Bluray Pure Audio, DVD-A and SACDs

[Jones99]

Always been a fan of SACDs having amassed quite a few (100s ) but recently I have a MSB UMT V transport currently residing in my system which has opened the door to quite a few other high resolution formats. Some of the titles of DVD-A and Bluray Pure Audio which I have purchased recently  have really caught me off guard how good they are . If anyone has any recommendations for  Bluray Pure Audio or DVD-a  would like to hear about them. My music tastes are very varied so all genre recommendations welcome but only 2 Channel recordings please.

Thanks in advance.

 

Edited February 10, 2018 by Jones99

[betty boop]

jones good to hear enjoying benefits of these formats. i too have quite a few sacd and dvda's though to be honest i bought an sold entire collection of blu-ray audio discs i had. and had considerable few but found they were really back catalog releases, and to not really bring anything to the table vs the sacd/dvda version i already had. worth comparing if buying editions of what might already have.

 

all that said in fresh new releases, there are indeed some blu-ray pure audios worth having particularly the ones from 2L audio. I have two favourites in, 

 

magnificat,

https://shop.klicktrack.com/2l/1001278

 

apart from 2ch wiht its 24x192 track, my system is setup for multichannel including auro3D and it sounds amazing ! 

 

this is another one

 

the choir of king's college which is a cd/sacd/blu-ray pure audio release

 

http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/gabrieli-in-venice.html

 

[stevoz]

Of the digital realm, I like SACD's and Bluray audio the best. There's just something about a good 5 ch mix ( no '.1' thanks....)! That might be irrelevant to the OP but yes, these formats definitely beat CD's for SQ......

Edited February 10, 2018 by stevoz

[Snoopy8]

Certainly agree with al that Magnificat is magnificent both as 2 channel and 5 channel (don't have auro3D capability). 2L have excellent blue ray recordings eg. 2L the Nordic Sound, Quiet Winter Night, Divermenti. If you already own 2L SACDs, you would know their quality.

 

Other blue ray audio worth having: Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick road, Bob Marley: Legend 30th Anniversary, Genesis:Selling England By The Pound, Queen: Night At The Opera, Beck:Sea Change, Chicago:Quadio box set, Yes:Fragile.

 

Note that if you already have the SACD equivalent,  then it is likely that the blu ray audio version will be the same.

 

The Quadraphonicquad Poll is good list to follow (note: many are out of print! Also, many SACDs). Yes multi channel, but these recordings are likely to be better re mastered versions of original recordings and you will get a superior 2 channel version as well.

[Weissman]

I suggest Gregory Porter - Liquid Spirit on Blu Ray Audio. Also second the suggestion of Beck (Sea Change) and Queen (Night at the Opera). 

[Cope]

The Amy Winehouse - Back To Black Pure Audio disc sounds pretty sibilant and rough. I'd avoid it, personally.

 

Sidenote: the thing that annoys me about Pure Audio is actually not to do with Pure Audio at all, but DRM. I can play Pure Audio Bluray via my Panasonic UB900, but if I output to the DAC in my amp via optical I'm limited to 48kHz. If I want to play it in its native 192kHz format, I have to either a) use an HDMI receiver, or b ) use the Panasonic's onboard DAC (make unknown) and output analogue. It sounds well enough, but really, for my setup there's no real advantage over CD or DVD. Not a problem for you and your very nice transport, however!

 

 

Edited February 10, 2018 by twofires

[Newman]

@twofires You can (a) rip it, or (b) I use a HDMI de-embedder that outputs native audio up to 24/192 in 2CH.

[Cope]

2 minutes ago, Newman said:

@twofires You can (a) rip it, or (b) I use a HDMI de-embedder that outputs native audio up to 24/192 in 2CH.

