The Rolling Stones are back with their 24th studio album “Hackney Diamonds”, 7 years after “Blue and Lonesome”, which was a covers album, and 18 years after “A Bigger Bang”, which consisted of original songs. The album contains 12 songs and was recorded between December 2022 and January 2023, with sessions at Electric Lady Studios in New York and Henson Studios in Los Angeles. The album features contributions from Lady Gaga and Stevie Wonder on “Sweet Sounds of Heaven”, Elton John on “Get Close and Live by the Sword” on piano and McCartney on bass on “Bite My Head Off”.

For this review, you will find 7 versions tested: Vinyl, Blu-ray Stereo in 24 bits 96 kHz and Dolby Atmos TrueHD, CD, Amazon Music UltraHD in 24 bits 96kHz, Tidal MAX flac in 24 bits 96 kHz and Tidal Dolby Atmos.

Will high resolution be better than Dolby Atmos ou vinyl record?

Below you will find the description of the different editions, as well as the measurements of each edition in the following chapters.
The synthesis of the review and the samples are available here

The album is composed of 12 tracks:

1. Angry
2. Get Close
3. Depending On You
4. Bite My Head Off
5. Whole Wide World
6. Dreamy Skies
7. Mess It Up
8. Live By The Sword
9. Driving Me Too Hard
10. Tell Me Straight
11. Sweet Sounds Of Heaven
12. Rolling Stone Blues

First we will analyze each edition in detail (technical and qualitative analysis), then we will compare the successive editions with their dynamics and assign a final score, and you will be able to listen some samples.

The streaming versions may evolve over time, those presented here correspond to the version tested at the date of publication, or update of the review.

Review of the editions:

Part 1: Presentation of the editions

Part 2 : Waveform and dynamique comparaison

Parts 3 : Spectrum comparisons

Part 4 : Spectrogram comparaisons>

Part 5 : Spatialization

Part 6 : Summary, scoring and Sample

Part 1: presentation of the editions

Ed 1: Amazon Music UltraHD – 2023

Presentation

The stereo version of Amazon Music is presented in UltraHD in 24 Bits 96 kHz.

Ed 2: Tidal MAX Flac – 2023

Presentation

The Tidal Max Flax is presented in Flac 24 bits 96 kHz.

Ed 3: Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2023

Presentation

The Tidal Dolby Atmos version is presented in Dolby Digital Plus 768 bits/s) or Dolby AC-4.

Ed 4: Clear Purple Vinyl – 2023

Presentation

A very fine edition for this 180g Clear Purple vinyl record. The choice was made to have a single disc, which translates, with the length of the album, into an cutting level 5 to 6 dB lower than other vinyl records. (Ref : 554 646-1)

Ed 5: Blu-ray Stereo – 2023

Presentation

Beautiful boxed set containing book, CD and blu-ray (ref: 581 225-4). The blu-ray features two audio tracks in 24-bit 96 kHz PCM and Dolby Digital TrueHD Atmos. The stereo blu-ray track is tested here.

Ed 6: Blu-ray Dolby Atmos – 2023

Presentation

Beautiful boxed set containing book, CD and blu-ray (ref: 581 225-4). The blu-ray features two audio tracks in 24-bit 96 kHz PCM and Dolby Digital TrueHD Atmos. The Dolby Atmos blu-ray track is tested here.

Ed 7: CD – 2023

Beautiful boxed set containing book, CD and blu-ray (ref: 581 225-4). The blu-ray features two audio tracks in 24-bit 96 kHz PCM and Dolby Digital TrueHD Atmos. It’s the CD in the box that’s tested here.

Part 2 : Waveform and dynamic comparaisons

Waveform

The waveform represents tracks of the album.

The waveforms clearly show the use of a dynamic limiter, which was heavily used, as confirmed by the Dynamic Range measurement with a DR5!

The waveform of the Tidal Atmos and Blu-ray in Dolby Atmos version downmixed in 2.0 show good dynamics, as the graphs below confirm, with a dynamic range of at least DR12 (2.0).

The waveform of the vinyl version shows correct dynamics compared to the digital stereo versions.

The waveforms clearly show the use of a dynamic limiter as in the streaming and CD versions, as confirmed by the dynamic range measurement with a DR5! The difference with the other digital editions is the sound level, which is lowered to -16.6 LUFS to avoid significant variations in sound levels when changing the type of sound track between the Dolby Atmos version and the stereo version on the blu-ray.

