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The Multi-Channel Music Review Thread


Chris A

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Title: Baraka [blu-ray, originally photographed in 70 mm Todd AO format, rescanned at 8K digital video, 24 bit/96 kHz DTS-MA], $13.49 (Amazon, 24 Aug. 2009)

 

Review

 

Pros: Seeing some interest in the Ron Fricke-shot film above (Koyannisqatsi), I selected my favorite film from this genre by Mr. Fricke, et al., which is scored by Micheal Stearns, which I find composes in a manner which supports the film in a much more human-experience style.  This film was originally released in DVD format in the early 1990s, but was rescanned from its original 65mm print at 8K resolution--the first film to be restored by this ultra high resolution format.  Compared to the original DVD format, this is a completely new experience which is not to be compared with the lower resolution DVD video and sound track in any way.  This is an immersive experience that you will not soon forget. The video, soundtrack and subject matter are, IMHO, mind blowing.
.

Cons: The themes of this film will sometimes challenge your preconceptions of what a film should be and the entertainment value of unscripted real life places and events that occur across the planet with virtually no human dialogue--and none in the English language.  This includes the showing some less attractive aspects of the human experience (even though the film's title means "blessing"). This film includes a sequence of native Brazilian tribes in their natural habitat/apparel.  For those not accustomed to seeing "how the sausage is made", you may find some sequences outside of your normal concept of entertainment.

 

Equipment and room used for review: Jubilee/TAD TD-4002 fronts, JuBelle center K-510 horn/K-69-A driver (both time-aligned and EQed using active digital crossovers), Cornwall surrounds w/Crites tweeters, two SPUD tapped horn subs (front corners--forming false corners behind Jubilees), Onkyo PR-SC886 AVP in DTS-Master Audio mode (see profile).  Each channel is carefully EQed manually to match frequency response of the front Jubilees at the listening position.

 

Rating: Highest recommendation (5 star)

Edited by Chris A
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  • 4 months later...

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Title/Artist/Disk ID: Talking Heads/ Remain in Light/ DualDisk/Warner Brothers-Rhino/ ASIN: B000C3H4MC

 

Review text

 

Pros:  Born Under Punches starts it off with an excellent Kick Drum undertone and the rest of the simple beat coming from the front soundstage. David Byrne's main vocals sound like it's coming from the front  but in fact with closer attention it is actually emanating from different directions along with the front. :huh: His backing vocals sound, and are coming from the rear and side surrounds and is a great song to start off this adventure. 

 

When Once in a Lifetime kicks in the lyrics are just as poignant today as when I heard them in 2 channel many years ago except WAY more energized with the backing vocals coming from the rear and the bass being really clean, coming from the front soundstage. This track ends with the it crescendoing into the familiar lyrics "Same as it ever was..."

 

Houses in Motion is my favorite multichannel track on the album.. As soon as it starts I raise the volume a good 3 to 5 dB to hear the extremely clean bass notes from the bass guitar and drums, and those blending with the vocals to make it a multichannel experience-- When the horns start it gives the song an uneasy atmosphere the song is trying to create. David Byrne's vocals and song writing skills are incredible in a psychedelic way and the whole album paints all sorts of pictures that must have been going through his head.

 

Seen and Not Seen continue the surreal atmosphere with once again an excellent bass track and accompanying vocals and lyrics--The way the instruments come in are definitely inspired creativity that only a multichannel mix can convey.

 

Listening Wind is the most profound song on the album given it subject matter and timeliness, yet it was written in 1980. Every time I listen to it I appreciate it from a different POV--The instruments coming and going from different perspectives makes it feel you are walking on an Arab street with surreal events about to happen and then becoming in the middle of it when they do--Wild!

 

Cons: The biggest con on this and other Talking Heads DualDisks is that they really seem to scratch easy on the surface but it hasn't effected the sound. Also, all of the tracks are immersive but my least favorite are the ones I didn't mention which sound a little too monotonous including Overload, which is an interesting multichannel track with the grind circling around the room including the back speakers in the 7.2 layout (with the 2 additional Height speakers making it '9.2).

 

Equipment/room used for review:  9.2 setup using Dolby PLIIz/Audyssey in my signature below.

 

Rating:  5 Stars

I will need to get this one too.

