Listening to now (In Surround!) - Volume 1

[ctc4001]

Black Sabbath: Rhino Remaster. the whole album is louder and in some of the songs I have noticed that Geeser's Bass is pushed forward in the mix, somehow I don't remember that on the original pressing. (guess I'll have to listen to that again) for example: Into The Void you can hear the bass differently forward in the mix on this tune. Also, I noticed that the album is not muddy as the original pressing. Even in the track Solitude it's noticeable to me that Ozzy's voice is cleaner as is Tony's guitar. Overall, it's a nice mix. You all remember back in the day when Warner Bros said they can reduce noise by just turning down the volume...well how did that work out?? not well. Overall, the record was fairly quiet probably needs another VPI Cleaning but I am happy with the dub. What did you think of Rhino's version of Black Sabbath's Masters Of Reality?

 

[mattB2]

Into The Heart Of The Sangoma - Ann Mortifee (Hybrid MultiChannel SACD)

http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/2950

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007UVXSQ/?tag=sacdinfocom-20

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0007UVXSQ/?tag=sacdinfocom08-21


WOW! :yikes

Ohhh my.. the surround mix is absolutely incredible on this!

there's HEAPS of atmosphere! "jungle"/African effects galore in the rears (crickets chirping, thunder cracks, the lot!) and her vocals in the centre are just out of this world, with some AMAZINGLY effective reverb in the rears in the spoken word passages.. the rears are hard at work on this one the whole time -- WHAT A MIX!!!! just WOW!!

haunting and engaging, daring, challenging, storytelling, hypnotic, rhythmic, beautiful.. absolutely stunning surround music.

You have got to hear this one guys.

I'm thrilled I took the risk - this is a seriously overlooked hidden gem of a surround music SACD that can still be found new for real-world money just about everywhere as you can see in the links I posted above to Amazon USA, Amazon UK, etc..

This is a terrific disc - lovely music and a very immersive surround mix. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[fredblue]

This is a terrific disc - lovely music and a very immersive surround mix. Thanks for the recommendation.

you're welcome, glad you're enjoying it

 

[bmoura]

Bucky Pizzarelli - Swing Live (Chesky SACD 223)
A live recording made at a Jazz Club in New York with the Ambisonic Microphone. Very convincing "you are there" Surround Sound

Broadway Inspirational Voices - Grace (DMP SACD-17)
Members of the Broadway theater community form a gospel choir that rocks the rafters with this direct to DSD recording

The Weavers - Reunion at Carnegie Hall: 1963 (Analogue Productions CAPF 005 SA)
Legendary folk music group reunites to perform many of their classics, now available in 3 Channel SACD Stereo, to capture the concert's 3 Channel Original Master Tapes

 

[jasong]

Bucky Pizzarelli - Swing Live (Chesky SACD 223)
A live recording made at a Jazz Club in New York with the Ambisonic Microphone. Very convincing "you are there" Surround Sound

Broadway Inspirational Voices - Grace (DMP SACD-17)
Members of the Broadway theater community form a gospel choir that rocks the rafters with this direct to DSD recording

The Weavers - Reunion at Carnegie Hall: 1963 (Analogue Productions CAPF 005 SA)
Legendary folk music group reunites to perform many of their classics, now available in 3 Channel SACD Stereo, to capture the concert's 3 Channel Original Master Tapes

THE BAND- LIVE AT THE ACADEMY" ROCK OF AGES" CONCERTS.

It is awesome. I have the 2 channel 2001 remaster and now the 5.1 surround. the 5.1 sounds clear crisp and clean. like you had just take cotton out of your ears. the surround is not overwhelming either, sounds more like live in the studio then live in concert.

 

[LizardKing]

Supersonic Quadraphonic Sound Spectacular - EV? LP
Chicago - IX - SQ LP
Phoebe Snow - Second Childhood - SQ LP

Average White Band CD-4 -> DVD-A - WOW - Love the funky brass & didn't know the "Brecker Bros" were on this also..

Blackfield - IV - DVD-A
Katatonia - Dethroned and Uncrowned - DVD-A

 

[rustyandi]

Supersonic Quadraphonic Sound Spectacular - EV4 LP
There is 2 samplers
they are called in the USA
Evolution Quad demo and marked EV4 in Mark Anderson Quad Mag.

