes! Well said! The Social Disease goof does make this disc totally unique! Whether that makes it worth getting for other QQ-ers who can say but I know for me I'd have had to buy the BD in the end "just" for that

Am I reading you right? Social Disease is a completely different mix (fade-up) on the 5.1 side? Or, is it on the new stereo mix?

 

[fredblue]

Am I reading you right? Social Disease is a completely different mix (fade-up) on the 5.1 side? Or, is it on the new stereo mix?

Yes! On the 5.1, there is no fade-in at all. all the channels are at full volume from the start of the song. I nearly fell off my chair when I first heard it!

 

[Perp]

Yes! On the 5.1, there is no fade-in at all. all the channels are at full volume from the start of the song. I nearly fell off my chair when I first heard it!

The iconic 1973 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album presented in glorious HD on the Blu-ray High Fidelity Pure Audio format. This will include the stereo mix of the brand new 2014 remaster as well as the 2003 5.1 surround sound mix of the album.

Hmmm! Then, if this is the 2003 5.1 surround mix as stated above, why would this be a different mix?

 

[fredblue]

Hmmm! Then, if this is the 2003 5.1 surround mix as stated above, why would this be a different mix?

you make another excellent point! I'm baffled by what I hear on this BD only to be told its the same as the old SACDs (I do have a bit of a clue what I'm talking about, it's not like the only surround stuff I'd ever played is by EJ!) I'm willing to accept it if it's definitively the exact same and something else is at work but it is odd.

I did suggest on here a few weeks ago, could it be the BD has Greg Penny's mixes without any mastering other than everything he'd done himself, whereas the SACDs have had some work done on them after Greg handed his mixes over to the record company?

 

[keenly]

This is the same miX and mastering as the SACD!

 

[wavelength]

This is the same miX and mastering as the SACD!

Inside the back page of the booklet that comes with the BD it says 2014 Remaster by Bob Ludwig.

 

[Perp]

The Elton John 5.1 titles are all too loud!

Have you heard the Blu-ray?

This is the same miX and mastering as the SACD!

keenly? So far, you have contributed to pretty much that equates to absolute nothing in this Thread.

 

[Perp]

Inside the back page of the booklet that comes with the BD it says 2014 Remaster by Bob Ludwig.

I remember reading that someone stated that the stereo mix was Bob Ludwig and the 5.1 was the original 2003 surround mix. I will leave my impression after I get this disc in the next couple of days.

 

[Perp]

I did suggest on here a few weeks ago, could it be the BD has Greg Penny's mixes without any mastering other than everything he'd done himself, whereas the SACDs have had some work done on them after Greg handed his mixes over to the record company?

Transferring the 2003 surround mix is one thing, but to futz with those mixes is called a new mix based on the 2003 mixes.

 

[perzon57]

Hello
I have the sacd and the dvd-a and I've ordered the blu.When I get it I can compare all as i can play all three at the same time.Oppo dvd-a , Sony sacd and Toshiba blu.All via hdmi.

 

[hafquark]

All my Elton John discs are SACD except for GYBR which is the DVD-A. I purchased the BD about a week ago from an eBay vendor for $15.95+$2.99 shipping.

My initial impression is that the multi-channel BD sounds very similar to the DVD-A (haven't listened to the stereo yet). Loudness level is fairly high (as with all the Greg Penny remasters), and the sound is very clear and detailed. That's just a quick, single listen without doing a real disc-to-disc comparison.

As has been noted, the booklet states: 2014 remaster by Bob Ludwig/2003 Surround sound by Greg Penny. I guess the Ludwig remaster is the stereo layer, though it's not specifically stated as such. I'll try to do an analytical comparison this week if time allows.

 

[fredblue]

This is the same miX and mastering as the SACD!

Why don't they sound the same then?

Have you heard the Blu-ray?

 

[fredblue]

Hello
I have the sacd and the dvd-a and I've ordered the blu.When I get it I can compare all as i can play all three at the same time.Oppo dvd-a , Sony sacd and Toshiba blu.All via hdmi.

An interesting thing, using different machines for the different formats.

though you'd have to be Bitstreaming out to your pre-amp/AVR via HDMI to let your pre-amp/receiver's DAC's do their thing or there would be differences from the inherent sound of each individual player, no?

FWIW, I haven't compared the DVD-A yet only the SACDs to the BD but I can do if it helps.

 

[Gmat25]

would definitely be curious on your take on comparing the DVDA to the new audio bluray

 

[Perp]

I checked to see where the hell my BD is after I received a ship notification from the Amazon seller on April 17 that it had shipped, and while checking the tracking, it shows a delivery day of May 8. This will teach me to use my Amazon "Prime" (2-day delivery) account for e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. I've occasionally ordered through Amazon vendors before and it n-o-r-m-a-l-l-y takes 3 days from New York to Los Angeles to get something delivered.:howl

 

[davie]

I did suggest on here a few weeks ago, could it be the BD has Greg Penny's mixes without any mastering other than everything he'd done himself, whereas the SACDs have had some work done on them after Greg handed his mixes over to the record company?

Unlike Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, the other Greg Penny SACD's credit the mixing and mastering to Greg Penny himself.

 

[fredblue]

Unlike Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, the other Greg Penny SACD's credit the mixing and mastering to Greg Penny himself.

Very good point, well made

From the various articles & interviews about & with Greg Penny on his remixing of the Elton John back catalogue I've seen either they mention or he says himself that he did most of the mastering (and various other tricks and diddles!) himself as he was mixing, together with Gus Skinas at the DSD stages but the GYBR had some other personnel involved or at least credited in the SACD liners.

as I said, it strikes me the BDA could be Greg's 'unfutzed with' mastering.. but I could be totally wrong and probably am!

I'm past caring the BD is so good, I'd only get the old SACDs out if I ever felt like giving the extras an airing in 5.1 (which I don't very often, I've never been that fussed about Jack Rabbit, Whenever You're Ready & Screw You.. though GP's "Acoustic" reimagining of Candle In The Wind was superb, I just wish there'd been more of the same from him in that vein).