HiRez Poll Moody Blues - EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FAVOUR [SACD]

[Fourplay]

The bonus tracks are only on the stereo layer, and that's the way it is for "On the Threshold of a Dream", "A Question of Balance", and "Seventh Sojourn" as well.

Hey,

Appreciate the quick reply!

Thanks.

 

[GOS]

I find the SACD mix very adequate. Hard for me to not love the Moody Blues.....It's in my rotation. GAve it an 8.

 

[wavelength]

Like the other 3 Moodies sacd's that I have (Threshold, Children, and Question), the center channel and the LFE channel have an I-don't-know-what-kind of signal but it's basically garbage in both those channels. If you care to take the time just turn down the left and right channels (front and rear) and listen to only the center and the sub. I guarantee you will be under-whelmed by the signal, or lack thereof, in both these channels. It's pitiful. It becomes obvious at this point that the only good channels are the lefts and rights. My solution is to go into my player's channel settings and turn off the center and the subwoofer channels. Now I'm playing straight up 4.0 and to my ears it sounds much better. Those 2 other channels just add a bunch of "noise" which for me degrades the sound field.

This issue is the same on all 4 of these discs and I use the same remedy on all of them. Now that I have that figured out - only took me about 8 years - I am loving all 4 of these albums.

 

[EMB]

It's been eight years (!) since the release of these discs...how time flies, and apparently I forgot to chime in. Well...a '7' from me. Like others in this series, the tweaking of the sonics, coupled with the pointless use of center and LFE, leave me cold though the mix is very fine indeed...but this is just the kind of music that needs the kind of remastering AF is doing so well at this time.

ED

 

[jsayers]

Like the other 3 Moodies sacd's that I have (Threshold, Children, and Question), the center channel and the LFE channel have an I-don't-know-what-kind of signal but it's basically garbage in both those channels. If you care to take the time just turn down the left and right channels (front and rear) and listen to only the center and the sub. I guarantee you will be under-whelmed by the signal, or lack thereof, in both these channels. It's pitiful. It becomes obvious at this point that the only good channels are the lefts and rights. My solution is to go into my player's channel settings and turn off the center and the subwoofer channels. Now I'm playing straight up 4.0 and to my ears it sounds much better. Those 2 other channels just add a bunch of "noise" which for me degrades the sound field.

This issue is the same on all 4 of these discs and I use the same remedy on all of them. Now that I have that figured out - only took me about 8 years - I am loving all 4 of these albums.

This is because these are quad mixes, NOT 5.1 mixes. I believe they are the original quad mixes from the 70's.

 

[wavelength]

This is because these are quad mixes, NOT 5.1 mixes. I believe they are the original quad mixes from the 70's.

No, they are 5.1 mixes. The sacds were marketed as 5.1. "Remastered in 5.1 Surround Sound" - it says so on the back of everyone of the sacd releases. My point is that they are very poor 5.1 mixes that actually sound better played back as 4.0.

 

[Neb-Maat-Re]

My point is that they are very poor 5.1 mixes that actually sound better played back as 4.0.

The reason for this is they ARE the original quad mixes with a derived (artificial) centre and LFE channel added to them.

 

[wavelength]

The reason for this is they ARE the original quad mixes with a derived (artificial) centre and LFE channel added to them.

So what's your opinion? Do you think they sound better played back as 4.0?

 

[Neb-Maat-Re]

Absolutely. I don't have a sub-woofer, but in my opinion the added artificial centre channel is unnecessary, obtrusive and counter-productive to the enjoyment of the recording which should be enjoyed in the original quad mix as intended as you have discovered yourself.

 

[jsayers]

The reason for this is they ARE the original quad mixes with a derived (artificial) centre and LFE channel added to them.

Thanks - that what I meant to say. I just remember reading this back when they came out.

 

[skherbeck]

Very active surround mix but audio fidelity sounds a little muffled on the high end. This album has some fantastic music on it, but I don't like it quite as much as "To our Children's Children's Chiuldren". Also, the fidelity on TOCCC is better. Since I gave TOCCC a 9, this gets an 8 (really it should be 8.5!)

 

[jsayers]

Very active surround mix but audio fidelity sounds a little muffled on the high end. This album has some fantastic music on it, but I don't like it quite as much as "To our Children's Children's Chiuldren". Also, the fidelity on TOCCC is better. Since I gave TOCCC a 9, this gets an 8 (really it should be 8.5!)

Other than a few good songs, this is probably my least favorite of the "core seven" MB albums.

 

[par4ken]

I already had all the Moody Blues on quad reel so never bothered with the SACD's, but I saw this on eBay for a decent price so I snapped it up. The audio quality is a bit better than on the tape and the surround superb. Yes the centre and lfe channels are best muted, no reason for them to be there. If I could find the other Moodies at similar prices I would snap them up too! I'll give it a 9.

 

[wavelength]

I already had all the Moody Blues on quad reel so never bothered with the SACD's, but I saw this on eBay for a decent price so I snapped it up. The audio quality is a bit better than on the tape and the surround superb. Yes the centre and lfe channels are best muted, no reason for them to be there. If I could find the other Moodies at similar prices I would snap them up too! I'll give it a 9.

I always wondered about this. Since you know the quad reels I'll take your word for it and turn them off.

 

[Audiowannabee]

Love it...i find by turning off...lowering subwoofer n center n playing them as quad definetly helps...i also turn my surrrounds/ rears up about 4 db....ah there it is....gave this one a 9

Love moody blues...small fortune...but worth it....i now have all 7 core albums in surround
Yeah....damn my wallet is empty

 

[wavelength]

My solution is to go into my player's channel settings and turn off the center and the subwoofer channels.

I have since learned that this is not a good solution because when you do this the signals from the center and subwoofer channels are redirected into the front left and right speakers.

 

[Audiowannabee]

I have since learned that this is not a good solution because when you do this the signals from the center and subwoofer channels are redirected into the front left and right speakers.

I have full size speakers both front n sides...seems to work fine for me...thanks

 

[jimfisheye]

If you mute the C and Lfe channels... there they are muted then.
If you have surround speaker management controls (on a receiver or computer media player) and muting a channel is the procedure for redirecting that channel... then it does that.
Consult the manual. Different products likely have different controls.

I've only heard the bad mouthing about these mastered to 5.1 releases...
But I can say the shared copies of the reels clean up very well. They sound like they were transferred with a bass bump - as can happen with the format. Someone boosted the high end to try to compensate for that instead of going straight for the target problem. Undo that high end boost and correct for the 100Hz bump and they sound really fantastic. They're in better shape than some of the brightened masters released by the major labels FWIW.

Did they really just add a mono sum and an additional copy of some bass content to the C and Lfe?! Not redirect that content from the original quad channels? That would be a surprisingly crude move and deserving of ridicule if true. Anyone able to confirm that or not?

 

[atlantasteve]

I agree that turning off sub and center channels improved sound. Now I hear true quad.

 

[Audiowannabee]

I agree that turning off sub and center channels improved sound. Now I hear true quad.

And turn them completely OFF not just reduce volume...go into settings n turn off sub n ctr