DVD/DTS Poll Parsons, Alan - On Air [DTS CD]

[kap'n krunch]

... I used to like playing the DTS of Sting's Fields of Gold too....

Huh????
Where...who...when...what?????

 

[JonUrban]

Huh????
Where...who...when...what?????

SQ10 hated it, but you seemed to like it. Check out the thread link below

https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/threads/sting-ten-summoners-tales-dts-cd.5052/

 

[himey]

I've had these DTS Surround disks a long time and hadn't listened to them in years. This thread just got me to dig them out and have another listen. I wasn't aware that they were actually 2 channel CD's magically expanded to discrete multichannel. But now it's easy to hear the 44.1 / 16 bit effect. AP's mixes twirl them in a nice fashion and I was impressed in the beginning but now I think I'll be fine just going on without them I used to like playing the DTS of Sting's Fields of Gold too. I'd like to get my hands on a DSD version of that.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Plenty of good sounding DTS CDs with amazing mixes that can't be found in any other format but I do agree that even compared to DTS DVDs at a maximum bitrate, they are lesser sound quality. Sting solo stuff does nothing for me in any format.

 

[kap'n krunch]

SQ10 hated it, but you seemed to like it. Check out the thread link below

https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/threads/sting-ten-summoners-tales-dts-cd.5052/

ahhh but that is Ten Summoner´s tales...which I sorta agree with that guy but I think it´s a bit better...not much!!!

SQ10 was not that bad of a guy..he just had not had his meds...at least that´s what I heard....(whoever thinks he´s free of sin shall cast the first stone...."---MOOOOM!!!!!".. I never get tired of that joke!!!)

PEACE!!!! (and meds)

 

[steelydave]

I need to revisit this one, but I remember liking it a lot - and a lot more than A Valid Path, which had a really strong (and for me, distasteful) flavour of "old people trying to make young people's music" to it.

 

[madship]

This is the only DTS CD I have and one of my earliest surround purchases. I didn't realize it might be a CD until I watched the Life in Surround episode about AP. I recently bought the the SONY X800-M2 which confirmed it. I have always enjoyed this album, In fiat I think I like AP post project work more than his work with Wolfson. Listening to it today I still found the surround mix to be very good and was stunned that it was only a s CD. I like the song a lot, It's in my bailiwick as an aerospace enthusiast. My only complaint would be that the 44.1/16 Audi sounds a bit clipped and shrill at times and that it came a ginormous jewel box that slipped out of my hands one day and bounced down the stairs ahead of me. I give it an 8.

 

[MagnumX]

On Air was my first purchased surround music album back in the 1990s using my new Carver AL-III dipole ribbons with Def Tech BP2 bipolar surrounds and an Energy center. Being a Pink Floyd fan, the notion some tracks (notably Cloudbreak) are imitation Floyd doesn’t bother me. In fact, given how Pink Floyd is basically done, I rather wish more artists were inspired by them. The album sounds even better on my 17.1 (11.1.6) PSB based system today!

Cloudburst is an awesome instrumental with deep bass and yes, Gilmour-like guitar bits. Blue Blue Sky (outro) gets requests from my mother to play nearly every time she comes to visit (along with High Hopes by Pink Floyd). She practically cries on that heavenly sounding chorale ending and then the deep bass slams in and she has this satisfied look on her face. That song doesn’t work quite as well for me, but the overall quality and surround mix are still top notch, IMO. First hearing the discrete nature of the album on Too Close To The Sun had me thinking surround 5.1 was the future of music! Sadly, it hasn’t really happened that way 25+ years later. Not every track is a classic, but I still find I can easily listen to the entire album straight through. There are no true stinkers on it, IMO.

I don’t really get the snobby audiophile attitudes I read in many of the reviews. The notion of some claiming to tell lossy DTS from lossless has never been proven with double blind listening tests to my knowledge nor is greater than 16/44.1 needed for human ears. The idea someone would throw out one of the best surround music albums ever made because they believe in audiophile snake oil is pretty unbelievable to me. Yeah I’m deaf... Right. I’ve extensively compared the lossless CD version for anomalies. Anything over processed sounding is that way on the CD too.

I gave this one a 10 on principle given how great the surround mix is compared to most 5.1 mixes I’ve heard over the years (for what is mostly 4.1 save the Kennedy bit on Apollo). It’s not Atmos or Auro-3D, but it’s about as good a mix as someone could hope for in 4.0 or 5.1. Ironically, it’s Alan’s own mixes of Pink Floyd (DSOTM and WYWH) that I’d also rate as high in mix terms.

