HiRez Poll Beatles, The - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [BluRay]

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Rate the BDA of The Beatles - SGT PEPPERS LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND


  • Total voters
    150
I voted 8 and this is reflecting that I really like it...

I think the 5.1-mix is very well balanced, but when I listened the first time, on my 5.1-setup, on the DTS Master track, I thought the rears were too tame/low in level, but still pleasant enough. Then I read som suggestions on one of the zillion Pepper threads and raised the rears with 3 dB and chosed the Dolby True track, and now it came out as an excellent 5.1-mix.

I still think it is unneccesary loud though, and it is not to be compared to the best mixes out there, which is not to expect given the 4 channels audio source. Hence 8 is the highest I can get even if I like it a lot.
 
About time to put in my nickel's worth about this one.

First of all, Mr. Martin had only two choices for remixing this: a) go nuts and really let things fly, or b) mainly let the separation of the mix speak for itself. To the dismay of some, this is mainly what he has done, probably (with the approval of the surviving Beatles and the widows) believing--and rightly, I think--that the recording, the project, the end result, was dazzling and innovative enough on its own without adding even *more* sonic window dressing via all sorts of pans and around-the-room, here there 'n' everywhere sounds to render it even more psychedelic. The former approach may have been more of an immersive, kick out the jams experience, but such a mix may have been, over time, wearing and fatiguing. We know this because over the years such effects have been considered great fun to some (like moi) but for others, gimmicky and contrived, a distraction taking away rather than improving upon the original recording.

At the same time, we do get something very important with the new stereo and 5.1 (or whatever it actually is) mixes: a lot of fresh, new detail that is not only due to the remixes and separation, but the clarity offered by modern technology. And of course this mix can't replace the original mono--the 'keeper' mix is the mono, just like PET SOUNDS--but it is, for me, loads of fun and, in key places, more sensible than the original stereo mix had to offer (though to be fair, the technology of Abbey Road in 1967 might have played a part, with its inherent limitations). In other words--and despite some low ratings found in this thread--the new mixes are different, and the 5.1 may not be as razzle-dazzle as some might want but, despite certain issues, it doesn't suck. It just isn't quite what you or I would have done ourselves had we been in the catbird seat, supervising the remixes.

I also want to state that when you come right down to it, only certain tracks really lend themselves to some outlandish embellishments: the title track (and reprise), "Lucy," "Kite," "Within You," "Good Morning" (here and there) and "A Day in the Life." I mean, "Fixing a Hole" is an exceptional mix, perfectly fitting compared to the original; same with "When I'm Sixty-Four." How could these mixes have been improved upon? Not all the album is as radical as its final track, after all, so certain songs were probably better off being mixed 'conservatively.'

Leaving the great packaging out of the equation--IMO you have to be a really grouchy curmudgeon to have a problem with anything about it (I like cool looking conversation pieces like this, regardless of their ungainly, outsized nature)--my only real issue is with the volume. Normally, when shifting from, say, cable or broadcast audio, to my amp, there is a slight to moderate increase in volume, variable depending on the recording. As opposed to vinyl or even CD's, I find most DVD 5.1's louder still, but the difference with both the Pepper DVD and BluRay's is jarring, to the point where I scrambled for the remote to modulate things, lest the cat freak out and attack me...:yikes And like some, I really don't want the perpetual loop of music while frigging with the menu, common as that is for music or movie-related anything.

Which leaves me at a '9' rating overall in spite of certain quibbles. After all, I've lived with this album for fifty years, which is longer than family, girlfriends, wives and whoever else I've known, loved or despised....:D If it has flaws, they're hardly evil enough to disparage to the degree I've read here and elsewhere.

I've had more than a pleasant time, guaranteed or not...:)

ED :)
I can appreciate your view Ed but while I've been harsh on it and rated it a 3, on retrospect it would merit a 5 but no higher, and that's only because the single was mixed pretty well as well as Within You Without You, and the effects on Kite and Good Morning. We'll all hear it differently and there's no right or wrong to opinions but I'm just not as generous with this 'conservative' approach to the surround mix. I simply got no wow factor from A Day In The Life at all, and I really did when I heard the mix on Anthology. I thought every Pepper mix (however brief) was better there and not by a little. Clarity is better as you said but in some ways it's not, like all that ambience in the rears for the first 2 songs, just awful IMO.
I also think it could have easily sounded more relaxed and less edgy.
 
I can appreciate your view Ed but while I've been harsh on it and rated it a 3, on retrospect it would merit a 5 but no higher, and that's only because the single was mixed pretty well as well as Within You Without You, and the effects on Kite and Good Morning. We'll all hear it differently and there's no right or wrong to opinions but I'm just not as generous with this 'conservative' approach to the surround mix. I simply got no wow factor from A Day In The Life at all, and I really did when I heard the mix on Anthology. I thought every Pepper mix (however brief) was better there and not by a little. Clarity is better as you said but in some ways it's not, like all that ambience in the rears for the first 2 songs, just awful IMO.
I also think it could have easily sounded more relaxed and less edgy.