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The first time I heard The Beatles "Love" on DVDA, in 6.1 surround sound, I was moved to tears!

 

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Even if you're not a big fan of The Beatles, this is an amazing accomplishment!

 

A BIG TWO THUMBS UP.... bravo.gifbravo.gif

 

 

Dennie

 

 

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Title: Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd, Hybrid SACD, 2011, Analogue Productions/EMI, Acoustic Sounds, $35.00 (new)

Review

Pros: Much like the remastered multichannel Elton John SACD albums, this disk features effective use of separate instrumentation in each channel, and provides the listener with a unique experience of listening to the musical arrangements with a clarity not possible from the original two channel recording(s). "Welcome to the Machine" and"Wish You Were Here" are particularly striking in their sound effects.

Cons: Perhaps surprisingly, the orchestral arrangements in this recording are not as rich and varied as in the referenced Elton John arrangements, and at times the simplicity of the Pink Floyd arrangements becomes noticeable in long passages, resulting in some channels being used as "surround ambience" channels during playback. This in itself is not a negative, but rather an observation on the instrumentation depth of the original works, and caught the listener somewhat by surprise.

Equipment and room used for review: Jubilee/TAD TD-4002 fronts, Belle center (time-aligned), Cornwall surrounds, two SPUD tapped horn subs (front corners--forming false corners behind Jubilees), Onkyo PR-SC886 AVP in "DSD" mode (see profile).

Rating: Recommended (****)

Just got these the other day... Awesome recordings.

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  • 10 months later...

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Title: Roger Hodgson: Take the Long Way Home - Live in Montreal (DVD 5.1 24 bit/48 kHz)

 

Review

 

Pros: Extremely good quality reproduction as compared to the stereo recordings released from years ago.  Very clear lyrics and instrumentation (a two-man show).  Only a vocalist/multi-instrumentalist (Hodgson) and a saxophonist/backup vocalist (Aaron McDonald)--no bombdropper (drums), electric guitar, or bass guitar.  The amazing thing is that it works and is extremely entertaining.  I love the thinned acoustic instrumentation and the sound quality of the recording.  Very good camera work (video of live concert).

 

Cons: Many people will not like the thinned instrumentation--and that's simply a matter of personal taste.  Some of the later numbers on the DVD probably could benefit from an additional instrumentalist or two, but that's certainly not a deal breaker (there's almost 3 hours of music here).  I think of this concert like going to a local pub or pizza venue and listening to an excellent house band, and being thoroughly captivated by basically a single musician.

 

Equipment and room used for review: Jubilee/TAD TD-4002 fronts, K-402-based multiple entry horn center, Cornwall surrounds w/Crites tweeters, two SPUD tapped horn subs (front corners--forming false corners behind Jubilees)...all loudspeakers are time-aligned and EQed using active digital crossovers, Onkyo PR-SC886 AVP in Pure Audio mode (see profile).  Each channel is carefully EQed manually to match frequency response of the front Jubilees at the listening position.

 

Rating: Highest recommendation (5 star)

Edited by Chris A
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Title: Roger Hodgson: Take the Long Way Home - Live in Montreal (DVD 5.1 24 bit/48 kHz)

 

Review

 

Pros: Extremely good quality reproduction as compared to the stereo recordings released from years ago.  Very clear lyrics and instrumentation (a two-man show).  Only a vocalist/multi-instrumentalist (Hodgson) and a saxophonist/backup vocalist (Aaron McDonald)--no bombdropper (drums), electric guitar, or bass guitar.  The amazing thing is that it works and is extremely entertaining.  I love the thinned acoustic instrumentation and the sound quality of the recording.  Very good camera work (video of live concert).

 

Cons: Many people will not like the thinned instrumentation--and that's a simply a matter of personal taste.  Some of the later numbers on the DVD probably could benefit from an additional instrumentalist or two, but that's certainly not a deal breaker (there's almost 3 hours of music here).  I think of this concert like going to a local pub or pizza venue and listening to an excellent house band, and being thoroughly captivated by basically a single musician.

 

Equipment and room used for review: Jubilee/TAD TD-4002 fronts, K-402-based multiple entry horn center, Cornwall surrounds w/Crites tweeters, two SPUD tapped horn subs (front corners--forming false corners behind Jubilees)...all loudspeakers are time-aligned and EQed using active digital crossovers, Onkyo PR-SC886 AVP in Pure Audio mode (see profile).  Each channel is carefully EQed manually to match frequency response of the front Jubilees at the listening position.

