Blu-ray Audio

[Bryn]

As mentioned elsewhere, SACD and DVD Audio appear to be close to running out of steam. In the case of DVD Audio, the boiler even seems to have cooled to ambient temperature. However, Naxos are dipping their toes in the cool waters of Blu-ray Audio. Following their 'Virtual Haydn' set of his keyboard music (Tom Beghin), they have now released their recordings of Marin Alsop's Dvorak 6th to 9th on 2 Blu-ray Audio discs. The CD issues of these recordings having been so well received, I have ordered the Blu-rays from hmv.com at £8,99 each. Let's hope other companies take up the high resolution format.

Typical of hmv.com, a search for "Dvorak Alsop Blu-ray" suggests they do not handle these discs. However, using "Baltimore" in place of "Alsop Blu-ray" reveals that they do:

http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;12;-1;-1;-1&sku=830830

http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;12;-1;-1;-1&sku=830848

I wonder how much business hmv.com loses due to its hopeless search facility.

[PJPJ]

I don't think SACD is running out of steam - MDT lists 35 local new releases for January, and there are more, at a price, to be imported from Japan. As for DVD-A htat's as niche a format as is now possible; I think it's only Tacet and Classic Records who still release classical music in this format. (Classic Records' Everest reissues sound quite wonderful in 3 channel stereo though there may be odd flutter at the start of a few tracks due to the deterioration of the 35mm film stock.)

One of these days I'll have to get a BD player - meanwhile I'd be very interested to read what you think of the audio quality after you've done some comparisons.

You're right about the HMV searching - Alsop doesn't get a look in for the BDs, and the BDs are treated as CDs.

[Mahlerei]

PJPJ

Like you, I hope SACD will be around for a while yet. I think 2L had released a BD-A recording or two as well. Recently invested in a Sony BD Player which -curiously enough - plays SACDs and outputs pure DSD via HDMI. I don't know how good the internal DAC is, but I will try a BD-A disc soon and report back.

Later: been Googling for available BD-As and getting all sorts of conflicting results. Amazon is pretty useless at distinguishing these from Blu-ray movies for instance, and prices seem to be all over the place. It's all very well to trumpet BD-A as the new dawn of quality audio, but if this confusion continues - shades of SACD v DVD-A - people simply won't bother. When will the industry get its act together?

[Thropplenoggin]

This might be of interest, from MusicWebInternational: https://www.musicweb-international.c...eport_BDA.html

It seems that Blu-Ray Audio is being pushed again by labels. Would anyone consider going down this route rather than buying the CD version?

[hedgehog]

I'm very sad about the non take-up of DVD Audio, because it was possible to record 6 channel PCM on it. I've not yet delved into Blue ray recording - Bryn or anybody else what are the possibilities here?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Does any Blu-ray player accept these discs? I must say that the sound on Blu-ray films is an even bigger step up from DVD than the picture quality.

[HighlandDougie]

This might be of interest, from MusicWebInternational: https://www.musicweb-international.c...eport_BDA.html

It seems that Blu-Ray Audio is being pushed again by labels

My experience of Universal's "High Fidelity Pure Audio" releases mirrors that of the people cited in the MusicWebInternational article: the improvement wrought by BluRay on the Kleiber Beethoven 5/7, Fricsay's New World and the Kaufmann Wagner recital really is palpable. Ditto the War Requiem and the Solti Ring. Apart from them (the WR; the Ring), they were, however, a bit of a pain to track down (mine came from FNAC in France). They come with the wherewithall to allow you two chances to download the album as well at 16/44 quality (decidedly superior to Amazon's MP3), which helps ease the pain of the cost. The choice of repertoire is, though, limited (Supertramp??) and all a bit predictable, although the January tranche of releases (at least according to Italian Amazon) looks more interesting (Monteux's Ravel; Jan Lisiecki in Mozart; William Steinberg's Planets; Radu Lupu's Grieg/Schumann etc). But, given the general trend towards downloads and streaming, I can't see them having other than a very limited shelf-life (like EMI's SACDs, alas).

[french frank]

Does any Blu-ray player accept these discs? I must say that the sound on Blu-ray films is an even bigger step up from DVD than the picture quality.

Message from an ex-member, lurking, pointed to an article he wrote

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2013/Dec13/Bluray_audio_DM.htm

[Ferretfancy]

This might be of interest, from MusicWebInternational: https://www.musicweb-international.c...eport_BDA.html

It seems that Blu-Ray Audio is being pushed again by labels. Would anyone consider going down this route rather than buying the CD version?

I would certainly endorse the comments on the Blu-Ray sound on the Solti Ring, which is only available as an extra in Decca's marvellous bumper box, as well as Humphrey Burton's documentary and much else. The firmness and placing of the voices is superb, recorded with a real sense of space around them provided by the Sofiensaal. Whatever resevations some may have about the performance as a whole, it has to be one of the greatest achievements ever in recorded sound.

[richardfinegold]

As mentioned elsewhere, SACD and DVD Audio appear to be close to running out of steam. In the case of DVD Audio, the boiler even seems to have cooled to ambient temperature. However, Naxos are dipping their toes in the cool waters of Blu-ray Audio. Following their 'Virtual Haydn' set of his keyboard music (Tom Beghin), they have now released their recordings of Marin Alsop's Dvorak 6th to 9th on 2 Blu-ray Audio discs. The CD issues of these recordings having been so well received, I have ordered the Blu-rays from hmv.com at £8,99 each. Let's hope other companies take up the high resolution format.

Typical of hmv.com, a search for "Dvorak Alsop Blu-ray" suggests they do not handle these discs. However, using "Baltimore" in place of "Alsop Blu-ray" reveals that they do:

http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;12;-1;-1;-1&sku=830830

http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;12;-1;-1;-1&sku=830848

I wonder how much business hmv.com loses due to its hopeless search facility.

The Naxos "Audio Only" Blu Ray discs have been available here for a couple of years, and I own a few. Another label that makes Audio Only Blu Rays is the Norwegian based Label 2-L, which I know is available in the UK. I have a few of the Naxos discs, including the Alsop/Dvorak 6/9, and the "Divertimento" disc from 2-L.
The Naxos discs leave me underwhelmed, both in terms of performances, which are mundane, and the sonics, which I don't think approximate that of well recorded "Red Book" CDs, not to mention SACDs and DVD-A (or their offspring, 24/96 downloads). The average Audio/Visual Concert Blu Ray, such as from the Medici Arts Label, sounds much more characterful than the Naxos Blu Rays.
Another very impressive sounding Blu Ray is available from the San Francisco Orchestra site, featuring a concert with MTT conducting Billy The Kid, Perlman in the Mendelsohn Concerto, and John Adams Short Ride in A Fast Machine. Reportedly this recording utilizes more of the potential of the Blu Ray Audio spectrum than other Blu Ray Audios. It is very expensive and has an annoying narration that cannot be programmed out
The 2L disc, on the other hand, is amazing. The pizzicatos in the Britten Simple Symphony will leave you transfixed because the players sound like they are right in front of you.
I don't agree that SACD is dead, at least for Classical Music. DVD-A died a couple of years ago. I don't think that Audio Blu Rays have any future in the market, but hopefully SACD will stay viable for those of us that want a Physical Media High Resolution recording, and High Rez downloads will be available for those who want to faff around with computer audio.