Dire Straits-Brothers In Arms 5.1 coming

That's exactly what Bishop is saying.

24 tracks of 44.1/16 PCM >> D/A >> analogue mixing for surround >> A/D conversion for SACD using DSD.

Surprise!

 

No such animal has been announced, though you could be right.

 

I've ordered SACDs from Europe and they've come straight to my mailbox with no clammy customs interference.

 

That's great news! I'm a newbie to overseas ordering, so thanks for the info.

 

Friends,

There very well could be sonic improvements on this disc...two possible areas:

1. Better mastering on more recent equipment.
2. Lower jitter in the production process.

Probably best for us to wait on the disc and then compare it with the XRCD which sounds very nice...

 

Also, if anyone here really believes that remastering a PCM source into DSD cannot yield improvements, I beg them to listen to Norah Jones Come Away With Me (reportedly, the stereo mix was sourced from 44.1/16 PCM) and Bob Dylan Oh, Mercy and compare them to their original CD releases.

 

Uh oh......every time the NJ comes up it starts a war or words. I agree with you, but some "bits and bytes" guys freak out over this issue.

 

You're right. I didn't mean to try and start a war. Perhaps I should quantify my statement. I do not mean to say that there is nothing wrong with the way NJ was transfered. Certainly it would have made much more sense to use the original masters and go straight analogue -> DSD, perhaps yielding an even better result. But, IMO, the SA-CD is still better than the original CD.

 

I agree.

 

Glenn Meadows should be able to answer this one. Anbody know if he reads this group? If so maybe he'll chime in.

 

I only say that because doing the mixing in analog should avoid the build up of extra quantisation from the original 16 bit studio multi-tracks. That was all I meant by that statement.

Otherwise... fine, I'll leave it up to ya'll who have the equipment to do the real listening tests .

 

OK, so the 5.1 is PCM->analog->DSD. But will the stereo also be converted to analog? And if so, will the CD layer be downsampled from the DSD? If so, the CD layer will be PCM->analog->DSD->PCM.

 

Michael,

One question...who cares about the CD layer? I will certainly be listening to the Super Audio layer.

 

Lee,

For a guy who is always extolling the virtues of the iPod, it's odd that you don't know what anybody would use a CD layer for!

 

PCM > analog > DSD.

As far as what this release will sound like compared to previous versions, now we don't just have the effects of DSD to consider, but what the analog mixing equipment has possibly added.

Was it tube-based? SS-based? Was a microwave in use nearby for the surround mixer's beef-n-cheese burrito?

 

I think I've made like 4 favorable comments on the iPod versus 5 million on Super Audio.

In any event, we always have the XRCD to rip to the iMac & iPod.

 

Ahem, to the Power Mac and iPod for me, thank you.

 

Why on earth would anybody keep the XRCD when we all know that the SACD will sound way superior, just by the nature of using DSD!

 

Well just wait until I get my PowerMac based on the dualcore chips!

 

This is fantastic news! I'll get the import SACD. After the REM cd+dvd debacle (no cd remastering) I'm not trusting WB very much.

As for improving or not improving a digital source, I know that the original BIA cd sounds different than the remaster. They both sound great, but the snare in So Far Away on the remaster seems to have lost a lot of the 'snap' it has on the original cd. However, most songs on the remaster seem to have better bass tone. Was an LP mix used for the original? or was it a flat transfer of the true master tape? I was under the impression that many early cds in general did not use the true master. I may be wrong.

And Rush's Power Windows & Hold Your Fire remasters were a definite improvement over the original IMO (PW finally has bass!) and those are digital recordings. I'm not sure what was changed, or if it is just a matter of better equipment. I wish I could ask Mr. Ludwig as I believe he did both issues of the Rush cds...

I know that there are hardware components and software involved in mastering a CD. How those links in the chain encode/decode data could affect the final product. Just look at how different computers render data - the data is the same, but what processor, monitor, sound card, graphics card one has, or decoder (winamp, MediaPlayer) version can make a huge difference in what comes out.

 

Ditto

 

This may fit better in the hardware forum, but since the topic of digital sameness was previously breeched in this thread, here's a link to a very informative (at least for me) web page -

http://www.johnvestman.com/digital_myth.htm

 

I'm sorry, but this guy is obviously deaf. He says:

Even Maxell 700 mb silver CDs sound different from the Maxell Pro or Maxell "Music" CDRs (and those black ones sound harsh!!!).

It is a well established 'fact' in the audiophile 'community' that black CD-Rs sound like the songs of angels.

I can't take seriously any comments by somebody who doesn't worship black CD-Rs.

So buying decisions regarding high-res discs should be based on whether the Redbook content has been remastered?

 

I'm only speaking for myself. I have the original WB R.E.M. discs and they sound fine, but I think Green and Out of Time could be improved. However, I can't play DVD-A in my car, or at work, and I only have one room in my house to listen to hi-res. To me, the premium prices WB/Rhino is charging for the cd+dvd is too much - especially because I would have to re-buy the same version I already own. If the cd's were improved, then it might be worth it to me - because I use both cd's and hi-res. If I didn't already own the cds, then it may be different.

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As for the Black CD reference - I agree with you. I find the black cd-rs to, at the very least, be much more scratch resistant than non-black cd-rs, and I think they sound good. I thought that he does bring up many points at least to think about, and I like that he links to other sources of information.

 

Brian Moura's article at highfidelityreview.com on the "BIA" SACD....there's a second version?

http://www.highfidelityreview.com/news/news.asp?newsnumber=15140897