DVD-Audio FTW!

[shuttleboi]

Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124
Just got the Keane - Hopes and Fears DualDisc (one side CD, one side DVD-V/DVD-A) and my ears are in heaven. After fiddling with Creative's stupid, stupid software and using imagecfg to force their DVD-Audio software to run in single processor mode only, I'm now just basking in sonic bliss. 96/24/2ch and 48/24/6ch mixes are included on this disc, can't wait till I can get a hold of a 192/24 DVD-Audio. Best of all, there's dynamics in the audio! Yay!!!

Do you have to play that through a particularly good sound card in order to process the DVD-A data?

 

[SoulAssassin]

Originally posted by: darkswordsman17
I also own Metallica's Black album on DVD-A and Dire Straits Brothers in Arms on SACD. Unfortunately I don't own a DVD-A/SACD capable player any more, which is why I haven't really bought anymore as I've gone on a CD buying spree the last couple of semesters). I did crank up Money for Nothing as high as I've ever had my audio system (pretty much to earsplitting levels) and there was no noticable distortion even on my humble setup.

I just got the Black album about a week ago. Only listened through it once so far (decided to buy a 2nd car last week =]) but I'm driving the TL this week so I might have to crank it up in the morning. My initial reaction was that it was good but not as good as LP.

 

[SoulAssassin]

Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124

A friend let me hear the Place for my Head remix on there, :Q

Beat him severely for not letting you listen to the entire thing. Track 16 is the best IMHO. The multi-channel effects are almost dizzying which is fun while driving.

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Originally posted by: shuttleboi

Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124
Just got the Keane - Hopes and Fears DualDisc (one side CD, one side DVD-V/DVD-A) and my ears are in heaven. After fiddling with Creative's stupid, stupid software and using imagecfg to force their DVD-Audio software to run in single processor mode only, I'm now just basking in sonic bliss. 96/24/2ch and 48/24/6ch mixes are included on this disc, can't wait till I can get a hold of a 192/24 DVD-Audio. Best of all, there's dynamics in the audio! Yay!!!

Do you have to play that through a particularly good sound card in order to process the DVD-A data?

I've got a Creative X-Fi which AFAIK can handle up to 192khz/24bit (only in 2ch) and 96khz/24bit up to 7.1 ch.

 

[Privateman]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle
I think one of the biggest factors in DVD-A and SACD sounding good is that they are actually mastered correctly instead of being compressed as hell. A properly mastered CD can sound very nice; unfortunately most modern CDs are just bulldozed and all dynamic range is killed.

Not really. CDs still sound, well, like a CD. Sure you can get a pretty darn good recording but it lacks the tone and overall sound of a live performance/analog. You can even take the CD recording and compare with the SACD/DVD-A version and that tone becomes extermely apparent. It's almost analog-ish. So even though the CDs are butchered as far as dynamic range most of the time, there is a lot more to it than just that.

Digital>Analog

 

[Rubycon]

We're having a 24 bit party

 

[Old Hippie]

he immedietly asked me to fly out to Detroit in a few months and set up an entire audio/video solution.

Man, that sounds like a great job you have there. :thumbsup:

 

[Pepsi90919]

Originally posted by: MrWizzard
Someday general digital sound will be as good as analogue maybe.....

Never.

 

[Pepsi90919]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle
I think one of the biggest factors in DVD-A and SACD sounding good is that they are actually mastered correctly instead of being compressed as hell. A properly mastered CD can sound very nice; unfortunately most modern CDs are just bulldozed and all dynamic range is killed.

Not really. CDs still sound, well, like a CD. Sure you can get a pretty darn good recording but it lacks the tone and overall sound of a live performance/analog. You can even take the CD recording and compare with the SACD/DVD-A version and that tone becomes extermely apparent. It's almost analog-ish. So even though the CDs are butchered as far as dynamic range most of the time, there is a lot more to it than just that.

RaynorWolfcastle is right. It's all in the mastering.

 

[Pepsi90919]

Originally posted by: Privateman

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle
I think one of the biggest factors in DVD-A and SACD sounding good is that they are actually mastered correctly instead of being compressed as hell. A properly mastered CD can sound very nice; unfortunately most modern CDs are just bulldozed and all dynamic range is killed.

Not really. CDs still sound, well, like a CD. Sure you can get a pretty darn good recording but it lacks the tone and overall sound of a live performance/analog. You can even take the CD recording and compare with the SACD/DVD-A version and that tone becomes extermely apparent. It's almost analog-ish. So even though the CDs are butchered as far as dynamic range most of the time, there is a lot more to it than just that.

