Audio Tier Thread - Page 3  

Definately

It was indeed meant for shadow. We should take a vote on whether concerts should be listed seperately. I'm in for seperate listings.

Whooops! my bad



Well I am an idiot!

I am up for concerts listed seperately as well. I could actualy go either way, but I think seperate listings would elimate these issues.

Heads up on compiling a list from votes from the old threads. I've already begun work on it (taking a little break from studying), and so far got up to 26 pages. Underworld's vote is as follows so far from reference to T5: 2:2:1:1:0:0:0. How would that rank? Pan's Labyrinth (1:0:0:0:0:0:0) is in the running for reference? Only time will tell if it really is (votes from pages after 26).

I have a feeling that not all votes were counted in the old thread, so if you wanna do it, it will be appreciated, but I won't blame you if you find that too tedious, I would, so it's up to you, thanks again.

Speed Racer should have been moved but never did in the old thread. I think we both ranked it to Tier 1.
If you have suggestion for the reference tier placement criteria this is the time to make a recommendation. It's not carved into stone yet.
I also have some issues with some of the titles, but we can revisit those later.

Underworld is in Tier 1, and those votes seems to confirm it. [I rated it tier 2]
Pan is clearly a Tier 0 based on your tally.

Shadow,
It was close. I feel that their albums have at least a bit more of that "rich... full... power sound (the description in my review). It's a good question. Because in general, I would say "Foo Fighters: Live at Wembley Stadium" BR is fairly representative of their albums.

Please note, when comparing albums I'm not including any of their SACD/DVD-A releases (if there are any).

Skid

Step Brothers (Dolby TrueHD) - Tier 3 (currently ranked in Tier 3)
Watched this movie last night, and I agree with the placement of this film. Dialogue was hard to hear at times, and I constantly found myself reaching for the remote to turn it up and hear what was being said. There are no true "action" sequences to note, so there is very little use of LFE. Surrounds were rarely heard or used. A disappointing audio track, and honestly, a disappointing movie. A few friends of mine said it was Ferrell's funniest...I disagree.

why the new thread???

and i agree with seperating concerts

The Police Certifiable
Tier 1
Sounds compressed to me. Dave & Tim are head of the concert class.

Amadeus (Dolby THD) Tier1

While this is a film the music plays a far more important role here then usual, so it's tough to rate it with the usual criteria. There is no bass here that will even remotely challenge your sub, or elaborate surround sound. But it isn't a concert film either. What we have here is very well recorded music of Mozart that gives quiet a pleasure for people who likes the genre[me included]. I own the SE DVD which I never thought did justice for this movie at least as far the music score. The rest is well done as well. always crisp dialog, well balanced follies with good dynamics featured on some of the crescendos . A must for fans.

ok

watched "wanted" last night and WOW
the surrounds were being used perfectly
bass was awsome
and great use of music in the movie

and the movie itself was great also

Chicago with Earth, Wind & Fire: Live at the Greek Theatre

someone really needs to come up with a criteria for rating these movies..

I really can't beleive "Chicago with Earth, Wind & Fire: Live at the Greek Theatre " isn't rated reference..I'm begining to think when it comes to concert BD it's all about what music you guys like rather than what BD has to offer.

At the very MINIMUM the BDs have to challenge our systems..
Some dude playing guitar and vocals only should NEVER be considered reference.
Yeah I said NEVER
lets hear some horns maybe some strings lets hear the high-hat..
How about a broad range of sounds

I'll admit I haven't listend to DAVE MATTHEWS & TIM REYNOLDS: "(and I really doubt I ever)" will but I did watch David Gilmour: Remember That Night.
Chicago&EWF if atleast a full teir above Gimore..
And for the record..Chicago&EWF worked the full range of my system.. Every speaker was pushed .. the sound was clear, vocals were excellent..I could even hear one of the alto players strike his key pads.. the HORNS WERE EXCELLENT..( I play both the sax and flute)
BD worked my Sub harder than Most the movies listed in reference ..I would say ALL of them but I haven't seen MASTER & COMMANDERMAX PAYNE

I suggest
Chicago with Earth, Wind & Fire: Live at the Greek Theatre be move to reference
and more importantly someone come up with a format to rate these BD's

Seems like you are the one dictating what type of music should be Reference Nobody else feels that way or has stated that. I am not a huge Nine Inch Nails fan but can appreciate the sound quality of their Blu-Ray.

Good to hear. I am going to watch this today.


Street Kings (DTS-MA) tier 1

Solid all around track for the most part. Dialog always loud and clear (I did not have any issues that a lot of people have had with the crackling sound. Must have got a good disc...), surround use is good for the most part and even a lot of the more quiet type scenes benefit. At a few points I had helicopters flying around my head which provided a very convincing sound stage and was well done. LFE support was fine, but nothing great much less exceptional. There were a few missed LFE spots I noticed one of which was a car crash that literally had almost no LFE which seemed very inappropriate. Other scenes seemed on the money though with the first gun battle scene (very convincing scene in general) and store shootout scene producing some great LFE that filled up the room pretty well. Music was strong in the mix and contained a lot of the bass in the film. LFE support got the job done (for the most part) but thats about it.

Saw IV (DTS HD MA 7.1) Tier 0 .... Currently in Tier 0

Talking about a surround orgy, which this movie can benefit from no doubt. The mix is very artificial but that's what this film needs anyway to help you being transported to Jigsaw's creepy world and mindset. Bass is prodigious and dialog never gets drowned out. Sound effects had a very clear detailed sound, and the soundfield was just awesome. So why not reference? Well it did sounded familiar and recycled especially since it has 4 other installments, but plenty other horror films have this very same type of mix, that just don't stand out for me all that much. Still it's an excellent track/mix.

