HiRez Poll Beck - SEA CHANGE [DVD-A/SACD/BluRay Audio]

Well, if you compare the two spectral charts above, it is clear they both came from the same master. You have to make visual adjustments for the fact that the 192Khz chart has a lot more empty space in the high frequencies and the logarithmic scale appears to squeeze the spectrum a bit, but they are identical otherwise. Like I said, the Blu-ray sounds clearer to me and I noticed that before I saw the noise has been filtered out above 40Khz. But that's a minor improvement -especially as our ears age.

sukothai said:

Well, if you compare the two spectral charts above, it is clear they both came from the same master. You have to make visual adjustments for the fact that the 192Khz chart has a lot more empty space in the high frequencies and the logarithmic scale appears to squeeze the spectrum a bit, but they are identical otherwise. Like I said, the Blu-ray sounds clearer to me and I noticed that before I saw the noise has been filtered out above 40Khz. But that's a minor improvement -especially as our ears age.

Click to expand...

technically don't need to do filtering in upsampling digital stream. there aren't anything in source signal above 88 or 96 to be transferred
in the range above, offered by format with higher range.

as for 192 overkill, yes, it isn't necessary but i can live better with such overkill than with degraded lossless stream into DD or DTS.
still just for a small thing - get it as i don't have DVD-A neither SACD and amazon canada for now don't even have this on the list.

I skip this one and support new mch (re)mixes (my 2/10).

This is a title I did not pick up in the SACD or DVD-A format, so seemed like a perfect chance to grab a copy. From the postings it sounds like this is not a re-mix, but from the same master as the previous releases. It sounds fantastic in my opinion. I really like the music and it definitely has a nice discrete sound field. I'm glad they decided to go with the previous mix rather than do a mix like the did for Tommy, which is a very odd mix. I give this one a solid 10.

Without a doubt the sound quality is spectacular! I gave it a 9 simply because I prefer the DVD-Audio for content....no videos and such on the Blu-ray....too bad.

Thanks for the info GabeL. No videos? What a loss. We (me, mom and the toddler) just enjoyed the videos on the DVD-Audio this morning DolbyDigital notwithstanding. I've been thinking about buying the blu but now have reservations. It would be nice to have a back up copy even though it won't work with the Acura.

My pleasure, wish they would have included the bonus features on the Blu-ray, but alas

Cibola said:

Thanks for the info GabeL. No videos? What a loss. We (me, mom and the toddler) just enjoyed the videos on the DVD-Audio this morning DolbyDigital notwithstanding. I've been thinking about buying the blu but now have reservations. It would be nice to have a back up copy even though it won't work with the Acura.

Click to expand...

I'll now give my sacd a rest...

This sounds great - the one thing people may not like is the way the vocals are mixed (not focused in front center) , but aside from that the mix is perfection.

GabeL said:

My pleasure, wish they would have included the bonus features on the Blu-ray, but alas

Click to expand...

So you want to turn Pure Audio into Pure Audio + Video ?

cupboy said:

So you want to turn Pure Audio into Pure Audio + Video ?

Click to expand...

This is the thing, though. Adding video to the disc doesn't make the audio any less 'pure'. It's a scam, plain and simple. The likes of XTC, Yes and Steven Wilson have released albums in the same (or in many cases, better) quality with added content and for less money too. Why have a 25/50GB capacity disc and not use it? We're supposed to be advancing the realms of what we can do here.

We happily buy "deluxe editions" of albums on CD/DVD and pay less. Case in point, Tears For Fears and their album, 'The Hurting'. Recently released as a fantastic box set including multiple discs of audio (remastered album, b-sides, remixes, etc) and a DVD. Total cost, approx. £32. Now HFPA are releasing it on Blu Ray. Just the 10 album tracks, supposedly in hi-res. One can only assume they're using the same stereo remaster. Given that their choice of masters is, at best, questionable (just ask anyone who bought their HFPA of Nirvana's 'Nevermind'), we wait with bated breath. Even if the choice of master is good, they still expect £16.99 for these 10 tracks. That's more than half the price of the aforementioned box set. It doesn't take Einstein to see we're being fleeced by the Emperor's new clothes. A 50% mark up is not worth the basic album in hi-res alone. Not in my book anyway.

