Just looking for your guys thoughts on this SACD.

I've heard countless times how "amazing" and 'breathtaking" this SACD is and wanted to hear some thoughts from the good ol' AVSForum users. :D

My main concern is with the 5.1 layer. But if you have comments on the stereo layer, feel free to share them aswell.

I read a review @ avrev.com that wasn't too fond at all of the 5.1 mix; saying it barely used the rear channels at all. So guys... tell me what YOU think.

It's one of the best 5.1 mixes out there. My brother just bought a system that can play it and I recommended it to him. I think "amazing" is the word he used. It's a really good album as well. Two thumbs up, way up, from this avs'er.

It's one of the best 5.1 mixes out there. My brother just bought a system that can play it and I recommended it to him. I think "amazing" is the word he used. It's a really good album as well. Two thumbs up, way up, from this avs'er.


Ditto! I couldn't agree more.

Without a doubt!

It always tops my list !

I have the DVDA (dualdisc) version and it has sounds coming thru my surrounds. The recording quality is excellent. I liked it so much, I purchased "Sailing to Philadelphia" and "Shangri-La" hi rez discs also. They are excellent recordings as well.

DVD-A / Dualdisc is the best version, according to Chuck Ainlay who produced it, as he explains in this feature (at end of part 2) which I wrote for HFR on the mixing of . . .

http://www.highfidelityreview.com/features/brothers_in_arms_01.asp


Amazon links:-

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009WFF7M/103-9657459-1230226

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brothers-Arms-AUDIO-Dire-Straits/dp/B0009WFF7M/sr=1-14/qid=1170429525/ref=sr_1_14/202-0115000-9842203?ie=UTF8&s=music

Hope this helps.
Martin.

I'm in the minority here. The 5.1 release dosn't seam to have the same "punch" to me as the stereo version. Case in point: the opening to Money For Nothing where the drums come in sound awefully weak to me compared to the stereo. So far Away dosn't have the same snare "crack" as the original. Overall, if you love surround like me, then definatly buy it. The original sounds pretty damn good on cd though so dont expect a hi-rez revelation. JMO.

I have the DVDA (dualdisc) version and it has sounds coming thru my surrounds. The recording quality is excellent. I liked it so much, I purchased "Sailing to Philadelphia" and "Shangri-La" hi rez discs also. They are excellent recordings as well.
have those and you will not regret it.

I have the US pressing and the later European remastered CD on the Vertigo label, and if you're talking about the stereo hi-rez layer, the SACD blows those 2 versions away.

Are the DVDA and SACD the same mix? I see that Amazon UK has the SACD for £6 and the DVDA for £30 - I doubt the DVDA is 5 times better :)

Are the DVDA and SACD the same mix? I see that Amazon UK has the SACD for £6 and the DVDA for £30 - I doubt the DVDA is 5 times better :)

In that case, the DVD-A would be an import given that only the US gets the DVD-A. BIA was released on SACD everywhere on the planet except the US.

Grab it, SACD or DVD-A Dualdisc. This is a tremendous surround mix. Not sure what someone was complaining about it. From "Your Latest Trick" onward, it's a surround masterpiece.

Heh, I was just going to post about this disk, the SACD copy of Brothers in Arms. It is 10/10 IMO. It is making me like songs off that album that I didn't care for previously, much like when you go to a live show and hear a song from a group you know in a brand new way.

I have the DVD-A and like it very much.
It's a very "clean", well mixed recording.
Not having 19 guitars/synthesizers/ etc to muddy up the mix
probably contributes greatly to the sound experience of what
is arguably a very fine album anyway.

boondocks

Where can you get one of these for less then $30?

Where do you fid this for less then $30

I have to spin it again, but when it came out, I heard it a few times and found it to be quite bright and loud (dynamically compressed). Brighter than the '80s CD, even.

Still, I'm glad I have it - great album; one for the library.

Just wanted to say ditto for BIA, and to encourage people to check out his other surround releases, Sailing to Philadelphia and Shangi La. These are loaded with good tunes and the mixes are just fine. Both seem rather subdued at first listen, but surround helps one to get beneath the songs and appreciate what a fine tunesmith is MK.

