SACD and DVD-A: A feast for your ears when you hear them over Oppo's stellar BDP-83.
Oppo's new BDP-83 player spins just about every type of "silver" disc under the sun: CD, SACD, DVD-Audio, DVD-Video and Blu-ray. Cool!
I brought a stack of SACDs and DVD-A discs to the CNET listening room to check out the BDP-83 with our Denon AVR-3808CI receiver and Aperion Intimus 4T Hybrid SD 5.1 speaker/subwoofer system. I'll cover the high-resolution audio performance of the Oppo here, read Matthew Moskovciak's full CNET review for the rest of the story.
"The Allman Brothers Band at Fillmore East," recorded on March 12 and 13, 1971, was a trip. Sure, the original mix was stereo, but I loved the way the SACD's 5.1 mix opened up and clarified the sound, especially the band's two drummers, Jai Johanny Johanson and Butch Trucks. The entire rhythm section's dynamics and pulse came alive on SACD, it's more in the background on CD.
On one hand the 5.1 mix is fairly subtle, but the sound's open quality and spaciousness was remarkable. The sense of being in the 2,000 seat concert hall was a thrill that you can't get with stereo. And no, you can't get there by playing stereo in Dolby Pro Logic II, a discrete 5.1 channel mix, if it's any good, will always sound better.
Led Zeppelin's "How the West Was Won" double DVD-A set was very different. How? The band's dynamic energy was even more present and the front three speakers soundstage depth and dimensionality were better than the Allman Brothers' disc. Too bad the bass was thicker and muddier, which was probably the way it sounded at the 1972 Zep shows. I didn't like the surround mix much, mostly because I couldn't understand why Jimmy Page's guitar was sometimes coming out of the surround speakers. Strange. But it's still the best sounding Zeppelin disc I own.
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The CD may be on its way out, but music and concert DVDs are doing just fine, thank you very much! Late last year I wrote a feature for Home Entertainment magazine running down some of my favorite music DVDs of all time. They were all "live" recordings--there wasn't a single MTV style "music video" in the bunch. This is an abridged version of the article, check the Home Entertainment website to check out the complete article. Oh, and I've added a few DVDs that didn't make the article.
Led Zeppelin
With a combined running time of five plus hours over this two-disc set, with shows ranging from Royal Albert Hall, 1970 to Knebworth, 1979, it's the mother lode of filmed 'Zeppelin concerts. Jimmy Page presided over the film transfers and audio mixes, and considering most of them are more than 30 years old the Dolby and DTS sound is truly awesome. Led Zeppelin is also one the rare DVDs I've seen that starts to play as soon as it's loaded! You don't have to slog through FBI warning, coming attractions or menus. Why can't all DVDs and Blu-rays work like that?
The Rolling Stones: Four Flicks
I haven't seen the new Martin Scorsese 'Stone film, Shine a Light, but this four-disc set features three complete concerts from the 2002/2003 tour. My favorite is my hometown show at New York City's Madison Square Garden. The band is in great shape and Jagger's vocals sound stronger than they had in decades. The DVD looks and sounds great.
Bruce Springsteen: Live in Dublin
These shows from late 2006 when Springsteen was touring to support his Seeger Sessions CD are a hoot! The Boss is clearly having a ball and his large band, fleshed out with strings and horns sound fabulous. Fans will be happy to hear the song list features a large helping of tunes from Springsteen's back catalog, and includes "Highway Patrolman," "Atlantic City," and "Growin Up."
The White Stripes: Under Blackpool Lights
If the 'Zep isn't your bag, maybe this White Stripes DVD will rock your world. Recorded in the Empress Ballroom in England in 2004 with 8mm cameras, the look perfectly mirrors the Stripes aesthetic. The duo's live sound is even more stripped down than their records, and the sound of this DVD captures the Jack and Meg's onstage synergy. The energy is astounding. Clearly, Jack White has studied at the feet of 'Zeppelin and learned his lessons well.
My Morning Jacket: Okonokos
If you dig their records, you love the DVD from 2006. Lead singer Jim James' vocals are outstanding. To me the guy sounds halfway between Neil Young and Roger Daltrey, which makes him the best of his generation. The band rocks plenty hard, and the extended jams have a nice jazzy feel. The sound is extremely dynamic, so on a great home theater it can approach the sound of a live concert.
