Pink Floyd - DSOTM - SACD Review/Discussion Thread

Well, you CAN fold it down, but why??

Yes, it is very different, the 5.1 mix. I would put that effort into getting a 5.1 analog chain setup though. Unless you're hearing it properly, I woulnd't bother. You knock the fun right out of it. It's like going to Disney and asking to sit on the ferris wheel, and then asking them to NOT turn it on!

 

Thanks for the reply, Steve. Would you say the rather large differences I noted between the new SACD redbook layer and the MoFi CD could be accounted for merely on the basis of the filtration you mention? I'm less interested in the Toshiba DSOTM in this comparison because (insert red face here) I just remembered that it has pre-emphasis and thus would give a false reading of peak and average levels from a straight rip.

Are there any numbers that would reveal genuine compression besides peak value and average RMS level value? If not, it seems we're back to subjective impressions (not that they have no value, but mileages do vary) and the testimony of mastering engineers if we can find them and get them to say what they did.

 

Well, I hit my local Best Buy and Coconut's stores today and came away empty-handed. Best Buy had a sign in the Pink Floyd CD section saying to look for the SACD/CD in the DVD-Audio and SACD sections. I don't know why the sign mentioned DVD-Audio, but it did. Anyway, there were no copies of the new disc anywhere to be found. I then found an endcap with a large poster of the new album cover, but the shelves were empty. I asked someone if they had copies in the back, and she checked the computer and found that they had 40 copies back there. However, because the release date is not until tomorrow, she couldn't sell me a copy. She told me that they put the sign up and endcap together this morning to get ready for tomorrow. They have to do two minutes worth of work 24 hours in advance??? They are only setting themselves up for other people to bug them all day like I did.

 

Keep in mind that small amounts of limiting and/or compression are not really that much of a problem, despite what most here think. Remember that the original (Japanese and US pressed) SH versions of Who's Next are slightly limited/clipped, and as such have slightly *less* dynamic range than some other CD versions (probably in the ballpark of 3 dB). Yet I don't see anyone complaining.

Such numeric comparisons can be interesting and helpful for finding certain problems, but they certainly aren't the last word in sound quality.

 

oblio98,
Thank's for the comparison review.
Makes me wish I had the AP in DTS 24/96!

 

Some people are desperate to get a copy. Check this out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2517927720&category=1573

The bidders could go to a local store and get a copy for less than the high bid, and well before the auction ends.

 

Nor would I say they were.

That said, I have found that I can hear compression differences of about 2 db, at least as revealed by such numbers as these, and I'm usually bothered by the difference in a remaster if it's greater than 3 db or so, depending on how narrow the peak-to-average range becomes.

For me, the most reliable predictor (or reflection) of my listening satisfaction is the RMS average level. If it's much above -12 db or so, I find the disc hard to listen to, at any volume level. The only exception would be stuff like The Raspberries that's already very compressed.

 

I certainly noticed it on the first listen as I was listening thru headphones.

I thought it was some weird interference at first, so I gave it another listen.

I was wondering if anyone else noticed this.

 

I pulled this off the MoFi cd some time ago, and tweaked with the eq so you could hear the music more clearly:

http://www.holyzoo.com/~jeff/dsotm.mp3

 

I noticed that for the first time on MoFi vinyl, and it was even more obvious(through phones)on the gold disc. Still can't figure out why it's there.
One of rock history's little mysteries...

ED

 

Sorry.

 

I first heard it listening to a DSOTM CD (can't remember which release) over headphones almost a decade ago. Has anyone ever figured out what recording it is, or at least what tune? Sounds like some kind of elevator music to me.

 

I wonder if I could hear the crosstalk on my 8-track tape of Dark Side of the Moon. 8-track, of course, is famous for crosstalk.

 

Perhaps it's a little telepathic message from Syd.

The lunatic is in the grooves...

 

Fascinating. I wonder who's sweetening track that was. Clearly not classical after all.

"Ho ho ho Hee hee hee"

 

"Has anyone ever figured out what recording it is, or at least what tune?"

I'm hearing Ticket to Ride.

 

(Answered in PM to avoid drifting too far off topic.)

 

Hey, you're right.

I didn't listen to Holy Zoo's MP3 at first because I thought it would be the same as another file of that bit that someone made for me years ago. Turns out HZ's done a much better job of filtering out the bass, leaving the melody clearer.

This raises a few questions:

1) Whose rendition of TTR is it?

2) What is it doing at the end of DSOTM?

3) Did the Beatles ever know about it? And did they ever try to get royalties?

 

Got the same thing in the Burbank Best Buy.

 

I know that the original 2 channel stereo mix is on there but when I select multichannel on my 555ES I get some sort of different mix. For example, at the start of Money I only get 1/2 of the cash register effects, bits of instrumentation are missing, etc. This is w/ my interconnects hooked up to the L and R 2 channel jacks only (not the multichannel jacks.) Any idea w/ is going on?

Of course the original 2 channel mix is my main interest but hearing this fold down mix is interesting if you want some of Dave's guitar lines a little better.

Shine On,

Chris

 

As far as I know, there's no way to downmix a 5.1 mix to stereo in the player itself. If I'm not mistaken, the L and R stereo jacks are electrically identical to the L and R 5.1 jacks. So essentially what you're hearing are the front two channels of the 5.1 mix.

 

As far as I know, such a fold down is only possible in a receiver, not in a player.

As for "why?" Well, for someone who wants to hear the remix but who doesn't have a 5.1 system. You know, to hear what's different, to hear 2 fewer generations of tape hiss, etc. If the remix were identical to the stereo mix in every way but the stereo/5.1 aspect, it would be a moot issue. But there *are* differences.

It's the same reason why people play Quad LPs on a stereo setup - there are often differences beyond just the positioning.

 

OK. That makes sense.

Chris

 

Agreed. Listening to just the front 2 channels is akin to listening to stuff OOPS. As a big Gilmore fan it's neat to be able to listen to some of his guitar lines that were obscured by overdubs on the stereo mix. It's a nice bonus for those (like me) that don't have a 5.1 setup. I very satisfied w/ this package. Hopefully the rest of the PF catalog will get the same treatment.

Chris

 

I'm with Luke here...

In fact, I've played Dark Side so many times in my life that I'm kind of numb to it.

So with the new surround release I'm even considering breaking apart the different channels onto mono on CDR so I can listen to each channel independently, just for the change.