Fair call. I have an HD Fury that could probably do B, however I've found it to be a bit temperamental (random dropouts) and annoying (needs more amperage than your typical receiver's USB utility port, necessitating an additional power pack). Luckily I haven't heavily invested in the Pure Audio format, so I don't feel too bad about lacking the determination to fix the problem.  Good advice for others, though.

 

Anyway, apologies to the OP for going off topic.

[cwt]

Just for anyones curiosity about the ub900s dac ; its a 32bit TI so no downrezing if your avr processes spdif at 48khz [ like an old cary11a I used to have  ]

https://www.avforums.com/threads/panasonic-dmp-ub900-4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray-player-review.2023929/page-196#post-24537704

Edited February 10, 2018 by cwt

[Jones99]

18 hours ago, al said:

jones good to hear enjoying benefits of these formats. i too have quite a few sacd and dvda's though to be honest i bought an sold entire collection of blu-ray audio discs i had. and had considerable few but found they were really back catalog releases, and to not really bring anything to the table vs the sacd/dvda version i already had. worth comparing if buying editions of what might already have.

 

all that said in fresh new releases, there are indeed some blu-ray pure audios worth having particularly the ones from 2L audio. I have two favourites in, 

 

magnificat,

https://shop.klicktrack.com/2l/1001278

 

apart from 2ch wiht its 24x192 track, my system is setup for multichannel including auro3D and it sounds amazing ! 

 

this is another one

 

the choir of king's college which is a cd/sacd/blu-ray pure audio release

 

http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/gabrieli-in-venice.html

 

Al thanks for the recommendations......I have ordered both. Cheers

16 hours ago, Snoopy8 said:

Certainly agree with al that Magnificat is magnificent both as 2 channel and 5 channel (don't have auro3D capability). 2L have excellent blue ray recordings eg. 2L the Nordic Sound, Quiet Winter Night, Divermenti. If you already own 2L SACDs, you would know their quality.

 

Other blue ray audio worth having: Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick road, Bob Marley: Legend 30th Anniversary, Genesis:Selling England By The Pound, Queen: Night At The Opera, Beck:Sea Change, Chicago:Quadio box set, Yes:Fragile.

 

Note that if you already have the SACD equivalent,  then it is likely that the blu ray audio version will be the same.

 

The Quadraphonicquad Poll is good list to follow (note: many are out of print! Also, many SACDs). Yes multi channel, but these recordings are likely to be better re mastered versions of original recordings and you will get a superior 2 channel version as well.

Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick road, Bob Marley: Legend 30th Anniversary I have on Bluray Pure audio.....both very nice recordings really enjoyed both

I have the Beck Sea Change on SACD so have not chased it on Bluray.....the SACD is a damn fine recording!

I have ordered the other recommendations thank you

13 hours ago, Weissman said:

I suggest Gregory Porter - Liquid Spirit on Blu Ray Audio. Also second the suggestion of Beck (Sea Change) and Queen (Night at the Opera). 

Thanks ordered.

11 hours ago, twofires said:

The Amy Winehouse - Back To Black Pure Audio disc sounds pretty sibilant and rough. I'd avoid it, personally.

 

Sidenote: the thing that annoys me about Pure Audio is actually not to do with Pure Audio at all, but DRM. I can play Pure Audio Bluray via my Panasonic UB900, but if I output to the DAC in my amp via optical I'm limited to 48kHz. If I want to play it in its native 192kHz format, I have to either a) use an HDMI receiver, or b ) use the Panasonic's onboard DAC (make unknown) and output analogue. It sounds well enough, but really, for my setup there's no real advantage over CD or DVD. Not a problem for you and your very nice transport, however!

 

 

Yes I was not impressed by the Amy Winehouse......quite a disappointing recording really ...goes to show Hi rez means nothing if it is not mixed and mastered well.

 

I have no issues passing 192khz /96khz/88khz/48/44.1khz  , 16/20/24 bit via digital. The MSB UMT V trasnport outputs in Proprietary  I2S to my Select 2 DAC.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions appreciated 

[Snoopy8]

Curious where you are ordering from?  Many of my purchases are from Amazon UK. Was hoping Amazon AU would improve things here, maybe too soon?

