M2 Mehta/IPO/Teldec DVD-A

[Leo K]

I am completely stunned upon hearing this tonight, which is not only a rapturous performance, but the best sounding recording I've ever heard...miles ahead of all my SACD's, and I'm not even using the DVD-Audio function, but the DVD player only, which is a Panasonic/VCR combine TV.  The instrumental presence is phenomenal!!!!  The dynamic range is one I thought I'd never hear on a recording, but tonight I heard it on this DVD.

The performance was breathing of life and by the end, when the choir, organ and tam tams seemed to roar over my head I was lifted out of my seat.

I am completely sold on DVD-Audio.

--Leo

[John Kim]

....I too am going to get this one.

Thanks for the head-up.

John,

[sperlsco]

I agree, this is a nice sounding recording and very good performance.  However, if you are just listening to the DVD-V layer of the disc, then you are hearing Dolby Digital 5.1 compressed audio tracks -- akin to high-level MP3 in surround sound.  I agree that this disc sounds very good even in DD 5.1.  In fact, this exact disc was my very first Mahler purchase several years ago, and indeed I was listening in the DVD-V DD 5.1 format.  However, the lossless DVD-A layer sounds better, and many of my M2 SACD's have more realistic sound (at least on my system). 

[Leo K]

Thanks for the info Scott.  Wow, thats a fine sounding compressed 5.1 mix, which amazes me since I prefer the sound of this DVD over my Fischer M2 SACD (stereo layer), which is a great sounding disk too.  Man, I can't wait to hear this from the DVD-Audio layer.  I have a mutilchannel amp, but I only have two speakers and I don't use them in this apartment (I with one deaf ear I don't really enjoy speakers).  My Grado SR 80's headphones are my usual medium, so I'm glad I can still enjoy 5.1 on some level. 

I plan on getting a DVD Audio capabile player probably after Christmas (or before if I see a good deal).

--Leo

[Damfino]

I have played the disc both in DVD-A and the 5.1 Dolby Digital version. I liked it both ways. Even in the Dolby digital version, it sometimes frightening as the music builds in volume, and one wonders just how loud it will go. Even my wife can tell when I am playing the Mehta Teldec version, and she normally is content to listen out of a monophonic radio. However, when I play it in 5.1 Dolby digital, it is with a 5.1 speaker setup. Even if the Dolby Digital track is lossy, it's still impressive, and miles ahead of regular CDs. I have yet to hear a CD of M2 that matched the Mehta DVD-A for clarity and dynamic range. The organ is incredible-easily the best I've heard in an audio recording. And it is a driven intense performance like Mehta's earlier VPO one.

 Sometimes, I think they must mix the two versions differently. I bought Mehta's DVD-A of Carmina Burana at the same time, and thought it sounded awful-rather muffled and with poor highs and no snap to the brass. I set it aside for a year or two, and then tried it on a DVD video player and it sounded great. However, if you play the track on a non DVD-A player, you also lose a lot of stuff like the librettos, info about the composer, etc.

My DVD-A equipped player was also a DVD-video player. If one played a DVD-A disc, it would not allow you to play it in the DVD video version, and one could only hear the DVD-A track by connecting the 5.1 analog audio outputs to the receiver. I recently upgraded to a HD DVD player, so I pulled my DVD player that also plays DVD-A out of the system to make room for the new HD player. But I liked the Dolby digital or DTS tracks on the discs well enough to do without the other player. I've only got 3 or 4 DVD-A titles, and they do not produce all that many, so i would not recommend getting a DVD-A player with little content available for purchase. SACD seems to be the high-def audio of choicethese days.

[Leo K]

Thanks for the advice, yes, the few DVD disks I have sound just fine on the regular DVD player...no need to purchase a new player.

--Leo