DVD/DTS Poll Rush - Snakes And Arrows [DD/PCM 96/24 DVD]

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Rate the Audio-DVD of Rush - SNAKES AND ARROWS


  • Total voters
    40

Bob Romano

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Please post your comments, thoughts and observations on Rush - Snakes And Arrows (DD5.1/PCM 96-24)...(y) (n)
 

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I really, really wanted to be blown away here - but was seriously disappointed.
It was allegedly a DVD-A in stereo, but this is not true as the Audio_TS folder is empty. It's a DVD-Video disc in all but name with additional ROM content, featuring - wait for it - a Ringtone creator, a set of MP3 files and some IM icons & some computer wallpaper.
That's it, folks.
Oh - I forgot the documentary on the making of the album. Whoop-de-bloody-do.
You are supposed to register the disc and get exclusive content, but when you actually take the trouble to do this you find out there is, er, nothing extra available yet. Apparently it might happen some time in the future.
There is one more 'bonus' feature - registering your comments on the release. I waded through this to have 30 minutes worth of typing rejected as my post code is not a US/Canada one.

Peeved?
You bet I'm peeved, as the stereo mix is punchy, dynamic & brutally overcompressed again. But it still has the depth we expect from High Rez.
Switch to the DD stream, and the sound quality takes a nosedive right down as low as you can get. It's muddy, badly defined & a bloody mess to be brutally frank. All that I can think when I hear this is "What would the stereo heads say f they were restricted to the MP3 versions?" They'd go potty is what would happen, yet Surround fans are supposed to be grateful for the crumbs in DD. The thing was not mixed in DD, so WTF?
The biggest worry here is that if we all boycott these releases, the labels will claim there is no demand for multichannel - and stop.
Yet if we buy them, they will claim we are happy with DD mixes - and indeed have already started this process.

If you're buying this for the surround whatever you do, do NOT play the stereo or you will end up as annoyed & irritated as I am.
5-10 for the surround & the High Rez stereo.
(Although at 3Gb for the 24/96 LPCM, think what could have been done with MLP Lossless instead - a 50% reduction in size. The disc is only 6.35Gb, so it's not as if there is no room to do the job properly).
Lose all points for ignoring the DVD-A fans, and not releasing in Lossless but instead adding on a shitty documentary that 99% of buyers will never even bother playing.
 
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Neil summed it up pretty well. I don't care about any of the extras, so zero points there. The music is uneven, some great songs, some I skip. Sound quality of the surround tracks are the biggest zero I've ever heard. Mix isn't the worst, but it is fairly tame and the rears are too low. If you boost the rear volume you get too much horrible sounding DD'ed cymbal. I didn't notice much/any advantage of the 96/24 PCM over the standard cd release, so I vote 3. Too bad, I was starting to listen to this a bit in stereo, but the MVI release has put me off the title entirely.
 
As a Rush fan, I did like the documentary about the making of the album, as I enjoyed the documentary on the Linkin Park MVI. In fact, I thought those were the best things on the disc!

While I like the hi-res stereo version of the album, I couldn't help but think of a missed opportunity. Personally, I would have bypassed the DD5.1/hi-res stereo for just a hi-res 5.1 presentation.

I thought the DD 5.1 was done half-hearted. Not many discrete sounds in the rears.
 
As a Rush fan, I did like the documentary about the making of the album, as I enjoyed the documentary on the Linkin Park MVI. In fact, I thought those were the best things on the disc!

While I like the hi-res stereo version of the album, I couldn't help but think of a missed opportunity. Personally, I would have bypassed the DD5.1/hi-res stereo for just a hi-res 5.1 presentation.

I thought the DD 5.1 was done half-hearted. Not many discrete sounds in the rears.

What did you give it out of 10?
 
If you keep dissing our great Canadian boys, we will take shots at your queen ... Queen Elton that is. :D ... Guy, Dave ... Let's get him!


Well, I have to say, I was SO looking forward to the 5.1 mix, and yeah, I'm let down. I did really like the documentary though. Especially the part where Nick gets Neil to redo the drums on The Way The Wind Blows and Neil just kills it. He was smokin'! But the sound and mix......I give it a 6.

I just got the vinyl last weekend. Mama mia!! Awesome! Nice and thick and heavy and the sound is incredible. I kept putting it louder and louder and it got better and better!
 
Well, I have to say, I was SO looking forward to the 5.1 mix, and yeah, I'm let down. I did really like to documentary though. Especially the part where Nick gets Neil to redo the drums on The Way The Wind Blows and Neil just kills it. He was smokin'! But the sound and mix......I give it a 6.

I just got the vinyl last weekend. Mama mia!! Awesome! Nice and thick and heavy and the sound is incredible. I kept putting it louder and louder and it got better and better!

Yeah Dave, it wasn't what I had hoped either. Just give us 2112 like they promised and I will be happy. Riiiiiiight ...
Mike.
 
What did you give it out of 10?

I didn't even have the heart to give it a numbered rating. The disc wasn't all that bad, but just terribly disappointed with the surround mix.

Heck, there ARE great DD5.1 mixes out there. I just listened to Weird Al's "Straight Outta Lynwood" this morning and that's a great one. Even the Destiny Child's Dualdisc has a better surround mix.