I do agree that it appears that every song is mixed almost completely differently. It's very strange because it works so well on some songs but not at all on others.

It's almost like instead of a poll for the overall album/release there should be a poll for each song. I know that would be crazy impractical but it's almost like we are asked to do too much math here by voting a number ourselves for each song and then finding the average or mean using a calculator. lol
 
I do agree that it appears that every song is mixed almost completely differently. It's very strange because it works so well on some songs but not at all on others.

It's almost like instead of a poll for the overall album/release there should be a poll for each song. I know that would be crazy impractical but it's almost like we are asked to do too much math here by voting a number ourselves for each song and then finding the average or mean using a calculator. lol

The fact you're dealing with an artist that's a 10 and an album that's a 10 is a given, from my point of view, so I don't even factor it in really because the purpose of that is mainly to help those unfamiliar with the artist/work and really, who the heck doesn't know about Sgt. Pepper here?
My grade is pretty much strictly on surround with a nod to clarity. The fact so many are voting a less than fawning 9 or 10 tells me I'm not alone:)
 
The fact you're dealing with an artist that's a 10 and an album that's a 10 is a given, from my point of view, so I don't even factor it in really because the purpose of that is mainly to help those unfamiliar with the artist/work and really, who the heck doesn't know about Sgt. Pepper here?
My grade is pretty much strictly on surround with a nod to clarity. The fact so many are voting a less than fawning 9 or 10 tells me I'm not alone:)
Calling this release a three verges on being a crime. 46 people have given it a 8, 9 or a 10. 8 people have graded it 8 or less. I give it a ten, it is a monumental release and the surround is awesome.
 
Calling this release a three verges on being a crime. 46 people have given it a 8, 9 or a 10. 8 people have graded it 8 or less. I give it a ten, it is a monumental release and the surround is awesome.

sorry I just don't think it's that good. If you do great.
 
BE PREPARED. I am going to move a lot of this stuff to the Sgt Pepper discussion thread as it does not really pertain to the title at hand. No, not the "I hate it" stuff, the other stuff! :)
 
I thought it only affected the CC. If what you say is true, how is it any different than a volume change?

It isn't. The purpose (since AC3 was the standard for HDTV broadcasts, etc.) to give one the ability to master at whatever levels you wanted and then at the very end specify a "volume offset" so that dialog (in a TV program/movie) would be at some standard level. Of course with music, the "dialog" terminology doesn't make sense, but it is basically an attempt to tell the decoder what "shift" to make to the volume to keep the audio in this program at the "standard" level.

You could think of it as the equivalent of an iTunes "Sound Check" volume offset or ReplayGain.
 
I broke down and purchased the super-razu box . Sgt Pepper's is one of the great pieces of art that the 20th century will be remembered for. I tried to ignore it....but...

Anyways...I gave it a 7. The surround mix hardly moved the needle for me. I was much more impressed by the 2009 stereo set than this. It lacks in flow between the channels and just doesn't have that; "OH WOW!",
Moment that makes it a demonstration disc or a favorite. The crescendo peaks in "a Day in the Life" were more dramatic and breathtaking...in stereo.

Afterwards; I slapped on the Dutton-Vocalion release of Tower of Power and laughed and laughed at the absurdity of a budget priced disc that is much more involving and exciting.

On the shelf you Beatles....your day may come again..but not this day.
 
I broke down and purchased the super-razu box . Sgt Pepper's is one of the great pieces of art that the 20th century will be remembered for. I tried to ignore it....but...

Anyways...I gave it a 7. The surround mix hardly moved the needle for me. I was much more impressed by the 2009 stereo set than this. It lacks in flow between the channels and just doesn't have that; "OH WOW!",
Moment that makes it a demonstration disc or a favorite. The crescendo peaks in "a Day in the Life" were more dramatic and breathtaking...in stereo.

Afterwards; I slapped on the Dutton-Vocalion release of Tower of Power and laughed and laughed at the absurdity of a budget priced disc that is much more involving and exciting.

On the shelf you Beatles....your day may come again..but not this day.

Did you try juicing up the surrounds (or lowering the fronts and center) by 3 to 5dB as recommended by a bunch of us in earlier posts; and also employ the Dolby HD stream as opposed to DTS MA?
 
Did you try juicing up the surrounds (or lowering the fronts and center) by 3 to 5dB as recommended by a bunch of us in earlier posts; and also employ the Dolby HD stream as opposed to DTS MA?

Tried all of the above. The soundfield didn't turn my crank... I will reiterate...the stereo was exciting and I really enjoyed the punchier bass and crack of the drums. "Within you.." and "When I'm 64" were standouts
 
I also relented and purchased it. I need to have another, more critical listen. So far I have watched the videos and cherry picked the audio on the Bluray.

I tried several tracks with and without a +3db boost on the rear channels. The additional boost to the rears makes all the difference IMHO. Without it, the sound is close to enhanced stereo. With it, it gets much closer to a genuine discrete mix. But it didn't fix everything. The title track has a weak mix no matter how the rears are boosted. I think the best of the bunch might be Strawberry fields. I thought ADITL, LITSWD and Kite were pretty good too. The surround is not as bad as I had feared from all the negative reviews it seems to be getting, at least not with the boosted rears. i've got many disks that are much worse on my shelves.

