October Road - OK, but not a WOW!

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JonUrban

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Since I do not have an SACD player hooked up to my home stereo yet (where is Sony's Megachanger???) I have to "listen" to SACDs through my cheap Sony DVP-NS500V that is connected to the sounds card in my PC. This does not set up a perfect listening environment, however, it does let me "see" the sound as it plays, if I monitor/record it with Vegas Audio or Mx51.

This is how I previewed "October Road", James Taylors newest release, and newest Surround Sound SACD.

Since "Hourglass" and "JT" were both stunning examples of surround sound, I had high expectations for "October Road". However, while watching the real time wav files scroll by in Vegas Audio, I had to jump and check my cables, as it seemed like I'd forgotten to connect the rears, center, and sub. WRONG!

No longer is JT's voice in the center channel as the first 2 releases. Actually, I could see or hear NOTHING in the center channel. I may as well have just shut it off. As for the rears, they are minimal at best, with an occasional tom-tom, guitar harmonic, or electric piano chrod popping up. Only on the "rowdy" tunes, like "Raised Up Family" and "Whenever You're Ready" does the activity in the rears get close to the amplitude of the front channels, mostly when the horns kick in. It's like the rear channels have their volume dropped by at least 20 db. Very strange. What's even stranger is that if you crank them up in Sound Forge, there is actually audio information that is missing from the fronts, so you actually do end up with a quad mix!

Tracks like "September Grass" come to life in the rears when you boost the volume up.

Overall though, we are not talking "Silverline" here, it is just that the first to JT SACDs were so good (as far as surround goes), this one seems like a let down.

For the purest, this may be the way that SACD surround will evolve and they will be pleased. For me, after listening to the DVD-A of THE NIGHTFLY, this just seems like a bummer.

Bottom line, good SACD, but NOT a good surround "demo" SACD.

You guys chime in when you can find this title.

:-jon
 
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