The Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds CD + BD Audio

[stvn1974]

The Rolling Stones: Hackney Diamonds Blu-ray Audio

The Rolling Stones: Hackney Diamonds Blu-ray Audio

The Rolling Stones: Hackney Diamonds Blu-ray Audio

The Rolling Stones: Hackney Diamonds Blu-ray Audio

The Rolling Stones: Hackney Diamonds Blu-ray Audio

The Rolling Stones: Hackney Diamonds Blu-ray Audio

The Rolling Stones: Hackney Diamonds Blu-ray Audio CD has 1 bonus track

https://therollingstonesshop.com/pro...lu-ray-box-set

New Stones album with BD that includes hi-res stereo and ATMOS of the album. Rolling Stones store exclusive.

[jvonl]

looking forward to this!

[McCrutchy]

It might be an exclusive in the US, but in Europe at least, it will be sold at retail and by Amazon. Here is the UK pre-order:



And there is also a Japanese domestic edition which comes with a bonus track on the CD. Unfortunately, it's not live yet at Amazon.co.jp:

[GaragePoet]

kinda still hoping this one shows up on amz

$70 shipped is too much, i'd rather grab the HQ flacs from qobuz

it doesn't exactly say it's an exclusive the way some other items list "... is exclusive to The Rolling Stones Store in the US."

[ski49]

Originally Posted by McCrutchy

It might be an exclusive in the US, but in Europe at least, it will be sold at retail and by Amazon. Here is the UK pre-order:



And there is also a Japanese domestic edition which comes with a bonus track on the CD. Unfortunately, it's not live yet at Amazon.co.jp:

https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/UICY-80360

[BobbyMcGee]

Would love to see a Dolby Atmos release of The Rolling Stones: GRRR! (1963-2012).

I have the original Blu-ray audio disc but it is not in surround, unfortunately.

[Narcissus]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEJd...N0b25lcw%3D%3D

[nicwood]

I received my CD + BD set from the official store. To say I anticipated this release and the Atmos track on BD is an understatement. I’m a huge Stones fan, so the announcement was phenomenal as sadly too many other artists forgo Blu-ray or SACD as another option besides vinyl and CD.

Due to my anticipation, the disappointment couldn’t be bigger in the end.
BOTH the Atmos AND stereo tracks are horrendous.

The Atmos sounds even worse than their Grr! Live mix, which I think was nothing more than a streaming mix put to disc. The Hackney Diamonds Atmos on BD sounds WORSE than the Apple Music Atmos, which already is horrid due to the compression.

If the stereo mix were better, I would at least be half-satisfied (but still overall disappointed). Yes, the stereo is significantly better overall but still so much worse (I can’t stress this enough) than the lossless Apple Music stereo version. That one sounds absolutely spectacular and is powerful like few others at the same volume.

The BD stereo is like a late night, dynamics-removed, compressed version you can put up in a nursing home.

Unfortunately I‘m an audio layman and have no idea what went wrong there but a simple listening comparison reveals it all.

Per the credits, the Atmos mix was supervised by Giles Martin, who did amazing work with The Beatles, even in Atmos (Abbey Road). I have no idea what went wrong here. This is a disgrace for the Stones and the phenomenal Dolby Atmos format.

[keenly]

Originally Posted by nicwood

I received my CD + BD set from the official store. To say I anticipated this release and the Atmos track on BD is an understatement. I’m a huge Stones fan, so the announcement was phenomenal as sadly too many other artists forgo Blu-ray or SACD as another option besides vinyl and CD.

Due to my anticipation, the disappointment couldn’t be bigger in the end.
BOTH the Atmos AND stereo tracks are horrendous.

The Atmos sounds even worse than their Grr! Live mix, which I think was nothing more than a streaming mix put to disc. The Hackney Diamonds Atmos on BD sounds WORSE than the Apple Music Atmos, which already is horrid due to the compression.

If the stereo mix were better, I would at least be half-satisfied (but still overall disappointed). Yes, the stereo is significantly better overall but still so much worse (I can’t stress this enough) than the lossless Apple Music stereo version. That one sounds absolutely spectacular and is powerful like few others at the same volume.

The BD stereo is like a late night, dynamics-removed, compressed version you can put up in a nursing home.

Unfortunately I‘m an audio layman and have no idea what went wrong there but a simple listening comparison reveals it all.

Per the credits, the Atmos mix was supervised by Giles Martin, who did amazing work with The Beatles, even in Atmos (Abbey Road). I have no idea what went wrong here. This is a disgrace for the Stones and the phenomenal Dolby Atmos format.

Giles Martin at the helm, I knew it would not be great.

[nicwood]

Originally Posted by keenly

Giles Martin at the helm, I knew it would not be great.

I think he did a remarkable job on Abbey Road with fantastic mixes all around. Sgt. Pepper and the White album sound superb in 5.1

Beggars Banquet and Let it Be on the other hand have disappointing Atmos mixes but great stereo mixes.

[sandman slim]

"Label created"... on Friday. Sooooo glad I ordered from the official site.

[bigshot]

I think the Stones don't lend themselves to fancy mixes. The best of their albums were recorded fast and mixed simply with an edge, not polish. I don't care for the SACDs. The Stones mono box is the best sounding stuff.

[fighthefutureofhd]

I find a lot of these mixes to be sort of gimmicky. It's one of the reasons I didn't go for the deluxe version of this. The only music Atmos mix that I have is the one for Automatic For The People. And I only got it because it came with the deluxe package that I bought. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad I have it, but I don't feel the need to go out of my way to get more.

[stvn1974]

Originally Posted by sandman slim

"Label created"... on Friday. Sooooo glad I ordered from the official site.

