I'm a Dave Matthews Band fan and I have both CD and DVD versions of his 2003 Central Park Concert. The DVD offers 5.1 and PCM stereo audio options. I'd always listened/watched the DVD using 5.1 surround but recently gave the PCM stereo a shot. It is terrific! When I'm seated in the sweet spot it has great stereo imaging and to me sounds better than 5.1. Well, this got me to wondering if the PCM stereo on the DVD sounded different than the CD version. I turned off the TV and just listened to both (at the same volume) and I preferred the DVD's PCM stereo to the CD version. In particular the bass and higher frequencies (12-string guitar) sounded better.

OK, now the question. Assuming the discs are mixed the same are there any technical reasons for the apparent differences between the PCM stereo on the DVD and the CD? Or am I just imagining things?

This is what I think the difference you're hearing is:

- The mastering process. CD masters of pop music tend to get overly processed while the stereo mix on the DVD might not get the same processing. The mix could be the same for both coming from the mix engineer but the mix for the CD could be mastered by a different mastering engineer than PCM track on the DVD.

There are probably other factors involved as well but this is the first one that pops into my head.

Your comment about stereo vs. surround is related to how the surround mix is created. The surround mix engineer has to create a sense of environment that can sometimes make certain instruments sound weaker in order to add perspective. Who knows how much of the soundstage the engineer had to create from the tracks that he had to work with? There are plenty of audiophiles out there that would still take a good stereo recording over a surround recording in a second. It kinda goes back to that whole two ears thing... (Just kidding )

Thanks for offering a reason why I like the DVD more than the CD. I've gotten to the point that I much prefer music in stereo versus a processed surround mode, or even 5.1 versions of DVD-Audio or SACD. IMO DVD-A and SACD is so dependent upon on the mixing that its a crap shoot when you buy one of those discs. I'm showing my age but I grew up on stereo and it just sounds "right" to me when listening to music. I sit in the sweet spot and in my mind locate all the musicians. Now movies are an entirely different matter. You would miss so much if you watched a movie in stereo or 2.1.

Getting back to overprocessed CDs...are there types of CDs (or specific labels) that don't compress/overprocess the music?