skip to main |
skip to sidebar
I actually spend lots of time at Blu-ray.com, and I don't even own a Blu-ray player yet.
That probably sounds silly, but my first purchase of one is probably not that far off (with new formats and technologies, I typically like to wait for a couple generations of players to cycle through before diving in).
I do tons of research in advance of such an investment, and of course that means the media too.
I really like the reviews of Blu-ray discs on this site...after all, it's the top-of-the-line format out there right now, with the high def craze that's going on and everyone upgrading their equipment.
I go here to review music discs, and have found every review I've read so far to be really helpful. They get into a high degree of technical jargon without losing you, and focus on both the video and audio portions.
This site is also a cataloger of sorts, helpfully indicating what's actually available out there in the Blu-ray format. Since we're less than 2 years removed from the format war with HD DVD, it's going to take time to get through older movies and videos...I'm guessing part of it will involve how high the demand is...otherwise there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it.
For example, The Band The Last Waltz from 1978 has been out on Blu-ray for over a year now, but none of the Star Wars movies are available, so forget logic.
In the case of my personal amusement; when I went there and couldn't find Pink Floyd Pulse on Blu-ray (a concert from 1994 that I wasn't expecting to find on the format, but I thought I'd check anyway), I was treated to a review of David Gilmour Remember that Night instead, and found it had some features and extras that are more appealing to me anyway, such as ancient Floyd bits. There was another excellent review of Rush Snakes & Arrows Live at the site.
I'm scoping all this stuff out in anticipation of picking up a few titles to augment the collection.
It's not just music, there's reviews of movies as well...and anything else, for that matter, that's out on our most recent and illustrious media format, Blu-ray.
I was recently doing what I do best with my exceptionally valuable time; perusing through the racks of a used CD store...what can I say, it's a pastime of mine.
While some old habits die hard, some other habits will never die...God willing.
For those of you who are new to the 5.1 Surround Sound format, you've all heard it in the theaters - especially if you're into sci-fi stuff like Star Wars. It's where the sound seems to journey around the room and spin around your head.
Some out there think the term "5.1" is some sort of secret industry code, as if it needs to be decrypted...it actually means "5 speakers, 1 sub woofer." Meaning 1 speaker at front center, 1 front right, 1 front left, 1 rear right, 1 rear left, and the sub usually goes to the side of the entertainment center (or even behind it if it's in the way).
Some of you may have heard it on a friend's home stereo; but again, it's been geared mainly towards the viewing of movies...your friend's media collection probably reflects that unless you know someone who is a total audiophile and has a collection of 5.1 Surround Sound music CDs (actually they're technically DVDs)...then why bother reading this article, right?
Uh, yeah...right. Sure. Yabetchya. Whatever.
Well it so happens that those DVD players that are set up for 5.1 Surround Sound movies will also play the music DVDs, which are set up the same way. That all being said, most consumers these days know to purchase a DVD disc player since it plays both DVDs and CDs... the only remaining question at the time of purchase, of course, being whether or not the unit also plays HDCDs, but that's "audiophile filler" for another day...
So at this time I have no 5.1 Surround Sound system set up at home, nor have I ever had one set up, period. Ever. I'm in the middle of packing the condo for a move into a house, which hopefully will occur sooner rather than later. The most hi-fi I'm getting is through an old bookshelf stereo system with one CD player and two cassette decks, my computer, a trusty 160GB iPod, a SwimP3 I use for doing laps at the pool (a very very cool little gizmo, made by Finis), a 6 CD changer in my 13 year-old vehicle with blown out speakers that occasionally bark at me, and the speakers of the standard television in the living room...a real hi-fi experience, I must say.
Completely apathetic for someone who dedicates a blog solely to the subject of music.
...so meanwhile, back in the CD racks...this all being said, I decided to take an investment risk. I picked up a copy of Porcupine Tree's 2002 release In Absentia in a 5.1 Surround Sound DVD format. Remember, I don't have a 5.1 Surround Sound arrangement at home.
Yes, I'm a dummy.
I decided that when I move, the killer stereo setup is inevitable and therefore will happen; and when it does, looky here...I'll have a handful of discs that can play to the 5.1 format.
Actually, I'm a genius. Thank you very little.
Now that I think of it, so far I've purchased two 5.1 DVDs without ever having heard what a 5.1 DVD sounds like.