Just wanted to say ditto for BIA, and to encourage people to check out his other surround releases, Sailing to Philadelphia and Shangi La. These are loaded with good tunes and the mixes are just fine. Both seem rather subdued at first listen, but surround helps one to get beneath the songs and appreciate what a fine tunesmith is MK.

"Shangri-La (http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/2329)" is available as a SACD outside of the US.

Another very satisfied BIA in DVD-A owner! The Surround mix is fantastic!!! Like others have mentioned, I now like the "filler" songs better since hearing it in 5.1. The clearity is so revealing, and the use of the surrounds are natural! A reference disc for sure.

Where can you get one of these for less then $30?


There's a few on ebay but I can't seem to link to them. As of 8:30 pm on 2/28 there is one at 11.99 that ends Thur night. item number 230096219693

on Amazon new starts at $19.90 here (http://www.amazon.com/Brothers-Arms-Dire-Straits/dp/B0009A21R6/sr=1-3/qid=1172712707/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/105-3352213-6944460?ie=UTF8&s=music)

and if you want the dual disc they start at $14.58 new at Amazon here (http://www.amazon.com/Brothers-Arms-Anniversary-Dire-Straits/dp/B0009WFF7M/sr=1-2/qid=1172712707/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/105-3352213-6944460?ie=UTF8&s=music)

I just received my dual disc yesterday and haven't had a chance to listen. Looking forward to it.

I have the DualDisc DVD-A and think it is terrific, not at all bright or overly compressed.

Chris

Another vote for the Dual disc DVDA

I'm in the minority here. The 5.1 release dosn't seam to have the same "punch" to me as the stereo version. Case in point: the opening to Money For Nothing where the drums come in sound awefully weak to me compared to the stereo. So far Away dosn't have the same snare "crack" as the original. Overall, if you love surround like me, then definatly buy it. The original sounds pretty damn good on cd though so dont expect a hi-rez revelation. JMO.

That's pretty funny since BIA was always considered one of the WORST sounding great recordings of all time... Unfortunately 44khz 16 bit PCM did not offer much in terms of quality and that's one of the main reasons nobody records at these specs anymore... And it is not a matter of kHz and dBs it just sound really "crude" ... I do not want to start a DVD-A SACD war here, any format better then CD is good for us and we will all benefit from a multichannel mix as it is fairly easy to transcode between formats. One thing worth mentioning though is that SACD seems to be more widely adopted by high end equipment manufactures than DVD-A.

Ayways, my SACD BIA is one of the most played MCH disks I have. Get it, you won't regret.

I can't believe I waited this long to get this (SACD) - WOW is all I can say...

Mark

Just looking for your guys thoughts on this SACD.

I've heard countless times how "amazing" and 'breathtaking" this SACD is and wanted to hear some thoughts from the good ol' AVSForum users. :D

My main concern is with the 5.1 layer. But if you have comments on the stereo layer, feel free to share them aswell.

I read a review @ avrev.com that wasn't too fond at all of the 5.1 mix; saying it barely used the rear channels at all. So guys... tell me what YOU think.

I found a copy at my local Best Buy a month ago. I check the 'DVD-A/SACD' section each week as they seem to have select titles materializing every once in a while.

$22.99. Keep huntin'. It's worth it. I'm amazed at what I've been able to pick up. Check the regular CD section as well. Some are 'misfiled'.

Oh yeah... it sounds great.

BIA and ShangraLa on SACD - I've got a few other SACD's that are this good but most are not.

If I could find MC SACD music I like that was consistently recorded at this quality level, I'd easily pay $50 a pop for it....

If I could find MC SACD music I like that was consistently recorded at this quality level, I'd easily pay $50 a pop for it....

You'd be welcomed at my local Best Buy... they had a copy of 'Toys In The Attic' MC SACD sitting on the shelf for the longest time with a sticker price of $49.99.

I eyeballed it for over a month and even had them check the price in the machine once. Yup, $49.99.

The week before I finally bit, the online price showed $30.99... so with a printout in my hand (and prepared for a fight) I went in last weekend determined to be leaving with it.

I asked the salesdude to check the price in the system for me, and it came up as $30.99 this time.... Sold!

