NEW Audio Tier Thread - Page 99

I H8 thi$ thread...I'm alway$ $pending way to much on Blu-Ray$ that make it into the top tier$-->

HH

Agreed.. here are some of my best audio picks

Sherlock Holmes 2 = Tier 1
John Carter = Reference
Transformers 3 = Reference (great 7.1 track!!)
The Hunger Games = Tier 1

Some great sounding blu-ray's.. as soon as I check out Abraham Lincoln; Vampire Hunter and Prometheus , I will let ya know how they sound!! Too man y blu-ray's to buy, not enough money!! LOL!!





Mike in Vegas

http://mymoviegeeks.com/

Watched the Bourne Legacy and thought the front stage was awesome! A cup got put down and it sounded like it was put down about two feet right of my screen. There was a scene where a missile comes at the screen and to the right and my wife literally jumped out of her seat. I was playing the movie quite loud, but there were definitely some great moments throughout the movie and not just in the bass department, but very subtle sounds with great dimensionality (dialogue seemed to be localized well to where the characters were on the screen). Can't recommend a tier due to lack of experience, maybe someone else can chime in?

Hi,

Have you watched other films from tier 1, 0 and reference? If so, how did BL compare overall with those audio wise? Only you can decide how high this track rates and there is no wrong answer. Audio is very subjective and there are many variables between setups, rooms and even how each of us hear things and what each of us like.

Yep. I have a lot of blu rays. I'm going to watch Bourne again and pay more attention to the movie as a whole. I am going to go back and watch a few movies from the different tiers as a comparison also, then post back where I think Bourne should be.

Nothing new in over a month?

Probably been mentioned, but all you need to know is TOTAL RECALL -- best track of 2012 I should think. Better than BOURNE, better than DREDD, better than the latest RESIDENT EVIL (all quite good, btw) -- you name it -- oh, BRAVE excellent as well, but those are the two that come to mind.

TR was a great track I thought, but it was not my favorite of the 2012 tracks. I would put Prometheus, Underworld Awakening, Brave and some others above it.

TOTAL RECALL is a very rare track. Has the transparency, dynamics and LFE content that makes it soar above others. In recent memory, BRAVE and SUPER 8 and THE GREY and DARK KNIGHT RISES fall into this rare category. PROMETHEUS falls closer to BOURNE LEGACY, pleasant enough overall, and UNDERWORLD had prodigious LFE but these are not in the same league, in my opinion. I will say however, that my system is pretty sensitive to nuance -- some tracks just sing instantly and throughout. The ones mentioned above have a very special transparency which is unfortunately rare...my impressions, of course. Oh, should give very honorable mention to LOOPER as well, probably just short of something like TOTAL RECALL....

TR was a solid tier 0 track in my opinion, but not quite good enough to be put in reference.

Brave, Underworld Awakening and Prometheus were solid reference tracks I thought.

Super 8 tier 0.

The Grey tier 0.

Looper tier 0.

Avengers tier 0.

Dredd tier 0.

Wrath of the Titans tier 0, maybe reference.

RE Retribution high tier 0. Maybe best use of surround in a 2012 track?

Dark Knight Rises tier 0. I watched DKR and DK back to back and DK is a better mixed film IMO. DKR just comes across as loud a lot of the time and much of the LFE feels recycled. I really enjoyed both, but DK is a notch above overall I thought.

One of my favorite tracks of 2012 is from The Art of Flight. AMAZING mix on this one that is very memorable I thought. Reference experience all the way.

Cabin in the Woods was the sleeper LFE hit of 2012 from my perspective. Not loaded with the low stuff like Underworld Awakening or something similar, but some of the LFE moments in this film are among the most violent I have experienced in my HT!

Triangle was another awesome track that kind of came out of left field for me, but not sure if this was actually released in 2012.

Just my thoughts and its all a matter of opinion of course.
Edited by Toe - 1/31/13 at 8:51am

OK, you obviously have discernment to identify all those superb tracks and render such fine and accurate discriminations vis a vis DKR and DK -- I agree completely with you there -- in fact almost just referred to DK, but realized the context I set up was for the more recent films, so went with DKR -- they are similar after all, with DKR taking a more rigorously assautive approach. Good call on CABIN IN THE WOODS! That one just shocked me -- violent tumult is right! Know nothing of ART OF FLIGHT or TRIANGLE, but upon your recommendation I'll have to investigate!

