The Who - Who’s Next SDE series no. 30 (January 17th, 2025)

[Bobby Martini]

So are you saying the Atmos mix is the one to listen to, even on a 5.0 system?

The one to listen to is the one you prefer. Trust your ears

 

[Tres Discrete]

The one to listen to is the one you prefer. Trust your ears

Good point

 

[fetchmybeer]

Lots of complaints here for a classic album given the SW treatment with a ton of extras. Really, you're getting a double album for the price with all the bonus tracks.

I think it sounds great. Even the "fake" upmix made through Penteo sounds pretty good. I wouldn't notice it is an upmix through just casual listening.

Baba O'Riley is for me the highlight, and it's a shame it's the first song. But I really like the panning on the synth, and the bite/attack of the guitars. The separation of the tracks makes it easier to focus on the absolute insanity of Keith's drumming too. I don't think he could go more than two measures without a fill.

I need to listen to the original of Won't Get Fooled Again because I never noticed those clap sounds before.

 

[Victor Bisio]

So, after reading through all of this, since I already had the big box set, I passed on the the stand-alone SDE Blu-ray. For me personally, I think I made the right decision. As far as I can tell, aside from some new instrumental versions that I would rarely (if ever) listen to, there is nothing to see here. If, however, you don't have the box, then this is a must buy, especially if you are a fan of the album, which IMO, is one of The Who's best.

I have the Blu-ray from the box set only & I purchased this. I didn't need or want the box set extras.

 

[Atomic Punk]

Lots of complaints here for a classic album given the SW treatment with a ton of extras. Really, you're getting a double album for the price with all the bonus tracks.

I think it sounds great. Even the "fake" upmix made through Penteo sounds pretty good. I wouldn't notice it is an upmix through just casual listening.

Baba O'Riley is for me the highlight, and it's a shame it's the first song. But I really like the panning on the synth, and the bite/attack of the guitars. The separation of the tracks makes it easier to focus on the absolute insanity of Keith's drumming too. I don't think he could go more than two measures without a fill.

I need to listen to the original of Won't Get Fooled Again because I never noticed those clap sounds before.

ha yeah, same thoughts for me. i was also wondering if anyone had heard the clapping before because i haven't.

another comment i would add regarding Bargain. the vocals sound a little different, a little echoey and slightly recessed. and a disappointment for me is how low in the mix the synthesizer is in the middle of the song right after the vocal '
And I'm lookin' for that free ride to me
I'm lookin' for you...'. to me, that's a highlight of the song and it should be much more prominent (dare i say louder) in the mix.
overall, it sounds very good and i'm listening to the 5.1 mix

 

[JulesRules]

The versions in your second and third links seem to contradict each other... both are listed as coming from the Steve Hoffman remaster, but the second is more dynamic, 11 compared to 9. That site is crowd sourced, right? Maybe the date and/or origin on some entries aren't fully accurate?

The second link has an explanation in the notes:

Per Hoffman, this version [the lower DR one] was mastered from the original tape, while the other original mix mastering was done from an EQ'd dub tape prepared by the Mastering Lab.

 

[Dynamic Editor]

another comment i would add regarding Bargain. the vocals sound a little different, a little echoey and slightly recessed. and a disappointment for me is how low in the mix the synthesizer is in the middle of the song right after the vocal '

I was listening to the Atmos mix of Bargain and it sounded like everything was planned behind me. Anyone else have that experience? It was really odd. (Yes, I know it's an upmix.)