Hi all,

        Several weeks back, I asked if anyone was up on the new audio
formats, and only 1 person had ventured into this arena, although many asked
me to let thyme know what I found out.  Well, I have good news for you.
First and foremost, yes, the sound from the new recording/storage formats is
awesome!!  Of course, since many of the CD's we old folks would be
interested in are remixed, there are 4 important considerations:

First, is the remix any good...this is a tough question to answer since just
listening to music you're used to hearing in 2 channel now being played in
5.1 channel makes one huge difference in how you perceive the music.  My
take on this is that the 5.1 surround mix is the only reason you should
repurchase a CD you already own...it's truly an enjoyable experience.  Now,
I can say that there are some times when I can hear, for instance, the drum
part of a passage of music, much more pronounced than in the old 2 channel
version, and this is more likely the engineer's decision to do, but I have
not found a case where I found the remix to be something I flat out disliked
(BTW, the Eagles Hotel California remix into 5.1 is outstanding...the best
I've heard so far!).

Second, you need, at the very least, a modest set of surround speakers to
enjoy the music that's presented from those speakers...ideally, a set
matching your fronts is the way to go.  This is very important because
unlike Dolby movies where you might hear some footsteps from your rear
speakers, in the new audio formats, you may hear the violins from the left
surround, and the brass instruments from the right surround (split out
discretely, I might add).

Third is player to decode the format(s) and amplifier to accept the decoded
info. You must have a receiver capable of accepting 6 (or 8) channel  analog
inputs because the bandwidth is too large for digital or fiber optic
cable...this cost can be anywhere from 200.00 on up.  Next, you need a CD
(or DVD) player capable of decoding the DVD-Audio and/or SACD audio formats.
I'm happy to report that this can be had for modest prices.  I auditioned a
Pioneer model that did both audio formats and progressive scan DVD that only
cost $170.00 (on sale at Best Buy), and it was very impressive!!  While I
ended up with a more expensive player (because the Pioneer does not support
both the audio and video formats of a DVD-Audio disc at the same time), the
Pioneer is most definitely a great value.

Fourth, you need to decide if you want to repurchase a bunch of your old
CD's to hear them in the new formats...this can get a bit pricey.  As noted
earlier, I found that to buy a remix that is only in 2 channel is just not
worth the money, however, a remix of Dark Side of The Moon in SACD surround
sound is breathtaking (play when the wife and kids are gone, so you can fire
that puppy up).

        One important last point is that DVD-Audio and SACD audio are as
different as Beta and VHS, and who will win out is yet to be determined
(it's likely they'll both survive).  However, a player for both is just a
few bucks more that a player for a single format, and since both formats are
being currently used (Pink Floyd is SACD, but Fleetwood Mac is DVD-Audio),
you should go for a player that does both.  NOTE: the SACD format is
supposed to be more sonically pure than DVD-Audio, but the truth is it's
past the human ear's ability to discern the difference...the advantage of
DVD-Audio is that you also get supporting video on the disc (pictures, song
lyrics, etc.).

        Well, I hope this doesn't erk the "no-OT-folks" much.   :-)



Ray Shahan

"There is so much good in the worst of us,
and so much bad in the best of us,
that it behooves none of us
to talk about the rest of us"
                  --Robert Louis Stevenson?


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