phydo
600 Club - QQ All-Star
As this is my first review I would like to state upfront I have no formal musical training nor am I an audio engineer. With that disclaimer I will endeavor to provide a stirring review of this disc. This is a Single-layer, Multi-channel SACD by Decca. I discovered it was a single-layer disc while on a business trip and having my mail forwarded when I attempted to play it in my car (no joy) then my laptop computer (elevated frustration factor). When I ordered this disc from Amazon.com, nowhere was it stated in the disc description or reviews this was a single-layer disc. In fact, nowhere in the disc packaging is it stated this is a single-layer disc. I later did note at Acousticsounds.com in their description of this disc it is identified as a single-layer disc.
Being basically a rocker at heart this purchase was definitely out of character for me. My ex was a BIG Broadway musical soundtrack fan with a massive collection. I cannot tell you how many times I had to listen to “Cats” playing through my QRX-9001 – a definite abuse of advanced audio reproduction technology. When I saw the movie “A Beautiful Mind” two things immediately got my attention (1) The drop dead gorgeous Jennifer Connelly (a subject probable more suited to a “Off Topic” thread), and (2) The sound track. Even with today’s standard theater viewing environment of ringing cell-phones and crying babies the soundtrack blew me away. As soon as the stereo soundtrack disc was available I purchased it and it sounded really good through the old surround sound system. When I discovered the soundtrack was available as a SACD I ordered it from Amazon.
A review of the SACD liner notes states that the music was composed and conducted by James Horner (Apollo 13, Brave Heart, Titanic, etc). The SACD surround mix was accomplished by Simon Rhodes at the Todd Scoring Stage, Studio City, CA. The SACD mastering was by Chris Landon at Bernie Becker Mastering, Burbank, CA.
When I got home from my business trip I popped the disc into my Yamaha C-950 universal player and sat down for some serious listening. Being a soundtrack there are recurring musical themes throughout. All except one track are instrumental with background vocals provided by Charlotte Church. On track 15 of 16 she sings “All Love Can Be”. The music immediately draws you in and completely envelops you. The dynamic range exhibited by this recording is awesome as is the channel separation. The soundtrack to A Beautiful Mind, being a movie about a mathematical genius ably played by Russell Crowe (did I mention Jennifer Connelly is gorgeous?), has a mathematical precision to it at times which I found pretty cool. Being pretty much an instrumental recording it was easy to compare front to rear and left to right balance. No channel seemed to dominate the others. Bass was solid but never overbearing. Individual musical instruments could easily be picked out and their placement was rock solid.
I never tire of listening to this disc. I can put the player on repeat and use it as background music. I recommend this recording highly.
Justin
Being basically a rocker at heart this purchase was definitely out of character for me. My ex was a BIG Broadway musical soundtrack fan with a massive collection. I cannot tell you how many times I had to listen to “Cats” playing through my QRX-9001 – a definite abuse of advanced audio reproduction technology. When I saw the movie “A Beautiful Mind” two things immediately got my attention (1) The drop dead gorgeous Jennifer Connelly (a subject probable more suited to a “Off Topic” thread), and (2) The sound track. Even with today’s standard theater viewing environment of ringing cell-phones and crying babies the soundtrack blew me away. As soon as the stereo soundtrack disc was available I purchased it and it sounded really good through the old surround sound system. When I discovered the soundtrack was available as a SACD I ordered it from Amazon.
A review of the SACD liner notes states that the music was composed and conducted by James Horner (Apollo 13, Brave Heart, Titanic, etc). The SACD surround mix was accomplished by Simon Rhodes at the Todd Scoring Stage, Studio City, CA. The SACD mastering was by Chris Landon at Bernie Becker Mastering, Burbank, CA.
When I got home from my business trip I popped the disc into my Yamaha C-950 universal player and sat down for some serious listening. Being a soundtrack there are recurring musical themes throughout. All except one track are instrumental with background vocals provided by Charlotte Church. On track 15 of 16 she sings “All Love Can Be”. The music immediately draws you in and completely envelops you. The dynamic range exhibited by this recording is awesome as is the channel separation. The soundtrack to A Beautiful Mind, being a movie about a mathematical genius ably played by Russell Crowe (did I mention Jennifer Connelly is gorgeous?), has a mathematical precision to it at times which I found pretty cool. Being pretty much an instrumental recording it was easy to compare front to rear and left to right balance. No channel seemed to dominate the others. Bass was solid but never overbearing. Individual musical instruments could easily be picked out and their placement was rock solid.
I never tire of listening to this disc. I can put the player on repeat and use it as background music. I recommend this recording highly.
Justin