 

Rating: Highest recommendation (5 star)

Hey, this brings something to mind. If all of these tracks can be remastered from original, then where are the original tracks, and I wonder if anybody ever thought of releasing them. If it makes them money, then why the heck not? I think it deserves a little research.

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I'm thinking that you're talking about the stereo down-mixes...?  I've never seen these released without editing/mastering, except perhaps studio outtakes, like the Beatles Anthologies mixed and released by George Martin, etc.

 

I believe that there is an widespread attitude that these "raw" recordings are not fit for public consumption and will detract from the reputation of the musical artists, so they aren't released. 

 

The problem is: I don't agree with that attitude because I know how to remaster music and don't need someone else doing it for me.  But I would guess that I represent an extremely small minority of dissatisfied customers that feels that way...that doesn't like the typically mastered recordings as released nowadays...and that can do something about it... :( 

 

Chris

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Title: Baraka [blu-ray, originally photographed in 70 mm Todd AO format, rescanned at 8K digital video, 24 bit/96 kHz DTS-MA], $13.49 (Amazon, 24 Aug. 2009)

 

Review

 

Pros: Seeing some interest in the Ron Fricke-shot film above (Koyannisqatsi), I selected my favorite film from this genre by Mr. Fricke, et al., which is scored by Micheal Stearns, which I find composes in a manner which supports the film in a much more human-experience style.  This film was originally released in DVD format in the early 1990s, but was rescanned from its original 65mm print at 8K resolution--the first film to be restored by this ultra high resolution format.  Compared to the original DVD format, this is a completely new experience which is not to be compared with the lower resolution DVD video and sound track in any way.  This is an immersive experience that you will not soon forget. The video, soundtrack and subject matter are, IMHO, mind blowing.

.

Cons: The themes of this film will sometimes challenge your preconceptions of what a film should be and the entertainment value of unscripted real life places and events that occur across the planet with virtually no human dialogue--and none in the English language.  This includes the showing some less attractive aspects of the human experience (even though the film's title means "blessing"). This film includes a sequence of native Brazilian tribes in their natural habitat/apparel.  For those not accustomed to seeing "how the sausage is made", you may find some sequences outside of your normal concept of entertainment.

 

Equipment and room used for review: Jubilee/TAD TD-4002 fronts, JuBelle center K-510 horn/K-69-A driver (both time-aligned and EQed using active digital crossovers), Cornwall surrounds w/Crites tweeters, two SPUD tapped horn subs (front corners--forming false corners behind Jubilees), Onkyo PR-SC886 AVP in DTS-Master Audio mode (see profile).  Each channel is carefully EQed manually to match frequency response of the front Jubilees at the listening position.

 

Rating: Highest recommendation (5 star)

 

I agree!  Now that Tarantino has had several theaters re-equipped for 70mm, I hope someone makes a nice Todd-AO 70mm print of Baraka.  I'd recommend front row center (not kidding; I've seen some 70mm films that close up, and they hold up).  

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There are supposedly 8K/60 fps formats coming down the line that apparently exceed the film resolution and continuity of 70mm film/65 mm prints: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8K_resolution#Productions

 

The advantage, if it's true, is that the projection quality will never degrade over time in theaters and the projectionists cannot change the color temperatures, etc., i.e., there is real quality control for the consumers.

 

As the Zen Master said..."we'll see".  If movie theaters intend to keep their audiences over time, they'll have to ditch all this 3D stuff and go for real image and sound quality instead to keep everyone coming back, IMO.

 

Chris

Edited by Chris A
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There are supposedly 8K/60 fps formats coming down the line that apparently exceed the film resolution and continuity of 70mm film/65 mm prints: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8K_resolution#Productions

 

The advantage, if it's true, is that the projection quality will never degrade over time in theaters and the projectionists cannot change the color temperatures, etc., i.e., there is real quality control for the consumers.

 

As the Zen Master said..."we'll see".  If movie theaters intend to keep their audiences over time, they'll have to ditch all this 3D stuff and go for real image and sound quality instead to keep everyone coming back, IMO.

