How Do You Show Off Your 5.1 System?

Hey everyone,

Well, my receiver was a casualty of a lightening storm we had a few weeks ago and I had to replace it with a new one (darn it! ). I bought this Pioneer. I love it by the way. (I'm finally able to hear SACD's through an all analog path!)

So now that I'm finally able to hear multichannel SACD's I'm wondering which tracks you guys play when you want to show off your systems?

I've been playing Time from Dark Side of the Moon. I searched for something off of Beck's Sea Change and Peter Gabriel's UP since I love those 5.1 mixes but nothing has that instant payoff like Time.

Anyone have a suggestion?

 

Gee, I might have a few!

For people with "lite" tastes, I go for Candle In The Wind from GYBR. It's easy on the ears, and it shows them what 5.1 is all about.

You can't go wrong with More Than This from Avalon. It's so discrete and warm sounding.

Just tonight I played some cuts from Porcupine Tree's In Absentia DVD-A. Jamie....GET THIS!!!!!!!! It sounds like Soundgarden meets Yes and smokes a joint with CSNY! The first cut, Blackened Eyes, is brilliant for showing off 5.1....AND it's mixed by Elliot Scheiner!

Try Paper Tiger from Beck....that's an attention grabber

 

You may have just sold a record for them.

 

all the 5.1 guys must be sitting in the sweet spot listening.......Oblio! Where are u?

 

There's nothing like playing "Audio" from Blue Man Group, track 3 ("TV Song"), and let all people listen to the first 5 meter drum whack at full force, with the entire assortment of strange sounds around you.

It takes me back to the first time I saw the group at the Luxor Hotel... I felt someone was working a sledgehammer against my chest.


Congrats on your new piece of equipment, Jamie! I own a Pioneer THX integrated and love it. It does sound a lot more powerful than my old Yammy.

 

I always use Dark Side of the Moon and Queen A Night at the Opera (Bohemian Rhapsody) to show off 5.1.

Sean

 

That's a nice reciever

When I want to listen to a 5.1 disc that has a soundstage that can't be touched with a stereo recording, I put on Ryan Adam's Gold SACD. The track "La Cienega Just Smiled" takes me to another place all together

P.S. Nice mastering by our friend Doug Sax, to boot!

 

Queen's Videos 2 has some awesome 5.1 material especially "Who Wants To Live Forever".

And don't forget Movies in 5.1.....try Final Destination 2, Chapter 2 begins a great sonic sequence where a large logging truck loses control and flips on a highway....wow!!

I also recommend the new Porcupine Tree DTS/DVDA "In Absentia".....$14.99 at BestBuy.....it's killer ROCK!

 

Sam Cooke At The Copa

 

Would you believe I was standing in a hospital emergency room for 7 hours!! YUK!
Got a call from the police that my wife had slid off the road in the snow storm and impacted a tree. Cop said that she hit the tree between 35-40 MPH. She has, er had, a 2002 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab which now has a large indentation pushing the license plate halfway into the engine compartment.

She's OK. She had her Seatbelts on, and the airbag saved her, but she is bruised big time. We had to wait at the hospital while they did MRIs and cat scans.

So, that's where I was!

Anyway, Lately I use the Flaming Lips for a demo for the "younger folks". I somehow got a copy of a CD that is said to be a test burn from DTS for their attempted DSOTM, Alan Parsons mix. This is not a Q8 conversion. Someone in California sent it to me, and I use that one for demoing DSOTM. I put on "Us and Them", and it generally blows everyone away.

Also, almost any Steely Dan or Donald Fagen is the ticket as well.

Jamie, how about the Nilsson I sent you!?

 

Wow, glad to hear she's ok...thats quite an accident. TG for airbags and seatbelts....I wish everybody would use them.

 

Hey Jon,

Glad to hear your wife is okay. I'm sure she'll be sore for a few weeks. Be nice and spoil her now. She'll need the attention.

Those Nilsson mixes are very cool indeed.

 

Fight Club is a fun little demo movie for 5.1 The plane crash is probably responsible for a great deal of my insulation settling. The skyscraper explosions combined with The Pixies at the end are cool too.

 

Oblio, I am glad to hear your wife is OK. I hate automobile accidents.
But, back to 5.1. I use any track from GAUCHO, a very sweet sounding SACD. Also, Earth Wind & Fire GRATITUDE provides a great demo disc. For music that is simply everywhere, I have to throw on Spyro Gyra HEADS UP on SACD. Man this disc just throws it all at your system.

 

The 'Flaming Lips' and 'Porcupine Tree' discs are absolutely a must have (for surround). Even if you don't have a DVD-A player...play the DD/DTS tracks. Everyone interested in surround should have/hear these discs.

 

She's Electric by Oasis - it's the only track on the album with a lot of discrete rear speaker content, but does it rock!!! Just happens to be my favourite Oasis track, but apart from that I'm not biased or anything.

 

The two CHICAGO DVD-As are great for demos, as well as "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Tommy" on SA-CD.

BTW, here is a peek at my wifes truck...

 

Ouch!!

Glad your wife is OK and hope it was insured.

 

How do I show off my 5.1 system?

I lock the front door and open the curtains.

 

jon-
OUCH! With an impact looking like that- thank GOD for airbags and belts! Glad to hear your wife is okay- and that is bruises. Yes- she is sore, and the bruises will go away, but at least nothing life threatening.

LAst year my Regal was totalled- rear ended by a guy doing 40 while I was stopped. Shortened car by 2 feet on one side, and trunk floor touching ground. Pushed my into other lane and hit someone else head-on. My front end didn't look anywhere near as bad, and I walked away being belted in. Bags never went off.

Back to the music- I was never a big Steely Dan fan- BUT I absolutely LOVE my Gaucho SACD. I use that as demo for friends- as it is a very smooth effect rather than a very "aggressive" surround mix. Some aggressive types can be fatigueing trying to keep up with what is coming from here.

BTW- who does UCONN play next? Tis a shame Uconn had to play another New England team in opening round(Vermont).

Chris

 

Aerosmith Toys in the Attic

 

Blood On The Tracks
American Beauty
Fragile
Beatles Anthology DVD
Sympathy For The Devil
Sea Change
Any Steely Dan or Donald Fagan

 

I like to use these SACDs, Jamie:

Police - Roxanne (excellent dynamic range)
Beck - Lost Cause (great sounding song, lots of emotion)
Peter White - Glow (any song - well mastered recording!)

 

Nice Pioneer receiver you got there Jamie!. Here's a couple of 5.1 demo recommendations fer ya:
Toccata and Karn Evil 9 from ELP's BSS DVD-A!

Tim

 

I still haven't gotten the ELP disc. I heard it at an AES convention back in like 1997. Thought it was pretty amazing sounding.

I just listened to the Beck disc again. Excellent surround mixes.

Is the Alan Parson's quad mix of Dark Side significantly better than the Guthrie mixes? I thought James did a very fine job making the new mixes sound like something familiar.