[CAVX]

Amazon AU is a disappointment.  I really hope it lifts its game soon.  

 

The last time I saw Blu-ray Pure Audio discs in JB, they were being handled the very same way that may have killed SACD and DVD-A.  That is, in their own section with the name "Audiophile" on them, and because most people don't seem to know that is, they give it a miss. Then when it doesn't sell, new stock does not get ordered in and the format dies.    

[Bunno77]

I have the Nirvana and Beck Pure Audio discs. Neither have blown me away.
It seems a bit of a shame that this format hasn't taken off

[Jones99]

20 minutes ago, Bunno77 said:

I have the Nirvana and Beck Pure Audio discs. Neither have blown me away.
It seems a bit of a shame that this format hasn't taken off

The Nirvana black cover and In Utero  Bluray Pure Audio discs are 2 of the discs that have impressed....I know Nirvana are not your typical reference recording but  the rawness and power on these recording far surpass the CD .....maybe our different DACs and transports???

I will have to track down the Beck Sea Change and compare it to the SACD.  The SACD is a favorite and it would be interesting to see if I have a preference either way.

 

[Bunno77]

The Nirvana black cover and In Utero  Bluray Pure Audio discs are 2 of the discs that have impressed....I know Nirvana are not your typical reference recording but  the rawness and power on these recording far surpass the CD .....maybe our different DACs and transports???
I will have to track down the Beck Sea Change and compare it to the SACD.  The SACD is a favorite and it would be interesting to see if I have a preference either way.
 

Yeah I have In Utero and I guess it's just because I love their MTV Unplugged DVD.

Through the same DAC I didn't notice much difference between Beck's Pure Audio or when streamed through Tidal.

I think MQA are onto a good thing with getting the best recording to begin with. I'm not sure if Pure Audio are doing that or just upsampling.

[Snoopy8]

Other than a burst of releases a few years ago, the "Pure Audio" marketing concept is dead. However, there are still new releases of Blu Ray Audio eg. 2L, Chicago Quadio and material released by multi channel guru Steve Wilson.

 

A few years ago, I preferred Blu Ray Audio to SACD because neither my AVR nor DAC could handle DSD (was feeding PCM).  Since then, using the GIESELER Groß DAC, DSD comes across as better than high res PCM for the same recording.

[Jones99]

2 hours ago, Snoopy8 said:

Curious where you are ordering from?  Many of my purchases are from Amazon UK. Was hoping Amazon AU would improve things here, maybe too soon?

I am sourcing from Ebay, Amazon and other smaller sites where I can find the discs...

20 minutes ago, Snoopy8 said:

Other than a burst of releases a few years ago, the "Pure Audio" marketing concept is dead. However, there are still new releases of Blu Ray Audio eg. 2L, Chicago Quadio and material released by multi channel guru Steve Wilson.

 

A few years ago, I preferred Blu Ray Audio to SACD because neither my AVR nor DAC could handle DSD (was feeding PCM).  Since then, using the GIESELER Groß DAC, DSD comes across as better than high res PCM for the same recording.

Yeah I figured as much....  a shame really. I do hope a few releases still keep coming through  though. As for the SACD vs DVD-A vs Bluray I do not have a preference either way yet ....all formats offer some superb recordings and some downright awful. Its nice to be able to play them all and the MSB DAC I own plays all formats equally as well.

[Jones99]

36 minutes ago, Bunno77 said:

Yeah I have In Utero and I guess it's just because I love their MTV Unplugged DVD.

Through the same DAC I didn't notice much difference between Beck's Pure Audio or when streamed through Tidal.

I think MQA are onto a good thing with getting the best recording to begin with. I'm not sure if Pure Audio are doing that or just upsampling.

