HiRez Poll Rush - SIGNALS [DVD-A/BluRay]

[JonUrban]

Originally only available in the "SECTOR 3" Box from Rush as a DVD-A, in 2015 Universal also released the 5.1 mix on BluRay Audio. Please post you thoughts and comments album regarding the mix, the sound and the content, and posts after the summer of 2015 should indicate their review source, DVD-A or BluRay



Blu-Ray Front:

 

[wanners]

Something's amiss with this 5.1 mix. The other two offerings (AFTK and FBN) are very good mixes that show promise for the future of rush in 5.1. But Siganals 5.1 is really bad, both sound quality and mix. This sounds matrixed to me with only ambence in the rears. I'd swear this is an upmix and a bad one at that. If they don't have the multi-tracks, they could have been honest. I really hope this isn't the final word on a surround mix of this album because the potential is there for a mind blowing experience in multi-ch. Yes I know a 3 is harsh, but wait till you hear it. This doesn't make sense.

 

[DennisMabry]

Something's amiss with this 5.1 mix. The other two offerings (AFTK and FBN) are very good mixes that show promise for the future of rush in 5.1. But Siganals 5.1 is really bad, both sound quality and mix. This sounds matrixed to me with only ambence in the rears. I'd swear this is an upmix and a bad one at that. If they don't have the multi-tracks, they could have been honest. I really hope this isn't the final word on a surround mix of this album because the potential is there for a mind blowing experience in multi-ch. Yes I know a 3 is harsh, but wait till you hear it. This doesn't make sense.

Wow, that's too bad. The Sector 3 is the one I didn't get because I prefer their earlier stuff. I was considering it though, because the other two are good. After reading your post I believe I will suppress that urge. Thanks for the review.

 

[stormchaser]

I have to disagree with wanners here. While the Signals 5.1 mix is indeed the least interesting of the three, the mix has more than ambience/reverb in the rears. There are strong discrete elements on songs like Countdown and Losing It (although the mix pushes the violin at the expense of Geddy's vocals) and some of Peart's cymbals end up there as well. Still, as wanners points out, if you are looking for a aggressive mix, this isn't it and I find that a bit disappointing. I think the sound quality is quite good and am going to rate this a 7-8 with a final choice after another listen.

 

[patrick1]

Hello. Played this umpteen times, and it's a 6 for me. Huge fan (70 shows), and I was sooooo looking forward to this. Sound quality is great. The mix, well, there are so many great mixes out there (I have been "Wilsonized"!). The mix doesn't realy get adventurous until THE WEAPON, and beyond. LOSING IT is stellar. COUNTDOWN achieves, but loses it with the poorly heard NASA backing track (and it sound kinda weird, for some reason. ???). A must have for fans. Thanks.

 

[DKA]

Was really looking forward to this. Have tried to played with the stereo a bunch of times, but never to my liking. Always wanted to hear this professionally done with multis. Sad to see the reviews thus far. Maybe I'll think differently upon hearing it but, knowing my tastes, I'm officially concerned as to what I'll think.

 

[LJ]

Unmitigated disaster.

I have been listening to this album for nearly 30 years (since the day it was released) and the surround mix is almost unlistenable. The bass is sadly lost in the mix and the vocals are in your face, at the expense of everything else. Actually, there is very little bass response throughout the surround new mix. In general it is a real mess. I had such high hopes for a decent mix and it may be worse than the "Snakes" disc from a couple of years ago.

The one caveat is that "The Weapon" 5.1 mix is spectacular.

The "hi-res" stereo mix is worth having (nice bass response), although not quite as warm as the MFSL gold disc. Their albums were so well engineered and mixed in the first place that the stereo versions have little competition unless they are really exceptionally brilliant.

The boys in Rush really have to get a better surround mixer (Scheiner or Wilson) for their albums or give up on putting out disappointments like this - in expensive box sets.

 

[Tripppsta]

A big let down!

I was so hyped for this disk but have to agree with the last post from LJ. It's really uninspiring as a surround mix. No real discrete mixing to speak of. Mostly ambient use of surrounds for all instruments. Vocals are very up front.

Sure does appear to be a money-grab by Rush. At a time when surround sound is trying to keep its head above water with some very nice releases this one takes the tepid forward movement a few steps back.

 

[Tripppsta]

A big let down!

I was so hyped for this disk but have to agree with the last post from LJ. It's really uninspiring as a surround mix. No real discrete mixing to speak of. Mostly ambient use of surrounds for all instruments. Vocals are very up front.

