Surrounded On Sundays - 5.1/quad reviews and summaries

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by mark winstanley, Jun 15, 2019.

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  1. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I find the idea of a surround listening party interesting. For the most part I find it is a fairly solitary experience. I have played stuff for people, and get them to sit in the prime zone to listen and most of the time sitting elsewhere you will hear a certain surround thing going on, but it isn't generally ideal.

    On a side note with that in mind.
    I normally sit in my specially set up seat, that is central, but then I normally have to sit forward or back (depending on the mix) to find the sweet spot. That is what I missed at the start of the Hendrix album. I was sat back as I had been for most of Ray Charles album.
    Am I alone in doing this? Do i need to visit the shrink? :)
    What is everyone else doing when listening in surround?

    edit: mind you I do that with stereo also, except for the moving forward and backward part
     
  2. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

  3. Echoes71

    Echoes71 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Maine
    I also do most of my surround listening in a solitary setting. I find my sweet spot, and if all is good, I try not to move for the duration of the album, soaking it all in. Often, I’ll stand up, disoriented, when it’s over to find that my feet have gone numb, haha. It’s sort of disorienting but in a good way.

    That said, I have a friend with a fantastic sound system and big projector, so we’ll occasionally get together with a couple of other music-loving buddies. I supply the music, he supplies the food and beverages, and we spend all night listening to 5.1 music. Last time was Electric Ladyland, The White Album, King Crimson Meltdown, and excerpts from the Lennon Imagine box. Good times.
     
  4. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    That's really cool. Most of my friends are 12,000 miles away, but I could really see us doing this kind of thing too!
     
  5. Tuco

    Tuco Senior Member

    Location:
    Pacific NW, USA
    Even though I have purchased some surround titles over the last few years, it isn't until recently that I've upgraded my system enough to start some critical listening of those titles. @mark winstanley I absolutely am in agreement about mixes dictating the placement of my ears forward of backward. I'll even move large pillows in or out to facilitate the optimal location.

    Kudos for this thread. Thanks to you, I've got Running on Empty on its way. :righton:
     
  6. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Cool. glad you're enjoying it mate!
     
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  7. gd0

    gd0 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

    Location:
    Golden Gate
    I've not been without a surround-something since 1972. It's a great way to listen.

    That said, I spend considerably more time with the separate stereo system; it's where I am most of the time, as I work at home. 5.1 spins while watching sports, mostly.

    Meanwhile, back at EL...

    I'll save you some trouble.

    The 5.1 is the only worthy element of this box. And though not perfect, it easily justifies its purchase.

    The 2.0 remaster is a mess. The outtakes aren't crucial. The live show is OK but not contemporaneous – or good-sounding.

    And the package, despite a shiny UV coating, is cheap-n-cheesy.

    But... the 5.1 is a must for anyone with surround who reveres this immortal album.
    .
     
  8. MichaelCPE

    MichaelCPE Forum Resident

    I'm also fussy about finding the sweet spot for each 5.1 recording.

    But I do so by adjusting the speaker volume settings. If these are different from my default I keep a record of the settings so I can quickly get the same result next time I play the disc.

    And whenever I give someone a demo of the 5.1 I always have them sit in my chair. Such demos are the only time anyone else can sit in my chair :)
     
  9. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    Not a Hendrix or a Genius fan, sadly I have to sit this one out. (I will say, that's a helluva "Ray-lettes" troupe on the Charles/Basie set, though!)

    Reminds me though, my copy of Running On Empty is a promo copy (actually, "naked disc", a la either radio promo or in-house, pre-approval version); being away from my main listening station last week prevented me from getting on that, to see if anything jumps out at me that may be different from the domestic DVD-A release (perhaps menu system quirks may be present), and I'll let you know in the next few days. Then, maybe I can get in-sync by the next weekend? I have a pretty substantial sampling of SACD, DVD-A, Blu, and RCA Dolby disc to shove into the Oppo, when time permits.

    One thing to add to the discussion is, the schism between purists who are more interested in the hi-res layers, versus those who are just into it for the surround mixes: you both matter. No need for the animosity, be it, "extended sound quality is the only reason for these", or, "this gives us something in the original we have never heard before". Either attraction gives somebody a reason to purchase a disc, recouping the expense and risk of the label, to give them more reason to support these projects. So the right answer is, both camps need each other, if it sells one more disc you would like to see on the shelves for the next customer. So whether it's a higher-quality rendition of the original, or an extended soundstage experience that pulls you in, you are supporting each other's interests by seeking them out, purchasing them, and enjoying them.
     
  10. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Yes indeed!
     
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  11. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    All we need to hope for now is some of those seventies Zappa albums to be released, even if they are quad.
    Were any released in quad in the seventies?
     
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  12. Echoes71

    Echoes71 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Maine
    Apostrophe and Overnite Sensation were both released in quad in the 70s.

    “Quadiophiliac” would be a great disc for you to review here if you have a copy!
     
  13. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I have Quadiophiliac and Halloween and we will get around to those :)

    I can only hope we get some Zappa studio albums proper too
     
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  14. Echoes71

    Echoes71 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Maine
    Nice! Looking forward to your reviews.

    I would love official versions of the Zappa quads, esp. the fabled “One Size Fits All” and “Roxy” mixes!
     
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  15. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Oh, One Size Fits All would be a dream come true, it is my favourite Zappa album. Roxy would be nice also, but at least the Roxy Movie is top notch!
     
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  16. gd0

    gd0 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

    Location:
    Golden Gate
    Yah, I had Overnite in the CD4 vinyl format. Definitely a surround mix, but of its time. Kinda hard-mixed, but still a nice surround experience. Hopefully ZFT will unleash these before I croak.
     
