Elton John "Madman Across The Water" 50th Anniversary Box Set (3 CDs & 5.1 Blu-Ray)

[splinter7]

Did you get any sort of email notice that it was being shipped…or did it just show up?

It just showed up.

 

[Tres Discrete]

It just showed up.

There’s hope for me yet…

 

[4-earredwonder]

I shudder to think how many of the original 'defecfive' BD~A sets will show up either on ebay or at much reduced prices @ the various Amazons to unsuspecting purchasers!

Should sound magnifico in DTS~HD MA 5.1 in 96/24 resolution.

 

[fredblue]

I shudder to think how many of the original 'defecfive' BD~A sets will show up either on ebay or at much reduced prices @ the various Amazons to unsuspecting purchasers!

Should sound magnifico in DTS~HD MA 5.1 in 96/24 resolution.

it does indeedo sound magnifico, Ralpheeo!!

(and i think the new DTS HD-MA may have yet another mastering of the MCh mix!? unless i'm going/going/gone mad it seems there's maybe a bit more Headroom and dynamics to the Front L&R than i remember waveform whispering on the Lossy DTS on the erroneous BD.. anyhoo i'll look into it more carefully tomorrow

 

[madscot]

I shudder to think how many of the original 'defecfive' BD~A sets will show up either on ebay or at much reduced prices @ the various Amazons to unsuspecting purchasers!

Should sound magnifico in DTS~HD MA 5.1 in 96/24 resolution.

I bought one for £4.49 on ebay, arrived a couple of days ago, i’m more than happy with the dts 5.1 at that price, it’s not my favourite Elton album but good to have in the collection, by the way it sounds great, just the blu ray in case anyone is curious

 

[SeeMoreDigital]

...(and i think the new DTS HD-MA may have yet another mastering of the MCh mix!? unless i'm going/going/gone mad it seems there's maybe a bit more Headroom and dynamics to the Front L&R than i remember waveform whispering on the Lossy DTS on the erroneous BD.. anyhoo i'll look into it more carefully tomorrow

It would be interesting to know if the extracted lossy dts core (from the DTS-HD MA stream) sounds different to the original lossy dts release...

 

[fredblue]

It would be interesting to know if the extracted lossy dts core (from the DTS-HD MA stream) sounds different to the original lossy dts release...

i'll look into that later today

 

[fredblue]

It would be interesting to know if the extracted lossy dts core (from the DTS-HD MA stream) sounds different to the original lossy dts release...

yes! i wasn't imagining it!
the new DTS HD-MA track on the corrected Blu-ray does have a different (better) mastering than the lossy DTS 96/24 on the original Blu-ray!

Razor Face (Original Blu-ray DTS 96/24):

Razor Face (Corrected Blu-ray DTS HD-MA):

 

[SeeMoreDigital]

How about extracting and comparing the lossy dts cores?

 

[fredblue]

How about extracting and comparing the lossy dts cores?

i've got to get on with some work if i get a chance over the weekend i'll post back here

 

[artwwweb]

yes! i wasn't imagining it!
the new DTS HD-MA track on the corrected Blu-ray does have a different (better) mastering than the lossy DTS 96/24 on the original Blu-ray!

Razor Face (Original Blu-ray DTS 96/24):

View attachment 82256

Razor Face (Corrected Blu-ray DTS HD-MA):

View attachment 82257

Maybe I'm missing something, but those wavs look very similar to me. The top one looks brickwalled - i.e. the volume is so loud that there are lots of flat areas because the volume has reached max.

The second wav is lower in volume, but with no benefit? The brick wall is still there, but at a lower level. Surely the advantage of lowering the average level is so that the occasional higher level can appear, i.e. a higher DR. From those pics it looks like if you normalise both wavs to the same level they will look the same. In other words, the second is simply the first but quieter; there is none of the increase in dynamic range that 'quieter' normally implies.

Neither look super-brickwalled to me, though.

