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

[marpow]

I voted 10. I have the 5.1 SACD. I think one of the first surround discs I bought in 2014. Sorry, but to be blunt, this is a reference disc even in plain old CD, record, whatever. It was the first recording done all digital "DDD".
The second CD I bought that was all digital was a Johnny Winter, can't remember the tittle, Guitar Slinger, maybe?

 

[4-earredwonder]

I voted 10. I have the 5.1 SACD. I think one of the first surround discs I bought in 2014. Sorry, but to be blunt, this is a reference disc even in plain old CD, record, whatever. It was the first recording done all digital "DDD".
The second CD I bought that was all digital was a Johnny Winter, can't remember the tittle, Guitar Slinger, maybe?

You were almost right, Markie. Ry Cooder's BOP TILL YOU DROP was the first DDD Rock recording released by a major label


Bop Till You Drop is Ry Cooder's eighth album, released in 1979. The album was the first digitally recorded major-label album in popular music. Bop Till You Drop was recorded on a digital 32-track machine built by 3M.

 

[marpow]

You were almost right, Markie. Ry Cooder's BOP TILL YOU DROP was the first DDD Rock recording released from a major label

View attachment 51169
Bop Till You Drop is Ry Cooder's eighth album, released in 1979. The album was the first digitally recorded major-label album in popular music. Bop Till You Drop was recorded on a digital 32-track machine built by 3M.

Really, are you sure? Was Dire Straits, second?

 

[4-earredwonder]

Really, are you sure? Was Dire Straits, second?

"Brothers in Arms" is a 1985 song by Dire Straits, appearing as the closing track on the album of the same name. It was written in 1982, the year of the Falklands War. It was re-released in 2007 as a special edition to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the conflict and raise funds for veterans of it with posttraumatic stress disorder.

 

[windhoek]

And after all these years, it's still available [SACD 5.1] From ImportCD for under $10

https://www.importcds.com/dire-straits-brothers-in-arms/602498714980

Now that's what I call bang for buck, and the sort of pricing that could easily keep multichannel music (assuming it's done correctly) going for a long time to come.

 

[MoB1]

Really, are you sure? Was Dire Straits, second?

It was no 100 000...
No, but Brothers was the first CD to sell one million copies.

https://www.soundandvision.com/content/flashback-1985-first-million-selling-cd-released

 

[Bill Houston]

Thanks to the "Live Life in Surround" vlogger who hipped me to this record including listing the price on another sonic forum.

Wow, incredible mix and sonics! I just wish there was more than 3 songs on this album I liked. Man, does Dire Straits like their keyboards! And in 5.1 you get to hear every note these 2 somber keyboardists wretch from their mid-life in crisis souls. This album is sonically really well produced. Yes, it has that dry and glossy 80's feel to it which modern bands like The War on Drugs and Kurt Vile have emulated for their own brand of "Dad alternative rock." On further listens, I think it transcends that, even if half the songs are mediocre.

This mix does a number of things incredibly well: separation of instruments, sonics, creative placement of instruments, and 3D space. It's also not overly flashy, but again, very creative, particularly with the percussion. Love how the bass is recorded too, that is when John Illsley isn't slap and poppin'. Thankfully, he manages not to indulge in this often.

I do know that Chuck Ainlay should go straight to the top of the list for any band who want their album mixed in 5.1. Stellar work!

Music: 6
Mix: 10
Sonics: 9.5

 

[bluelightning]

Thanks to the "Live Life in Surround" vlogger who hipped me to this record including listing the price on another sonic forum.

Wow, incredible mix and sonics! I just wish there was more than 3 songs on this album I liked. Man, does Dire Straits like their keyboards! And in 5.1 you get to hear every note these 2 somber keyboardists wretch from their mid-life in crisis souls. This album is sonically really well produced. Yes, it has that dry and glossy 80's feel to it which modern bands like The War on Drugs and Kurt Vile have emulated for their own brand of "Dad alternative rock." On further listens, I think it transcends that, even if half the songs are mediocre.

This mix does a number of things incredibly well: separation of instruments, sonics, creative placement of instruments, and 3D space. It's also not overly flashy, but again, very creative, particularly with the percussion. Love how the bass is recorded too, that is when John Illsley isn't slap and poppin'. Thankfully, he manages not to indulge in this often.

I do know that Chuck Ainlay should go straight to the top of the list for any band who want their album mixed in 5.1. Stellar work!