There really is no excuse. The more I think about it, the angrier I get.

Oh, just to be clear, this isn't a personal dig, Cupboy Just venting my spleen about this whole HFPA debacle

Just ordered, and it will be here very soon!
Can't wait!

Also, this is my 700th post! A great milestone!

I got this about 2 weeks ago for a fraction of the cost of DVD-A or SACD and I must admit this is one of the few things I have ever purchased that lived up to the hype. I really like this. I do not really know much about Beck other than the few tidbits I have read regarding reviews on a few of his albums. I got Guero and understand that is more typical and fun Beck. I kept reading how depressing this album was and that it is so different--that is a good thing! I agree that this is somber, bordering on drink yourself silly lyricism, but I find deeper meaning in songs when not only deciphering the lyrics but also the music, its tonality and passion. This album is the kind of music that I adore. I can appreciate it on simple well mixed and recorded terms as well as delving into the mental state of the musician. I easily gave this a 10 for almost every category I could think of in regards to hi rez multi channel music. I would recommend this to anyone who could appreciate such a great work of art, but I realize that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Toot Toot!

The PCM mix is revelatory! I feel like I am listening to entirely different album from my cd. The sonic scapes are breathtaking. I almost forgot to listen to the lyrics (which are pretty depressing). A 10 all the way.

Never heard this before buying this and must say I'm impressed with the sound quality. I don't care for the technical arguments or even the format. If I like what I hear that's good enough for me. This sounds clear, open and seems to breathe to me. Not a technical assessment at all but that's my opinion. Excellent!

I have listened to this many times over now and constantly find new parts of the instrumentation and mixing to multiple channels thereof. The clarity, coupled with the passion is mesmerizing to me. It seems each time I listen to this new things seem to catch my attention, and I absorb a new aspect of the whole. I tend to hear different things than others as I delve into songs repeatedly. I enjoy that aspect of my music appreciation. This is an album I will not easily grow bored with. And I haven't even brought the lyrics into my dissection and appreciation yet. I can not attest to quality of this versus any other format because this is my first exposure to it, but so far this is easily one of my favorites, and that says a lot coming from an 80s hair band fan! Just wanted to throw this extra stuff out there to anybody who wanted more insight into this blu ray.

This album is a bit on the dark side , with that said i can't wait to pick it up !

So after all the fuss about this blu-ray audio release, I broke down and purchased it. I also own the sacd and dvd-audio. Unfortunately, I am left unimpressed. The dvd-audio release is by far my favorite followed by the sacd. This blu-ray is obviously a straight port, but somehow it lacks the discreteness and clarity that the previous releases have. I don't know how else to describe it. I can very easily switch between the dvd-audio iso-rip which is on my Oppo 93 hdd and compare it to the blu-ray drive on the same Oppo 93. I'm sure that this will soon be out of print, so in that regard I am glad I own it.

But overall.....meh.

So I had a question about the digital download that comes with the blu ray. I have never had any luck getting ANY music files to play on my Oppo 83. Typically if I load music files onto a thumb drive and go to that folder on the Oppo the folder shows no contents. There are actually contents, but they don't show up on the Oppo for some reason. So, it occurred to me that maybe this Beck file would read. I loaded it onto a thumb drive and sure enough, for the first time ever, the files showed up in the folder. I discovered they are just mp3 files. When playing back I also discovered they were stereo. So, these files are just for the ITunes crowd to play back on their crappy mp3 players? For some reason I thought they would be higher quality files and they'd be in surround.

How common are surround digital downloads?