  17. Sordel

    Sordel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    In this world, a retail mistake is sometimes only 24 hours away from remedy, so my copy of Electric Ladyland just arrived. It's an album that I probably heard many years ago but it's never attracted me much, always managing to sound worse somehow than the little extracts that you hear on commercials, etc. As a result my comments probably say more about the album than they do the mix.

    First impressions are not great ... in fact within five minutes I'm checking my speaker calibration in case my channels aren't balanced. “... And The Gods Made Love” could have used something more in the channelling, “Electric Ladyland” seems anaemic, “Crosstown Traffic” lacks the sense of sonic assault that the track seems to merit; maybe they weren't used to navigating the 12-track at this point? Things improve on “Voodoo Chile” though, where the bass extension gives the instruments some heft. The lead guitar does seem to ride roughshod over drums & bass, though, which probably suits Hendrix fans but would not be my preferred balance.

    “Little Miss Strange”, with its elaborate production and harmonised guitars, gives itself over more to the multichannel mix, though it's a rather lightweight song. Much the same could be said for “Long Hot Summer Night”. Hendrix's vocal sounds great on “Come On (Let The Good Times Roll)”; the biting, cross-panned guitar solo cuts through the mix well and the main riff extends well (due, presumably, to Octave Fuzz?).

    “Gypsy Eyes” has a great start and the flanging sounds great throughout the song, especially in multichannel. It helps that it has the multiple overdubbed guitars.

    It's nice to hear the big keyboard sound “Burning Of The Midnight Lamp” and then the saxophone on “Rainy Day Dream Away”, which benefits from that cross-panned guitarwork close to the end. “1983” seems like a key track to audition here with its indulgent use of psychedelic ambient effects. Nice bass on this track as well; it's a shame that Hendrix didn't live long enough for this to become the improvisation vehicle that it was surely intended to be.

    I've been listening to a lot of Tangerine Dream so “Moon, Turn The Tides” is hardly a shock. “Still Raining, Still Dreaming” is a nice follow-up to the earlier track with an appropriately full band sound. “House Burning Down” sounds, ironically, a little undercooked with the flange effects seemingly used as filler.

    Ah, “All Along The Watchtower” ... I'm surprised by the percussion here (including that annoying metronomic snare drum) which seems unduly prominent, especially given the extreme fades on the lead guitar; this isn't the song as I have it in my imagination.

    Of course the start of “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” is pretty famous and it sounds very good in this mix. Makes me wonder whether the much-vaunted studio trickery of this album didn't get in the way of what might otherwise have been an album of searing blues.

    Overall, the multichannel mix strikes me as a decent attempt to open up an overly-tricky two-channel mix. I'm conscious that some things don't really work, such as the “Traffic” in “Crosstown Traffic” which moves between speakers in a rather incontinent fashion. At times the band sounds as though it was recorded in mono so that when you get a big effect (the choir on “Burnng of the Midnight Lamp”) it doesn't really feel properly integrated into the song. And (as I personally find too often to be the case) Hendrix is less impressive when heard at length than he is in little pieces ripped out for soundtracks. I couldn't imagine ever reaching for this while I still own albums by the Allman Brothers, which scratch the same itch more satisfyingly.
     
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  18. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    Of all the different permutations they made of Roxy since by Proxy...you would think they could have pooted-forth at lease one entitled, RoxyRoxyRoxyRoxy. :shrug:

    When you leave money money money money on the table table table table, you could bankrupt bankrupt bankrupt bankrupt your label label label label.
     
    Last edited: Jun 24, 2019
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  19. Captain Rogers

    Captain Rogers Forum Resident

    Location:
    new york
    Nice, def going to hunt it down
     
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  20. oneslip17

    oneslip17 Forum Resident

    Location:
    SE Portland, OR
    Did you purchase yours on ebay? I bid on one last night and was outbid...... :realmad:
     
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  21. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

  22. oneslip17

    oneslip17 Forum Resident

    Location:
    SE Portland, OR
    Thank you for the suggestions. There was an auction for that DVD/CD set that was 9.98. The final bid was 20.50. There was a second listing with BIN for $19.95. I ended up with the BIN for less than my final bid on the first auction. Still got it for less than the normal rate for one of these things. Can't wait to listen to it!
     
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  23. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    cool :)
     
  24. Captain Groovy

    Captain Groovy Senior Member

    Location:
    Freedonia, USA
    Esoteric out of the UK has been doing wonderful sets of remix classic rock stuff in 5.1 in recent years - Be Bop Deluxe's Sunburst Finish and the Barclay James Harvest catalogue - great excuse to revisit, and in some cases like later BJH albums, visit for the first time, great albums I wouldn't have had a reason to delve into without these expanded and remixed issues.

    I only wish they'd do some post-debut Procol Harum in 5.1, since they may have access to multis, and obviously have access to every other tape of theirs (they are still releasing their expanded series which I buy surround or not).

    As an aside, yesterday (Sunday) I listened to the terrific 4.0 quad of Randy Newman's Sail Away album - never on disc, but a great mix of one of the greatest albums ever. The other original Randy quad is Good Old Boys - another that lends itself so well to surround. Classic stuff - so glad these got the treatment in the early 70s upon original release!

    Jeff
     
    Last edited: Jun 24, 2019
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  25. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Yea Sunburst Finish and BJH will be up at some point.
    Funnily enough, I was almost going to do Little Criminals on Sunday, but wanted to do a more recent release.

    So just to be straight. There is a quad version of Sail Away, but it isn't available?

    edit: I see there was a reel to reel quad in 72. That should get done!
     
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