Silverline DVD-A Winners & Losers

Local FYE got in a bunch of sealed Silverlines. I thought I had picked two good ones, but after having done some checking since, I guess not. Styx: Cyclorama and Sex Pistols. Well, maybe I can sell them. I picked up 4 items as part of a buy 3, get 1 free sale, all for $7.99 each. The other two were Rolling Stones SACDs.

Averaged out to $6 plus tax each.

Or since the Stones SACDs were easily worth $7.99 each, maybe I got the Silverlines for $4 each.

update: Looks like the Styx got a decent review on Amazon though. Maybe I got a good one.

I just bought the Styx one too, $6.16 sealed from an Amazon seller. At that price I'll keep it regardless.

This thread was fairly positive: https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...uple-of-GOOD-Silverline-Titles&highlight=styx

I saw the Styx title on a dualdisc today. I guess it's the same dvd-audio as the regular dvd-audio version, but don't know for sure. It doesn't really say on the case.

Does anyone know if that Styx Silverline has a high resolution stereo mix or is it Dolby Digital? Mine is still sealed.

ArnoldLayne said:

Sex Pistols - No Future U.K. might be the worst-sounding DVD-A known to man. My only comfort is that I paid less than 8 bucks, including shipping from Corea :yikes

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What's wrong with it other than it sounds like it was recorded in a club. Has those kinds of sonics. Does the CD sound better?

cupboy said:

Does anyone know if that Styx Silverline has a high resolution stereo mix or is it Dolby Digital? Mine is still sealed.

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Just got this one recently....Stereo Mix is Dolby Digital....not hi-rez

The Rang said:

Just got this one recently....Stereo Mix is Dolby Digital....not hi-rez

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Thanks. May as well keep this one sealed since I'm in stereo-only mode for awhile.

The Sex Pistols is the same way, but I opened that one already.

Can anyone confirm if the Dualdisc release of Tipper Surrounded is DVD-A?

LizardKing said:

Can anyone confirm if the Dualdisc release of Tipper Surrounded is DVD-A?

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It has been confirmed DVD-A on the dualdisc doc by the QQ member "beached":
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...DZtbmZQYnJmWE55Z2xFclJMSWxsQVE&hl=en_US#gid=0

cupboy said:

What's wrong with it other than it sounds like it was recorded in a club. Has those kinds of sonics. Does the CD sound better?

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It wasn't recorded in a club at all - it was done in a proper studio.
These are the Dave Goodman produced sessions (originally available as the legendary "Spunk" bootleg) and are very different takes to the ones on the 1977 Virgin album NMTB - HTSP produced by Chris Thomas & engineered by Bill Price. They are very raw, and very energetic.
The biggest issue with this disc is the crappy surround mix, which is mainly reverb in the rears & little in the C channel. Sounds like an upmix to me.
Just turn off the rear channels & it's fine.

LizardKing said:

Can anyone confirm if the Dualdisc release of Tipper Surrounded is DVD-A?

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For $6 on Amazon, I couldn't resist picking this up and I'm happy I did. It is a lot of fun. A lot of good hooks and he makes full use of the surround medium.

Oh, and yes, it is DVD-A: 96k/24b.

- Ben

sukothai said:

For $6 on Amazon, I couldn't resist picking this up and I'm happy I did. It is a lot of fun. A lot of good hooks and he makes full use of the surround medium.

Oh, and yes, it is DVD-A: 96k/24b.

- Ben

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Excellent! My copy is currently being shipped!!!!!

I happened upon this, so just in case anybody is interested (I saw no comments about classical recordings), for those that are fans of the Abravanel/Utah Symphony series of Quad recordings for Vanguard, HURRY to Amazon. Silverline may have, or will be going, out-of-business. Amazon is selling these DVD-A and Dual-Discs for regular retail, but the associated sellers on there are selling them for MUCH less. I picked-up a fine account of Mahler's Third for $3.96 and that was including $2.98 for shipping. That's right, the seller was selling it for $.98!!! I got all of the Mahlers (various prices) except for 7, 8, and 9 (were they ever done by Silverline), a Sibelius symphony cycle (3 discs), a collection of Leroy Anderson works, and the Berlioz' Requiem (long prized by many classical Quadraphiles). 11 discs and I paid less than $45.00 (including shipping). Basically, I bought all they had from that series except for the Brahms works (with my Karajan and Szell recordings, I really need to hear them before buying).

I was concerned because the technicians placed them in 5.1 rather than keeping them in 4.0. But, they did a good job. It sounds like they may have folded the left and right into the center. The surrounds provide the ambiance of which there is plenty since they were recorded in the Tabernacle. The sub adds nothing but extra bass. So, if you use full-range speakers, the sub is completely un-necessary. So, my 5.0 configuration sounds right a proper.

Oh, it is my understanding that Silverline went to Dual-Discs because they found themselves too limited. By using the Dual-Discs, they get the CD market as well. The DVD side is the original DVD-A disc that included some video documentaries and Dolby Digital for those players that cannot play DVD-A discs.

I wonder what else is out there?

I've heard a couple of the The Vanguard classical recordings on Silverline.....not bad...

If you are a classical fan - pick them up...

Is this one a winner or loser?

Fairport Convention: Close to the Wind

http://www.amazon.com/Fairport-Convention-Close-Wind/dp/B00006FN8N

I like the music but the surround is just reverb. So to be consistent, this is a loser.

beached said:

I like the music but the surround is just reverb. So to be consistent, this is a loser.

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Thanks = Is a stereo track included?

No. Just turn off the surrounds. It won't make much difference. The SQ is better than a lot of others.

Got the Geoff Tate disc the other day - definitely a keeper...

DennisMabry said:

Since there is no poll for this title, I just put it here.

Blondie; "The Curse Of Blondie"

Just got this Dual Disc the other day and was very pleasantly surprised! It is 5.1 MLP and the mix ranges from very good to downright aggressive. Not like most Silverline releases at all. The music is not exactly my thing, popish with most songs having a prominent dance beat. Kind of a mixed bag of sounds overall but after repeated listening's you can't deny that this thing rocks.

The other two audio tracks are DD 2.0 and DD 5.1. So if your looking for Hirez stereo, it's not there. It includes one video which is interestingly fun. Considering her age Blondie is holding up pretty well and her voice is still spot on.

It had a pretty good review in Rolling Stone when it came out and I remember at the time thinking it would be a good one to pick up. Being a Silverline title I shied away and never did. Now that I'm scratching for new surround music to listen to I stumbled upon this one again and thought I'd give it a try and was not disappointed.

My Pioneer shows it as 24/48 PPCM. I really have no way of measuring but the record quality sounds good to me - 9. The mix is very good - 10. The content is not bad - 7.

There are still 9 left at Amazon for $13.99. How can you go wrong?

http://www.amazon.com/Blondie-Curse/dp/B00067Z2W8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1300214027&sr=1-3

Dennis

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totally agree with your findings, Dennis.

The Blondie DualDisc is the only Silverline I've really enjoyed and kept, apart from
The Fairport Convention DVDA which sounds good but I'm not that fussed about the performances.