You'd be welcomed at my local Best Buy...
...I asked the salesdude to check the price in the system for me, and it came up as $30.99 this time.... Sold!
Don't look here (http://www.amazon.com/s******nb_ss_gw/102-0065211-6392940?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Toys+In+The+Attic&Go.x=13&Go.y=14&Go=Go). :eek:

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I just paid 9.99 for the toys in the attic SACD a few weeks ago. That one is not that hard to find. I'm not a huge Aerosmith fan, but I thought I should pick it up while its still around.

Has anyone compared BIA in both formats? DVD-A and SACD?

So far everyone here seems to have heard either one or the other but not both.

I'd really like to know the strengths and weaknesses of each. (My first dvd-a/sacd player arrives next week)

Has anyone compared BIA in both formats? DVD-A and SACD?

So far everyone here seems to have heard either one or the other but not both.

I'd really like to know the strengths and weaknesses of each. (My first dvd-a/sacd player arrives next week)

There is an article somewhere where the album engineer gave a preference. I don't remember which one though.

The original recording is PCM[among the first all digital recording], so any conversion to analog or DSD can't improve things in my book, so I would be surprised if anyone called the SACD the better one. Of course we all have preferences.

The original recording is PCM[among the first all digital recording], so any conversion to analog or DSD can't improve things in my book, so I would be surprised if anyone called the SACD the better one. Of course we all have preferences.

Well that seems to be a pretty definitive answer. Thanks.

I guess I'll order the DVD-A. :)

I got the Dire Straits BIA SACD for my PS3 last week from cd-wow.us. It shipped from Hongkong. free shipping. I paid $17 total.

The original recording is PCM[among the first all digital recording], so any conversion to analog or DSD can't improve things in my book, so I would be surprised if anyone called the SACD the better one. Of course we all have preferences.


Not only that but the original recording AFAIK was made in 16bit 44kHz PCM - BIA was one of the first DDD / end to end digital recordings and 16/44 at that time that was considered to be the ultimate quality. Redbook CD then, however one of my fovourite records, sounds so harsh and bad just to remind us how the original CDs sounded and how bad the digital technology can really be....

Now, BIA SACD does not have that problem... I have no idea what kind of digital magic was used here (upsampling/upconverting ???) but SACD BIA sounda a lot more better then the Redbook CD. As far as the choice between the SACD and DVD-A, well it is a matter of taste. I strongly believe SACDs sound better, more analogue than any other digital medium but I bet you will like this record in any format...

It's one of my favorate recording on SACD, but I never heard it in 5.1 I wasn't set up for that when I first bought it.

The kick drum is as real as you can get, at the time I had a Sunfire Signiture eq, sold that and now I have a better sub. So I think it's time to dust off the Brother in Arms & Rock out.

On side note I also believe the lead singer is an excellent guitar player,way under estimate IMHO.

Djoel-

Mark Knopfler is pretty widely recognized as an excellent guitarist. No, he doesn't get the acclaim of Satriani, Vai, Van Halen, or even Bettencourt, but guitar people know his name and know how good he is.

And to answer the OP, the 5.1 layer of the SACD is phenomenal. Blows me away every time I listen to it.

Thank you for the info Frozen,I was teen when that album came out, the less radio friendly song are pretty strong as well from the big hits. What a monster album what was that 85? 86?

I am running home tonight and playing this classic.

djoel

I think I was in fifth or sixth grade when it came out, so yeah-around 85 or 86. Really strong album start to finish.

Knopfler also does a great job with arrangement on the album. The switch from clarinet to sax on "Your Latest Trick" is awesome. At least, I think that's in there. Knopfler also does a lot of fooling around with a dobro instead of a traditional guitar on the album.

Some more Knopfler info (provided to help educate about the guy, not to show you up-I agree with you that casual music fans don't know enough about the guy):

My personal favorite description of his style was from Douglas Adams in So Long and Thanks for All the Fish: : "Mark Knopfler has an extraordinary ability to make a Schecter Custom Stratocaster hoot and sing like angels on a Saturday night, exhausted from being good all week and needing a stiff beer."

He was named #27 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the top 100 rock guitarists of all time.

Widely considered one of the best finger guitarists in the world-he doesn't use a pick when he plays lead.