Music: 6
Mix: 10
Sonics: 9.5

I agree with a good portion of your assessment. I am just curious what you consider as exceptional music.

 

[Bill Houston]

I agree with a good portion of your assessment. I am just curious what you consider as exceptional music.

I've shared my opinion on a good deal of albums on this site. Feel free to look under my postings on my profile.

The last albums I bought that I though were great were Mark Lanegan - Straight Songs of Sorrow and Tim Rutili/Craig Ross - 10 Seconds to Collapse. Looking forward to Neil Young - Homegrown.


Deerhunter, Califone, PJ Harvey, Guns N' Roses, Stooges, The Atlas Sound, David Bowie, Hawkwind, Rolling Stones, Masters of Reality, Tool, Massive Attack, Radiohead, Queens of the Stone Age, Neil Young, Pipedream, Nine Inch Nails, Led Zeppelin

 

[edisonbaggins]

Brothers in Arms isn't even the strongest Dire Straits album, IMO. And musically even their best isn't going to suit everybody. So I can see grading it down for that.
The mix is so damn reference level though. It's so good that I've gradually warmed to most of the songs. I bet a lot of others' experience is similar with this one.
I personally like some of the non-hits best.

 

[Bill Houston]

Brothers in Arms isn't even the strongest Dire Straits album, IMO. And musically even their best isn't going to suit everybody. So I can see grading it down for that.
The mix is so damn reference level though. It's so good that I've gradually warmed to most of the songs. I bet a lot of others' experience is similar with this one.
I personally like some of the non-hits best.

Absolutely. Different lanes for different brains and all that. There isn't any band or album which everyone is universally going to love/hate.

I rated Farewell to Arms a 9 overall, so it's not like I poo-pooed the record. I obviously weighted my grade toward the mix/sonics of the album rather than my opinion of the music. Would I have ever bought this album had it not been in 5.1? No, I wouldn't. It just isn't my type of music other than a couple of songs. Would I recommend it to people who are into 5.1? Absolutely. This has to be one of the top 5 mixes I've ever heard. Never heard of Chuck Ainlay before this. Ainlay NEEDS to be doing more 5.1 mixing along with Simon Heyworth.

Edisonbaggins and anyone else, I'd love to hear your analysis regarding Bonnie Prince Billy - The Letting Go. It's a DVD-A and can be had for a very reasonable price on Discogs. I thought this album really flew under the radar on this forum. Probably because the music was alternative/folk and put out on a smaller label. IMHO the mix is quite good but understated. The music however is devastating. What the venn diagram overlap between Bonnie Prince Billy fans with Dire Straits lovers, I guess we'll see.

 

[BPWingN]

I have owned this for years and am only now getting around to voting. I bought this on CD when it first came out, and got the 5.1 disc quite awhile back.
I gave it a ten even though some of the songs have grown long in the tooth and have fallen into "I have heard this waaaaay to often" territory. These were staples on radio and MTV back in the day. They were on heavy rotation and I have tired of them."Money for Nothing" and "Walk of Life". I usually skip these two when listening to the album.


Those 2 songs aside, I gave this a ten for the (IMHO) absolutely stunning reference quality recording, mastering and 5.1 mix. Fantastic dynamics as well. The remainder of the album I quite like, especially "Your Latest Trick" and "Ride Across The River"

 

[sbrom]

Brothers in Arms isn't even the strongest Dire Straits album, IMO. And musically even their best isn't going to suit everybody. So I can see grading it down for that.
The mix is so damn reference level though. It's so good that I've gradually warmed to most of the songs. I bet a lot of others' experience is similar with this one.
I personally like some of the non-hits best.

Agreed on the non-hits. The title track “Brothers in Arms” is in my top 10 all time surround releases. A powerful song on many levels. The dynamic composition building throughout, enveloping sound field, undercurrent of powerful bass, and Knopfler’s subtle and nuanced guitar solos and vocals combine to transport me into another place.

 

[Audiowannabee]

Agreed on the non-hits. The title track “Brothers in Arms” is in my top 10 all time surround releases. A powerful song on many levels. The dynamic composition building throughout, enveloping sound field, undercurrent of powerful bass, and Knopfler’s subtle and nuanced guitar solos and vocals combine to transport me into another place.