 

Chris

 

While they are doing that, I hope they raise the brightness of theatrical projection.  Back in the days of carbon arc projection lamps, theatrical projection was much brighter, especially with 70mm, with its bigger hole.  Our HT projection seems brighter than some current theatrical projection.

 

Robert A. Harris had to use 8K scanning to capture all of the resolution in 1962's original 65mm negative for Lawrence of Arabia.  Someone over on the Cinematography forum told me that one needs to use 8K to capture all of the detail in a 4K photocchemical original, due to something called the Nyquist principle. 

 

Subjectively, digital resolution seems different to me than resolution in a photochemical format.  It may be possible to count more lines on a resolution chart as seen on film, but BD versions of some movies seem to have higher resolution in big close-ups of faces than the same movies in commercial theaters.  Also, the same movies at home (on our 130" wide screen) seem to show grain more starkly than in theaters.  Perhaps there is a diffusing effect of light passing through internegatives, etc. and the theatrical prints?

 

BTW, thanks for starting this thread.  In general, I like the Channel Classics, PentaTone and HDTT SACDs and DVD-As ... I'll post some specific reviews later.

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  • 11 months later...

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Title: The Beethoven Symphonies, Mariss Jansons, the Bavarian Radio Symphony  [Blu-Ray disks (3), DTS-HD Master Audio, multichannel 5.0 format], 2013, Arthaus Musik

 

Review

 

Whenever someone asks me the what the best recording that I have, I usually respond with some recording that I know that person will value in terms of its genre, be it rock, blues, jazz, pop, avant-garde (audiophile), soundtrack, etc.  That way the person that asks the question feels good about his/herself asking and getting an answer that they can identify with.

 

However, if you really want to know the best recordings that I own (or have ever heard for that matter)...you've arrived at the moment of truth: it's not close.  These three Blu-Ray discs define for me why I've put so much effort into my sound system.  If you do not have an extraordinary surround sound system (commonly referred to as a "home theater" sound system, but is, in fact something that far exceeds any typical home theater quality), I would say that you'll probably not hear what continues to draw me into listening to these recordings.  The experience blurs the commonly held notion that reproduced music cannot sound like the real thing--it can...

 

Pros:  Everything positive that I know to say about a recording could be written here.  Suffice it to say that all those things are implied here.

 

Cons: The discs come with a default setting of "stereo PCM", and you have to manually change on the pop-up settings to play DTS-HD Master Audio. 

 

I once pulled out these discs and started listening to them in sequence...and was uncharacteristically unimpressed by the sound as I was doing some chores in the listening room area.  I thought that something was seriously wrong with the setup.  This went on for perhaps 20 minutes until I realized that had not changed the sound settings from stereo to DTS-HD Master Audio.  Immediately, what I heard was a miraculous change in sound presentation that was hard to believe.  That difference, which is still difficult to verbalize, was like the difference of listening to an old Victrola vs. actually being at the concert in-person.

 

Equipment and room used for review:

 

Jubilee/TAD TD-4002 fronts, K-402-Multiple Entry Horn center (time-aligned), Cornwall surrounds--all time aligned and EQed flat on-axis to within 2 dB from 200-14000 Hz using a Xilica XP-8080 digital loudspeaker processor and REW with a calibration microphone

 

Two DIY TH-SPUD tapped horn subs (front corners, forming partial false corners behind Jubilees)

 

Onkyo PR-SC886 AVP in DTS-HD Master Audio mode

 

Room: 15.5' x 40' x 9' high, acoustically treated to control early reflections and mid-bass room modes down to 70 Hz  (see my setup page)

 

Rating: 5 stars+

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  • 1 year later...

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Title: Goldberg Variations Acoustica  [Blu-Ray disc, Dolby TrueHD, 96 kHz, 24-bit multichannel 5.1 format, (multiple mixes available on disc)], 2010, The AIX All Star Band

 

Review

 

I'd call this "third stream" mixed with modern jazz.  The recordings are, of course, outstanding.  The architect/creator/producer of this album is Mark Waldrep of AIX Records.  There is no dynamic processing, EQ or reverb added to the musicians' performances.  It is what it is--nothing more and nothing less.  I'd call it "captivating" and "low key".

 

Pros:  I wish all my recordings were like this one.  It's the most unaltered audio disc that I own--basically the downmix unaltered.  I'll use this one to demo the lifelike sound quality of the setup.  3D video is available to those having that capability in their surround sound setup.

