Coldplay "A Head Full of Dreams" (5.1 Surround Blu-Ray)

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I must say, listening to a DVDA transcode of this Coldplay album on the ELS system in my wife's TL was wonderful! Good fidelity, immersive mix, active surrounds, some great demo moments with call and response vocals front to back. Plus it's not a 40 year old album. Crank it proudly and don't look back. Hopefully we get more.


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OK, so I finally decided to open this and listen to it....

Can we all say "LOUDNESS WARS"????

Geeez....the bass is just wayyyyyyyyy too much...and there is no DR at all....

As for contents....I prefer Keane...much better vocalist and songwriting.....

Caveat emptor...
 
OK, so I finally decided to open this and listen to it....

Can we all say "LOUDNESS WARS"????

Geeez....the bass is just wayyyyyyyyy too much...and there is no DR at all...

Did you honestly expect dynamics on this Coldplay release? AFAIK, none of Coldplay's releases have good DR, but on the upside, the 5.1 mix does have better dynamics to it than the stereo mix does, even if the difference is minimal... ;)



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Time to review as I have discovered that I am locked out of my house with only a laptop. Hopefully what is my current discomfort, will lead to your joy!

This was ordered directly from website and took what felt like aaaaages to arrive. A warning to all those in Aust that don't hold your breath on this one. (A warning for those planning migration from the US in context of your new President.) I was contemplating at one stage that it might never arrive.

Personal bias on this one= yes. I do like the Coldplay 'Parachutes" album, and my reaction to subsequent albums mirrors the general consensus on this forum that interest over time appears to wane. So I guess, i'm not blinded by this bias. Put it this way the last Coldplay album I bought was "Parachutes" and I figure this was released way back in 2003, so 13 years of non-bias on this method of evaluation.

I listened to the album twice in one sitting which is obviously a good sign in itself indicative of enjoyment. I have purchased surround releases in the past and hit stop only after 1 or 2 tracks. So this one get's past this hurdle.

Yes there are a couple of tracks that offer full blown bass. The most prominent in my opinion is "Prayer for the Weekend" which is probably one of the most bass heavy tracks I own in my collection.... And that's saying something. Did it detract from enjoyment? Yes, if it was cranked up too loud it gave the sensation you might get if travelling in a sedan with all the windows down and the air pressure levels in the car reverberating. This goes to show how dynamic the bass is on this one. I personally like bass, so If anything it added to my enjoyment- at reasonable listening levels.

Most enjoyable track for me is "Up and Up" which coincidentally gets the most video music show/radio exposure. Not usually the case that the single is the most enjoyable track for me on an album. This one too has very full blown bass levels but I really found the vocal spread (chorus) on this to be quite immersive and extremely well handled. Made me feel like I was part of the choir which is where this can take you to a place of higher engagement with the music. (Interestingly I think it may have been this track from the liner notes that Chris Martin's son- Moses was playing tambourine.)

The rest of the album is pretty similar. Quite uplifting vibe to the album that is family friendly.

Surround mix wise this could have easily been a disaster. There are many elements at play here, and to weave these together in a coherent and enjoyable mix is quite an achievement. The first track is a standout in this regard (when listening to album prior to purchase in stereo I was amazed that the would be able to pull this off.) Out of all the tracks I dislike the 1st one most, so it might be reflective of the difficulty factor here.

Mix is a 9.
Music is an 8- I can listen to it.... repeatedly.
Value well it was expensive to ship over and slow, but I guess an 8.

Overall an 8.5 that shows immense promise if they decide to translate the rest of the albums into 5.1..... Fingers crossed
 
Not sure why this took so long to arrive from importcds to me but 42 days after getting shipping notice finally have it and hopefully will give it a spin tonight after work.
I ordered a different cd from them around same time and it arrive 3 weeks ago.
I also got Ghost Stories Live 2014 Bluray which I ordered a couple of weeks ago and it came before AHFOD.

peter
 
Going from DR5 > DR10 is a pretty big difference, that's like what this CD would have had if it was released in 1993! There is a lot of bass in the center channel and I find if you tame the center by about 2-3dB you appreciate the dynamics in the rest of the mix more.
 
Did you honestly expect dynamics on this Coldplay release? AFAIK, none of Coldplay's releases have good DR, but on the upside, the 5.1 mix does have better dynamics to it than the stereo mix does, even if the difference is minimal... ;)

Don't listen to the stereo mix, it has clipping all over the place (goes over 0dBFS).
 
So much for any hope of their catalog being rolled out 5.1...

Shame as there is plenty of surround potential in songs like "Clocks" or "Viva La Vida".

Absolutely crying shame that executives for music publishing companies still don't realized the potential for surround sound music. DVD-Audio and SACD's were ahead of their time in the early 2000 period.


Re-launching surround sound music as an option through car manufacturers like Lexus, Acura, and other higher volume car companies would be an untapped profit center for artists and studios, but I digress.

I still appreciate the trickle of surround music, but now have basically moved on to vinyl collecting.
 
Just ordered this from amazon.com. I've recently become aware of coldplay while streaming music and I kinda like them. I just came across this thread about coldplay in 5.1. This seems to be a worthwile purchase. The website said they had 18 left.
 
Snood or Clint, are you interested in a copy? I'm more than willing to part with mine for however much I originally paid, plus shipping. Probably be around $20.

Not a fan of the band or the album, and I only purchased originally, hoping to help the surround cause (apparently a lost cause...) :)

Stellar sound quality and mix, though .
 
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