HiRez Poll Dire Straits - BROTHERS IN ARMS [SACD/DVD-A DualDisc]

[JonUrban]

You may be right, now that I've heard more mixes, but I don't think I would want to go higher than a 5. The strange thing is, moderating it up could be - for me I guess - acknowledging a large amount of disappointment mixes I've heard, like saying they're fine enough within their field. There's at least a couple of approaches with us here with inevitable cross over, I reckon: those who like/love surround as a format in its own right, and those who like to hear music they like in surround. I fall much more into the latter category, so for example the Dutton stuff doesn't currently hold much interest to me. Brother in Arms is an album I've been familiar with (and largely liked) since the 80s although moreso in the original edited vinyl form. The surround mix just doesn't draw me to the album, there are no wow moments for me. I don't like the sound of the SACD either. I know these things can change with system upgrades, and there's probably been a few since I last gave it a go, so maybe I might enjoy it more. This is an album I'm more likely to approach in stereo, which when that is considered makes a low score make sense albeit maybe not as low as 3 in comparison to what else I've heard since.

You deserve to vote your choice, and to back it up with your reasoning is all that we can ask for. "Everybody doesn't like something...."

 

[Franklin]

All the above recently just said, it is an interesting album to split off the pairs/ isolate in parts: particularly the centre channel of Why Worry.

 

[Jeddia]

Found this on the cheap on Discogs and it may be the best $14 I've ever spent. Incredible sonics. I was never a full-blown fan of the band or this album, but you can't deny the singles from it - and you certainly can't argue with the previous comments about it. It's a 10 on the sonics, an 8 (for me) on the material. So a 9 overall.

This disc sounds really freaking good loud...

 

[JonUrban]

I took a DTS version of the disc in the car today and listened to it all the way through, even the first 3 songs (which I used to always skip due to burn out) and I was still blown away by the mix. If this mix is not a 10 then I can't imagine what a 10 would be. The sound quality, even when the audio is decoded, encoded, then decoded again (for my DTS Car playable CD) sounds crystal clear with all of the little percussive and accent bits detailed as heck in the mix.

I originally voted a 10 on this one and I am sticking to it. This disc is really a miracle in that it got out as the labels were bailing on surround and to get this one on SACD and a DVD-A DualDisc, and not have it remain "in the can" like a few other highly touted releases, is quite fortunate for surround fans everywhere. This one would have been a good choice for a BluRay Audio release, the mix and audio are that good.

It's just those first 3 songs! So overplayed, but listening to them today I had to respect their surround mix.

 

[Ninecats]

Agreeing with you Jon, this is a stunning mix. I think one of the reasons is the extraordinary recording in the first place, it’s sick how they managed to get the sound so crystal clear, dynamic and so present at the same time. A once in a lifetime recording.

 

[sjcorne]

I have the DVD-A (DualDisc) version and I agree it's excellent. I voted a 9. You can't help but appreciate the entire album, rather than just the hits, after hearing it presented like this.

However, I do think the mix on "Money For Nothing" is a bit of a missed opportunity. It would've been cool if they separated Knopfler's and Sting's vocals into different speakers instead of putting them both in the center channel. That track always seemed kind of front-heavy to me until the "I want my MTV" backing vocal bit appears in the rears at the end.

 

[FlavioRR]

Big Chuck !!

Love this record. He made those songs that saturate me on the radios so much to when putting them, I heard them again as if it were the first time.

Only one thing, I would have preferred that the voice of Sting in Money For Nothing, had been separated from the central channel and had placed it in the right or left channels, or in the rear. But still, it sounds excellent.

Mix: 10/10
Fidelity: 10/10

 

[atlantasteve]

A brilliant recording like this deserves to have a comment or two every few months to keep it at the top of the search list. I just had my hardwoods repaired so the sound system was AWOL for a week. To test my speaker wire reassembly, I played this SACD. I couldn't turn it off even after system passed all tests. There is such depth to the sonics I just can't get from other discs. Couch potato for a day!

 

[GOS]

I didn't really want to read all of the posts, but I have this disc and it sounds amazing IMO. Why are there a few low votes? I wonder what was said by those voters?

 

[Franklin]

Why are there a few low votes? I wonder what was said by those voters?

Me recently discussing my low score (currently the lowest at 3):

... I don't think I would want to go higher than a 5. The strange thing is, moderating it up could be - for me I guess - acknowledging a large amount of disappointment mixes I've heard, like saying they're fine enough within their field. There's at least a couple of approaches with us here with inevitable cross over, I reckon: those who like/love surround as a format in its own right, and those who like to hear music they like in surround. I fall much more into the latter category, so for example the Dutton stuff doesn't currently hold much interest to me. Brother in Arms is an album I've been familiar with (and largely liked) since the 80s although moreso in the original edited vinyl form. The surround mix just doesn't draw me to the album, there are no wow moments for me. I don't like the sound of the SACD either. I know these things can change with system upgrades, and there's probably been a few since I last gave it a go, so maybe I might enjoy it more. This is an album I'm more likely to approach in stereo, which when that is considered makes a low score make sense albeit maybe not as low as 3 in comparison to what else I've heard since.