 

Cons: If you don't like jazz combos that use classical music themes as their source, you probably won't be thrilled with this album's composition--a single 52-minute track based on JS Bach's Goldberg Variations for keyboard.  But you will probably still be captivated by the sound quality.

 

Equipment and room used for review:

 

Jubilee/TAD TD-4002 fronts, K-402-Multiple Entry Horn center, Cornwall surrounds, two DIY TH-SPUD tapped horn subs.

 

Room: 15.5' x 40' x 9' high, acoustically treated to control early reflections and mid-bass room modes down to 70 Hz  (see my setup page)

 

Rating: 4 stars ****

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  • 2 years later...
On 10/26/2014 at 11:20 AM, Zen Traveler said:

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Title/Artist/Disk ID: Talking Heads/ Remain in Light/ DualDisk/Warner Brothers-Rhino/ ASIN: B000C3H4MC

 

Review text

 

Pros:  Born Under Punches starts it off with an excellent Kick Drum undertone and the rest of the simple beat coming from the front soundstage. David Byrne's main vocals sound like it's coming from the front  but in fact with closer attention it is actually emanating from different directions along with the front. :huh: His backing vocals sound, and are coming from the rear and side surrounds and is a great song to start off this adventure. 

 

When Once in a Lifetime kicks in the lyrics are just as poignant today as when I heard them in 2 channel many years ago except WAY more energized with the backing vocals coming from the rear and the bass being really clean, coming from the front soundstage. This track ends with the it crescendoing into the familiar lyrics "Same as it ever was..."

 

Houses in Motion is my favorite multichannel track on the album.. As soon as it starts I raise the volume a good 3 to 5 dB to hear the extremely clean bass notes from the bass guitar and drums, and those blending with the vocals to make it a multichannel experience-- When the horns start it gives the song an uneasy atmosphere the song is trying to create. David Byrne's vocals and song writing skills are incredible in a psychedelic way and the whole album paints all sorts of pictures that must have been going through his head.

 

Seen and Not Seen continue the surreal atmosphere with once again an excellent bass track and accompanying vocals and lyrics--The way the instruments come in are definitely inspired creativity that only a multichannel mix can convey.

 

Listening Wind is the most profound song on the album given it subject matter and timeliness, yet it was written in 1980. Every time I listen to it I appreciate it from a different POV--The instruments coming and going from different perspectives makes it feel you are walking on an Arab street with surreal events about to happen and then becoming in the middle of it when they do--Wild!

 

Cons: The biggest con on this and other Talking Heads DualDisks is that they really seem to scratch easy on the surface but it hasn't effected the sound. Also, all of the tracks are immersive but my least favorite are the ones I didn't mention which sound a little too monotonous including Overload, which is an interesting multichannel track with the grind circling around the room including the back speakers in the 7.2 layout (with the 2 additional Height speakers making it '9.2).

 

Equipment/room used for review:  9.2 setup using Dolby PLIIz/Audyssey in my signature below.

 

Rating:  5 Stars

I'm listening to this with a few Stella Solstice Lagers and give it a "5 star" review. :)

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  • 1 month later...

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Title: This Side [Multichannel SACD, 5.1 format, 2006, Nickel Creek, genre: New Bluegrass]

 

Review

 

I recently re-dialed in my setup (see below for the technical specifics), and I'm sitting here listening to this multichannel SACD in surround 5.1 format, and I can't walk away.  The double bass is like it's in the room, and the integration of all surround channels (L, C, R, RS, LS) is seamless.  I can't say that I've got a SACD that can beat this one in terms of subjective listener involvement.  Additionally, I really like the music itself--all acoustic mandolins, fiddle, double bass, no drums, surround channel mixes extend into the surrounds, i.e., the surrounds aren't just being used as echo channels.  This album is a real jewel.  I can't rate it any more highly.

 

Note that I'm listening in native DSD format via DSD-over-HDMI using my Oppo 103 player and a local hard drive with the ripped DSF files from the SACD disc playing.  My review would be significantly less glowing if the data stream were internally converted to PCM before being sent to the preamp/processor.

