HiRez Poll INXS - KICK [Blu-Ray Audio]

[van1]

There seems to be a lot of controversy over this INXS mix. I have a 5.1 system (will likely never have a Dolby Atmos setup for a variety of reasons) and enjoy the surround and music well enough. I do have to crank it up about four decibels higher than my usual listening preference, but I would rather that than a too-hot, over-compressed recording (Martin's mix of Sgt Pepper springs
I gave it an 8.

Was a big inxs fan back in the day and this is my first Atmos music.

I’m playing this on my oppo 103 into my 5.1 Sony system via hdmi and the 5.1 volume is much lower than the stereo track.
I don’t have this issue when switching between 5.1 and stereo on any other discs on Sads, blu rays and dvds.
I’m wondering why and if this is a settings issue...

I will wait to vote on this

 

[windhoek]

Was a big inxs fan back in the day and this is my first Atmos music.

I’m playing this on my oppo 103 into my 5.1 Sony system via hdmi and the 5.1 volume is much lower than the stereo track.
I don’t have this issue when switching between 5.1 and stereo on any other discs on Sads, blu rays and dvds.
I’m wondering why and if this is a settings issue...

I will wait to vote on this

That's because the stereo version has been mixed LOUD so that there's little scope for turning the volume up. The multichannel mix has a greater dynamic range which allows the volume to be turned up much higher so that there's a greater contrast between the quiet and loud moments. Generally speaking, more dynamic range is better and so in this regard, the multichannel mix is better than the stereo mix - it also has more channels and is better in that regard as well, but that goes without saying

 

[Beefalo]

This is one of the discs I bought, listened to a couple of times and then filed away. My system is set up better now so I thought I'd give it another try.
On paper it looks good. The dynamic range is very respectable.
I can only describe it as sterile, cold, harsh & poorly mixed. I think something went wrong here and no one caught it.

 

[edisonbaggins]

This is one of the discs I bought, listened to a couple of times and then filed away. My system is set up better now so I thought I'd give it another try.
On paper it looks good. The dynamic range is very respectable.
I can only describe it as sterile, cold, harsh & poorly mixed. I think something went wrong here and no one caught it.

Well, if you've read this thread, you know there are those of us who have had a very positive experience. Intriguing...

 

[tezzalavell]

Well I listened to the disc on my Oppo in 5.1 . I ripped the Dolby True HD 7.1 and tinkered with the levels . Played flac 5.1 and still left me cold.
I read what people have said about a good experience in Atmos ( I'm stuck with 5.1), also that the Tom Toms were muddy etc etc .
What I felt was it was vacuous. It was like my amp did not have enough drive for the sound from each speaker to reach my sitting position. Not good !
The songs and package are good but fidelity and the surround mix was awful and not engaing . I will vote 6
I then put on Marillion's Mispaced Childhood by Mr. Wilson

It was like Night & Day

 

[temporaryhuman]

This starts off so great. Immense sounding vocals, huge and filling the room. Why put the guitars as double stereo, and not isolate in rears? Devil inside has the vocals way too low, they need raising 3db-4db. Overally wasted opportunity. I was surprised how much I loved the album though! What great songs. I do not feel any song is weak.

 

[sjcorne]

I’m joining the “5” crowd. From a purely spatial perspective, it’s actually a pretty entertaining listen. Both the rear and height speakers are consistently engaged in clever ways, with some cool examples being the guitar call-and-response in “Need You Tonight” bouncing from front-to-back and the backing vocals in “New Sensation” shifting between the rear and height channels.

Unfortunately, the sound quality is horrendous. The high-end is grating and even though the TrueHD/Atmos is much quieter than the stereo, it still sounds like the dynamic range has been severely compressed. The drums are often too low in the mix (perhaps a side-effect of the compression?), robbing the songs of any excitement or immediacy. The louder passages have this awful 'crowded' quality and harshness, like there's no room for the music to breathe.

I'm surprised Bob Clearmountain wasn't contracted to do the remix, as he mixed the original 1987 stereo version. That isn’t intended as an indictment of Giles Martin & Sam Okell by any means - I think they've since done a fantastic job with both Abbey Road and Let It Be - but I agree with @Beefalo that something definitely went wrong here, probably on the mastering side. There’s plenty of channel separation, but the original CD through your upmixer of choice might make for a better listening experience.

 

[timbre4]

Finally catching up on a few releases that have been here since before I got Atmos setup out here as 5.1.4 . Yes, all the hits are familiar from MTV and radio saturation. This was the second Atmos disc purchase after REM - Automatic For the People. I could play these in the house as 5.1.2 and it was okay but not that big of a deal with the two upfiring speakers.

Hearing it today in all it's glory, I was underwhelmed with much of it in terms of pleasing immersive sound. It did catch fire in a few places with clever interplay but it felt kind of tame overall. I suspect if I had been able to review the Atmos track much earlier (before I'd heard much better presentations). I might have rated it higher.

Right after this I listened to George Harrison - All Things Must Pass in Atmos and that confirmed what I thought at least.