 

[Franklin]

My initial thoughts should be in there somewhere...

 

[Franklin]

Original post:

My opinion on this might not be popular. I listened to this last night with a friend, and it was tough. The mix is drenched in reverb, and is overcompressed. Knopfler's vocals sound really boxey, and over reverbed too.. It was not a nice listen for me nor my friend. *That* drum moment on Money For Nothing is one of the weediest parts of the album - I wanted that bit to be great, and it could/should have been a highlight of the album. The Man's Too Strong seemed to lose the impact and subtlety of the stereo mix as heard from a previous master. Maybe it was down to the over compression, but the rears seemed too dominant for my tastes as well. The title track appeared to have the most promise for my taste, and started really well. This is an album I haved known for a long time (albeit mainly in it's shorter original vinyl form) and enjoyed a lot of.

My review is from listening to the SACD.

 

[4-earredwonder]

I have BOTH the DVD~A and SACD of Brothers In Arms and IMO and in solidarity with the opinion of the gent who mastered BOTH in 5.1, I prefer the MLP DVD~A.

In a word, it's ASTOUNDING on my system. From the first song to the last, the clarity, the brilliance of the surround mix and of course, the musicianship is TOP NOTCH.

I voted a 10 and to this day stand by that decision.

 

[himey]

For me, this mix is much closer to a 10 than a 3. Nothing really not to like about it. I originally listened to the stereo version and wouldn't bother with it now that I have the 5.1 mix.

 

[Clint Eastwood]

I didn't really want to read all of the posts, but I have this disc and it sounds amazing IMO. Why are there a few low votes? I wonder what was said by those voters?

I wonder if some of these low ball scores are actually the result of equipment problems...at least it's not a concern for me anymore...I'm done with the polls...I know which members line up with my acoustic preferences....a lot less frustrating than dealing with the polls..

 

[4-earredwonder]

I wonder if some of these low ball scores are actually the result of equipment problems...at least it's not a concern for me anymore...I'm done with the polls...I know which members line up with my acoustic preferences....a lot less frustrating than dealing with the polls..

I was thinking the exact same thing, Clinty. This is one of those 5.1 remasters that just leaps out of the speakers and engages the listener until the very end. And there's no turning around to see if the rear speakers are actively engaged as it's one helluva immersive remix.

If the listener has a problem with the music, itself.....then that's a different story.

And the fact that it's an early DDD recording makes it all the more admirable........and lest we forget, these are from the original PCM masters which don't have the limitations of the 'brickwalled' compact disc.

 

[Franklin]

I wonder if some of these low ball scores are actually the result of equipment problems...

Yeah, could be for me, who knows. I set up levels using Audyssey and then trimmed using a SPL meter on an Android app, IIRC. I don't use the dynamic EQ as it seems to interfere with the rear levels significantly in my experience. I can't speak for others. It could be down to personal taste too. I also find the polls frustrating at times.

 

[Jeffrey Michael]

I wonder if some of these low ball scores are actually the result of equipment problems...at least it's not a concern for me anymore...I'm done with the polls...I know which members line up with my acoustic preferences....a lot less frustrating than dealing with the polls..

At one point in time (not too long ago in a galaxy far, far away), I was right there with you on the Polls. But now, I look at the Polls as a gauge and it’s especially useful because we have the ability to change our vote when our equipment does change. That’s true for me. Since I’ve joined QQ, my setup and equipment has changed multiple times.

Edit: By the way, I never voted here. I better get cracking. I have the DualDisc version.

 

[rusinurbe]

Back in the day I got the dual disc, DVD- A was stunning, still is saw them 'live in 85' and this just brings those memories back I'll stick with the 10 I gave it.

 

[humprof]

Yeah, could be for me, who knows. I set up levels using Audyssey and then trimmed using a SPL meter on an Android app, IIRC. I don't use the dynamic EQ as it seems to interfere with the rear levels significantly in my experience. I can't speak for others. It could be down to personal taste too. I also find the polls frustrating at times.

Mike: I too lean towards the "like to hear music I like in surround" side of the spectrum (as opposed to "like/love surround as a format in its own right"). That said, I don't have a whole lot invested in Brothers (although I like it well enough), so I've got no strong opinion on the surround mix vs. the original stereo mix. I do know, though, that running Audyssey has always made my system sound like crap...