This is open for debate,so why not put forward your criteria of how you want concert BD rated?

The audio criteria suggestion has been thrown around from time to time, but it always gets shot down (for good reason IMO) due to the fact that audio is VERY subjective and there are so many variables from one member to another (dif equipment, dif rooms, dif likes/dislikes with mix/recording, etc..., etc....) It would be EXTREMELY hard to have a criteria that was relatively reliable. BUT if you have a suggestion, throw it out there.

Maybe there are some users who would rate a certain movie/concert higher if they liked the material in question, but if there is one place where that bias would be put in check, it would be AVS IMO and I dont feel most the members who participate in this thread are biased to any significant degree as far as rating these audio tracks from my experience. Speaking for myself, NONE of the concert blu rays I have rated as reference (Dave and Tim, John Mayer, The Police, NIN) are bands that I even listen to on a regular basis and needless to say, I am certainly not a BIG fan of any of these bands, BUT all 4 of these are reference audio to my ears. On the other end of the stick is Rush a band I do love, however Rush: Snakes and Arrows in one of the least desirable concert BR's I have listened to from a recording/mix standpoint (I gave it a tier 2 rating). So I dont agree with your statement that most here are judging the tech merits of these BR concerts by how much they like the material in question.

As far as this statement of yours....."Some dude playing guitar and vocals only should NEVER be considered reference".......I could not disagree more, and by the way its "2 dudes" playing guitar. Since you have not even listened to this BR, you have absolutely no grounds for argument IMO. Go listen to this BR and then come back and discuss it, otherwise you just come off as ignorant trying to argue it when you have no frame of reference. I also find it interesting how closed minded you are as far as even giving this show a listen considering you are a musician yourself I will say that I do find it more impressive to get a reference recording/mix with a full band compared to 2 guitars and vocals, BUT a reference recording/mix is just that no matter if it is one guy and a guitar or a entire orchestra or anything inbetween.

Thanks for the concert review by the way. I have put this in my que and am excited to hear it after your thoughts. I will say that I find it VERY hard to believe that any (at least the vast majority and I have not heard one yet) concert would work ones sub harder than the movies in reference (more consistently I can certainly understand, but harder???), but I will not judge that until I hear this BR next week.

See, I have a bit of an issue with titles like these. I agree that it used the surrounds, bass was awesome. However, I thought it was too dynamic. When it got loud, it was too loud and I had to adjust my volume. But then, it was too soft for the ensuing conversation and had to adjust again.

Did anybody see/hear it this way? Do we not penalize for this type of inconsistency? Is it just my set up?

No it is not your set-up......
Wanted much like The Dark Knight,is mixed with a very wide dynamic range and dialog levels that are a bit lower.
However,the TDK has a very clearly voiced dialog mix so it is easy to hear at the level that it's at.
Wanted has a few inconsistencies with its dialog mix.....the bigger set pieces sound the best.
But as you noted,scenes that feature dialog only have some issues that are not just volume related.
Is your system calibrated?
Next time you watch Wanted,try boosting your center channel level by 1db....it'll help.

The listening environment and one's habit's are also important. I do listen at near reference levels, which is how it was intended to be heard and mixed as well. At that level I noticed no "inconsistencies" on both titles mentioned. If you listen at lower level or have people close by that might be disturbed, can cause listeners to reach for the remote, so if any of those apply, then the late night mode might something of use for you. So no penalty for Wanted, wide dynamics is one of the criteria I regard as positive.

Amadeus (TrueHD) tier 1

I was somewhat surprised at how good this one sounded. Very clean, clear presentation with music and dialog being the focal point with the latter always loud and intelligible. The music sounded great with really good dynamics when called for with a pretty wide sound stage. The .1 channel and surrounds see little use (although there were a few good moments during some of the plays), but they seem plenty appropriate for the material even though it is a bit conservative. Considering this movie is 25 years old though, this one surprised me a bit by how good it was.

The Express (DTS-MA) tier 0

Awesome soundtrack that really pulled you into the film in not only the action on field moments, but off field as well. Nice little ambient touches such as birds and distant music. Dialog always loud and clear, and fantastic use of the .1 channel during the action scenes and with the music to create a dramatic and convincing mood. The stadium scenes really put you in the action and you might find yourself yelling at your screen! I guess I got into this one Anyway, GREAT audio track. On a side note, this is one of the best films I have seen lately and is based on a true story (for those who dont know). I was not familar with the story, but huge emotional swings in this one and realy got to me. I am not a football fan by the way so that is not a requirement to get into this film IMO.

The Duchess (Dolby THD) Tier 1

Normally I give Tier 2 or less to "talkie" movies simply because usually there isn't much to demo anything, unless there is something to stand out. Well the score by Rachel Portman is just that. Not only it's a very memorable score but it is very well portray the mood of the film and becomes another character on it's own but without at the expense of the human ones. The clarity of the music is just first rate as well, and frankly are the other aspects of what makes a good track as well, exception of surround use, or wall shaking bass. The later wasn't necessary for this film, but a bit of more open and active surround usage would have been welcomed. I must say I enjoyed the film as well but YMMV on that.

I forgot all about this one. I'll have to check it out. Great review of the AQ by the way.

Agree with Toe - The Express Tier 0 for the Master Audio track.

Thanks Give it a shot, it was better than I thought it would be.