 

[ctc4001]

I like to collect those "Special" Quad albums...there just cool

 

[fredblue]

Supersonic Quadraphonic Sound Spectacular - EV? LP
Chicago - IX - SQ LP
Phoebe Snow - Second Childhood - SQ LP

Average White Band CD-4 -> DVD-A - WOW - Love the funky brass & didn't know the "Brecker Bros" were on this also..

Blackfield - IV - DVD-A
Katatonia - Dethroned and Uncrowned - DVD-A

the AWB quad is superb! should have been the 2nd Quadio release..!!

 

[fredblue]

Devils & Dust - Bruce Springsteen (DualDisc).

Well, I've given this a fair crack of the whip, I've read a lot about what people have to say about it, it's pretty much universally panned from a surround mix perspective, so I thought I'd really take the time to analyse the mix and here's my surround mix observations, specifically as to what there actually is in the rears, with a rather interesting outcome..


- Track 1 = muted strings in the rears,
- Track 2 = muted synth effects in the rears towards the very end of the song,
- Track 3 = muted but rather nice strings all the way through,
- Track 4 = muted backing vocals & acoustic guitar in the rears,
- Track 5 = muted synth in the rears (Black Cowboys),
- Track 6 = a muted lone tambourine in the rears (Maria's Bed),
- Track 7 = muted strings in rears (Silver Palomino),
- Track 8 = muted backing vocals in rears (Jesus Was An Only Son),
- Track 9 = the most horrid distortion in front L&R (something somewhere was seriously overdriven was my first thought but now I'm not sure.. more on that in a minute.. this is the one and only song with absolutely nothing in the rears..),
- Track 10 = muted synth horn & strings in the rears (may be the real thing but its hard to tell even when cranked!),
- Track 11 = muted backing vocals in the rears,
- Track 12 = muted strings.


So.. in a nutshell, the rears are always muted.. its not as if there's nothing in the rears, there's stuff going on there all the time I wonder if something went awry with the authoring of this?


Why? Well, not only is the 5.1 weird/lacking on first listen but here's what I've found -
- the LFE level is way too high,
- front L&R are way too loud too (so they distort at times),
- the rears and the centre channel DO have things happening in them.. the centre has lead vocals on every song right there in the centre.. but centre and rears are so seriously muted compared to the crazy loud fronts & sub you'd never know.


Cai made a good point here in this thread all those years back = raise the rears..


..but I'd go further,
- if you boost the rears and centre to just below their absolute max (+8db on my AVR),
- drop the volume on front L&R and sub approx 50% from where you have them calibrated (so they're set -4db on my AVR, which equates to 12db lower than my centre and rears)..
.. and you suddenly get a rather nice surround mix.


Track 9 is the one anomaly, which I believe suffered the biggest authoring goof on the whole disc, distortion in front L&R plus no rear activity at all when all 11 other tracks have rear channel info, too much of a coincidence?


Anyhow.. Maybe give it a try if you have this DualDisc, is all I'm saying.


I'm certainly enjoying it a lot more now in surround, with just a bit of (rather extreme volume level, admittedly) tweaking

 

[fredblue]

Think Twice Before You Speak - Lowell Fulson (MultiCh SACD).

This is my 7th "JSP" Label SACD and its "business as usual", it's equally as good as any of them (though I have three faves.. Buddy Guy "DJ Play My Blues", Guitar Shorty "My Way Or The Highway" & Carey Bell "Harpslinger" are all superb, especially the Buddy Guy which is absolutely STUNNING!).. but I digress...

..this one, just like the rest of the JSPs, has lots of lovely discrete activity to go "Ooh!" over but as so much of it is "set and forget" at this config it doesn't feel gimmicky just awesomely discrete ("Meet Me In The Bottom", "Oh Well Oh Well", "You're Gonna Miss Me", "Lowell's Jump", all have sax blowing throughout in left rear and piano tinkling away in right rear.. what's not to love about that my fellow Quaddies!?) but the mix is also nice and subtle with more stripped down material (Come Back Baby, Sinners Prayer).. Lead vocals are typically (for these JSP SACDs) hard in the centre channel (and are they ever CHOCK-FULL of detail and character) with lead vox ambience in front L&R together with rhythm section.

