The BEST Audio Quality Blu-ray Megathread

[DIGITALBATH]

I'm going to have to go against the grain here. I think Master and Commander had some violent cannon ball fight scenes, yes for sure, but not a whole lot of much else to bring to the table,plus the movie was average. Really not all that different from the Kingdom of Heaven catapault scene.

I enjoy a film with Diversity of sounds, some LFE, scenes that incorporate all of the speakers, good sounding dialogue, and precise sound placement.

I really haven't been blown away by anything recently

Underworld
House of Flying Daggers(echo game(aka bean scene)
I picked up the CES 08 DTS demo disc, and love the DTS brand demo scenes

Games Resistance Fall of Man 1&2
Superstardust HD
Warhawk
Uncharted
Heavenly Sword

[Sagacious Koreo]

You're crazy. Master & Commander made excellent use of sound in every direction. It was great in the battle scenes, but I was more surprised with how great it was in the quieter scenes. Every footstep, creak of wood, crash of a wave, everything was captured beautifully and with optimal clarity. I've never been more immersed in a movie.

I say this because I just watched it last night too. And I honestly think it was boring at all. I found myself fascinated by it.

[Mordir]

Originally Posted by Sagacious Koreo

You're crazy. Master & Commander made excellent use of sound in every direction. It was great in the battle scenes, but I was more surprised with how great it was in the quieter scenes. Every footstep, creak of wood, crash of a wave, everything was captured beautifully and with optimal clarity. I've never been more immersed in a movie.

QFT - Even my mother-in-law (That loves to complain and find flaws in everything I present her) was amazed by the audio track. She didn't care for the movie itself but commented that the audio gave her the impression she was really on the ship.

[Gremal]

Originally Posted by Sagacious Koreo

You're crazy. Master & Commander made excellent use of sound in every direction. It was great in the battle scenes, but I was more surprised with how great it was in the quieter scenes. Every footstep, creak of wood, crash of a wave, everything was captured beautifully and with optimal clarity. I've never been more immersed in a movie.

I say this because I just watched it last night too. And I honestly think it was boring at all. I found myself fascinated by it.

Agreed. Sound designer Richard King won the Academy Award of Merit for Best Sound Editing for his work on Master and Commander. Don't forget the sound on the storm scene, from my review:

Another excellent scene for evaluating the audio comes as the Surprise chases the Acheron around Cape Horn. Here, the audio conveys the howling winds, torrential rain, creaking planks of the ship and the crashing waves. Rarely if ever have Blu-ray fans been treated to an audio mix with this combination of resolution and immersion. Even during quieter scenes, the audio quality is uncanny in its realism. Sonic cues like the sounds of water and footsteps lend good presence to the DTS HD MA track. The rich midrange during the Bach viola and cello pieces, as well as voices and gunshots have a strength and palpability rarely heard in home theater mixes.

[Todd Smith]

Originally Posted by DIGITALBATH

I'm going to have to go against the grain here. I think Master and Commander had some violent cannon ball fight scenes, yes for sure, but not a whole lot of much else to bring to the table,plus the movie was average. Really not all that different from the Kingdom of Heaven catapault scene.

I enjoy a film with Diversity of sounds, some LFE, scenes that incorporate all of the speakers, good sounding dialogue, and precise sound placement.

I really haven't been blown away by anything recently

Underworld
House of Flying Daggers(echo game(aka bean scene)
I picked up the CES 08 DTS demo disc, and love the DTS brand demo scenes

Games Resistance Fall of Man 1&2
Superstardust HD
Warhawk
Uncharted
Heavenly Sword

I would argue that the more quiet type scenes are what is most impressive about Master and Commander Sure the action scenes sound great, but just listen to all the detail in the more ambient scenes that really portrays a convincing "you are there" type of feeling.........one of the best at this

Having said that, it is not one I throw on for "demo" purposes as I personally think there are much more exciting options for that, but there is no denying that it is a reference track all the same.


The Hurt Locker took the BAFTA award for those that missed it. Not my first pick from the nominations, but I would not argue it too hard either Fantastic sound design in that one! The explosion at the end of the opening scene is one of the hardest hitting hits my SVSs have taken I think! Lots of great sound in this one front to back though

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by Sagacious Koreo

You're crazy. Master & Commander made excellent use of sound in every direction. It was great in the battle scenes, but I was more surprised with how great it was in the quieter scenes. Every footstep, creak of wood, crash of a wave, everything was captured beautifully and with optimal clarity. I've never been more immersed in a movie.

I say this because I just watched it last night too. And I honestly think it was boring at all. I found myself fascinated by it.

True, MACFSOTW didn't get an academy awards for Best Sound Effects Editing for nothing. The surround sound effects are a reference quality standard including the effects you mentioned and many more.

Athough the cannon fire in MACFSOTW was great, it was not outstanding or what I would call reference quality. That honor IMHO belongs to, believe or not, the movie Immortal Beloved. In chapter 8 of the BD release of the movie it has outstanding reference quality cannon fire scenes during Napolean's siege of Vienna in July, 1809. But you'll need good, large subwoofers that can truly reproduce that low bass along with the realistic impact of the cannon fire. It blows MACFSOTW's cannons out of the water, believe me. But MACFSOTW cannons make POTC cannon fire sound like pop guns. POTC cannon fire in all three movies sounded muted to me compared to MACFSOTW and Immortal Beloved. The last POTC movie, At World's End, I must add, had the best audio quality for cannon fire of the POTC triology. But MACFSOTW walks all over POTC movies for better sound effects and overall better AQ.

