Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion HiFi & HT Chat Lamenting the demise of true multichannel DVD-Audio

Having recently switched from a very high end two channel setup to a much more reasonable multichannel one, as much as I miss full fat MQA, I’m very much more lamenting the demise of true multichannel DVD-Audio. It’s a revelation.

It comes off the back of receiving a long-awaited copy of a stunning Everest 3-channel recording played through 3-channels (+ sub). I’ve got a copy of the same recording in 2-channel 24/96 and the MQA version in Roon, both excellent to be sure, but the multichannel DVD-A is instantly my preference by a significantly margin.

Add a second SW1600 at the front with DSP5000 set to small and a bumper up D2500 at the rear and your system is nearly identical to my old system.
For me this was truly amazing as heard many times on "Master and Commander". Sadly only 2 Channel now.

Hector

I added an Oppo player with discrete multi-channel capability via an HD621.

The DVD-As I tried (various Yes/King Crimson type prog-stuff) were brittle and unpleasant, though this could have been due to familiarity with the stereo content and the quality of the remastering.

SACDs are however remarkable. "Dark Side of the Moon" and "War of the Worlds" are audio masterpieces in this format.

YMMV

Wow, that system must have had serious bass control and presence, I bet it was amazing indeed! I don't think we'd be able to accommodate any more subs in a relatively small room in our setup though.

My DSP5000 fronts are indeed set to 'small', though - best bass integration and control I've ever experienced in home audio. MRC helps, for sure, but it's cherry on top stuff.

That's the setup I'm using also - Oppo BDP-105 -> HD621 -> 861v4. I should have been clear I was talking about discrete multichannel.

I've yet to try any SACDs, but must do so. I do own a few, but just happened to get the system up and running as we started to come out of lockdown and got busy again!

I'm guessing with all these discs/formats the mastering still makes or breaks it. In the case of the particular recording I tried, the DVD-A was actually smoother and more natural and it was the 2-channel 24/96 which, if any, sounded a little more 'metallic' than the others - although that's all relative and not a huge difference in absolute terms.

Adding the extra 'real' channel information, though, was a huge difference. This was actually recorded with 3 channels, not remixed for them, though, which might account for a bigger than usual difference.

It is this which really made me think what a missed opportunity true multichannel recording/playback of audio was, because to me right now this is everything I wanted a home audio system to achieve but could never quite get there. I wasn't in a position to build a system like this when it was the latest and greatest, and now I find myself feeling a bit like someone who discovers they love vinyl when it's past it's heyday. Having heard it in full bloom, I find it odd that things swayed back towards 2-channel.

Thank goodness for Trifield, which at least makes a very decent job of adding a centre channel in, for all that catalogue which was never, and likely never will be, released in multichannel. It seems most multichannel discs are no longer in print. I guess it'll be a fun journey building a collection, though, much like going to second-hand record stores used to be!

I wonder if we will get multichannel streaming and file releases at some point - perhaps that might prompt a renewed interest in the format?

I love listening to multi-channel music, be it DVD-A, SACD or miscellaneous digital files.

I was listening to the 5.1 SACD of Roxy Music’s Avalon a couple of hours ago, a glorious experience.

Apple is promising ‘spatial audio’ plus Atmos playback on their forthcoming Apple Music update.

That sounds promising - hopefully if Apple are doing it, others will follow suit...?

It's long overdue, isn't it, streaming multichannel? Or has it been going for a while and I'm just out of the loop as I've only just gone down that road myself?

What's struck me in the last few days, since my epiphany, is that it seems very difficult to buy SACD/DVD-A titles now, surely record companies could be generating even more download sales by selling hi-res multichannel files?

Separately, I had a glorious moment two nights ago when I discovered the enormous difference in Discrete and Trifield that playing around (by ear) with the Centre integration options makes. I thought it was good before that, and it was, but now I feel the closest to being in the venue with the musicians that I've ever felt in a home setting. Quite uncanny, extremely thrilling. I feel like I'm on a rollercoaster ride - I haven't felt this excited about my music, and audio system, since I was first starting out as a teenager.

Agreed.

Both Amazon and eBay are dire at correctly tagging the material by format. And when a search does pull up something of interest, it is hard to be sure that one will receive the desired or ordered format.

I would recommend the works of Jordi Savall and Hesperion which are reasonably easily found and identified via both sites. Ignoring the format, the musical content, playing and presentation are marvellous. "Ibn Battuta: Le Voyageur De L'islam" is a great place to start.

I would love to see more multichannel music as well. Especially if it was specifically recorded in multichannel formats and not simply remastered that way.

I’m still coming to terms with being unable to buy CD-4 (Discrete) albums anymore.

Unfortunately, it was YAFW(Yet another format war). So instead of just getting on with it, the backers behind the respective formats were trying to corner the market. So universal players were not common, labels were aligned to a particular format (normally), buyers suffered, the market stalled etc

You can still get stuff from Japan, but its expensive and the import duties are crippling. But they sure do know how to package physical discs. I still treat myself to the odd import, then kick myself when the customs fees are sent to me.

https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/music/hfcd/sacd/

They also do SHM SACD which I have never bought, but SHM CD's are normally exquisitely packaged.

You should keep an eye out for a Vanity Board for your Oppo if you are serious about physical multichannel disks. They are hard to come by but do appear from time to time. But it will unlock the HiRes formats avoiding the need for a HD621.

Regards
Greg