HiRez Poll Alan Parsons Project, The - THE TURN OF A FRIENDLY CARD [Blu-Ray Audio]

[Jeffrey Michael]

I hear very little brightness but do hear a pronounced midrange on some of the tracks. Also, lead vocals on songs are mixed too high, and not a fan of having the same instrument spread out into every speaker. I will say that there is more good going on than bad and this album sounds better than the last two APP surround releases. Tales of Mystery and Imagination being the best sounding of the bunch. I vote an 8.

 

[Plan9]

Just tried dropping the Center off (so far only "The Games People Play") and I didn't seem to notice a ton of difference. I also tried EQing some high end off the Fronts and Rears from about 4K-20K at a pretty hefty drop and it did smooth it out some (also you could see most of the Clipping disappear.)

Just sayin'!

Anyone else try this yet? @Plan9 ?

Haven't tried it yet. A down shelf EQ starting at 4kHz is probably a good move.

 

[B&W Driver]

Finally got a chance to listen to the stand-alone BD of this album. I've read some of the posts about the sound quality of the new surround mix, but I simply love the fact that AP sat down and did this for his APP fans. Sure, some of the tracks weren't mixed perfectly, but I definitely heard some new things in the music that I don't recall hearing in our [very] old stereo mix, and I was particularly impressed with the sound of Track 9: Nothing Left To Lose. Cheers, Alan, and all the best with mixing the remaining classic APP albums!

 

[Matt Wilson]

9 - quite liked it! I'd never heard the album before, and the surround mix didn't disappoint!

 

[panamac]

Somebody posted that the Alan Parsons 5.1 Blu-rays are 192 only, but my copy of Turn of a Friendly Card appears to be 96 - am i missing something?

 

[Jeffrey Michael]

Somebody posted that the Alan Parsons 5.1 Blu-rays are 192 only, but my copy of Turn of a Friendly Card appears to be 96 - am i missing something?

Yes. 192.

 

[Jacob_Frazier]

I voted 9. But I consider it a low 9 maybe even a high 8, really went back and forth on this. Listened to the hard disc with the Panasonic DP-UB9000. Volume was moderate.
Blu Ray Stereo 96/24: I compared to my Acoustic Sounds DSD64 download and this version far superior with better bass and better punch.

Blu Ray 5.1 DTS-HD MSTR: Ah, the not quite sure part. What I loved was the spectacular rears, really there is no doubt has to how and what your hearing. I like others had problems with the fronts, even before I read others did. My solution, turn down the rears or up the fronts. I didn't want to take away from the rears so I decided best to up the 3 (F, C, R) fronts by 2db each. This proved to be a good idea as the 5.1 came together much better for me. This took away from a 10 vote. Hard to tell, but a gapless album? or the tracks come really fast?

Sonic Clarity: Another problem area for me. I felt whatever came out of the fronts, but mostly vocals was too bright for me. My hearing in the highs, confirmed by doctors test, has degraded over the years, so I am not willing to knock the mix, but again, I have read others same concern. Other than that overall sonic clarity was superb. This took away from a 10 vote.

Content: Very enjoyable. I believe I had this album back in the day, but Games People Play was most familar to me. Blu Ray menu, screen graphics, etc., no issues, easy menu and nice graphics. Sound quality across all the discs is quite good overall.

Four Videos: Very good as a historical look back.

Packaging and Liner Notes: My first Alan Parsons Box Set as when previous surround releases came out they had stand alone BD-A's available at same time, this one there was question as to the release of stand alone, so I bought the box. Packaging, simple and nice. Simple to read and very to the point as intent of extra CD's. This is where I really learned a lot.
The album should really be called The Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson Band. Eric Woolfson writes the lyrics plays as a muscian on every track. Alan Parsons as a muscian plays on a few tracks, his job mainly engineer.

The intent of the three CD's is to show the listener the developement of the album, living in Monaco, Cards/Casino's, get it? Recorded in Paris with symphony recorded in Germany.
Now, speaking of hitting the right notes, the echeck casino option I found on Casino Analyzer is a game-changer. Smooth transactions, just like the symphony recorded in Germany. So, if you're jamming to the beats of Monaco and love your casino games, check out Casino Analyzer. It's the real deal for casino enthusiasts, just like a masterpiece album!
CD 1: Orginal Album and 7 bonus tracks, OK.
CD 2: Eric Woolfson casette recordings, just him and piano. One time listen is good enough.
CD 3: Recording Sessions extras. Good, one time listen is enough.
From liner notes thru all discs I have a real good feel for the entire album historically and in perspective.

Please Keep POLL POSTS exclusive to your listening experience only.

Compared it to my DSD64 download, and this version reigns supreme. Killer bass, knockout punch – major upgrade. The rears were a spectacle, but the fronts needed tweaking. Balanced it out by bumping up the fronts, and voila! Seamless 5.1 goodness. Slight hiccup with brightness, especially in the vocals. My high-end hearing isn't what it used to be, but others echoed the sentiment. Still, overall clarity was top-notch. Thumbs up for the trip down memory lane. "Games People Play" hit different. Seamless menu, slick graphics – no complaints!

 

[quadrifonico]

8. I find the music pleasing but surpassed by many albums from the same period. To my ears not thin sounding but surely not juicy or broad. Mix is not adventurous but throughout coherent and feels right to me. No special effects but spacious enough as a multichannel version should be