So, to rate it low or high would be dishonest. Maybe'll go 5 since I'm so torn.
 
I didn't even have the heart to give it a numbered rating. The disc wasn't all that bad, but just terribly disappointed with the surround mix.

Heck, there ARE great DD5.1 mixes out there. I just listened to Weird Al's "Straight Outta Lynwood" this morning and that's a great one. Even the Destiny Child's Dualdisc has a better surround mix.

So, to rate it low or high would be dishonest. Maybe'll go 5 since I'm so torn.

Fair enough reasoning.
I agree - there are good DD mixes out there, but every one I hear still annoys me massively as they are not mixed in this format.
Think how much better they would be in Lossless.....
 
Heck, there ARE great DD5.1 mixes out there. I just listened to Weird Al's "Straight Outta Lynwood" this morning and that's a great one.


Al Rules! I couldn't believe how great his mix sounded for someone you wouldn't expect it from. When you look at his "Making of", you can see just how impressive a musician/producer he is. He puts everything into his music - even if you're laughing so hard that you don't hear it all.
 
THIS IS THE WORST "SURROUND" DISC IN MY COLLECTION

...and I'm a Rush fan!!!!

"Surround" mix is Mush and cancellation galore....
If you switch from the PCM stereo to the surround you'll hear this mess...

My solution...

Listen to the PCM in DOLBY 5,1 and it'll be a better mix than the "Surrounddddd"

a 2 !!! (yes, I'm that upset!!!) :howl:howl
 
I am a Rush fan but almost ever live DVD they have released in surround seems to dissappoint. One can only guess how creative and discreet the unreleased surround mixes for either DVD-A or SACD were prepared a few years ago.
 
I am a Rush fan but almost ever live DVD they have released in surround seems to dissappoint. One can only guess how creative and discreet the unreleased surround mixes for either DVD-A or SACD were prepared a few years ago.

Actually I don't dislike the Surround mixes from R in Rio, R30 or Replay(x3) DVDs (OK, maybe the ESL new mix is too clean and is lacking the lovely dirty and sweet bass tone -especially during Limelight- BUT that's why I still have my Laserdisc!)...

Something went VERY VERY wrong in the making of this last one...authoring perhaps??:confused::confused::confused:
 
I TAKE IT ALL BACK, I HAD THE WRONG SETUP FOR PLAYBACK

refer to my clarification:
https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/showthread.php?p=76144#post76144

The mix, after I listened to it CORRECTLY, is quite GOOD and interesting.
Still an "Extended Stereo" mix, but very correct...

Very thrilling to listen to the boys after all these years in surround...(y)(y)(y)

If I could vote again, I'd give it a 9 !!!
 
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I was anxious to hear a Rush album in 5.1, but was not pleased with the mix....too tame, too much echo, not enough discrete mixing. I personally like "ping-pong" surround mixes, and this one just doesn't do it. As far as the music, Rush never lets me down , and this album is no exception.
 
I was anxious to hear a Rush album in 5.1, but was not pleased with the mix....too tame, too much echo, not enough discrete mixing. I personally like "ping-pong" surround mixes, and this one just doesn't do it. As far as the music, Rush never lets me down , and this album is no exception.


Make sure you're decoding it correctly- there's PLENTY of action in the mix.

I can only tell you that the difference is ABYSMAL when you actually have the "Dolby Digital" display lit in your receiver, with the input/output set to bitstream (not PCM), if not, it will be the most horrible mush you'll ever hear....
 
Darn, I ordered this thinking I had read it was really good, so much for relying on my memory. I also trust Warner and often buy Warner titles as a blind buy and haven't been let down as a result of that trust until now. I just listened to it and the Dolby Digital 5.1 is a big disappointment. This is the worst Warner surround release I own so I guess I am glad it does have 96kHz/24-Bit LPCM as I expect I will like that much better. It is a nice album and I am not a long time Rush fan and have only begun to listen to their music recently. I will give it a 5, because the album is so good, let's say 7 for the music and 3 for fidelity and mix. The mix isn't nearly as big an issue as the murky sound for me.

Chris
 
Darn, I ordered this thinking I had read it was really good, so much for relying on my memory. I also trust Warner and often buy Warner titles as a blind buy and haven't been let down as a result of that trust until now. I just listened to it and the Dolby Digital 5.1 is a big disappointment. This is the worst Warner surround release I own so I guess I am glad it does have 96kHz/24-Bit LPCM as I expect I will like that much better. It is a nice album and I am not a long time Rush fan and have only begun to listen to their music recently. I will give it a 5, because the album is so good, let's say 7 for the music and 3 for fidelity and mix. The mix isn't nearly as big an issue as the murky sound for me.

Chris

The DD sound on the MVI stinks! If you want to check out Rush, get Rush Snakes & Arrows Live on BD. The 5.1 is DTS HD Master Audio. A very fun concert disc! Neil Peart's drum solo is stellar.

We need a poll on this one!
 
Unless this disc is authored differently than the others I know of from Warner, Capitol, AIX and DTS Inc, the 96kHz/24bit LPCM* stereo track will play on any dvd player (y) not just dvd-audio players. And if the 96/24 track used the MLP lossless compression format, that would have done nothing to improve its sound & Meridian's licensing fees would very probably have increased the price of the disc.

* for newbies: the "L" stands for "linear"
 
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