I absolutely love the song "why worry"

 

[JediJoker]

I absolutely love the song "why worry"

It's my favorite from the album. I think I'll finally get around to listening in surround today. When I bought the surround SACD, my system wasn't really properly set up, but it is now. So far, my favorite version has been the excellent stereo mastering by Shawn Britton on the Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab hybrid SACD. Specifically on "Why Worry," the magic is there from the first shake of the shaker. I hope the surround mix/master is at least equally as magical.

Another great take on the tune:

 

[Audiowannabee]

My very first multi channel sacd...the one that got me spending mucho $$$ buying equipment n all these lovely discs I'm slowly buying as I empty my pockets for trying to reach audio nirvana
Purchased from import CD 2 1/2 yrs ago for $15 w free shipping

 

[JediJoker]

Just listened for the first time (on SACD). Great mix, spatially and tonally speaking! Chuck Ainlay "gets" it. He takes a few liberties with balances between parts, and I think a few alternate vocal takes were used, but it's more faithful than not to the original stereo mix.

Unfortunately, the dynamics leave a bit to be desired. As an end-user, I couldn't say if it was down to Ainlay's mix or Bob Ludwig's mastering, but the surround mix is decidedly less dynamic than the original stereo mix. Either the quiet parts are too loud or the loud parts are too quiet; the contrast is greatly diminished.

This isn't my favorite Dire Straits/Mark Knopfler album, but I do like it well enough.

There's nothing wrong with the SACD packaging and it's still a great value at under $20 new.

Mix: 3
Fidelity: 2
Content: 2
Package: 1

Total: 8

 

[himey]

Just listened for the first time (on SACD). Great mix, spatially and tonally speaking! Chuck Ainlay "gets" it. He takes a few liberties with balances between parts, and I think a few alternate vocal takes were used, but it's more faithful than not to the original stereo mix.

Unfortunately, the dynamics leave a bit to be desired. As an end-user, I couldn't say if it was down to Ainlay's mix or Bob Ludwig's mastering, but the surround mix is decidedly less dynamic than the original stereo mix. Either the quiet parts are too loud or the loud parts are too quiet; the contrast is greatly diminished.

This isn't my favorite Dire Straits/Mark Knopfler album, but I do like it well enough.

There's nothing wrong with the SACD packaging and it's still a great value at under $20 new.

Mix: 3
Fidelity: 2
Content: 2
Package: 1

Total: 8

I like the dynamics on the multichannel mix. Just another reason I suppose to not listen to the stereo version as it may cloud my judgment. The last thing I think of when listening to this is "if only it were more dynamic."

 

[JediJoker]

I like the dynamics on the multichannel mix. Just another reason I suppose to not listen to the stereo version as it may cloud my judgment. The last thing I think of when listening to this is "if only it were more dynamic."

I listened to this right after Psonic Psunspot from the XTC/Dukes of Stratosphear Psurroundabout Ride Blu-ray, which is very dynamic in Steven Wilson's usual style. By contrast, this sucker is loud! I had to turn my listening volume down by 5dB. Then I noticed the lack of contrast between the quiet and loud sections. I'm pretty familiar with the original stereo mix from the original WB US CD, Bob Ludwig-remastered '90s CD, and Shawn Britton-remastered MFSL SACD. All of those are noticeably more dynamic than the 5.1 mix as presented on this SACD, and as the dynamics are part of what make the album "special," something is lost.

The MFSL SACD remains my favorite way to listen.

 

[himey]

I listened to this right after Psonic Psunspot from the XTC/Dukes of Stratosphear Psurroundabout Ride Blu-ray, which is very dynamic in Steven Wilson's usual style. By contrast, this sucker is loud! I had to turn my listening volume down by 5dB. Then I noticed the lack of contrast between the quiet and loud sections. I'm pretty familiar with the original stereo mix from the original WB US CD, Bob Ludwig-remastered '90s CD, and Shawn Britton-remastered MFSL SACD. All of those are noticeably more dynamic than the 5.1 mix as presented on this SACD, and as the dynamics are part of what make the album "special," something is lost.

The MFSL SACD remains my favorite way to listen.

If your criteria is based on being more dynamic than this one, for choosing what multichannel mixes you listen to, your list must be very short. DR of 12 is a tough hurdle for a popular recording. I would doubt the DR dynamic range for Psurroundabout is any better than 12. The original CD has a higher DR than the MFSL according to the database.