DVD-Audio Fleetwood Mac WOW!

[danger boy]

Sorry this is long.. :p

OMG! Where do I begin? First off, I've been in love with Stevie Nicks since I was in high school.. some xx number of years ago. :D

Went to Best Buy today to browse and as always I can't leave the store without checking out the DVD-audio section.. small as it is. it's worth my time to see "what's new".

Take few mintues and scan the bin.. not much new.. then I come across the new Fleetwood Mac disc... Say You Will. While i'm not a big fan today of FM, I notice that they have three discs in DVD-a. I'm thinking.. wow. they must be really into the multichannel format to release their latest music on DVD-a. seeing since how it's still very much a target audience that buys the format and supports it.

I take a chance on it.. what the hell it's only $14.99 about the same price as a Redbook CD.

I fire up the system as I have dinner. Thinking my system sounds better once it's had time to warm up. 40 minutes later I insert the disc in the try.. crank it up to about 60 on the good old Marantz SR5000. First song comes on.. What's the World Coming To? I listen and crap.. it sounds no better than a regular 16 bit CD. I'm not impressed AT ALL.

The song appears not to have been mixed properly for DVD-a. It doesn't utilize the rear channels at all. I had to get up and make sure the rears were fired up... yeah they're on. Hmmmm? what gives?

Forward to the next song... Murrow Turning over in His Grave. OMG! The sweet sounds rained down upon my ears.. like honey on a nice warm day with a slightly cool breeze coming off the ocean. My senses are literally overwhelmed. The entire 5.1 channels are in 96kHz / 24 bits. Yeah baby!!

The mix is wide open, smooth, layered, detailed and pure Fleetwood Mac. It has a spacious three dimensional pitch where everything just comes together in music nirvana. I continue to listen to more songs.. and each one gets better than the one before.

I've got plenty of experience with DVD-a. owning about 15 discs now. Most of them just sound a little cleaner then it's regular CD conterpart.. but the 5.1 ch mix isn't all the great.

I know there are two camps here. Those who don't care for multichannel musica and those of us who love it. Well if you're a fan of either FM or DVD-a. I highly suggest getting this disc. It will give you a new appreciation for what the DVD-a format can do. It's my new demo disc. :D

I hope other record companies and muscians take note of how good it can be. Pure clean no holds barred audio.

Al

P.S. Fleetwood Mac's new song.. Peacekeeper.. does anyone think this kind sounds like Paul Simon's Kodachrome? I think it does, just slower.

[avelanchefan]

So what was the deal with the first song? Just mixed wrong do you think?

BTW- nice review.

[danger boy]

Yes I think it wasn't mixed the right way.. no use of the surrounds at all. It's to bad. because that's what everyone will hear as soon as they put it in their player. Get passed the first song.. and you'll be rewarded.

[steve simmons]

I have about 6-7 DVD-A discs now and I really enjoy the surround mix on all of them. The hi rez stereo tracks sound good, better than the standard 2 channel CD, but in surround the music is just more "there". I know that many people don't like the surround mixes and to each their own I guess but no regrets on my part with buying a DVD-A player. I just wish more titles would be released so I would have a bigger variety. I may pick up the Fleetwood Mac this week but I am not a big fan of their music.

I have yet to hear SACD setup properly and would like to get a universal player sometime in the near future.

[danger boy]

Originally posted by steve simmons
I have about 6-7 DVD-A discs now and I really enjoy the surround mix on all of them. The hi rez stereo tracks sound good, better than the standard 2 channel CD, but in surround the music is just more "there". I know that many people don't like the surround mixes and to each their own I guess but no regrets on my part with buying a DVD-A player. I just wish more titles would be released so I would have a bigger variety. I may pick up the Fleetwood Mac this week but I am not a big fan of their music.

I have yet to hear SACD setup properly and would like to get a universal player sometime in the near future.

steve, my thoughts exactly. I too would like to see a lot more titles released in DVD-A.

As for Fleetwood Mac. It's good rock and roll. There are 18 new songs on this disc. Some of them are so so. While others rock your socks off. I truely enjoy the songs that have a lot going on in them.

