System:
Receiver: Marantz SR5014
Player: Sony - UBP-X800M2
Speakers: Definitive Technology Studio Monitor 350 - Matching Fronts, Center, Surrounds
Polk Sub
Episode Signature In-Ceiling
Set-Up: 5.1.2 (Ceiling Mids)
Atmos Mix: 9 (my vote reflects this mix)
New 5.1: 8
Old 5.1: 10
ATMOS Mix
Someone, Somewhere between Ronald Prent and Bob Clearmountain, this could have been the perfect mix—but no one promised me a miracle.
I grew up with this album. It’s always been my go-to for that first spring time drive, windows down, songs thumping. And that old 5.1 DVD-A? It’s been in heavy rotation since 2005. Not the best fidelity—maybe a bit over-compressed and slightly muddy—but packed with energy and punch. Still my favorite Simple Minds’ album.
At first, I struggled with how neutered and narrow the bass and drums sounded stuck in the center speaker in the new Atmos mix. But as I settled in, I started to appreciate its sleeker, more balanced, and discretely immersive nature. It dials everything down a bit, making space for nuances that weren’t as apparent or noticeable before.
@MisterMe mentioned feeling like Bob made the keyboards disappear, but that’s not my experience. They may no longer be the dominant focal point, but the mix feels more balanced overall. The keyboards are slightly dialed back (perhaps occupying more of the rear channels?), while the guitars have been given more presence. After a few tracks, I found myself appreciating the guitar work in ways I hadn’t before.
There seem to be differing opinions, but on my system, the rear and height speakers are more than just reflective — I’m not folding the Atmos mix down to 5.1 so maybe that is the case with the fold down. Or maybe it is a volume issue? I did notice that I had to pump up the volume a little to start really noticing anything but the fronts.
I always felt the old DVD-A mix got better as the album progressed, especially after
Promised You a Miracle (noticeably improved here), and weirdly, the Atmos mix follows a similar pattern. On the first few cuts, I wondered why Bob didn’t take greater advantage of the heights—especially for those twinkling keyboard runs—when
BAM: late into the title track, the heights suddenly fire off with percussion, vocals, keyboards, and fretwork. The back half of the album uses the heights much more effectively. That said, I started to miss the low end thump.
Big Sleep,
Hunter and the Hunted, and
King Is White and in the Crowd would hit much harder with Mel Gaynor’s signature drumming. Speaking of
King Is White…, the studio chatter from the old DVD-A mix has been removed to match the original stereo mix.
While I love the new sleek & polished Atmos version, I’ll always prefer the old 5.1 mix for tracks like
Glittering Prize—I love how that low end punches between the vocal pause between the refrains. That is kind of funny because I think their next album went way too far with dialing back the keyboard and brickwalling the drums.
This Atmos mix would have been perfect with just a little more oomph. Still, I love this new Roxy Music – Avalon–like feel. Ultimately, it sits closer to the original stereo mix (which always had fantastic, almost 3D sound imaging)—except, of course, for the lack of bass and drums.
Quick Observations by Song:
Someone: Definitely discrete with the rears having Charlie's guitar clearly in the left and keys & cymbals in the right. Vocal, bass, drum anchored mostly centered throughout the album.
Colours Fly: The keyboard “pinging” bounces between the rears. The rolling keyboard and then guitar moves somewhat from the fronts to sides. Way more pronounced than the old 5.1. First noticeable hint of keys in the heights + some vocal effects.
Promised You a Miracle: Hand claps that I never noticed on the 5.1 or stereo are discreetly in the rears. Chopstick like keyboards are slightly elevated in the heights. Backing vocal tracks in rear heights but it just sounds mumbled.
Big Sleep: The yawning sustained guitar bounces diagonally from rear to front. In the old 5.1 it is locked in the fronts. The guitar picking is much more pronounced. The song’s vocal effects are clear and placed in the heights, while the old 5.1 it sounds more like an immersive whisper (which kind of works better for a song about the big sleep
).
Somebody: The track starts in the fronts steadily gaining volume while moving into the rest of speakers. (The old 5.1 has an immersive rise from all speakers.
N
ew Gold Dream: The 5.1 rolls up from the rears and the bass line is featured in the front. The new Atmos mix sacrifices the clarity of the bass line and rises up from the front. The heights really start getting busy near the end of the song with lots of the keyboard panning, percussion runs, vocals, and guitar.
Glittering Prize: The snare is really noticeable in the heights with way less processing than the 5.1 or original stereo mixes. The female backing vocal is really defined and a bit anchored in the left rear & side. The original stereo and 5.1 have it less prominent & more like a choir effect.
Hunter and the Hunted: The keys are focused in the rears and the rhythm in the front. Bob places a front desk bell and some other synth bell sounds into the heights which are again were not that noticeable in prior mixes.
King: The new mix cleans up the more stadium rock feel the original 5.1 mix gave it an open and more hypnotic feel.
Final Thoughts on the Atmos Mix: Bob C masterfully leveraged the album’s heavy reliance on repetitive arpeggios, especially the keyboards and synth pads to create a rich, immersive Atmos mix. The fluid interplay of these arpeggios, combined with the better balance of instrumentation with the melodic counterpoints weaving in and out of the mix really enhances the album’s dynamic depth and atmosphere.
New Dedicated 5.1 Mix
Of the formats on this release, the new 5.1 mix is the weakest. It lacks the heft of the original 5.1 and the distinct detail of the Atmos. This is probably where those keyboard bits get lost.
The 2005 5.1 Mix on Blu-ray
The 2005 5.1 mix included here sounds pretty faithful to my old DVD-A. The low end is spread across the fronts with that slightly oversaturated oomph. Compared to the Atmos mix, the instrumentation feels more static—more discrete than immersive. The bonus cut
In Every Heaven (absent in the 2024 mixes) is still included.
Up next for me?
Sparkle in Rain. Can Bob do what Wilson couldn’t do in fixing that album’s original overly compressed dynamics, gated drums, muddy low end, and harsh midrange