Recommended, as are most of the JSP SACDs.. particularly Guitar Shorty and especially the Buddy Guy, did I mention its the best thing since sliced green tom-ayy-toes??

 

[fredblue]

American Landscape - David Benoit (DTS CD).

Bit of a risk as I didn't know the album beforehand and its one that never gets talked about from a surround point of view but I'm glad I went for it, its not bad at all.

its a mostly laid-back, fairly sedate affair, with three or four more uptempo numbers to stop you nodding off ().. with very elegant playing by Mr.Benoit himself and a host of polished guest performances.

There's some really great musicians here, incl. Bela Fleck, Jerry Hey (misspelt "Hay" in the liners! @, Nathan East, Dean Parks, Poncho Sanchez, the LSO), its all very tasteful, if a bit "polite" I guess.. still, its impeccably recorded (Al Schmitt, Tommy LiPuma) with a very nice surround mix replete with all the right (literal) bells & whistles going off in the rears, shakers/wind chimes/the LSO are all back there at times, just don't expect head-banging, mind-blowing stuff or surround fireworks.. though that said, the closer is fairly raucous in part, barnatorming even.

this is relaxing, easy, instrumental (mood, even?) music at its finest.. and rather nice it all is too.. it was all over too soon!

I was particularly touched by the moving liner notes where David Benoit dedicates the LP to his late Mother. what can I say, I'm a Mummy's Boy! Enjoy! Its a good surround mix, great fidelity, nice music, it can still be found for a tenner., you've nothing to lose here guys

 

[bmoura]

Three favorites with Erich Kunzel conducting the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra in 5.1 SACD Surround Sound:
* The Big Picture (Telarc SACD-60437)
* Round Up - with Frankie Laine (Telarc SACD-60141)
* Nice 'N' Easy: Celebrating Sinatra (Telarc SACD-60532)

 

[GabeL]

Jethro Tull's Aqualung stunning blu-ray. The way it should always be done

 

[fredblue]

Jethro Tull's Aqualung stunning blu-ray. The way it should always be done

absolutely! an amazing set!

shame EMI have only seen fit to give us DTS DVD since the Floyd Immersions and Aqualung.. but its better than nothing I spose!

 

[ctc4001]

I have Sinatra's Nice N Easy on Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs and that pressing is very nice, I would think your SACD would sound fantastic!

 

[bmoura]

I have Sinatra's Nice N Easy on Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs and that pressing is very nice, I would think your SACD would sound fantastic!

It is a good one. Was used to show off 5.1 Surround Sound SACD when it first came out. The difference between the Telarc SACD and the Mobile Fidelity is that the Mo Fi disc features Frank Sinatra while the Telarc SACD stars the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra playing instrumental versions of the Sinatra favorites - along with the Route 66 Theme.

Both are enjoyable yet different.

 

[Doug G.]

Quadradisc Highlights/September 1973 Quad Sampler demo (says "NOT FOR SALE" on the label), RCA DJD1-0072.

Sounds really good and has a history and information about CD-4 on the back cover as well as RCA Quadradisc titles available.

I like the "special"/demo quad releases too.

Doug

 

[bmoura]

Tonight, listening to 5.1 SACD Surround Sound with:
* Elton John - Honky Chateau (Rocket B0003609-36)
* John Pizzarelli & the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra - Dear Mr. Sinatra (Telarc SACD-63638)
* Laura Fygi - Change (Mercury Records Netherlands 067-575-2)

And in 3 Channel SACD Sound....
* Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out (Analogue Productions CAPJ 8192 SA)

 

[fredblue]

Tonight, listening to 5.1 SACD Surround Sound with:
* Elton John - Honky Chateau (Rocket B0003609-36)
* John Pizzarelli & the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra - Dear Mr. Sinatra (Telarc SACD-63638)
* Laura Fygi - Change (Mercury Records Netherlands 067-575-2)

And in 3 Channel SACD Sound....
* Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out (Analogue Productions CAPJ 8192 SA)

The Laura Fygi Change SACD (not her live @Ronnie Scott's SACD which I've avoided as the discs are all faulty afaik!?) never gets talked about, which is a shame.. I think cos its both obscure and hard to find (a winning combo, not!) but its very nicely recorded, I like the feel of the album (its more upbeat than I imagined) and the surround mix is pretty solid too