You definitely need to check out both AoF and Triangle Emaych with your love of audio. AoF is not only an audio showcase, but video as well. It is a fantastic disc. Triangle was a total sleeper hit as far as the audio goes as I had zero expectations going in and was very impressed.

Thanks guys! Some new recommendations for me to check up on!

Cheers!

Finally watched 9 in DTS-HD MA tonight, while it did have some good LFE and multichannel effects, I wasn't overly impressed compared to A Bug's Life or Kung Fu Panda.

Very surprising

I should probably give it another try paying closer attention, any specific scenes you would suggest that stand out?

watched "Compliance" BD last night, very intriguing soundtrack.
codec = DTS-HD MA

Very dynamic audio mix overall (I thought), surprising. Bizaar story


Denon AVR-2112CI
Oppo BDP-103
Energy RC-Series (5.1)

Taking LFE out of the equation, I pretty much agree with your thoughts on these 3. All 3 are reference audio overall IMO. However, where 9 clearly pulls away from the other two is the low end which is at least a couple notches above the other two overall. Yeah, KFP has the Skadooosh scene and the escape is decent, but 9 has MUCH more to impress in general I thought. Just my thoughts though and I know its subjective. All 3 are great tracks though.

where would WOW disc rate or would it be in this column.
also the second disc Visions.
parts LPCM 96Khz audio much the rest was LPCM 48Khz

I just finished watching 'Sinister" ultra Deep lows and impact that makes for an ideal reference sound track, had the rafters trembling !

The Hobbit: An unexpected Journey (DTS HD MA 7.1) Tier 1

Quiet a let down, compared to the LOTR series. The issue is mostly bass or lack there of . I don't run my subs hot, never did, so if you prefer to do it with your subs, you might not be bothered by it as much. However there is also the lack of ULF extension which in soundtracks like these should be a big part, but sorely missed here and can't be cured by turning up the volume, or sub trim level. BTW the MV should be a little bit higher then normal for this soundtrack to shine, at least in my experience.Surround coverage is very good, but I felt the music wasn't as enveloping and grandiose as it was in LOTR. Dynamics are good if falls short of excellent, and balance is spot on. Dialog is always clear, with a just a hint of "overdub effects".
All in all it's a serviceable track, but nothing to write home about.

Agreed. I will also add that I do run my subs hot below about 50hz and it did not help the anemic LFE situation AT ALL. Simply put, this is THE most disappointing LFE track since 2012 and Revenge of the Sith. Extension and output are strangely missing and so many missed spots in general where there should be LFE and there isn't. Can I get a refund?

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (DTS -HD-MA) tier 1

Hi Guys,

Did anyone find the bass in Skyfall to be disappointing? To me, it was almost non-existent. The bass on the theme song too felt flat.

I thought the LFE in Skyfall was well done. Hit in all the right spots, solid output and supported the film well.

If you were not happy with Skyfall, dont even try The Hobbit! Hobbit has the weakest LFE track in quite some time IMO (since the movie 2012 I would say).

Tier-1 for Hobbit? Well that's disappointing and already dampened my enthusiasm. Do you think the Studio intentionally dialed down the effects like Avatar? It is frustrating when high profile titles receive such poor treatment.

With Skyfall, there was very little ULF effects. Does the Adele song sound pitch perfect with tight and deep bass in your HT?

Not sure what the deal is with Hobbit, but I do know that the low end is very underwhelming considering the on screen action and really drags the rest of an otherwise great track down because of it considering how crucial this element is to this type of film.

I remember the Adele song sounding great, but I cant give any specifics until I listen to it again. I had no complaints with the audio in Skyfall personally as both times watching it in my HT have been awesome. All the big action scenes where you would expect big LFE had it for me including Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

Agree with the theme song feeling flat, kept upping the volume but didn't seem to help much. It actually sounded better listening to it in 5 ch stereo off YouTube than it did in DD during the movie.

What? Skyfall is up there with Casino Royale, very good bass.

Zero dark 30. Sunds reference to me

I agree with the many comments about The Hobbit. I was disappointed with the AQ as well. The LFE was almost nonexistent . What a wasted soundtrack.