WHO’S NEXT/LIFEHOUSE Box set coming in September 2023 (STEVEN WILSON DOLBY ATMOS & 5.1 MIXES CONFIRMED!!)

[madship]

On first listen, I was a little disappointed, particularly after the issues I had ripping the blu-ray. I had to replace my blu-ray drive. A bonus of replacing the drive is I now Have a rip of KC's Radical Action, which the old drive couldn't handle.

I think the disappointment was completely due to expectations that could not be met. As I've listened to the the 5.1 more, I think it is excellent. Particularly the bonus tracks. I know 12 of the 14 bonus songs pretty well, but nowhere near as well as the 9 from the original album.

Wilson did a great job on the 5.1, If Santa is good to me, I may get to comment on the Atmos. I think the album sounds great. My biggest complaint is my wife came down with COVID the day the set arrived, so I have note been able to really crank it.

I haven't opened the memorabilia package and may never get around to doing so. The story of Lifehouse is an excellent book, which I'm sure I return to occasionally. I'm looking forward to the graphic novel. reading that will make me have to listen to the radio place from chronicles. Who knows, I might even have to listen to Psychodelrelict again, A Townshend/Who adventure lies before me.

Never a big Tommy fan, but I have the SACD. Of course I have Quad, my favorite Who album, with this release, my who wishlist is nearly complete. Since Sell Out won't happen, hope springs eternal for Who Are You.

 

[madship]

Voting "8".

Two of nine album tracks are not entirely discrete. Lossless Atmos mix is locked in an exorbitantly expensive box set.
World-class album.

You do need this, when it meets your price point. It's not perfect, though...

Life in Surround Review of the Blu-ray...

Are you sure on that Mike? A potential series of videos for an 8? What would you do for a 10?

 

[jefe1]

I can't wait to have my friends over so I can show them the email confirming I bought this.
Then I'll turn on my system so they can hear white noise over 5 speakers and look at the email again.

Good times.

 

[Tres Discrete]

My Rarewaves Who box was nicely padded
Why yours was not is perplexing.

Ooops, I guess I should have aimed this reply @Tres Discrete

View attachment 96564

Mine had zilch!
Kind of amazing it was not more dinged up…

 

[ssully]

In my experience, ATMOS mixes don’t translate well on my system without using a sub, and I have very capable full range speakers and plenty of power. I discovered this one day when listening to a new ATMOS MIX that sounded crappy. I just happened to see that the little power light was out on my sub. Turned back on it sounded much better. I think this applies to regular 5.1 mixes too.

Certainly if no bass management is used, this could be a real issue.

Also if the sub is located somewhere where the bass doesn't get sucked out by a modal null, but it does from the mains.

 

[Clement]

I can't wait to have my friends over so I can show them the email confirming I bought this.
Then I'll turn on my system so they can hear white noise over 5 speakers and look at the email again.

Good times.

Well, apparently you and i are in the same . . . shopping cart. And shopping carts may be how our boxes are being delivered–"Going Mobile" indeed! About 72 hours ago, my box was <20 miles from my front door. Here's hoping that tonight we are both "Getting in Tune" and CRANKING our ("Behind) Blu(e Eyes")-rays! Let us hope we "Won't Get Fooled Again" next time we think we spy a "Bargain"! Okay, "The Song Is Over" – Stay Surrounded, Comrade!

 

[skherbeck]

On first listen, I was a little disappointed, particularly after the issues I had ripping the blu-ray. I had to replace my blu-ray drive. A bonus of replacing the drive is I now Have a rip of KC's Radical Action, which the old drive couldn't handle.

I think the disappointment was completely due to expectations that could not be met. As I've listened to the the 5.1 more, I think it is excellent. Particularly the bonus tracks. I know 12 of the 14 bonus songs pretty well, but nowhere near as well as the 9 from the original album.

Wilson did a great job on the 5.1, If Santa is good to me, I may get to comment on the Atmos. I think the album sounds great. My biggest complaint is my wife came down with COVID the day the set arrived, so I have note been able to really crank it.

I haven't opened the memorabilia package and may never get around to doing so. The story of Lifehouse is an excellent book, which I'm sure I return to occasionally. I'm looking forward to the graphic novel. reading that will make me have to listen to the radio place from chronicles. Who knows, I might even have to listen to Psychodelrelict again, A Townshend/Who adventure lies before me.

Never a big Tommy fan, but I have the SACD. Of course I have Quad, my favorite Who album, with this release, my who wishlist is nearly complete. Since Sell Out won't happen, hope springs eternal for Who Are You.

“Who Knows” would have made a great album title

 

[edisonbaggins]

Are you sure on that Mike? A potential series of videos for an 8? What would you do for a 10?

Sometimes 10's get no video at all. It doesn't really work like that.

 

[jimfisheye]

Pedant reply, but for years I thought the opening notes of "Baba O'Riley" were synth -- but no! It was an old organ that had a weird stop function. Pete could make forward-looking magic out of anything, it seems!

Appreciate the correction and education!

