R.E.M. DVD-Audio-worth it?

I see they have a number of titles out and am debating whether to get them. I would NOT do so for improved stereo sound as I don't listen to these titles so often.

So I'm wondering how the multichannel layers are. Nice? Exaggerated? Do they really add to the recordings, or not particularly? Will I feel they add to the music, becoming a new experience as it were?

 

IMO the surround kinda blows.
The stereo layer is better than the common cd.

 

I find them very good. Elliot Scheiner produced/created most if not all the surround mixes. He may not fit everyone's taste but I guarantee you that I'm not the only one that thinks he's the best at it. See BecK Sea Change (sacd + dvda), Doobie Bros, Queen NATO + ... dvda

 

Two words: get them.

 

I have the Out of Time and the Automatic for the People with no regrets.

 

I have all of them and think the 5.1 mixes are well done.
I am sure they are not making any more so grab them if you can..

 

I can't even play the DVD-A content, but I like these reissues for the liner notes and DVD "making of the album" documentaries. I hope to get a 5.1 system someday so that I can listen to the surround mixes.

 

I only have "Automatic for the People" and I like the surround mix of that one.

 

It's not to overpriced as others and it's not bad at all. A REM fan and a surround fan will enjoy it.

 

Ditto.

Later, Chris

 

I really enjoy the surround mix on all of these. They are out-of-print, so grab the ones you want quickly.

 

Agreed!

 

Uniformly excellent surround mixes and great sound too.

 

I have 'The Best Of R.E.M.' DVD-A featuring 24/192 stereo tracks and to my surprise the spectrum for quite a few of them shows nada above 24kHz. What a waste!

 

If you're even thinking about getting the DVD-Audio discs, you'd better do it quickly 'cause I guarantee they'll be out of print very soon. I'm surprised they're still in print, actually.

And the surround layer for the R.E.M. material is excellent.

 

The surround mix actually sucks, I do not like them. These are my least favorite of all of my surround sound discs.

 

Only 6 tracks out of 18 on the 'Best Of' DVD-A compilation have something above 24KHz in the spectrum, and none has anything above 48KHz. They could have easily used 24/96 and not bother with 24/192 IMO. Instead they should have spent some time trying to avoid dynamics compression Oh well...

 

Out of the 300 or so surround sound discs I have, the REM DVD-Audio discs feature the worse surround mix that I have heard. If the OP is interested in surround sound, stay away from these discs.

 

Well, just to keep the balance in favor of these, I'd say yes, get them for the surround mixes. I have the whole set, from "Document" up through "Around the Sun," and the 5.1 mixes are just fantastic. I'm not talking about technical issues like bit rate and all that jazz: I'm talking about the instrumentation and the arranging. Scott Litt, who produced most of those records--all but the last 3, which are the weakest 3 albums in the R.E.M. catalog--produced these records with meticulous subtlety, and you hear all this in 5.1.

 

Well put.
I totally agree! These are fun to listen to and they sound great!

 

I think 'Around The Sun' should only be listened to in 5.1, not stereo.
It's that dramatic and improvement.

 

Scheiner and Steve Wilson are the best IMO. The REM's are worth having. I have them all.

 

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