What happened to Blu-ray Audio?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by floyd, Mar 25, 2017.

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  1. TonyCzar

    TonyCzar Forum Resident

    Location:
    PhIladelphia, PA
    I'm interested in the potential of DRM-free, hi-res shiny discs.

    Which are about as likely to appear as a unicorn on my front stoop.
     
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  2. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    Many newer Blu-Ray players save for Oppos, are HDMI output only. NO RCA outputs. The MPAA killed that. Unless you buy older Blu-Ray players. And my HiFi is separate, it is two channel higher end items. Not MOVIE or AV Centric. Which gets obsoleted every few years, and inferior sounding for musical nuance, until I spend the equivalent of a new Lexus on itlacks the features I require, and was built to last a lifetime, until your AVR can do that and increase in value with age, then sorry. NOT AN OPTION. Only acceptable replacement for me for what I have is comparable or better McIntosh or like quality or better from other comparable makes.

    Uninformed, NO. And until HiRez plays on open source OS, NOT ACCEPTABLE. I don't buy downloads. I own my music. I buy physical media. And I need a disc transport which is better built than a Blu-Ray, does not take eternity to cue up. And two channel needs to be easily accessible and stay there by default. You like Blu-Ray Audio, you like AVR, you like Surround, we get that. I like Blu-Ray for movies, and for movies I can live with cheaper AV gear which is somewhat disposable. I like audio gear which does not have obnoxious DRM, has no firmware upgrades, and you can enjoy for years. I respect your view, please respect my view.
     
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2017
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  3. Linger63

    Linger63 Forum Resident

    Location:
    AUSTRALIA
    I guess there will always be differing solutions for differing systems.
    As long as there IS a solution....... it's all good!!
     
  4. Linger63

    Linger63 Forum Resident

    Location:
    AUSTRALIA
    You are correct if you mean coax or optical out..........DIRECT FROM THE PLAYER

    Employing a HDMI de embedder gets around this by accepting a full res HDMI feed from the player..........stripping the audio and then sending it on to an external DAC via coax or optical out.

    Most DAC's (all?) will accept a 24/192 PCM 2.0 stream via SPDIF without issue.
     
  5. Linger63

    Linger63 Forum Resident

    Location:
    AUSTRALIA
    Firstly........I don't have an AVR and don't know why you keep mentioning one.
    Glad you are happy with McIntosh gear.............I wasn't overly impressed with the McIntosh gear I have heard and much prefer the direction I chose.
    Don't see what "value increasing with age" has to do with SQ.
    As you seem so offended by cheaper gear........... may I recommend a McIntosh BD player?
    I also own my music and buy physical media........which again is irrelevant to what we were discussing.
    Yes....I like Blu Ray Audio very much........Some AVR's are pretty good but I have a dedicated Pre/Pro.
    I'm glad you got that I like surround but I like stereo just as much..........is that allowed?
    I was simply trying to help you circumvent the very stuff you hate.........like DRM.
    I have enjoyed my player for years and it has had numerous firmware upgrades

    You obviously do not respect my view and have drawn unsupported conclusions based on price points.
    You are also dismissing facts based on " gear not being comparable to McIntosh quality".........LOL

    Have you ever actually heard stereo or M/C BD audio on a good system?
    All I get from your post is that you are set in your opinions and feel quite superior.

    I honestly believe you may even be a little scared of hearing something cheaper that actually betters your high priced gear.
    Why not keep an open mind?

    Anyway.........I WILL respect your view by not offering any more advice and am sorry that I was of no help.
     
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  6. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    I have. I like it. Lots of music I love which does not have multichannel available or never will, too few titles available, But I lack a large enough house to install it the way I want it. 5 or more quality speakers the way I want them, a quality subwoofer which integrates with them, separate power amplifiers, two preamplifiers, one of which must have features for vintage two channel needs, and the room required, make it a deal breaker. I am a two channel music first man, everything else less important. For me, it's about content first. Love Blu-Ray Audio done right, but SACD made much more sense, and easier to deal with for all users. Which is still a superior format for the needs of most everyone. I want something which does Stereo High Res easily but has surround when I want it. SACD for me does that. When Blu-Ray Audio does that for me as easily, and has the music I really want available, I will adopt it. Blu-Ray Audio has promise. But in audio, the two channel high end owners who are early adopters must be catered to. Not all audio companies chose to adopt Blu-Ray audio, video or HDMI and the costs of licensing it are higher for them. And apologies if I came across as a bit too rude. For me, there is less than 70 titles in surround I am passionate about, and thousands of titles, if not tens of thousands of titles I love in mono or two channel I am passionate about. So the majority needs win out. I will be keeping my eyes open on the Blu-Ray audio developments and what the record labels are doing. With an open mind, and open ears. And also hope authoring of such discs is consistent from title to title. Which was a major problem with DVD-A, a format I otherwise liked.
     
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  7. 93curr

    93curr Senior Member

    Has anyone ever issued a box set that includes an SACD? I've got plenty that include a BluRay and plenty that include a DVD but I don't think I've ever seen an SACD sold anywhere except as an individual item.
     
  8. konoyaro

    konoyaro Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bay Area, CA, USA
    The Genesis box sets from 2007 spring to mind. SACD in Europe and Japan, DVD-V in the US though.
     
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  9. Linger63

    Linger63 Forum Resident

    Location:
    AUSTRALIA
    The Genesis ones were unknown to me until konoyaro's post!!

    This is the only one I was previously aware of............I own it............not exactly mainstream!!!!