So scratch the genius thing, I'm back to being a dummy again.
A Circuit City was nearby the record store, so I decided to stop by there to play my new disc and see what it sounded like...and I was COMPLETELY BLOWN AWAY!!!
5.1 Surround Sound is everything I've dreamt of, and more. It makes you feel like you're on stage with the band. I hear acoustic guitars coming out of the rear speakers, voices coming out of the front, and electric guitars in the middle with the drums...I have information coming at me from all over the room.
For you old school folks out there who once thought you were hearing Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon on what was called "quadrophonic sound," this is essentially what that myth claimed to be...
...so needless to say, I highly recommend this format, but only if you're set up for it... Unless, of course, you're going to be set up for it "soon," then go ahead and buy 5.1 Surround Sound music DVDs and haul your friggin' collection around audio stores and play them on friends systems around town.
Yeah, that's it!
Then you'll get raised eyebrows wherever you go, and they'll say: "Hey look, there goes the 5.1 Surround Sound Music Fairy." S
I take my music seriously. What can I say. If you couple that with the fact that I'm an audiophile with the completest mentality, that
pretty much means that I've fallen prey to the music industry's moneymaking machine.
By looking at my collection, I'm sure I've probably spent tens of thousands of dollars over the years on putting it together. Between all the rock, jazz, country, bluegrass, classical, opera, boxed sets, reissues, multiple issues and special editions, it's an expensive habit. ...oh yeah, I forgot about my Eddie Murphy and Adam Sandler comedy collection. That's not to mention my interest in collecting rare vinyl that's starting to give me new ideas that could potentially spider into a whole new facet of collecting music.
God help me.
I've always fully admitted, with great pride, that my big vice in life is music. What can I say; IT IS my life. Most of my memories revolve around music. I can tell you where I heard a specific song 20 years ago, what I was doing, and who I was with at the time. My brain is just wired that way.
The issues of remastered old CDs have come up in conversations I've had with friends over the years, again and again. In my experience, remastered CDs (which started to surface around 1992) bring out much more punch and clarity to the recording. Some people I know claim they can't hear any difference; I tell them their deaf. However, to be fair, there are remastered CDs out there that simply don't cut the mustard. For whatever reason.
The best remastered CDs I've heard so far come from Warner Bros. records. Specifically the Dire Straits catalog from 1978-1991 and the Van Halen catalog from 1978-1983 really stands out. The clarity and detail seem to jump off the disc.
The Van Halen ones in particular are absolutely amazing. I'm hearing things I never heard before with the older CD issues, and obviously with the vinyl or cassette versions (I was more of a vinyl guy before CDs came out, the cassettes were garbage IMO). I started by picking up my personal favorite by them Fair Warning (shown here, pleasant mugging scenes and all), and then after hearing that I went back to get the five others: Van Halen, Van Halen II, Women and Children First (shown at top of post), Diver Down, and 1984 (actually released in 1983).
All the VH remasters so far are only from the David Lee Roth era, and obviously that's where they should be starting. Maybe we'll get the Sammy ones reissued at a later time, but I think most fans are happy with their first 6 projects. ...oh and that other one with Gary Cherone---I'm sure we'll be on the edge of our seats waiting for THAT.
These are the CDs meant for waking up the neighbors---if you turn up the sound, it'll knock your door off its hinges.
...but first put on a set of good headphones and hear the top-notch sound quality!
For starters, Eddie Van Halen's guitar wizardry is absolutely SCREAMING off the disc and blasting me into the 4th dimension. Secondly, the analog recording limitations are revealed; I'm hearing recording defects, lots of guitar hiss, and an occasional click in the tape (where it was probably spliced), which is more charming than anything else---not a bad thing at all. I think it makes the recording more interesting.
Next; if you rip the remasters to an iPod (using a rip rate of 192 kbps, which should completely ditto the full sound spectrum) and put them on shuffle, it gives the impression of a live VH performance and showcases how diversified the band actually is, which I never really picked up on before. The bluesy licks from Women and Children First seem to be sticking out most, since that was the one VH album that I seemed to blow off in the past. Listening to a little John Lee Hooker helped to open that one up a bit. I like the drunken bluesy departure the band takes on WaCF.
If you haven't gone down the remastered avenue yet, and like Van Halen, they're a good place to start. S
I actually spend lots of time at Blu-ray.com, and I don't even own a Blu-ray player yet.
Posts
