DVD-A Mini-Reviews: Contribute!
Mar 9, 2004 at 3:15 AM Post #31 of 63
picked up a few just a week ago:

Yes - Fragile: Excellent. I love the surround mix with dolby headphone processing. Menus are ok, picture browsing is amusing (for a young guy who absolutely loves King Crimson it was funny to see Bill Bruford looking like a meathead rock drummer). The 24bit stereo mix is only 96khz on this release, but is very clear.

Eagles - Hotel California: Ok if you can stand to hear it again. Again I'm young and don't listen to the radio so the song hasn't worn off. As all of you prolly know (I didn't) the rest of this album is pretty much filler. Nice relaxing music though.

Beethoven 9th Symphony: There's a whole series of symphony releases by one conductor (can't remember name and I'm too lazy to look). My favorite DVD-A release so far. Again 5.1 mix with dolby headphone sounds absolutely incredible. I'm pretty sure the 5.1 is mixed from the perspective of the conductor (could be wrong though), so the insruments truly surround you. One of the cleanest classical recordings I've ever heard (no hiss), you'll hear page turns & coughs better than if you were there.

Metallica - black: Several others have reviewed this but I have to say I'm not impressed with the surround mix. Very muddy. Haven't listened to the stereo mix yet.
 
Mar 13, 2004 at 3:31 PM Post #32 of 63
Linkin Park - "Reanimation"
I'm a huge Linkin Park fan, have all their albums and such, seen them in concert several times now, and when I got my new SACD/DVD-A player and found out they had an album out on the DVD-A format, I hadta grab it. I also have this album on standard redbook CD, so I can give fair comparison. Being that this entire album is a remix album, the music definitely benefits from the DVD-A ability. In 5.1 the sound surrounds you amazingly...they worked hard & did an excellent job remaking this for 5.1. In the 2-channel mode through my headphones, yet again you're enveloped in sound...they did an *awesome* job of seperating the right/left channels and how they flip the vocals & music back and forth to the beat, it's really good. In comparison to the standard CD, I heard a lot more details, little turntable scratches and vocals that I missed before can be clearly heard on the DVD-A. Also, the bass (which is very prominent on this album) is *very* tight & precise. If you're a Linkin Park fan & don't have this album, DEFINITELY get it if you've got a DVD-A player. If you just have the standard version, I'd recommend this if you're a hardcore LP fan and want to listen to them sounding as good as possible. Overall, an excellent album & a definite improvement over the redbook. As a side note, FRGT/10, track #5, is INSANE in DVD-A. The bass even rocks my headphones...this track really stands out on this version. I purchased this for ~$16 at cduniverse.com.

Outkast - "Stankonia"
I've basically read over all of these DVD-A reviews & I'm pretty sure I haven't seen this album reviewed yet. Maybe it's just because I'm young, but I love Outkast. They are absolutely brilliant with beats & vocals. They are so unique in comparison to mainstream rappers it really sets them apart...I have *never* purchased a rap ablum before this one, but I love these guys, and I wanted to hear it in DVD-A. This was my favorite album they released, so I'm glad it was chosen to be re-released on DVD-A. And boy does it shine. The vocals are CRYSTAL clear, you can hear every single work each of them raps, it's amazing. And the rest of the music is just as good...even the 2-channel mode sounds incredible through headphones. The bass is very potent & detailed but not overpowering. Track #12, Xplosive, is easily one of the best rap songs I've ever listened to. If you enjoy rap at all, or are just looking for some good-time-bouce-to music, this is it. The *only* quirk I had with this one is that through headphones, at times, Andre's high-pitched voice can come close to peircing, but it's only a minor quirk, and through typical speakers you don't have this issue...it's just that his voice being so close to your ear makes it more sensative to his incredible frequency range. The quality is astounding & the video extras are a nice touch. I purchased this for ~$16 from cduniverse.com.

**For those looking to buy some DVD-A's, Amazon has a really slack selection, but CDUniverse.com has it's own "DVD Audio" section with basically every title ever released at very reasonable prices and they shipped within 1 day. I don't work there, lol, I'm just a customer, but it's a great place to get DVD-As.
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Mar 17, 2004 at 6:14 AM Post #33 of 63
STING, "Sacred Love." This is a fantastic sounding and well produced DVD-Audio disc. It features Meridian Lossless Packing and 24bit/96KHz Advanced Resolution Stereo / 6.1 channel surround sound. There are eleven songs and some DVD music videos of certain tracks as well. This is probably the first DVD-Audio disc that I have in my small collection that sounds less like your typical DVD-Audio disc and just plain old good music. Recommended!
 