Hmm MQA .... a clever marketing tool indeed for a lossy format. There is no need for another lossy format which MQA is . Current internet speeds are able to stream full Hi-Res without compressing it..... I hope it dies but seems to have a lot of support. Time will tell. 

[Bunno77]

Hmm MQA .... a clever marketing tool indeed for a lossy format. There is no need for another lossy format which MQA is . Current internet speeds are able to stream full Hi-Res without compressing it..... I hope it dies but seems to have a lot of support. Time will tell. 

Yeah the format is meant to be lossy but the idea of the original (and maybe best) recording unmolested is a good idea I think.

[stevoz]

4 hours ago, Bunno77 said:

I have the Nirvana and Beck Pure Audio discs. Neither have blown me away.
It seems a bit of a shame that this format hasn't taken off

It's a disc format......the kids (and some misguided adults but not the one's turning to vinyl of course) aren't interested in discs these days. If it can't be 'downloaded' and played from their pocket they think it's an antique.....

Edited February 11, 2018 by stevoz

[Wayne Elliott]

Pure Audio (Blu-Ray Audio) when done well is sublime. I have an earlier JLTI Bu-Ray Player. The Who's Quadrophenia is mind blowingly good, especially bottom end. Entwhistle & Moon sound like they are in the room! Others I can recommend CSNY '74 Box Set, Nirvana In Utero, Grace Jones Nightclubbing, NY's Psychedelic Pill all sound great. Other titles vary, most sound better than CD, for eg. Stones "Exile" significantly better, whereas Gimme Shelter is only marginally better. VU's "White LIght" is real ordinary sounding, the extra resolution, really accentuates the tape hiss.

 

Hope more titles are released, as they are really affordable, only a few bucks more than a normal CD, and have the advantage of long playing time. Nightclubbing plays for nearly 3 hours, although I'm not a real big fan of GJ. DP's MIJ, puzzlingly doesn't have the extra tracks from the later release but a 2013 remix/remaster of the album as bonus. NY's "Pill" has a heap of bonus material.

 

I much prefer Pure Audio to SACD, thought SACD sounded  bit sterile sounding, but that was a long time ago.

[wasabijim]

I grabbed Exile and the live Winehouse release from JB. the Wife likes watching Amy Winehouse, but I didn't find all that moving. I enjoy Exile, it gets good rotation when vinyl's not spinning.

 

Have to agree the Pure Audio could have positioned itself better. you ask JB staff if they have any in stock and you get blank looks. now more and more the stores have less and less, or you get pushed towards viewing focused live recordings. 

 

I considered Quadrophenia, i'll definitely grab it if I come across it again.  

 

Any other suggestions of alternatives & outlets - online, physical or otherwise?

[Dave_H]

I highly recommend Bryan Adams 'Reckless' on Blu-ray Pure Audio. Both the stereo and 5.1 mixes are fantastic. 

 

The lack of albums released on Pure Audio is a real shame. I wrote to the record company (I think it was Universal) about this and encouraged them to release more. I didn't receive a reply.

 

I had been quite disappointed with the SACDs that I had (they sounded cold and digitalized) until I changed the settings on my Denon Amp (which was receiving the bitstream and decoding it) to 'Direct'. The manual says something about it only doing one conversion in this mode. They definitely sound warmer with this setting.

[ZEN MISTER]

I think the format ' PURE AUDIO' has ' gone to God.'  The titles you see at the Black and Yellow Store are the last imports we are likely to see.

CDJapan is doing a swan song on the last jazz titles in stock for $11 or so. There are a few available in the States that I have never seen out here such as the RUSH titles, and a free standing Songs from The Big Chair. Sad, as some of them were knockouts.

Billy.

Edited February 14, 2018 by Zen Mister

[Wayne Elliott]

The other Stones album I refer to is of course Let It Bleed. Gimme Shelter is the lead off track which I was listening to as I was typing.