 

[Beefalo]

On Air was my first purchased surround music album back in the 1990s using my new Carver AL-III dipole ribbons with Def Tech BP2 bipolar surrounds and an Energy center. Being a Pink Floyd fan, the notion some tracks (notably Cloudbreak) are imitation Floyd doesn’t bother me. In fact, given how Pink Floyd is basically done, I rather wish more artists were inspired by them. The album sounds even better on my 17.1 (11.1.6) PSB based system today!

Cloudburst is an awesome instrumental with deep bass and yes, Gilmour-like guitar bits. Blue Blue Sky (outro) gets requests from my mother to play nearly every time she comes to visit (along with High Hopes by Pink Floyd). She practically cries on that heavenly sounding chorale ending and then the deep bass slams in and she has this satisfied look on her face. That song doesn’t work quite as well for me, but the overall quality and surround mix are still top notch, IMO. First hearing the discrete nature of the album on Too Close To The Sun had me thinking surround 5.1 was the future of music! Sadly, it hasn’t really happened that way 25+ years later. Not every track is a classic, but I still find I can easily listen to the entire album straight through. There are no true stinkers on it, IMO.

I don’t really get the snobby audiophile attitudes I read in many of the reviews. The notion of some claiming to tell lossy DTS from lossless has never been proven with double blind listening tests to my knowledge nor is greater than 16/44.1 needed for human ears. The idea someone would throw out one of the best surround music albums ever made because they believe in audiophile snake oil is pretty unbelievable to me. Yeah I’m deaf... Right. I’ve extensively compared the lossless CD version for anomalies. Anything over processed sounding is that way on the CD too.

I gave this one a 10 on principle given how great the surround mix is compared to most 5.1 mixes I’ve heard over the years (for what is mostly 4.1 save the Kennedy bit on Apollo). It’s not Atmos or Auro-3D, but it’s about as good a mix as someone could hope for in 4.0 or 5.1. Ironically, it’s Alan’s own mixes of Pink Floyd (DSOTM and WYWH) that I’d also rate as high in mix terms.

It's become almost unobtainium but Alan Parsons "A Valid Path" DualDisc is an awesome mix.
It's almost techno in style.
David Gilmour adds a blistering lead on the first track.
Very different than the usual Parsons.

 

[MagnumX]

It's become almost unobtainium but Alan Parsons "A Valid Path" DualDisc is an awesome mix.
It's almost techno in style.
David Gilmour adds a blistering lead on the first track.
Very different than the usual Parsons.

I'll see if I can locate a copy.

I just listened to Eye in The Sky and Ammonia Avenue in surround. I loved the first two tracks of Eye in the Sky, but the rest might take some getting used to. Ammonia Avenue seemed kind of all over the place to me. I also listened to I, Robot for the first time (stereo obviously, although Neural X does a pretty good job widening it up). It was interesting, but nothing was as early catchy as the title track to Eye in the Sky.

 

[MagnumX]

It's become almost unobtainium but Alan Parsons "A Valid Path" DualDisc is an awesome mix.
It's almost techno in style.
David Gilmour adds a blistering lead on the first track.
Very different than the usual Parsons.

I've listened to it. It's definitely different. Whatever I might think of the music (varies), the surround mix is definitely excellent, especially with Neural X turned on. That dude yelling at the end of the next to last track in the back of the room about freaked me out. It was like 4:30AM and he's going on like that dude from Jurassic Park or something. I almost thought someone snuck into the house (i.e. I wasn't expecting some old dude to be badgering about the song going on too long and what not). Mammagamma 2004...alright!

I was actually a bit disappointed in the Gilmour track. It was slow to start and then they put the guitar like in the center speaker of all places (imaged here like near the floor for some reason if I put it in DSU mode). That thing should have been flying around the room or something or at least higher up. What's he playing guitar on the floor for?

I guess that proves DTS can really image below ear level like some have said. That album did it a LOT here (more than any I can remember). I actually tried floor level speakers (playing a copy of the mains like the Trinnov sends out) and I didn't notice much on the stuff I tried. I bet this really would have been on the ground with those speakers there. I'm almost tempted to try it again.

I guess I'm going to have to check out The Secret next....

 

[MagnumX]

Alan Parsons’ The Secret is fantastic! With Neural X engaged, it almost sounds like Atmos/X. One Note Symphony has this incredible voice is everywhere effect I’ve never heard before on an album. Most of the songs are pretty good as well. I don’t usually like songs the first time that well.

 

[JulesRules]

I know Time Machine is done, perhaps we shall get to hear that one.

OMG!

That dude yelling at the end of the next to last track in the back of the room about freaked me out.

That's none other than Monty Python's John Cleese.