Mar 20, 2004 at 1:39 AM Post #34 of 63
Metallica - "Black"

Ahh, the famous Black Album by Metallica...it's a masterpeice already, but how would it perform on DVD-A? Well I loved the original, it just strikes a chord w/ me in some way...it's basically the ONLY Metal album I own, yet it's easily one of my favorite albums of all time. The DVD-A version has multichannel & stereo...the multichannel has been thoroughly talked about (and basically been said that it's not so good), but I'll focus on the stereo version. I think it's stupendous to say the least. Every song is easily better than the standard CD counterpart...there's zero hiss, the drums are never muddy, and the guitars punch is never distorted...what more could you ask for? How about perfectly clear vocals and lead lines? Each song sounds just beautiful...the songs that begin with soft guitar picking are pristine...the re-mastering really shines. If you don't own the original, this is a must buy if you have a DVD-A player. If you own the original, I'd still shell out the ~$15 if you have it handy. It's worth it for the stereo sound. I purchased this for $14.99 from Amazon.com.
 
Mar 20, 2004 at 2:16 PM Post #35 of 63
A little off topic, but...
I happen to think that the multichannel version of Metallica's "Black" is great! It is a clean, well produced release, that I use to show friends the power and separation of a good 5.1 set-up. It also shows that the record companies took a very good tape master, and turned it into mass produced crap on the original CD.
 
Apr 3, 2004 at 4:26 PM Post #36 of 63
What a great statement for hi-rez 5.1 audio. I have always loved ELP, and now, with the ample, but judicious use of the surround channels, the clean sound, and the great playing as always by ELP, I am in retro heaven. Ah, now all I need is a mind altering....never mind.

The addition of "Lucky Man" is a big bonus IMHO. A great ballad in surround. You are enveloped.

I can only hope ELP does remixes of Trilogy, Tarkus, etc.
 
Apr 30, 2004 at 12:38 AM Post #39 of 63
I've just finished listening to the DVD-A version of Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. I thought that the SACD version was very good, but this one is really dynamite!! It's got a bigger soundstage than the SACD by far...I like it a lot!!
 
Apr 30, 2004 at 1:24 AM Post #40 of 63
Elrod-Tom:

I've been trying to get a copy myself. Where did you get yours? Do you have some kind of UPC code or a link where I can get a copy myself? I've put this one on my wish list for awhile.
 
Apr 30, 2004 at 3:49 AM Post #41 of 63
Quote:

Originally Posted by Welly Wu
Elrod-Tom:

I've been trying to get a copy myself. Where did you get yours? Do you have some kind of UPC code or a link where I can get a copy myself? I've put this one on my wish list for awhile.


Ditto. I have the Redbook and SACD versions, but didn't think that the DVD-A was due out yet. I also didn't see it at CD Universe yet. Any help on where to find it?
 
Apr 30, 2004 at 10:33 AM Post #42 of 63
I got mine from Tower Records...they just started shipping the other day, and I was on the list for one for a while. Check their web site...it's probably been up there for about three weeks.

Tower Records - Elton John DVD

Enjoy
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Apr 30, 2004 at 10:39 AM Post #43 of 63
Thanks Tom. I'll be ordering one soon enough. I am anxious to hear how it sounds on the various incarnations of it I have.
 
Apr 30, 2004 at 11:52 AM Post #44 of 63
Both amusicdirect.com and acousticsounds.com are advertising the GYBR DVD-Audio version.
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Doug...I see you're serving California now. That must be quite a change.
 
May 9, 2004 at 8:14 PM Post #45 of 63
I got Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road on DVD-Audio and it is really quite terrific. I love the Making of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and its pop history information. Good stuff for new fans like myself. The music is well...a classic in pop / rock history. It speaks for itself. However, the sound quality is simply superb. I love how well Elton John's music is played back on the DVD-Audio format. This is the perfect symbiosis between music and the format (IMHO). Highly recommended!
 
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