Zooming in on the waveform (Amazon ou Tidal MAX) shows small areas of clipping (red circles). Clipping is one of the worst deteriorations you can make on a digital signal, as explained in “Loudness war, the limit of the 0dB in digital or Analog better than Digital?“. It’s a real shame for a production from 2023.

Dynamic

Dynamic represents the ability to reproduce a wide range of sounds from the softest to the loudest. The target is to compare the dynamics of the music and not of the media (CD, digital files or vinyl).

For our 7 editions reviewed have obtained the following Dynamic Range (DR) :

	Amazon Music UltraHD – 2023	Tidal MAX Flac – 2023	Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2023	Clear Purple Vinyl – 2023	Blu-ray Stereo – 2023	Blu-ray Dolby Atmos – 2023	CD – 2023
Global	DR5	DR5	DR13	DR10	DR5	DR12	DR5
Min	DR4	DR4	DR12	DR9	DR4	DR11	DR4
Max	DR7	DR7	DR15	DR11	DR7	DR13	DR7
Angry	DR5	DR5	DR15	DR10	DR5	DR13	DR5
Get Close	DR5	DR5	DR14	DR10	DR5	DR13	DR5
Depending On You	DR5	DR5	DR13	DR9	DR5	DR12	DR5
Bite My Head Off	DR5	DR5	DR12	DR10	DR5	DR11	DR5
Whole Wide World	DR4	DR4	DR12	DR10	DR4	DR12	DR4
Dreamy Skies	DR6	DR6	DR13	DR11	DR6	DR13	DR6
Mess It Up	DR5	DR5	DR14	DR10	DR5	DR13	DR5
Live By The Sword	DR5	DR5	DR13	DR10	DR5	DR13	DR5
Driving Me Too Hard	DR5	DR5	DR12	DR10	DR5	DR12	DR5
Tell Me Straight	DR7	DR7	DR13	DR11	DR7	DR13	DR7
Sweet Sounds Of Heaven	DR5	DR5	DR13	DR10	DR5	DR13	DR5
Rolling Stone Blues	DR7	DR7	DR13	DR9	DR7	DR12	DR7

The DR measurement confirms the dynamic range visible in the waveform analysis, with a DR5 for the stereo versions and a DR12/DR13 for the Dolby Atmos version (7.1.4). This is a far cry from the quality of the stereo mastering done for Steven Wilson’s latest album. Vinyl offers an intermediate version with its DR10.

As a reminder, the scale goes from 0 to more 20, but the dynamics are considered good from 12, quite good between 10 and 11, and deteriorate below 10.

Part 3 : spectrum comparisons

Spectrum

The Spectrum allows to check the tonal balance of the music (balance between treble, medium and bass sounds) and to detect process that may have been carried out during the recording, the mixing, mastering or manufacturing phases. It is also possible to detect frequency interference issues.

The graph below compares the spectrum of the Amazon version (white curve) with the spectrum of the Tidal MAX version (blue curve). The curves are perfectly superimposed across the whole spectrum, and these two versions are taken from the same master. The frequency rises to 28 kHz (yellow arrow), which is possible with the 96 kHz sampling frequency used.

The spectrum of the Tidal Dolby Atmos version decoded in 5.1 shows that all channels are well used.
The bass channel is filtered at 120 Hz, as indicated by the green arrow.
The yellow arrow indicates the high-frequency limit at 20 kHz due to Dolby Digital Plus encoding.

The graph below compares the spectrum of the vinyl record (white curve) with the spectrum of the stereo Blu-ray version (blue curve). The two curves are very similar, with a very slight difference in the graces (green zone) and an attenuation beyond 15 kHz for the vinyl record (yellow zone), with -3 dB at 20 kHz. The yellow arrow shows that the noise level of the vinyl record (white curve) is higher than that of the digital version.

The graph below compares the spectrum of the Blu-ray Stereo (white curve) with the spectrum of the Tidal MAX version (blue curve). The curves are perfectly superimposed across the whole spectrum, and these two versions are taken from the same master.

