NEW Audio Tier Thread - Page 23

Bryan, good work for your dedication to this thread.

People will disagree and agree, but the bottom line is you put a lot of effort into it and for that, I appreciate.

Great work Bryan! Thanks very much for the hard work.

I personally put both Master and Commander and Ratatouille in the reference category. Otherwise, I agree with everything else.

Thanks for all your work on this Bryan.
Since you stated you tracked each recommender's post/rating, is it possible for me to get some sort of quick summary of my ratings? If that is something that is tedious and would take some time, then don't worry about it. But if it's something you can cut and paste into a PM to me, then I would really love to see it.
The main reason I ask is because I came into this thread as a contributor after some of those early "reference to Tier 0" titles had been released. Therefore, even though I may have found Master & Commander as reference, I never officially voted on it. Same goes for Rat, Live Free..., etc.
I don't want to start throwing votes out there on some of these titles if they are ones I have already voted on.

Thanks again, Bryan. Great job.

WOW. Thanks for all your hard work Bryan! That must have taken quite a bit of time.

Glad to see Wanted and M&C out of reference personally. Of course there are a few that I wished were still there, but thats the way it goes

Understood, I think people should come forward who think like I did that didn't have a formal vote on a certain title and make one now.

Those criterias were agreed upon on the first few pages of this thread by those who expressed their opinion on these.[ mostly the core voters but was open to anyone]. If you have any objections or ideas bring it up now so we can discuss it in the open.

Nope. I'm fine with it. Others just seem to not agree. I'm quite happy with the new list.

Terminator 2 Judgement Day:Skynet Edition (DTS-HD MA6.1)(Theatrical Version)-Tier 1

Surrounds were used well,at times the front stage sounded very crisp and at other times it sounded just a tad bit on the muffled side and somewhat inconsistent at times.Dialogue was clear throughout jut about the entire movie.Bass sounded nice for the two weak subs I have,I imagine it would sound much better on a higher end sub.

Great work Bryan, I can see why it took so long to update the thread since your last update. Can we now expect more frequent updates, maybe once a week?

Like thehun said, if you feel a movie that was moved deserves a better ranking, and you haven't already voted for it, vote for it now.

As for some of the reference titles that were moved to Tier 0, you said that you ignored the first 100 posts of the original thread what about the votes, if any, that were in those posts that may have been for Tier 0 (highest tier at that time) that would have affected the reference votes?

The Gamer (DTS-MA 5.1 region b) Reference

Though i watched only core for some reason, but it was great..clear dialogue, lots of surround info and best of all.. tons of deep bass to subsonic frequencies. It is pretty much constant bombardment for your aural senses and those gaming scenes will test your system to the limit.

I meant how the votes were compiled that created the list, not the list itself. I think it is safe to say that no list will be to everyone's liking.

First off, thanks for sending me that list.
It appears that I have many titles that fall into that category you mention - I've seen them, loved the audio, but never casted a vote on the title.
Now, I'm NOT going to arbitrarily just start voting on them based on how I remember them or where I think they should go. I'm going to rewatch and relisten to any older release before casting a vote. So even though I may think Ratattioulle is Reference, I'm going to watch the movie again just to make sure. Should be fun revisiting some of my faves...

Fame [2009] (DTS-HD MA 5.1) Tier 0

Here's a classic example of a movie that doesn't have any chase scenes or explosions or helicopters whizzing by to grade how well those scenes came across in my listening environment. We all agree that if these things sound great and enveloping, we smile and if they don't then we are left to ponder why not and grade the film accordingly.
This Fame remake can only be graded on things such as dialogue reproduction, ambiance, and of course the music. Dialogue - no problems at all. Ambiance - could have been better. Music - GREAT. In one particular scene, I felt like I was seated in the front row of a music hall taking in a piano solo. Every note was crystal clear and beautiful. In one dance number where the characters are dressed in costumes, deep, tight bass shook my walls and the dynamic range of the song was in full force. Just not much to complain about in the audio department with this movie.

I don't think anybody caught that DJ, but that's the funniest thing I've seen on AVS in quite a while.

Up - Reference:
No, it doesn't have the crazy LFE or effects that most people seem to look for in a reference movie, but the quality of the sound that is there keeps bringing me back. Smooth, refined, and clear.

Terminator: Salvation - Tier 0 (maybe bottom of reference)
Great LFE, no question. Great dynamic range. Just don't think it has quite the fidelity or refinement of Up, though as demo material, it is far far more impressive sounding to most people. I really don't mind this being in the Reference category though, I just want to distinguish it from Up and Ratatouille.

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs - Tier 0
Pretty darn good all around, very clear. No real complaints about this, just didn't wow me in the same way as some of the reference tracks. Not as good as Terminator, but better than other Tier 1 movies on the AVS list.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (PCM) - Tier 1
Decent track, just lacking a bit of fidelity, good dialog.


Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Dolby TrueHD) - Tier 0
Better than the Order of the Phoenix, dialog has quite a few quiet parts (plus English accents) makes it a bit more difficult to understand at lower volumes. Because of this, you really need to watch at reference volume, as dynamic range is high.

Land of the Lost - Tier 2
A little disappointing. Nothing special here, just average.

Big Fish (PCM) - Tier 1
A nice clear track, no real complaints. I just don't remember there being anything particularly special about it.

Master and Commander (DTS-HD MA 5.1) - Reference

Clear dialogue even during the most bombastic scenes. The three-dimensionality of sounds (creaking, chaos, explosions, screams), particularly as the scenes pan around the galley during battle showed excellent sonic clarity and direction. Every individual sound entity can be discerned amidst the chaos. Non-battle scenes exhibited intelligent surround use and live ambiance. A good and healthy balance throughout.

+1. That's why I had requested someone to post the sound graph illustrating the high frequency spots.

What high frequency spots?

Monsters, Inc. is freaking amazing!!

Ha, we just got done watching this one for the umpteenth time. Crazy, crazy sound. Not just LFE, but everything. My favorite Pixar movie, as well.

...and the PQ is just as impressive as the sound. Wow, what a great disc!!

I need to open and watch this one since it has been sitting here since I bought it with UP. Cant believe I have not done so yet. The DVD was always a favorite of mine not just for audio/video, but movie as well. What is my deal?!

I did rewatch The Incredible Hulk last night for only the second time............this might be the absolute best BR for me audio wise. Everything about it is just amazing IMO.........definately my kind of audio track

Todd.....What the hell!? This disc is simply amazing.

I hear you.........I really dont know what my problem is and am really confused how I have not watched this one yet I LOVE this movie and I am sure the BR is killer.

It took me awhile to get to Monsters, Inc. too, but man am I glad that I finally made it! One of the best BD's yet in terms of PQ and AQ....and yes, a good movie to boot!

It's one of those discs you can put in for a quick test drive, then an hour and a half later you're catching up on things you didn't do because you watched (and listened to) the whole movie.