Sure does appear to be a money-grab by Rush. At a time when surround sound is trying to keep its head above water with some very nice releases this one takes the tepid forward movement a few steps back.

 

[dr. simple]

I just want to make the frivolous comment that as of typing this, there are 7 votes and no 2 of them are the same. I can't imagine that's happened very much in the history of the QQ poles. Weird!!!

 

[Old Quad Guy]

I just want to make the frivolous comment that as of typing this, there are 7 votes and no 2 of them are the same. I can't imagine that's happened very much in the history of the QQ poles. Weird!!!

That is weird! Spots 9, 2 and 1 are still available.

I am looking forward to hearing these at some point. I will buy.

 

[DKA]

Finally got to hear this. Oh dear. Just no. No. No.

I was going to give this a "3" and give some credit to the occasional panning effect and something which seemed like it originated in a rear channel. After hearing this, though, I listened to "The Doors" and liked that mix better despite it NOT HAVING REARS. That told me a "3" was too much, so a "2" out of "10" it gets and, please, just don't bother next time.

 

[LizardKing]

I have to say that I'm a big fan of Rush, but not huge fan of the Rush 5.1 mixes. A real missed opportunity on these Rush releases.

Unbalanced - I give this one a 5....

Farewell to Kings is my favourite Rush DVD-A (probably because its one of my fav Rush albums), then Moving Pictures..

Its a shame because I liked this album in its day....

I see No-one has voted 9 or 1 yet....:yikes

 

[DKA]

I see No-one has voted 9 or 1 yet....:yikes

I gave "1" a strong thought, then realized it's better than the Daft Punk 5.1 I had the displeasure of hearing not that long ago.

 

[0tto]

it seems to me that those 3 were done in big hurry, with no attention to what in result came out.
i gave 5 just because at least it is lossless 96/24 and DVD-Audio.
as i'm not have any interest in CD versions, still convinced that those boxes are overpriced and not
worthy of price tags on them.

 

[Guy Robinson]

Someone screwed this one up. Farewell To Kings and Fly BY Night sound great. This one not so much. Voted a 3.

 

[rtbluray]

In light of the new polling fiasco, I decided to go back and see what I actually voted on many of these polls.
After listening to this mix again recently, I can't believe I actually gave 'Signals' a '10' as it's not deserving of it at all.
if I could change my vote, I would go '7', just cause the music and fidelity are still fine.
SORRY!

 

[Cygnus_X1]

Wow, they really did a bad job on this one. Side one (songs 1-4) sounds like the stereo version, nothing different at all. Side 2 is where they made some changes, like the added parts on The Weapon. Losing It sounds pretty cool, they brought the violin way up front and it sounds totally different. I love the jet flyby in the beginning of Countdown and the song starts out solid but then they take out the astronaut voices at the end fadeout? Why would they do that?
I had to give it a 5 since Rush is my favorite band....but this disc could have been so much better.

 

[kap'n krunch]

Whoa!
Don't know if I'm listening to another mix , or my system is crazy (or my brain went cuckoo!-wouldn't discard that option, spinal surgery can do that to you- @,
I don't get all of the bad reviews this is getting.

No, it is NOT a SW mix or nowhere near as good , but it isn't as bad as you guys put it...
AAMOF I listened to 2112 and this one back to back and found a LOT more stuff going on in the rears(cymbals, Hihat, synths, gtrs, even the violin solo by Ben Mink in "Losing it") in this one than on 2112.

This one is one of the "best" ones of the bunch.

The "fly by" jet in "Countdown" is really cool.

Also, the lyrics(EDIT: on screen!) are a perfect copy of the ones featured in the album sleeve, although you have to forward them manually...

This one gets a nine from me...

Cheers,

 

[Cygnus_X1]

Wow, they really did a bad job on this one. Side one (songs 1-4) sounds like the stereo version, nothing different at all. Side 2 is where they made some changes, like the added parts on The Weapon. Losing It sounds pretty cool, they brought the violin way up front and it sounds totally different. I love the jet flyby in the beginning of Countdown and the song starts out solid but then they take out the astronaut voices at the end fadeout? Why would they do that?
I had to give it a 5 since Rush is my favorite band....but this disc could have been so much better.

Edit: I've had more time to listen to this and I've warmed up to it quite a bit. Even though there's not much 5.1 going on the sound really fills up my Acura TL nicely. I would change my vote to an 8 if I could.