Aphex you say.. blimey.. that's a new one.. what model is it, FW?
does an Aphex cancel out vocals that have bled from front to back in SQ decodes?
QS I'm happy with the Surround Master, all I'm getting with them is low low level reverbed lead vocals in the rears which I can live with (for now) its the "singing over your shoulder" effect with some SQ stuff that's getting on me thrupenny bits so if there's a gizmo that can eliminate that and its not an arm and a leg I'm in.!
Adam, you'll probably going to HATE this post but I have to speak MY Peace.
The reason I mentioned Michael Fremer, Stereophile's 'resident' analogue 'architect' is that long ago he and a bunch of other resident Stereophile and Absolute Sound audiophiles proclaimed digital unfit for human consumption and proclaimed analogue KING.
Instead of pouring $$$ into making digital better they spent megabucks ensuring that analogue would reign supreme and started to create whackily priced turntables, tonearms, $20K cartridges (?) and $60K step up transformers (refines the sound from the turntable to the pre/pro) and of course 180/200g/45rpm discs which would perpetuate the analogue supremacy.
I had a Technics 1200 turntable and while it was 'adequate' when I had a receiver.....its shortcomings were pronounced when I switched to separates. I finally ended up with a $5K Sota Sapphire turntable with a Grace arm and a pricey $1K cartridge. The Sota also had a SEPARATE power supply and vacuum device which ensured the record would lay perfectly flat on the mat. Of course, it blew away the Technics by a wide margin but I still had to deal with the substandard vinyl of the day (180g and above vinyl was not available at this time). I even went the DBX encode/decode vinyl route but same thing.....the vinyl was meh!
Now we're in the year 2016. Digital has vastly improved but a funny thing happened......more QUALITY vinyl and a MUCH, MUCH greater selection of titles is available in THAT format than hi res digital. And those el cheapo $5K turntables have been replaced with $20, 30, 40, 50 and 180K turntables which dig deeper into the grooves and give you that tingling sensation that older designs (including the Technics 1200) could ONLY HINT AT.
My point: you're expecting to get that 'tingling' sensation from a Technics with the 'variable/suspect quality' vinyl produced back in the 70's and you're comparing it to SACDs/DVD~As created from the analogue masters and you're wondering why you're not getting that quality reproduction through even the Surround Master. Well, it's like comparing apples and oranges. If you did have the good luck to 'experience' those old SQ/QS vinyl records through one of those newly 'engineered' megabuck TT/tonearm/cartridge/step up transformers combos and megabuck separate components, I'm sure you'd probably experience an entirely different animal. But even I wouldn't invest in one of those whacky analogue set~ups as I've invested heavily in my digital front [including RBCD playback] end and even on that horizon, there are magabuck DVD~A/SACD players [Meridian, Meitner, Playback Design, Esoteric, etc] and DACs which would definitely, IMO, give those whacky analogue set~ups a run for their money.
As I've always maintained....I absolutely adore your enthusiasm for ALL things surround but even I have lowered my expectactations as to what we can REALISTICALLY expect in terms of DISCRETE SACD/DVD~A remixes from the Majors and the minors.
And I refuse to compromise my position by ever reverting to 1970 matrix systems, CD~4 and especially Q8 so I can hear those OLDER (But EXCEPTIONALLY GOODY) recordings in what I consider substandard sonics.
And I don't care if everyone gives me the evil eye on this statement: I do get royally pissed when remixed/remastered DVD~Vs with DTS are CURRENTLY released in very expensive box sets with 180g vinyl when DTS and DD should be ABSOLUTELY outlawed in 2016.
In Video, we're at 4K (8K in Japan) with 16K promised in 2020! Why in holy HELL can't the music consortiums play catchy up with their video counterparts and stop giving us LOSSY codecs???????