 

[par4ken]

No excuse for even minor brickwalling! No need for hi-rez audio if the mastering is butchered. It would be interesting to compare to the SACD but is it the same mix?

 

[fredblue]

Maybe I'm missing something, but those wavs look very similar to me. The top one looks brickwalled - i.e. the volume is so loud that there are lots of flat areas because the volume has reached max.

The second wav is lower in volume, but with no benefit? The brick wall is still there, but at a lower level. Surely the advantage of lowering the average level is so that the occasional higher level can appear, i.e. a higher DR. From those pics it looks like if you normalise both wavs to the same level they will look the same. In other words, the second is simply the first but quieter; there is none of the increase in dynamic range that 'quieter' normally implies.

Neither look super-brickwalled to me, though.

gotchya i'll double check in a bit by level matching the DTS HD MA to the DTS 96/24 to make sure i'm not going mad, man!

 

[fredblue]

No excuse for even minor brickwalling! No need for hi-rez audio if the mastering is butchered. It would be interesting to compare to the SACD but is it the same mix?

i'll double check but pretty sure the SACD clips as well. as i said a while back on here to himey Greg Penny talked in some interview donkeys years back about using some vintage outboard compressor on these EJ 5.1 mixes so i think they have a certain amount of "artistic" compression baked in by design that probably can't be undone

 

[artwwweb]

i'll double check but pretty sure the SACD clips as well. as i said a while back on here to himey Greg Penny talked in some interview donkeys years back about using some vintage outboard compressor on these EJ 5.1 mixes so i think they have a certain amount of "artistic" compression baked in by design that probably can't be undone

Is the blu ray actually clipped? The wavs look flat at the top but that is often the case with compression when zoomed out to track level. Sure, it shows there is some compression, which would fit in with your "artistic" comment, but actual clipping would be naughty. (Maybe I am using 'brickwalling' incorrectly - I was thinking it meant 'cannot go past this level, as if there is a brick wall there', which could include compression without clipping.)

 

[ar surround]

i'll double check but pretty sure the SACD clips as well. as i said a while back on here to himey Greg Penny talked in some interview donkeys years back about using some vintage outboard compressor on these EJ 5.1 mixes so i think they have a certain amount of "artistic" compression baked in by design that probably can't be undone

Despite the high ratings in the polls, every time I listen to one of these Elton John SACDs it always sounds just a bit "eddgy." Tumbleweed Connection comes to mind right now as the one needing the most EQ to take the edge off of it. So perhaps it's the compression mentioned above that is causing it. (I still gave the SACD a 10.)

 

[Clement]

I still have not received my replacement blu-ray. I replied to my "operations support" email three times, asking for an update--nothing. I sent a separate email, explaining the situation and included, once again, my receipt, mailing address, etc. Received this response today:

"We have discovered today that some of the blu-ray packages are still somewhere in Heathrow airport (London) awaiting despatch. Our courier is urgently looking into this but, if the packages cannot be retrieved, we will re-send them as soon as possible."

I'm excited to hear the DTS-HD MA track about which @fredblue has been posting!

 

[rtbluray]

Glad I'm not the only one who is still waiting on the replacement disc to arrive.

 

[SyrinxTemple]

Finally got mine yesterday.

 

[--Moe--]

I still have not received my replacement blu-ray. I replied to my "operations support" email three times, asking for an update--nothing. I sent a separate email, explaining the situation and included, once again, my receipt, mailing address, etc. Received this response today:

"We have discovered today that some of the blu-ray packages are still somewhere in Heathrow airport (London) awaiting despatch. Our courier is urgently looking into this but, if the packages cannot be retrieved, we will re-send them as soon as possible."

I'm excited to hear the DTS-HD MA track about which @fredblue has been posting!

According to the DHL tracking number supplied to me via "Operations Support", my replacement disk is one of those "still somewhere in Heathrow Airport", since Aug. 5th . Operations Support promised to ship another copy if the delay continues much longer, and thanked me for my patience.