    The Nordic Sound: 2L Audiophile Reference Recordings Blu-ray


    Hang on.................just found a couple more...............seems to be mainly a Nordic thing!!!

    KIND Ensemble 96 Blu-ray

    This one is appears Korean though........

    말러: 교향곡 8번 천인교향곡 Blu-ray
     
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2017
  10. 93curr

    93curr Senior Member

    Yeah, kind of. But that's really more a set of SACDs packaged together (with a CD added for...some reason? for people who don't have an SACD player, maybe?) rather than a box set of CDs with a DVD or BluRay of the album added as an audiophile extra

    Maybe if Jethro Tull had included an SACD with their Deluxe 'Aqualung' box instead of a BluRay or if King Crimson had included an SACD with any of their boxes instead of a BluRay it might have helped the format's public image.
     
  11. Sevoflurane

    Sevoflurane Forum Resident

    The UK Genesis sets contain a hybrid SACD and a DVD Video, which has bonus video as well as the surround mixes in Dolby Digital and DTS 9624. The SACD plays fine in a normal CD player as one would expect from a hybrid disc.
     
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  12. Bill Mac

    Bill Mac Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Why are you surprised there would be an interest in Blu-ray Audio? Apparently you don't pay that close attention to the threads about Blu-ray Audio here on SH and the anticipation of those releases. Unlike you I'm almost 100% physical formats (CDs, DVD-As, SACDs and Blu-ray Audio) and have no interest in music downloads. There are many others here on SH that prefer spinning discs over buying downloads. So because you have no interest in physical music formats there is no need for them?
     
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  13. Kyhl

    Kyhl On break

    Location:
    Savage
    I wasn't clear enough. I buy more physical product than downloads. The digital ones get ripped (including SACD), put on a server, then put in a box as another form of backup.
    The large black disc are still spun though. :D
    I just have no interest in another "new" format, be it disc or some download licensing scheme.

    To me, that is the simple answer to, What ever happen to BD Audio. It never happened imo.
     
  14. Bill Mac

    Bill Mac Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Gotcha. Your post made it seem like you weren't interested in physical media at all. Thanks for the explanation. That's too bad as you might miss out on some great sounding titles on Blu-ray Audio :).
     
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  15. ggjjr

    ggjjr Forum Resident

    Location:
    Grosse Pointe
    Everyone will adopt Blu-ray as soon as they come out with the MQA versions.
     
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  16. scobb

    scobb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    I think the market was very small to start with and then they made it very difficult by making hdmi incompatible with most traditional stereo amplifiers and then they got rid of analogue out on most blu ray players reducing the very small market even further.
     
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  17. soundboy

    soundboy Senior Member

    Norah Jones SACD boxset

    Also Bob Dylan and Yes.

    Plenty of SACD boxsets released overseas.
     
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2017
  18. 93curr

    93curr Senior Member

    But, again, those are box sets of SACDs, not CD box sets that also include SACDs, in the same way that bands issue CD box sets that also include a DVD or a BluRay as an audiophile bonus. No one's even going to consider buying those if they're not already buying SACDs. Unlike, say, the casual CD buyer who might pick up a King Crimson box for the live shows or the 'Aqualung' box for the vinyl and outtakes and be faced with an audio DVD or audio BluRay. I bet a lot of people who are aware that albums on DVD or albums on BluRay exist because they have them on sets they bought for other reason don't even know what an SACD is.
     
  19. SteelyTom

    SteelyTom Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, Mass.
    [​IMG]
     
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  20. SteelyTom

    SteelyTom Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, Mass.
    Or:

    [​IMG]
     
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  21. Kal Rubinson

    Kal Rubinson Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Sure. I have dozens of such boxes.
     
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  22. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    [​IMG]

    The MoFi-remastered Dead Can Dance SACD box set is my personal fave. The fact the discs are MIJ with the Obi strips are both the best and worst part of it.
     
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  23. kokishin

    kokishin Forum Resident

    Location:
    Silicon Valley
    amazon.com claims ~800 Blu-ray Audio discs of which over 500 are Prime Eligible: https://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_pg_1?fst=as:off&rh=n:5174,k:blu-ray+audio,p_n_binding_browse-bin:9536187011&keywords=blu-ray+audio&ie=UTF8&qid=1491072608

    I did not parse through every page but it appears amazon.com does offer quite a number of Blu-ray audios. I recently received Bryan Adams "Reckless" on Blu-ray Audio.
     
  24. TonyCzar

    TonyCzar Forum Resident

    Location:
    PhIladelphia, PA
    Not trying to be contrary, but when I click through on some classic-rock titles ("Exile", "Celebration Day"), looking for the Blu-Ray truffle to go with the pic, I have to hit the list of marketplace sellers, so the pricing can be wild. Many links just go to Amazon's MP3 store.

    (I'm also having trouble parsing the idea of an audio-only Blu-Ray in PAL - specifically, "Celebration Day".
    I could see potential zoning and PAL/NTSC issues if I chose to bite on that title. I'm pretty sure I'd have to resort to literally illegal BR rippers. On the third hand, it's 24/48 or Surround, so... meh)
     
  25. kokishin

    kokishin Forum Resident

    Location:
    Silicon Valley
    2 CD w/ Blu-Ray & Bonus DVD (U.S. release): Led Zeppelin - Celebration Day - Amazon.com Music
    Corroboration: Led Zeppelin - Celebration Day

    I use multiple sources for online purchases (IOW, whomever has the best deal in terms of price, integrity, and purchase protection). Did not perform an extensive search but this could be a viable source: Rolling Stones - Exile on Main St. - Blu-Ray Pure Audio Disc | eBay
     
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