Blu-Ray Audio

[Blackdawn]

Hi WHF members,

Sorry for the naive questions below:

I was just wondering what advantages Blu-ray audio has over normal CD audio? Is there a significant improvement in sound quality over standard cd? Does this mean that the disks also play video as well as audio?

Does a decent budget blu-ray player cost similar £ to a decent budget cd player? Would it just be hooked up to the analogue inputs of the stereo amp, much the same as the cd player? Can you buy blu-ray players that only deal with audio?

 

[shadders]

Hi,

ooooh, oooooh, I know this, I know this.

Yes blu-ray audio is marketed as Pure Audio, and is definitely 24bit, but the sampling frequency can be 96kHz minimum or more. Is it better? You have to listen to see if it is better than CD.

Sadly, there are to few titles, and the inital surge seems to have faltered to nearly no new releases. I have 8 discs, and play them through the hdmi connection to ensure that highest bit rate is achieved.

As such any blu-ray player can play them, but you don't get videos, just a static picture.

Regards,

Shadders.

 

[keeper of the quays]

Hi,?

ooooh, oooooh, I know this, I know this.?

Yes blu-ray audio is marketed as Pure Audio, and is definitely 24bit, but the sampling frequency can be 96kHz minimum or more. Is it better?  You have to listen to see if it is better than CD.?

Sadly, there are to few titles, and the inital surge seems to have faltered to nearly no new releases. I have 8 discs, and play them through the hdmi connection to ensure that highest bit rate is achieved.?

As such any blu-ray player can play them, but you don't get videos, just a static picture.?

Regards, ?

Shadders.

how does the blu ray compare with well recorded cd? The blu ray hammers hi def dvd..does it hammer it in audio too?

 

[Leeps]

For me, the biggest advantage in Bluray Audio is its capacity for 5.1 or 7.1 audio.

The classical Bluray Audios I have in DTS-MA surround are magnificent. Brimming with detail, yet smooth, unforced and completely natural too, along with the soundstage that a well-mastered surround sound can offer. They really are the best recordings I have ever heard. However, if I was limited to stereo, then the advantages are more marginal and open up a can of worms of varying opinions, suffice to say that much is in the mastering.

As with the differences between 320kbps and CD, I personally tend to notice the differences more in either large scale classical works or complex music that has a lot of different textures going on at the same time. For rock, or bouncy pop or funk, I wouldn't bother, particularly with the price premium over CD.

 

[shadders]

Hi,

ooooh, oooooh, I know this, I know this.

Yes blu-ray audio is marketed as Pure Audio, and is definitely 24bit, but the sampling frequency can be 96kHz minimum or more. Is it better? You have to listen to see if it is better than CD.

Sadly, there are to few titles, and the inital surge seems to have faltered to nearly no new releases. I have 8 discs, and play them through the hdmi connection to ensure that highest bit rate is achieved.

As such any blu-ray player can play them, but you don't get videos, just a static picture.

Regards,

Shadders.

how does the blu ray compare with well recorded cd? The blu ray hammers hi def dvd..does it hammer it in audio too?

Hi,

Not sure if blu-ray is better than CD, as the recordings released so far are all old titles, and albums released so far I do not have on CD. I would have thought that the record labels would have released the new albums on blu-ray at the same time as the cost to produce is similar to CD but blu-ray sell for a premium. The record labels could be making a lot of money, but they seem to prefer CD and lower quality downloads.

Regards,

Shadders.

 

[Leeps]

Hi,

Not sure if blu-ray is better than CD, as the recordings released so far are all old titles, and albums released so far I do not have on CD. I would have thought that the record labels would have released the new albums on blu-ray at the same time as the cost to produce is similar to CD but blu-ray sell for a premium. The record labels could be making a lot of money, but they seem to prefer CD and lower quality downloads.

Regards,

Shadders.

Actually most of the Bluray Audios are classical which indicates that the former market for SACD which was dominated for classical buyers has moved onto Bluray Audio (although in pop or rock terms, yes in the main they've only been releasing older stock recordings). The fact is that Bluray Audio has been marketed in a very half-hearted way since its launch, so will remain a niche product if it survives at all. I would imagine the classical buyers might just manage to keep it alive as they did with SACD.

