So this is the second Dylan album from the SACD box which came out in 2005 with surround sound that I'm playing. I just listened to Blood on the Tracks before this and the mix of Blonde on Blonde is similar: All-enveloping with nothing really standing out, instrument-wise, from the rear speakers. If you're looking for that kind of mix, a pleasant use of your surround rig when you're sitting dead center in the room (the 'sweet spot,' in other words) with no distracting eruptions of sound from any one speaker, then this SACD is for you. Problem is, the mixes I prefer use the speakers more individually, with solo instruments more to the fore. Not sure Dylan's recordings really fall into that category though, so I'm rating this accordingly. I'm gonna stick with a 7, the same rating I gave Blood on the Tracks, which in all fairness, does sound a bit better. But this being 1966 (how many surround sound mixes for 1966 albums are there?), I'm upping my judgement a notch.
You see folks, Blonde on Blonde is one of the great LPs of the 1960s, and my fave Bob LP, and since we true-believers know that any quad or 5.1 mix is better than two-channel stereo, I'd still rather listen to this recording in this format than any other. So I refuse to give it any less of a rating.
EDIT: Ooh, I'm listening to "Just Like a Woman" right now, and this one really does nail it!