Wow, first time I've been first to a poll here! I'll paste my review from the other thread:
The 5.1 mix is what got me interested in surround sound back in the day. I've heard this album way more than any other surround mix. So, the 5.1 will always have a certain perfection for me. But the Atmos mix did not disappoint. I enjoyed hearing new details. Beyond the mix being different, there is a pristine clarity to the resolution that I have never heard before. I am even more amazed at the multitudes of production techniques at every level and layer of this masterpiece.
I'm glad that a slightly different approach was used for the Atmos mix. I love all the ping-ponging of the 5.1 mix, but the Atmos mix gives my brain a little more of a break. (I'm near certain that the 5.1 mix gave me headaches for the first few years - like my nervous system didn't quite know how to process everything.)
Simply put, the Atmos mix sounds great to me. The playfulness is still there, and it sounds more epic and huge than ever. There are a few sections that sound almost identical to the 5.1 panning-wise. Maybe 2/3 of the album has similar panning, and the rest is different to some degree. Do You Realize?? is probably the most completely different mix.
That said, I was hoping for more discreet sounds in the height channels. There were maybe 3 specific events that stood out, but the height speakers were mostly reserved for spaciousness and subtle decorations. Like, if one of the ping-pongy songs had treated the height as equally discreet as the horizontal plane (random synth bass notes jumping up, etc.), I would have been happy. That's probably my only complaint.
My brain is so used to hearing the room spin during DYR??, I was kinda waiting the whole song for it to start moving. I look forward to future listens, now that I know what to expect. I'm glad that the 5.1 mix is included with this Blu-ray. Those are my immediate thoughts. I might have more to add later.
Edit: I also would have appreciated less seizure-inducing imagery as an alternative to the visualizer. I most enjoy listening with my eyes closed, but I can still sense the strobing! Easy enough to just turn the TV off, but something like a slideshow of the art would have been nice.
Edit: Also, props to Jon's liner note about how streaming is compressed compared to the Blu-ray - something most people don't realize.