Digital>Analog

End yourself. You know nothing about audio.

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919

Originally posted by: MrWizzard
Someday general digital sound will be as good as analogue maybe.....

Never.

Well the ears are analogue. Since the precision of digital to analogue is an asymptotic approach, it will never match it but as recording technique and playback resolution increases and engineers have more tools available to actually make a recording have resolution that can be realized with a decent playback system, the finished product can be more enjoyable than ever.

That, of course, is only going to happen when they stop the murder of the dynamics, timbre and nuances in present recordings. But there is hope.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
RaynorWolfcastle is right. It's all in the mastering.

No, no it's not.

CDs have never had to kind of tonal accuracy that hi-rez audio brings. Since my first CD player in the mid 80s something always sounded "off" about it. Too sharp, that digital "edge".

-edit- I know I'll get pounded...but...CDs have this kind of sound:

Snares are snappy, you can't even hear the vibrations of the snare
Violins don't sound like violins, they sound electronic with no vibrato
There are no overtones
Bass guitars sound like thumps, not bass guitars
It's too "sizzly"
Cymbals sound like - tssssssssss, not splash
Vocals don't sound like the singer is in front of your face

 

[Rock Hydra]

I haven't looked into it much, but what is required to play such discs?

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Originally posted by: Rock Hydra
I haven't looked into it much, but what is required to play such discs?

For DVD-A on a computer? Any good soundcard, and software that can handle DVD-A playback (WinDVD and Creative's DVD-A player come to mind). SACD is impossible to play back on PCs ATM.

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: spidey07

CDs have never had to kind of tonal accuracy that hi-rez audio brings. Since my first CD player in the mid 80s something always sounded "off" about it. Too sharp, that digital "edge".

LOL CD players in the 80's had brickwall filtering that REALLY sounded bad. A good transport, DAC and signal processor will sound so much better it isn't funny.

That's the biggest complaint about digital - it being harsh or cold. The true limitation of 16/44.1 is with very low recording levels especially in the absence of dither (which in itself would be bad).

Good recordings brought in at 16/48 sound very smooth and lifelike. Like some cd's are AAD or ADD some DVD-A/SACD may not be purely 24 bit as well.

Either way, compression and over processing totally DESTROY the final product whether it's on 8-track, LP, cassette, DAT, MD, CD, DVD-A, SACD, DCRS, or iLoones. :laugh:

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: MS Dawn

Originally posted by: spidey07

CDs have never had to kind of tonal accuracy that hi-rez audio brings. Since my first CD player in the mid 80s something always sounded "off" about it. Too sharp, that digital "edge".

LOL CD players in the 80's had brickwall filtering that REALLY sounded bad. A good transport, DAC and signal processor will sound so much better it isn't funny.

That's the biggest complaint about digital - it being harsh or cold. The true limitation of 16/44.1 is with very low recording levels especially in the absence of dither (which in itself would be bad).

Good recordings brought in at 16/48 sound very smooth and lifelike. Like some cd's are AAD or ADD some DVD-A/SACD may not be purely 24 bit as well.

Either way, compression and over processing totally DESTROY the final product whether it's on 8-track, LP, cassette, DAT, MD, CD, DVD-A, SACD, DCRS, or iLoones. :laugh:

Don't talk explain audio to me. Back me up. You know exactly what I'm hearing.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: state 08
Bose.

Oh no. You said it! He will sense it and be here soon!




Somewhere, our resident Soundman awakens with terrible wrath.

 

[Privateman]

Yes, I know alot about audio and that includes the differences between analog and digital.
The quality of an analog recording declines as it gets older, but the quality of a digital recording remains intact as the years go by.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Privateman
Yes, I know alot about audio and that includes the differences between analog and digital.
The quality of an analog recording declines as it gets older, but the quality of a digital recording remains intact as the years go by.

So crappy from the start to the end is better than superior throughout?

Interesting.

 

[Privateman]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: Privateman
Yes, I know alot about audio and that includes the differences between analog and digital.
The quality of an analog recording declines as it gets older, but the quality of a digital recording remains intact as the years go by.

So crappy from the start to the end is better than superior throughout?

Interesting.

A "well mastered" cd does not sound like crap.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Privateman
A "well mastered" cd does not sound like crap.

No, but it can't approach analog in terms of quality and faithful reproduction.