But with your other point, yes I quite agree. The studios have really missed an opportunity to upsell more modern recordings at a premium: the choice of BD Audios available is quite obscure mostly and as for the packaging on the classical recordings I have bought, for what is a premium product is pretty poor. The Rachmaninov Piano Concertos 2&3 on Bluray came in a big completely blank silver coloured case with nothing inside bar the Bluray itself. No sleeve notes, no marketing bumpf about the advantages of DTS-MA, no information about how the recording was made, the orchestra or the history of the concertos themselves. To make up for this, the recording itself was excellent.

Those that do exist may be solely where the artist themself has been aware of the format and has pushed it, which I would imagine was the case with Neil Young's BD Audio and might be the case with Beck too as I know some years ago he released his album Sea Change in SACD. Although, listening to Sea Change by Beck in DTS-MA 5.1 is superb! It is a shame they've not made this format more widely available for new recordings especially as so many more Joe Public listeners actually own Bluray players; an advantage that SACD didn't have at launch. I also bought Supertramp's "Crime of the Century", but this is only mixed in stereo and is such a high quality analogue master in the first place that I can't tell the difference between that and CD.

But for surround classical recordings, it really is the best available, so for that reason I hope the format survives.

 

[Blackdawn]

So maybe it is only worth investing in this technology/format if you have a AV receiver and multi speaker setup?

I've not seen many of the hifi brands producing decent budget Blu-ray players for audio only.

 

[MajorFubar]

... play them through the hdmi connection to ensure that highest bit rate is achieved.

That's strange I thought HDMI audio was fixed at 48kHz. Happy to be corrected though, it's not my specialist subject.

 

[shadders]

... play them through the hdmi connection to ensure that highest bit rate is achieved.

That's strange I thought HDMI audio was fixed at 48kHz. Happy to be corrected though, it's not my specialist subject.

Hi, I checked and the processor states 96kHz. Regards, Shadders.

 

[Deleted member 2457]

I have heard good and bad ones. Rolling Stones Grr is particularly good!

 

[Al ears]

I have heard good and bad ones. Rolling Stones Grr is particularly good!

On that I would agree. I obtained about right and none of them are classical so cannot comment on these.

I'll try any media type but judge purely on stereo only.

 

[Deleted member 2457]

I have changed my mind on Amy Winehouse the quality is not particularly good. You can hear distortion through the speakers!

 

[andyjm]

For me, the biggest advantage in Bluray Audio is its capacity for 5.1 or 7.1 audio.

For those who can remember DVD-Audio, this also provided multi chanel CD quality playback, and I am afraid died through lack of support.

I would expect Blu-Ray audio to go the same way. I wouldn't hold out too much hope for Blu-Ray itself either, as I expect all physical formats will go the way of the Dodo.

 

[Thompsonuxb]

For me, the biggest advantage in Bluray Audio is its capacity for 5.1 or 7.1 audio.

?

The classical Bluray Audios I have in DTS-MA surround are magnificent.  Brimming with detail, yet smooth, unforced and completely natural too, along with the soundstage that a well-mastered surround sound can offer.  They really are the best recordings I have ever heard.  However, if I was limited to stereo, then the advantages are more marginal and open up a can of worms of varying opinions, suffice to say that much is in the mastering. ?

?

As with the differences between 320kbps and CD, I personally tend to notice the differences more in either large scale classical works or complex music that has a lot of different textures going on at the same time.  For rock, or bouncy pop or funk, I wouldn't bother, particularly with the price premium over CD.

This I agree with - apart from the last bit well produced music offer everything you describe for classical regardless of genre.....

Did DVD offer 7.1?

 

[macdiddy]

but then only on films, music blurays are usually 5.1

*music2*

 

[Q5]

I have changed my mind on Amy Winehouse the quality is not particularly good. You can hear distortion through the speakers!

No distortion on mine.

 

[Deleted member 2457]

I have changed my mind on Amy Winehouse the quality is not particularly good. You can hear distortion through the speakers!

No distortion on mine.

I wonder why that is then? I have heard it on mine and my dads system and both times there was crackling and distortion.

 

[macdiddy]

you can hear the distortion on two different systems.

*unknw*