Whomever you were responding to that thought MACFSOTW was boring really doesn't know a good movie when s/he sees one. I actually thought it was better than LOTR ROTK which took away the awards that MACFSOTW was nominated for except for two.

[elrey144]

The best sounding blu disc I have heard is surprisingly "Pandorum."

[xtreme02gt]

Originally Posted by Todd Smith

Pretty sure its been mentioned once or twice

Lots of great sub scenes in Star Trek...........One of my favorites is when they are stuck trying to warp toward the end............FEELS like the whole house is the Enterprise and going to come apart! This is a LONG sustained LFE blast that literally blows you away.........I LOVE IT!

Is that the new Star Trek?

[Todd Smith]

Originally Posted by xtreme02gt

Is that the new Star Trek?

Yes, the new one IMO best audio track of 09 as far as movies go Fight Club or Domino gets my vote for best catalog audio release of 09 (as far as movies) and Stop Making Sense gets my #1 vote as far as BR concert releases as far as audio in 09.

[Cheeks24]

Independence Day for me. Watching the scene where the aliens blow up New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. was breathtaking, even on stereo floor speakers.

[lDlisturb3d]

the best audio ive ran across was Terminator Salvation. That DTS-MA track is serious. Besides that all the Pixar Movies has stunning audio too. One more that is highly underrated and never talked about. Kung Fu Hustle sounds amazing, But you have to listen to it in its original LCPM Chinese format.

[Todd Smith]

Originally Posted by deeman54

the best audio ive ran across was Terminator Salvation. That DTS-MA track is serious. Besides that all the Pixar Movies has stunning audio too. One more that is highly underrated and never talked about. Kung Fu Hustle sounds amazing, But you have to listen to it in its original LCPM Chinese format.

Agreed about Salvation.........it might actually be a tie for me between this and Star Trek now that I think about it as far as my favorite BR movie track of 09 The gas station scene up through the bridge is just top notch demo material!

[davcole]

I agree with all on MASTER AND COMMANDER. Not a film I really love but the sound was intensive in EVERY scene. Wheter it was the quiet sounds of nature on the Galapalos (sic) Islands or wheter it was the ambient sound of the ship while they were aboard, or wheter it was the thunderstorm (maybe the most impressive) or the cannons firing, this is the most intense, yet articulate soundtrack i've heard.

I also have to concur on TERMINATOR SALVATION. Not only are the action scenes rendered beautifully, the ambience of this film is amazing. I think this is the most impressive soundtrack i've heard since MASTER AND COMMANDER.

[JediFonger]

most big action hollywood soundtracks are very good =).

[derelicte]

Just watched the Terminator Salvation BD this weekend again - as has been said many times before, it's amazing. However, the one part that even startled my dogs was the scene in

[Show spoiler]skynet where John Connor opens the cell doors. The massive CLUNK of the locks unlocking and the doors opening

shook the basement. Not saying it wasn't cool - just seemed a little more over-the-top (sonically) than expected.

Also watched Ghost In The Shell 2.0. The anti-tank gun wielded by Bateau makes a wonderful THUMP in the chest sound - put a big grin on my face . And the rest of the movie ain't a bad audio ride either!

[lDlisturb3d]

Terminator Salvation/ Inglorious Basterds/ Black Hawk Down/ Crank/ Hot Fuzz(allot of LFE)/ALL PIXAR MOVIES

[PS3FAN]

Originally Posted by Cheeks24

Independence Day for me. Watching the scene where the aliens blow up New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. was breathtaking, even on stereo floor speakers.

Yes, Yes, Yes, and more Yes.

[Sith]

While not the best audio ever on blu, the Fight Club audio is excellent...I'd
give it a 4.5/5

[Lt. Aldo Raine]

Originally Posted by Sith

While not the best audio ever on blu, the Fight Club audio is excellent...I'd
give it a 4.5/5

i give it 10 out of 5

[RocShemp]

Originally Posted by Todd Smith

If it was intended to sound somewhat compressed (for a big summer blockbuster) and lacking in dynamics, then they nailed it. Subjectively though for this type of high octane action summer blockbuster, it is weak.

I dont agree at all about Matrix 2 and 3 being comparable to Joe. LFE use alone is noticably diferent between the 2. LFE use in the last 2 Matrix films is VERY aggressive while in Joe it is relatively tame considering the type of film it is. The sound in the Matrix films supports the films very well......Joe, not so much IMO.

Layered, tight and crisp is another way of saying "compressed" atleast in the case of Joe. Listen to the opening scene............poorly done sound design/mix IMO and noticeably compressed. Take the Eiffel tower coming down scene...........how does a HUGE tower coming to the ground sound so relatively wimpy when it hits? The sound design/mix is just not as good as it could/should have been IMO.

Just my opinion and we can agree to disagree.

G.I. Joe's DTS-HD MA track (much like Indiana Jones IV's Dolby True HD track) has a dialnorm value of -25. Your typical DTS-HD MA track is -31 whereas your typical Dolby True HD track is -27. So you need to crank up the volume to +2dB (assuming you listen to movies at reference) to hear how good G.I. Joe really does sound.