I am in the same boat. I just got a response from Universal music and they said that UPS has the package and they have just not scanned it into the system. Apparenly USPS will be making the final delivery. I think Metallica's store is the only official label/artist store that I have never had a problem with.

I have read on a few sites that if you downmix the ATMOS to stereo it is a lot more dynamic than the stereo HD and CD/vinyl.

[bigshot]

Originally Posted by fighthefutureofhd

I find a lot of these mixes to be sort of gimmicky.

There are fantastic multichannel mixes, mediocre ones and lousy ones... in pretty much the same proportion as fantastic, mediocre and lousy stereo mixes. But when multichannel is good, it's as much better than stereo as stereo is to mono.

[nicwood]

Originally Posted by bigshot

There are fantastic multichannel mixes, mediocre ones and lousy ones... in pretty much the same proportion as fantastic, mediocre and lousy stereo mixes. But when multichannel is good, it's as much better than stereo as stereo is to mono.

Exactly this. The Elton John 5.1 mixes on the SACDs are ravishing and everything you‘d want. My dream Atmos mixes should follow that trajectory instead of delivering a vastly different experience as so many do.

My favorite Atmos mixes of catalogue titles are Pink Floyd‘s Dark Side of the Moon, The Beatles‘ Abbey Road and Eric Clapton‘s Nothing but the Blues. Particularly the latter improves on the stereo in a huge way.

And regarding Hackney Diamonds, a user on Discogs replied to my initial review and mentioned that the stereo tracks are indeed the same as on the other platforms BUT mixed -10db lower than everywhere else. Apparently that’s the only difference. It‘s still perplexing but I‘ll try it out. Still, I don’t see myself revisiting that BD as I‘m always reminded of the (IMO) wasted potential.

[bigshot]

I'd add the Steely Dan and Donald Fagen albums, the live box by Kraftwerk, Miles Davis Biches Brew and Fleetwood Mac's Tusk to your list of great mixes. With Tusk it turns a sow's ear into a silk purse.

[DickieT]

Finally heard the blu-ray. Definitely requires jacking up the volume. To me, the songs are not really Atmos worthy.
HDTracks stereo for the win here. No -10dB drop off. Having said that, you could still boost the volume as these tracks sound very good LOUD.

[fighthefutureofhd]

Originally Posted by bigshot

There are fantastic multichannel mixes, mediocre ones and lousy ones... in pretty much the same proportion as fantastic, mediocre and lousy stereo mixes. But when multichannel is good, it's as much better than stereo as stereo is to mono.

I’m sure there are, but it has been to done with a loving touch. And it needs to be included with the original release. As it is now, I think they’re generally designed to bilk more money from us. What R.E.M. did was really the way to go. The Atmos mix they did for Automatic For The People was not the main selling point of the box set but was rather a nice extra goodie that they gave to the fans. That’s the difference. Sort of like when they included Road Movie on the Blu-ray portion of the Monster box set. They didn’t have to do that. But they did. Including the multichannel mix in the original release is important because otherwise, the advantage of said mix isn’t there for me. No matter how great the multichannel mix may be, it is wasted money because you need the setup to get the use out of it. I have that setup, but it’s only at home. Since I do a lot of listening when I am commuting to and from work, it doesn’t do me to buy a separate multichannel mix. If said mix is included with the original release ala AFTP, then that’s great. But otherwise, it’s not. I have to be careful with my money spending. I’m already buying vinyl AND CDs of a lot of releases. That’s also in addition to 4K adult downloads, 4K UHD-BD’s, Blu-rays, adult DVDs, and adult Blu-rays. I’m happy that these mixes are out there for everyone to enjoy if they choose to. I just wish it would be included in the original release.

[bigshot]

Originally Posted by fighthefutureofhd

I’m sure there are, but it has been to done with a loving touch. And it needs to be included with the original release. As it is now, I think they’re generally designed to bilk more money from us. What R.E.M. did was really the way to go. The Atmos mix they did for Automatic For The People was not the main selling point of the box set but was rather a nice extra goodie that they gave to the fans.

This may not be where you're coming from, but a lot of us who buy multichannel audio already have the CD and aren't necessarily interested in the outtakes and demos. We just want a new mix in Atmos or 5.1. People today stream just about everything they take with them on the road, and Apple Music includes most of these Super Deluxe Box sets, so the CDs aren't really required. And Spatial Audio does allow you to take the multichannel mix (or a reasonable facsimile) with you. All you need is AirPods.

One thing that people don't realize is that multichannel for audio will work for music, but multichannel for movies won't necessarily work for music. Surround for movies involves sound coming at you from different directions with a huge booming bass for explosions. Multichannel music requires all of the channels to mesh into a sound field where sound objects are placed in space within the room. An example of this is on one of the Elton John SACDs. The lead guitarist takes his solo and literally walks forward to the middle of the room. You can hear him go from the far wall to right in front of you. If your speakers aren't properly balanced and calibrated, and the channels aren't meshing, you'll never hear that because it requires all five channels to be in perfect balance. Likewise, the big booming bass that shakes the walls in battle scenes sounds horrible with music. You need a carefully calibrated EQ to tame frequency imbalances. Every room has imbalances. If you don't EQ and just play the sound straight without controlling the frequency response, you aren't hearing multichannel music properly.

Most people have a well balanced stereo system, and a movie surround system that isn't as carefully controlled. It's worth bringing in an AV tech and tell them you want to set up for multichannel music. They can give you advice on how to handle it. That's what I did and it made a huge difference to have it worked out for me.

Multichannel and signal processing is the future of high quality music. I think eventually people will be listening to everything in spatialized audio. Sound fields make a big improvement in sound quality over stereo soundstage, and it's a LOT better than HD audio or vinyl. Those are a complete waste of money in my opinion.