It’s been a while since I last posted and I thought I'd post something currently on my mind. Multi-Channel music.
As I choose note to spend money on a new DVD-A or SACD player right now, due to what could become VHS vs. Beta part deux, I decided to evaluate the current offerings in a different way, a.k.a. the hybrid disk. I bought a disk I already have on CD, the new one including DVD-A multi enhanced, stereo and DD 5.1 for DVD-V. As I mentioned I cannot play the DVD-A variants, but the DVD-D in DD 5.1 proved interesting.
I played track one and, while impressed, I noticed the engineer or producer decided to make it obvious that this disk was in discrete 5.1, making the guitar solo pan all over the front three channels, with the .1 occasionally booming a bit out of proportion.
Luckily, point proven, the mixer settled down and rarely went out of his/her way to single out a channel for the majority of the disc. After full listen through, I noted a tune that I thought fit fairly well and then put my CD in to evaluate. For reference, I was in Outlaw 1050 model 'natural' to try and keep the playing field as level as possible. Note: at the same volume setting, the 5.1 DVD was 4-5 db louder, so a volume setting change was in order to keep the test as flat as possible.
My ears told me that on my system the 5.1 mix had a much more open soundstage and clarity was there in distinct instruments, vocals and the nuances that make music very individual. On the other hand, the CD, while in a surrounding type environment not completely dissimilar to the 5.1 mix, was very blended in the front. I noticed on the 5.1 mix that there was an accompanying line throughout the song I had never noticed. It didn't 'stand out' but was compelling to listen to. On the CD, it was indeed there, but was muted into the background by the rest of the mix. True, it could have been in the studio master that way, but clarity was the most common difference I saw between the formats throughout.
To sum up, my CD vs. DD 5.1 - DVD-V test was interesting. I will not say for sure that the one mix I listened to was any better as a whole, but there is a definite clarity difference. At times, I was drawn from the music to an effect, which is never good, but at others, I felt centered in the sound.
After the 5.1 tests, I went to stereo, noting that the DD 5.1 mix had no DD 2.0 mix companion, so it was down to processing. To minimize the differences (with my theory, at least) I switched to 2 ch analog out of my DVD player, leaving it to do the down conversion. DVD-V seemed much more clear in the highs than the CD, but the low end clarity that had been there in 5.1 was completely gone. In short, the CD vs. DVD-V face off in this area was much less divided. Both versions sounded much less involving than either 5.1 or 'natural' which I find odd, as I typically prefer 2 ch in 2 ch. Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me, as can be common in audio evaluations.
If others would like to continue/repeat the experiment, I would love to read other opinions of those who play around with their existing technologies. If somebody out there has a DVD-A/DVD-V player and can comment on the differences between those formats, or even SACD directly compared, I would be intrigued. The experiment I did was simple enough to try. I would recommend buying a disk you know, just to make the comparison valid. I chose Metallica's Black album (sorry for the letdown, true audiophiles) but it is something I know quite well and made a comparison quite easy. There are sure to be a few titles more suited to many people's tastes, available in both DVD-A/DVD-V 5.1 and on standard CD.
So, if anyone else cares to take up the mantle of research guinea pig, there is at least one guy watching for the results. Comments from any and all interested in the multi-channel audio future are welcome. From my vantage point, it is coming and in less than a handful of years, most music will be multi-channel in some format or another. I just hope each producer doesn't feel the need to show off, just for technology's sake!
S.