[scottvamp]

I own about 5 dvda's now and all the 5.1 DD mixes sound amazing on both my HT's. Night and day to a regulair cd - so good that I am left wondering how much better the actual dvda mixes are. Really.
I will see some time in the distant future but for now buying a new unit and then spending 1/2 hundred bucks on cables is not worth it to me.
I am just starting to buy some SACD's and the regulair cd is not that big of an improvement at all.
But for the most part I listen to 6/7 channel stereo on my Onkyo's and 2 channel is a thing of the past for me.;)

[danger boy]

great scottvamp, i can tell you the DVD-a mix is a little better. You are getting a good mix with DD anyway. But yeah if you find the need down the road a ways.. you'll already have the software to listen to DVD-A discs.

We've still just begun to scratch the surface in multichannel music I feel. A few years down the road.. better players willl be available and I hope (knock on wood) that these formats will take off and more people will be exposed to the improved sounds of multichannel audio.

I bought Pink Floyds Dark Side Of the Moon on SACD it's the hybrid disc that was just released. WHile I don't have a SACD player.. i did listen to the stereo mix. I was not impressed with some of the songs quality. Money being the exception. That track does sound good.. most of the others sounded muddy and flat.

[scottvamp]

Originally posted by danger boy
great scottvamp, i can tell you the DVD-a mix is a little better. You are getting a good mix with DD anyway. But yeah if you find the need down the road a ways.. you'll already have the software to listen to DVD-A discs.
I bought Pink Floyds Dark Side Of the Moon on SACD it's the hybrid disc that was just released. WHile I don't have a SACD player.. i did listen to the stereo mix. I was not impressed with some of the songs quality. Money being the exception. That track does sound good.. most of the others sounded muddy and flat.
Thanks Danger for confirming that - and I agree.
Also got PF(DSOTM) at KMart for $10.99 and was not impressed with the standard cd quality - even had background hiss (maybe digital instead of analog would be cleaner) have to try that out.

[Frank Z]

The multichannel track of DSOTM is incredible!! It's like hearing the album for the first time. If you do not own an SACD player, this SACD makes the purchase a worthwhile investment.

As for Fleetwood Mac, I also picked it up on Saturday and really enjoy it, although there are a few cuts that don't do anything for me. Illume(9-11), Say You Will, Throwin Down, Steal Your Heart Away, & Silver Girl will be getting alot of air time!

[steve simmons]

I am going to give the new Fleetwood Mac a try. I see on CC's website they have it for $13.99 so I will place an order for it and a couple others later tonight. I would really like to get "I Robot" by Alan Parsons but I can't justify the $28.00 price tag on it.

Getting into DVD-A is alot like when DVD's first came out- not a lot of selection so you buy things you normally wouldn't just to have some variety :o

[danger boy]

Frank Z do you have a DVD-A player or are you listening to FM in DD?

Why is I Robot so expensive? What format is that in?

Steve simmons, which other DVD-A discs do you own?

A few of the other ones I have are. Fleetwood Mac Rumours, Queen - A Night At The Opera, Crowded House, R.E.M.- Automatic for the People, Eagles - Hotel California, Barenaked Ladies - Maroon, Foreigner - 4, B.B. King & Eric Clapton - Riding with the King.

[Frank Z]

danger boy,
I have a Pioneer Elite DV-47a player, so I am listening to the DVD-A tracks.

[PETERNG]

I have several DVD-As, all of the Fleetwood Mac DVD-A, none of them mix right(multi-channels), same as the Eagles DVD-A, Santana and even the Queen DVD-A (2). The ones that I really think the mix are good: Foreigner (2 DVD-As), Deep Purple, Steve Stevens, and The Blue Man. There are also some other good titles but I don't remember at this time. I paid only about less than $12 for each at BB.

[danger boy]

I have heard one cut from the Steve Stevens CD.. it was wonderful. I do like the new FLeetwood Mac better than their others. I found the mix on that DVD-A to be one of the best i've heard.

[steve simmons]

I've got Rumours, Hotel California, both of the Grateful Dead discs, both Queen discs, and on SACD I have Dark Side of the Moon.