Re: bass management (aka speaker management)
Switching from 5.1 to 7.1.4 should not change any speaker management needs. This has nothing to do with the program but with your speaker array. If you have to redirect bass frequencies from mains channels to your sub for a "small top" array, that's matter of fact dictated by the speakers. You calibrate for flat accurate reproduction. When done correctly you will hear no difference in the same bass element from one of the mains channels vs from the Lfe in the mix file.

If that's not the case, put your calibration hat back on and dial that in!

Anyway, being accurate and calibrated is an option. The old school "just wing it randomly" is still very much alive and well too. Your mains roll off wherever they do. Double send kick and bass also to the sub and dial in to taste. Completely varies system to system. Choose your adventure!

 

[jefe1]

Sounds like you'll get yours @Clement yours is at least in country now
I hope I get a response to my email next week or a USPS notification.
But there's lots of good stuff coming and more Quadios on the horizon so put on your dancing shoes and break some moves while pushing your shopping cart.

 

[ar surround]

I have an LFE question about this release. Here is a spectrogram of the LFE channel for My Wife (4th track down from the top.) There is a lot of higher frequency energy in the LFE. For systems without subwoofers like mine, wouldn't this cause excessive higher frequencies to be routed to the mains? I thought that any recorded LFE should be rolled off at no more than 120 Hz?

Here is a 13 second snippet of just the LFE:

 

[Dynamic Editor]

I have an LFE question about this release. Here is a spectrogram of the LFE channel for My Wife (4th track down from the top.) There is a lot of higher frequency energy in the LFE. For systems without subwoofers like mine, wouldn't this cause excessive higher frequencies to be routed to the mains? I thought that any recorded LFE should be rolled off at no more than 120 Hz?


View attachment 96604

Here is a 13 second snipped of just the LFE:

View attachment 96605

As far as I'm aware, LFE content does not go to the main speakers. It is exclusively meant for the subwoofer.

 

[sjcorne]

There is a lot of higher frequency energy in the LFE.

My understanding is that high-frequency filtering of the LFE channel is usually done in mastering, but Steven Wilson's multichannel mixes typically aren't subject to an additional mastering step - hence the full-range sub track.

 

[AYanguas]

My understanding is that high-frequency filtering of the LFE channel is usually done in mastering, but Steven Wilson's multichannel mixes typically aren't subject to an additional mastering step - hence the full-range sub track.

Then, the filtering will be done by the AVR, before reaching to the subwoofer. If normal low pass filtering causes signal delay would the LFE output to the subwoofer be delayed? The issue that has been discussed many times.

 

[paligap]

I don't understand why the LFE channel would contain full range signals, regardless of any mastering decisions.

 

[Dynamic Editor]

I don't understand why the LFE channel would contain full range signals, regardless of any mastering decisions.

There's little point to it, but an unintended benefit that results is that with a full range signal, the sub frequencies would be in-phase with the rest of the mix. Many mixes have low-passed LFE content without accounting for phase delay.

 

[Neil Palfreyman]

Have any UK residents who ordered from Rarewaves received their copy yet?

I'm still waiting for mine, eleven days after getting a dispatch notice.

I know Royal Mail are bad, but surely not that bad? Getting worried that it's been stolen en route....

 

[H.A.L.]

But there's lots of good stuff coming and more Quadios on the horizon so put on your dancing shoes and break some moves while pushing your shopping cart.

I suddenly had a vision of all the QuadraphonicQuaders marching in a parade, grouped in a 5.1 pattern around a central float of that
guy from the old tape ad whose tie is blown backwards by the sound, merrily tap dancing while pushing shopping carts full of their now obsolete
stereo CDs from their collection, thrown to the crowd (not the newest blu rays, of course -- too expensive). Sadly, we could not afford uniforms, or even
lunch, but oh so happy!

Shouldn't have had that rarebit last night. . . .

 

[Zephead2112]

While listening to the Atmos I kept thinking, where is the impact of the vocals? What kind of space were the drums placed in? I had to check that something wasn't mis-configured on the processor, which it wasn't. I subsequently listened to the 5.1 version and found the vocals were present and drums not drowning in a wet space. So, what the heck happened to the Atmos mix? very disappointing - but delighted with the 5.1 surround. Since the surround is not available for streaming, that makes this box set invaluable! On the other hand, I would have been perfectly fine not having the heavy books. I am only in it for the music.

I've had the opportunity to listen again to all three mixes on the BD and in my opinion, the hi-res stereo mix is by far the best of the bunch, followed by the 5.1 mix. As you say, what on earth went wrong with the Atmos mix? I used the word 'novelty' in my previous post and it is enjoyable to hear various elements brought to the fore from an interest only perspective. However, it is to the deficit of the album as a whole whereas the Hi-Res stereo mix sounds superb and well balanced, i.e. an enhancement of the original recording rather than a sacrifice for the purposes of a spatial audio mix. I'll have to give the 5.1 a bit more time however as that's the mix I have listened to the least. I was hoping for so much from the Atmos mix but what a let down it is.

 

[ar surround]

whereas the Hi-Res stereo mix sounds superb and well balanced, i.e. an enhancement of the original recording rather than a sacrifice for the purposes of a spatial audio mix.

Thanks for reporting this. I wasn't going to rip the stereo mix until I read your post.