James Brown: Live at Montreux 1981
If the sound of the Live at Montreux 1981 DVD doesn't get your mojo working, the sheer spectacle of a sweat soaked James Brown and his 14 piece funk band will. The DTS and Dolby 5.1 tracks' sound absolutely nails the music's "live" energy. The horns' sound is brassy and the rhythm section's heavyweight grooves will keep your subwoofer busy. I'm not sure why, but this one only sounds best fully cranked up. It's a remarkably punchy, powerful sounding recording, so if your system is lacking in the oomph department you're going to miss half the fun. The band is staggeringly tight and impeccably arranged, but it's Brown's vocal pleading on "Try Me" that elicits gasps from the audience. The DVD is packaged with a CD of the same show.
Larry Coryell: A Retrospective
Larry Coryell first grabbed my attention almost 40 years ago when he was the first jazz guitarist to use distortion and feedback like a rock musician. Coryall was clearly inspired my Miles Davis' In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew, but possibly because Coryell's music was guitar based it was more accessible to rock audiences. The Jimi Hendrix comparisons are also obvious, and there were times watching this DVD where I imagined this is what Hendrix would have sounded like if he lived. On "Spaces" Larry's son Julian plays guitarist John McLaughlin part from the original 1970 Coryell recording.
The Speaker of the Year!
(Credit: Zu Audio)The Zu Audio Driud Mk. IV is the Audiophiliac's Speaker of the Year! As a former hi-fi salesman and now as a professional audio reviewer for twelve years I've heard thousands of speakers, but the Druid hit me hard. A total rock & roll animal, the skinny monolith/tower feels tremendously powerful, and my samples look extremely cool decked out in brilliant red metallic paint. I initially reviewed the speaker in the March, 2007 issue of Robb Report Home Entertainment. I'm still listening.
A number of American and Canadian speaker manufacturers now outsource production while maintaining sky high pricing, but Zu's home grown speakers are built with outright lavish quality standards and still sell at the low-end of high-end pricing (starting at $1795 a pair for the smaller Tone speakers). Zu also offers a center channel, surround speakers and subwoofers for home theater fans. All are sold factory direct, with a 60 day money-back satisfaction guarantee.
The Zu Druid Mk.IV is a large speaker, 50 inches tall, 11 wide, but since it is just 6.3 inches deep, it does not seem all that imposing. Yes, at $3,400 a pair, it ain't cheap, but it's less than some folks paid for a pair of scalped tickets for last night's Led Zeppelin concert in London. And I have a feeling Druids will still sound great long after a $3,400 flat screen display winds up decomposing in landfill. High-end audio is built to last--video not so much. It certainly gets old real fast, anybody out there still have their $15K first generation plasma set?
Zu speakers are assembled and finished in Ogden, Utah, and almost all of the parts are made in the US including the Druid's 10-inch full range driver and tweeter (Zu assembles and tests the drivers in-house). Keeping production at home allows Zu to offer all sorts of custom options and finishes, and you won't find any plastic parts in a Zu design. The speaker's internal silver alloy wiring is made by Zu, and instead of typical speaker wire binding posts, the Druid features a nifty copper clamping system to secure the speaker cables. Every detail of the design is first rate.
Zu's design methodology is more musical and less measurement oriented than most, which is not to say Zu's engineering is completely seat of the pants, just that the end result produces a sound that is, well, different than what I am used to. That said, the rhythmic pulse of jazz, reggae and all sorts of dance music is communicated with an energy that is far ahead of any I've heard from speakers of the Druid's size and price class. And yet the speakers' poise on classical music reveals a wonderful sense of refinement.
Voices emerge fully formed, more believably human: Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Jack White, Jeff Buckley, and Bob Dylan all but materialize in my living room. Stereo imaging is another strong point. On disc after disc the Druids display an uncanny ability to disappear as sources of sound. Depth and spaciousness are truly excellent. They sound great cranked way up loud, and yet sound awesome teamed up with the puniest of amplifiers.
Zu is clearly a force to be reckoned with.
The New York Times reported today that three of the four original members of Led Zeppelin--Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones--will play a charity concert in London on November 26. Jason Bonham, son of Zep's original drummer John Bonham, who died in 1980, will fill in for his father.
The show will be a tribute to Ahmet Ertegun, founder of Atlantic Records. Zeppelin sold 100,000,000 plus records on Atlantic, so it's kinda nice the guys are showing respect for the man who believed in them from the start. The single performance show also includes Pete Townshend, Bill Wyman, and Foreigner. I'm sure the fans will go nuts, but I'll pass. The idea of seeing my heroes creaking about, trying to capture their former greatness is a sad, sad thing. I'll wait for the CD and DVD.
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