Well, I can finally vote and comment on this, finally got it today, after waiting for a price I could live with, $80 (still would like to sell everything but the br, we'll see if I have any luck w/ that- money is tight right now).
Definite 10 for me. Can't add a whole lot to the comments above- amazing 5.1 mix. So much clarity, spaciousness, dynamics. Not aggressive use of the surrounds, which fits the music, just adds lots of depth and dimension, for the most part. SW really is a master- what instincts that guy has! I enjoyed this so much I did something that I can't remember doing for ages- probably 30 yrs or more- I listened to the same album back to back. Admittedly, the 2nd listen was the quad, but it's still the same music- well kinda.
This is the 1st quad mix of anything I've ever heard. On the title track I was thinking that I preferred the 5.1; while more discrete, it lacked the cohesiveness of the 5.1. Almost gimmicky in comparison to the 5.1. It lacked focus, had a tinge of hollowness to it, I thought. Then in Cross-eyed Mary, I had second thoughts. The quad seemed to work better there- maybe because it was more "cross-eyed."
It seemed like Ian's voice was mixed in all 4 speakers, like he was coming from right over my head (my surrounds are about 2 feet above ear height and about 100 and 260 degrees, respectively, so not at all proper quad set-up; they are also run as bi-poles). So, I was still up in the air, so to speak, about the different mixes. Then, in Mother Goose, I heard some strange sounds. There was some percussion (sorry, too ignorant to know what kind) that sounded un-musical- very hard and flat. I was thinking that it had to do with the quad mix, but then I remembered I was using the dvd (wanted to try it out, but just added another variable in; in hindsight I wish I'd listened to both mixes first on br before checking out the dvd). So which was likely causing that sound (anyone else notice this? My set-up likely pales in comparison to the vast majority here). Then, when it got to Wind up, I was shocked. That wasn't just a different mix- a different master was used for that track- I am certain. The vocals were different, as well as a lot, if not all, of the instrumentation. Can't believe no one has commented on this. Or is that a common occurrence on quad mixes? Regardless, I definitely prefer the 5.1, but it sure is nice to have both, though I doubt that the quad will get many listens.
Anyway, once the album finished, I went to the Mother Goose track in 5.1 to compare. The unmusical sounds I heard were not there, though in listening closely, I could hear those drums with a tinge of the sound I had heard earlier. But those drums were more discrete, more isolated in the quad, so perhaps they just stuck out more and were possibly mixed a little higher. So at least part of it was the differences in the mix, but possibly exacerbated by the lossy encode. Eventually I'll go back to the br and listen specifically for that.
Anyway, a real treat. As others have said, a revelation. I love it when an old, familiar friend gets new life breathed into like this. Bring on Minstrels and Warchild!