 

Equipment and room used for review:

 

Jubilee/TAD TD-4002 fronts, K-402-Multiple Entry Horn center, AMT-1/Belle surrounds, two DIY TH-SPUD tapped horn subs.  Zero-phase crossovers in all channels (less than 90 degrees phase growth from 20 kHz-->100 Hz in all channels), FIR filter phase flattening via Dirac (Full version) running on an Emotiva XMC-1.

 

Room: 15.5' x 40' x 9' high, acoustically treated to control early reflections and mid-bass room modes down to 70 Hz  (see my setup page)

 

Rating: 5 stars *****

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On 12/11/2020 at 2:35 PM, Chris A said:

...I recently re-dialed in my setup...

 

Off-topic warning. I would like to do the same on my setup which is similar to yours Chris.  You've been very generous with your time and expertise in recent years helping me dial in various 2 and 3 way combos.  I wonder if you've already written or have an outline of steps to tuneup the whole 5.1 system?  A PM, or link to already existing post/thread would be appreciated.  I'd like to get my system not only sounding its best but even more following the trail you're blazing with yours.  I could also start my own thread with my attempt at an outline which we could discuss.

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Well, without going off-topic too far, I basically found a way to use Dirac in my Emotiva XMC-1 preamp/processor (the full version that costs a bit extra [$100 USD] that you can elect to load via paying Emotiva over the web for an access code to download).  Apparently, Dirac does FIR filtering to flatten phase. 

 

The downside is that it does it from the listener's positions (averaging ~7 different microphone positions).  It still gives me a non-flat SPL response below 200 Hz when measuring again at 1m with REW (meaning that Dirac isn't immune from trying to boost room mode frequencies--which is a no-no), but the full version gives me a little control over how badly it does that EQ.  The first time I used Dirac, it gave me some disconcerting boosts between 100-200 Hz (in two places), but it also significantly reduced the bass phase growth below 100 Hz, which gave me a ton of perceived bass back (so much so...that I've had to, yet again, re-demaster my ripped FLAC CD library). 

 

So the trade-off using Dirac is a bit of a caveated one, but overall I don't mind it terribly because the frequencies it boosted are pushed out at the listening positions so they aren't as audible as adjacent frequencies.

 

Additionally, I checked everything over since I had tried out the Hypex FusionAmps on the Jubs (not my cup of tea), and found that I had learned some more stuff about fixing EQ since a last updated them back in 2019 (the result no doubt of lessons learned from doing quite a few DSP crossover dial-in updates for other members via email here), so I did those PEQs a bit differently, and added a little 0.2 dB/octave downward slope room curve on the correction (due to my experiences with the Hypex amps on the TADs...the amplifiers of which were a bit strident to my ears).  I liked the effect and chose to use it with the Xilica and the First Watt F3.  It works a bit better. It turns out the default room curves with Dirac are basically doing the same thing if you don't attempt to change them.

 

Chris

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We probably need one of those kind of threads.  I thought I was going to reuse a recent post that was at the end of a "necropost" thread, but it disappeared before dawn two days ago.  C'est la vie!  I get to do it again.

 

Chris

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Wow, wow, wow!

 

Title: Bolero [Multichannel SACD, 5.1 format, 2005, Spanish Art Guitar Quartet]

The Allmusic page for it is here: https://www.allmusic.com/album/bolero-mw0001412509

 

Review

 

This may be the best recording that I now own (I'm speaking of native DSD-over-HDMI format).  The guitars are in the room!  I can't say much more about this, except...wow!.

 

Note that I'm listening in native DSD format via DSD-over-HDMI using my Oppo 103 player and a local hard drive with the ripped DSF files from the SACD disc playing.  My review would be significantly less glowing if the data stream were internally converted to PCM before being sent to the preamp/processor.

 

Equipment and room used for review:

 

Jubilee/TAD TD-4002 fronts, K-402-Multiple Entry Horn center, AMT-1/Belle surrounds, two DIY TH-SPUD tapped horn subs.  Zero-phase crossovers in all channels (less than 90 degrees phase growth from 20 kHz-->100 Hz in all channels), FIR filter phase flattening via Dirac (Full version) running on an Emotiva XMC-1.

 

Room: 15.5' x 40' x 9' high, acoustically treated to control early reflections and mid-bass room modes down to 70 Hz  (see my setup page)

 

Rating: 5 stars+ *****

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