Supertramp Crime Of The Century - Blu-ray Audio

[Deleted member 133]

Does anyone own this and if so how does it compare to the CD version?

I was listening to a classic rock FM station last night in my car and "School" came on. It reminded me of how much I love that album - and that I should probably set some time aside to listen to it all in one sitting.

Then I got to wondering if there might, just might, be a reason to listen to it off Blu-ray audio instead of just popping in the CD.

I know I was disappointed (and remain so) that this album (and in fact the entire Supertramp catalogue) has never been remixed for 5.1. If ever there was a candidate for such treatment...

But failing that, I'd still like to experience the current-best 2.0 version that's out there.

Jeff

 

[Zing]

I do not own Crime of the Century but I do own Breakfast in America and while it's slightly more entertaining than the CD, I can't really say it was $30 more entertaining. What does all that mean as it relates to your query? Probably not much except I highly doubt I'll be buying Crime of the Century anytime soon based on my Breakfast in America experience.

 

[Flint]

I own five versions of Crime of the Century: LP Pressing from 1982, Masterdisk LP pressing from 1986, original CD, Masterdisc gold CD, and the remastered label CD.

My favorite is the Masterdisc Gold CD. That said, they all sound amazing because that is just an amazingly produced album.

 

[Deleted member 133]

Thanks for that Zing. Your comparison to "Breakfast" is very apropos.

Flint, I too own multiple versions of COTC. I have the original LP (A&M Canadian pressing) as well as the A&M "Audiophile Series" LP. I had the original CD but gave it away when I bought a copy of the "Audio Master Plus Series." I was thinking of you when I posted the thread. I figured if anyone might have the Blu-ray Audio version it would be you.

I guess my bottom line is that such an amazing album deserves to have its most amazing version heard - if such a beast actually exists.

Jeff

 

[Deleted member 133]

So I obtained the Blu-ray Audio version of COTC. I plan to listen to it in its entirety tomorrow. However I have just finished sampling a few tracks and then did a quick comparison between it and the "Audio Master Plus Series" CD.

I used the "Asylum" track. The CD was put in an Oppo DVD/CD player connected to my Onkyo 886 by HDMI. The BD was put in my Sony BD player - also connected to the 886 via HDMI. I chose the "2.0 LPCM Stereo 24bit / 192kHz" audio on the BD. The 886 was set to straight stereo mode.

First off, the apparent volume was identical as I switched between devices.

Secondly the sound, all aspects thereof, was identical to my ears. There was simply no difference that I could tell.

So I took the CD and put it into a Sony DVD/CD player that's connected to the 886 via normal stereo RCA cables. I repeated the test and even accounting for different volume levels (which I adjusted for as quickly as I could while switching between inputs) there was a noticeable difference in sound between the two: slight imaging differences and the CD sounded thinner in the mid-bass and stronger in the upper mids. So obviously I can hear differences, but in this case it was due entirely to the two different players and not the formats.

Bottom line: since the CD and the Blu-ray sound identical (at least for LPCM stereo) I don't recommend spending the additional money on the Blu-ray, especially if you already own the CD.

Jeff

ps. There is also one other consideration worth noting. The Onkyo 886 would not allow me to choose any listening mode that was not "stereo" with the BD, while the sky was the limit with the CD. I'm a huge fan of listening to multichannel music and if I don't have a 5.1 source I have no qualms with engaging a surround mode like Dolby PLIIx to satisfy that craving - even with an album like COTC. And since this Blu-ray Audio version of COTC contains only stereo tracks, none of which can be processed to 5.1, it's of even less use / value to me than the CD version.

 

[Deleted member 133]

Additional note re my "ps." above: This "locked-out of other listening modes" behaviour got me curious as to whether it was the same with the Breakfast in America BD. So I popped that one in today and voila! All of the listening modes are available through my 886, including my fave, PLIIx. Curious.