Jethro Tull / Aqualung 5.1 - Page 2

Very interested to hear impressions - it's not my absolutely favourite Tull record, and buying the BD by itself would be a no brainer, but I'm still very, very tempted by this release.

I'm planning to resell the LP, so if anyone is interested shoot me a PM (can I say this here?).

I sure wish there was a way to buy the 5.1 disc. That's the only thing I'm interested in.

Just a newbie in this very fine forum but am a big multichannel music fan. Thanks for the heads up for my past wonderful purchases! Yes I took the plunge in this Aqualung set and I very pleased to say the least. I am presently taking in the 5.1 HD DTS blue ray master and I am overwhelmed by this Steven Wilson mix. Huge sonic landscape with the bass most prominent throughout. This band could hold it's own with any hard rock band in it's day. Ian Anderson's vocals are spread amongst the front channels with much clarity with very tasteful usage of the surrounds. Details in the acoustic guitars which I could not detect in the previous releases are found here with a vivid fresh new audio immersion. Nothing overbearing here as I was afraid of what might happen when this project was taken on for 5.1. A sigh of relief! Hat's off Mr Wilson and I am looking forward to the next Tull project as I heard that might contain a brick in it. Mr Anderson made a good decision with you. Stereo or multichannel, you will smile as they finally nailed this classic right! Going to cut to the Quad mix next. I hope this helps somewhat and thanks again for your great recommendations in the past for me.

I'm not that much of a Tull fan, but a succker for 5.1 releases, so I went for the set. Quite impressive, and much better sounding than I remember. Low bass (my other weakness) is terrific.

I pre-ordered this from Amazon with the intent of cancelling it if the price didn't go down. Fortunately (or unfortunately) Amazon shipped out my order rather quickly and it arrived today. I couldn't resist opening it. It's quite an elegant package and the Blu ray sounds amazing, and although it's much more than I would normally spend on a single music purchase, I can't say that I feel ripped-off. My early Christmas present to myself.

My one nitpick is that the back of the Blu ray sleeve listing does not match how the different sound mixes are organized on the Blu ray disc. (The back of the sleeve lists: "a) Album mixed to 5.1 surround sound with 4 additional recordings all 96/24 LPCM & DTS-HD Master Audio")

To me, a = 1, but the DTS-HD is the third sound option (out of five) on the sound menu. In other words, I need to boot up my TV and go through the top menu to select the sound option I want. Personally, I just like to put the Blu ray disc in my player, hit play, and be surrounded with a glorious 5.1 sound field without ever turning on my TV.

As I said this is my own personal nitpick and doesn't distract from this fantastic package and with a few memorized clicks on my remote I should be good to go without using my TV.

Does anyone know the specific resolution - sampling rate and sample word length - of the DTS-MA track? Also, does the Blu-ray disc begin playing automatically when you drop it into the tray and push "play" (though I know this can depend on the player too) or do you have to access a menu via your TV and then choose the play option from there, which is really irritating to me? Thanks.

The DTS HD MA track is 24/96.

^ thanks Kevin.

This one is on top of my wishlist for the holidays. Amazon appears to still be the best price. I thought of applying Acoustic Sounds 10% coupon over there, but they have it at an insanely high price - perhaps Tea For The Tillerman SACD would be a better application of this coupon? Does anyone have a cheaper source for Aqualung 5.1?

Well I just ordered my copy off of Amazon. A little pricey but I'm really a fan of this album. Besides, my vinyl copy is pretty worn. I will be looking forward to the 5.1 mix also. I also would like "Songs from the wood" packaged like this.

Got my grubby hands on this one, and it was worth it, even for just the lossy 5.1 DTS DVD-V version that I could play. I may have to bite the bullet and get me a Blu-Ray player to listen to the 5.1 DTS-HD MA version. The bass has finally surfaced and all of the instruments and vocals sound better than they ever have. I can't wait to see what magic Steven Wilson has wrought for Thick As A Brick in 2012, and am going to start saving up for that expensive box set. I also hope that Passion Play is next, because these three would cover everything that I strongly desire from Tull.

All the prices jumped, and, alas, no boxing day sales on this set alas...

I'm in the same boat as you, No blu-ray player. Luckily, I can get one pretty cheap these days. If the blu-ray disc is on par with the rest of the material in the package, it'll be worth it.

I think most don't realize that the the DVD also has a DTS 96-24 track on it. Grant it, it's not the BR but having a DTS 96-24 track is worth it. I think your AVR needs to be able to play this type of DTS track which mine does. The SQ of the DTS 96-24 is very very good.

So if you can play this type of file don't hesitate, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Yes, the DTS surround mix/quality is very good. I like the fact that the surround channels are not overly done. Just enough.

I pre-ordered from importcds for $74.68 on 11-02.
Patience paid off and received it on 12-23.
First class packaging except I don't like discs in paper sleeves.

The Blu-ray 5.1 LPCM and DTS-MA are stunning.
This was never a good sounding recording, imo, but is truly transformed by the new master and mix.
If you are not a big fan of Aqualung, ~$120 to $140 is a lot otherwise even at the steep price if the funds are there...
If you are a vinylite all the better as the 180 gram LP is killer as well.

damn, that was a good price... sigh...

Yup, even at $75 I was hesitant but at least it delivers the goods in spades.

popmarket.com has it for $79.99 today only

...and I'm -so- glad I waited Snagged this morn.

Thanks for the heads-up! Have been looking on ebay, hoping to find just the dvd or br discs for a decent price, thought it'd be a long time until the box was a reasonable price. Just bought it for $80- very happy.

Will probably sell off everything but the dvd and/or br; though may keep the book.

Thanks for letting us know. Just ordered this morning also. It's great to come to this forum and find the deals.

sold out

I'm in the same boat as Ca1ore above; I plan on selling the vinyl, PM me if interested. Anyone know what a reasonable price would be? Will go the ebay route if need be, but I haven't seen the album there or at Amazon, so I don't know what a reasonable price would be- maybe $30 to $40 given current vinyl prices? God, I haven't bought an album in decades!

Also planning to offload CD's and DVD if anyone's interested. Awaiting delivery- can't wait to hear Aqualung in surround.

Just got done listening to the Blu-ray "Aqualung" in 5.1 DTS-MA and sonically it's just outstanding!!
Picked up the Box set from popmarket.com awhile back when they still had them.
I basically wore out my original LP and hearing this on Blu-ray is like hearing it all over again for the first time, only better.
Stand outs: "Locomotive Breath" and the title song "Aqualung".
The guitar solo in Aqualung just kicks a** and the use of surrounds on the entire album really adds to the overall listening experience IMO.
If you can afford to get your hands on the Blu-ray it's a great addition to any High Res Collection.
Highly Recommended!!

I agree. I just received this on Tuesday. I have owned nearly every format that this album was released on and they all suffered from too much noise and hiss, even the cd's. I read about the bluray release and jumped on it. I don't know how they did it but this release sounds incredible. I hear percussion instruments on a couple of tracks that I never heard before. The acoustic guitar really stands out.

I haven't listened to the other cd's and albums that came with it but for one of my favorite albums of all time, it was worth the price for the bluray.

Well done

All I want for this box set is the Bluray disc. Sure wish that was released as a stand alone disc so I don't have to break the bank for this disc.