Like I said, I need more critical listening and then ill cast a vote in the polls.

I will have to get out my older stereo version on this to compare with, but I do believe the sonics are substantially improved. Everything is clear and clean with no noticeable tape hiss.

Other thoughts:

Play it loud. It sounds better that way. Bass seems to be at the proper level. No one went crazy with the LFE level on this one.

Nice packaging, except for how I'm going to store it.

Poor authoring. For whatever reason, the menus make my equipment jumpy or something. Going back to a main menu from track playback has delays. Audio often stutters on startup. Its like it is constantly switching audio modes or something when going from a menu to playing audio. The menu music is thoroughly annoying. On my main plasma screen the opening menu looks completely red with a yellow bar. I had to get very close to be able to tell there was actually a logo there and a choice for audio/video. Couldn't get it to switch audio modes using the remote buttons. I have none of these problems with other blue rays. Doesn't matter though, its already ripped to the NAS for easier playback.

Haven't tried the DTS vs Dolby comparison yet.

Haven't tried any stereo playback yet, nor any of the outtakes.
 
well I think it is wonderful. after multiple listens i gave it a 9. it probably got an additional 1 point for just being beatles/pepper, as this album is without a doubt on my top 10 of all time. anyone else would have gotten an 8. it is not perfect but an excellent listen nonetheless. as others have said this needs to be listened to loud for full effect. on low volumes you lose the surrounds. my biggest problem with it is that it is mastered a tad too loud.
 
I gave this a 9. I listened to both the DTS and the Dolby versions and I must admit I like the Dolby version more. Songs that I didnt used to like that much such as Good Morning Good Morning and Lovely Rita now sound wonderful. Its true that it has to be cranked to appreciate it the most. At a cranked volume the crescendo in A Day in the Life really messed with my head!!
 
Poor authoring. For whatever reason, the menus make my equipment jumpy or something. Going back to a main menu from track playback has delays. Audio often stutters on startup. Its like it is constantly switching audio modes or something when going from a menu to playing audio. The menu music is thoroughly annoying.

Haven't tried the DTS vs Dolby comparison yet.

Haven't tried any stereo playback yet, nor any of the outtakes.
If your profile is correct & you are using an Oppo-83SE I'm not surprised that there are issues with the menu.
Not dissing the player but it is pretty long in the tooth especially for Blu-ray discs.
Sad fact is, BDs are notoriously changeable and with no firmware updates in years there are going to issues that are no fault of the authoring process.
Even though you have no issues with your other discs, there are plenty of other discs you don't have that will give you issues.
I have an Oppo-80 & 105. No issues.
 
My poll result is based on the Japanese edition (no difference) of the Blu Ray which I voted 10. I have owned every version of this recording since 12 years old, (I am 61 now) in 1967. The poll is for Blu Ray and I love participating in polls as I enjoy reading others comments. I take my critical listening to a poll very seriously. Not that others don't. I immersed myself in this box set which was very easy as every note is ingrained in my DNA and is just easy. I found it disturbing the negative comments about the mix, mostly the disappointing rears, but I started with the 4 CD's, went on vacation and came back to the Blu Ray, with two spins, at 64db both times. I plan on doing a more thorough comment on the entire box set in the Japanese edition that Jon created but for now focusing on the Blu Ray Poll. Sometimes I doubt myself and my experience based on negative reviews, than I remind myself, man, you have a full blown McIntosh system, 15 years in the making, I trust my equipment, my placements, my room, my watts per speaker, my speakers, my Audessy, setup, my power, wires, etc. My point: What I heard was Sgt Pepper's sonic 5.1 brilliance that made me feel so happy I can't do it justice. I had no need to squirm and fight and adjust anything, I just sat back and enjoyed every English/Beatles moment. One of the turning points based on others reviews was my watching of George Martin (in the Blu Ray) explain in great detail how the 4 tracks where put together, also the fact/documented point that The Beatles themselves where done at the Mono mix, leaving the stereo mix to others, this blows me away, that 50 fucking years later the 5.1 mix comes to us, who, most of us have never even touched a recording board, let alone know what knob to adjust, and we want to say it doesn't sound good? Not me, my good friend. I feel sorry for those who compare everything to Steven Wilson, but this is truly a 5.1 masterpiece, an absolute 10 (TEN).
I listened, noticeably different, and likely a personal preference based on your machine, one time to the DTS HD (a little louder) and one time to the Dolby True HD (a little softer), I am sorry but I just can't come up with a definitive preference, maybe because I was listening to Sgt Pepper ?
I hope to do my full review shortly on Jon's Japanese thread, but still need to listen to the DVD.
 
Had to give this a low rating. I had to lower the fronts and raise the rears. I never alter my levels for any music or movies. :mad:
 
If any of you guys are running Audessey then switching dynamic EQ on might give you the result you desire as it boosts the rears.
 
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