The spectrum of the Tidal Dolby Atmos version decoded in 4.1 shows that all channels are well used.
The bass channel is filtered at 120 Hz, as indicated by the green arrow.
The yellow arrow indicates the high-frequency limit at 24 kHz due to the 48 kHz sampling frequency.

The graph below compares the spectrum of the CD (white curve) with the spectrum of the Blu-ray Stereo (blue curve). The curves are perfectly superimposed over the whole spectrum up to 22 kHz, which is the frequency limit of the CD due to the 44.1 kHz sampling frequency.

Part 4 : Spectrogram comparaisons

Spectrogram

Spectrogram is another representation of frequency versus time of a track. For each channel (right and left), horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents frequency. The amplitude is represented by the intensity (brightness) of the color of each point in the image.

The spectrogram of the stereo versions (Amazon UltraHD, Tidal Max) show that the signal rises above 20 kHz (yellow arrow), with a signal that can rise up to 28 kHz (white arrow). This confirms the 96 kHz sampling frequency used.

The spectrogram of the Dolby Atmos track downmixed in stereo is limited to 20kHz (yellow arrow) with no signal above (white arrow). This limitation is due to Dolby Digital Plus encoding, which is a lossy encoder that limits bandwidth to optimize data size for a bit rate of 768 kbits/s.

The spectrogram of the vinyl version shows that the signal rises above the 20 kHz frequency (yellow arrow), with the signal exceeding this frequency (white arrow). Above 20 kHz, we find the music signal and the distortion generated by the vinyl record’s operating principle.

The spectrogram of the Dolby Atmos track downmixed in stereo is limited to 24 kHz (yellow arrow) with no signal above (white arrow). This limitation is due to the 48 kHz sampling frequency used for Dolby Digital TrueHD. The bit rate is higher than 4000 kbits/s, compared with the 768 kbits/s bit rate of the Dolby Digital Plus streaming version.

The spectrogram of the CD track is limited to 22 kHz (yellow arrow) with no signal above (white arrow). This limitation is due to the 44.1 kHz sampling frequency used for CD.

Part 5 : Spatialization

Spatialization allows you to define the sound distribution of the music on all the channels. The spatialization indicator and the description of the graph are described here.

Spatialization is available for Tidal Dolby Atmos .

Below the spatialization for all tracks. Click on the images to zoom in.

Below the spatialization for all tracks. Click on the images to zoom in.

Part 6 : Summary, scoring and Samples

Ed 1: Amazon Music UltraHD – 2023

The Amazon and Tidal Max versions are available in 24-bit 96 kHz, with a maximum frequency of over 20 kHz, so we appreciate the effort made to offer us this high-resolution format for the stereo version. Everything would be perfect if it weren’t for the excessive use of a dynamic limiter, which also causes clipping on certain signal peaks. This is far from high fidelity, far from studio mixing. When you listen to it, it’s all power, with no finesse, and when you turn up the volume, you feel the lack of dynamics, energy and impact of the drums, unlike the Dolby Atmos version!

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●oooo (1)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
• Restitution: ●●ooo (2)

Sample : ”Sweet Sounds Of Heaven” in 96 kHz:

Ed 2: Tidal MAX Flac – 2023

A similar rendering can be found with the Amazon Music UltraHD version.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●oooo (1)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
• Restitution: ●●ooo (2)

Sample : ”Sweet Sounds Of Heaven” in 96 kHz:

Ed 3: Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2023

The Dolby Atmos version is a great success, with the soundstage enlarged for all the instruments. What stands out most is the clarity of the recording, which has none of the confusion of the stereo version. Everything is particularly detailed and perfectly reproduced in the soundstage, with a mainly 180-degree distribution. Compared to the stereo version, you need to turn up the volume if you’re not using an automatic adjustment to get back to the same sound level (this is due to the use of the stereo version’s dynamic limiter, which raises the average level by more than 5dB).
When you turn up the volume, you feel the impact of the recording, even in stereo downmix, unlike the high-resolution stereo versions. Dolby Atmos really brings a different kind of listening experience to this album, one that’s less in-your-face and more refined and energetic.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●●o (4)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
• Spatialization: ●●●●●ooooo (4.9)
• Restitution: ●●●●o (3.5)

Sample : ”Sweet Sounds Of Heaven” Dolby Atmos Downmixed in 5.1:

The sample is in 5.1 wav format, if you can not play the sample in your navigator, you can save it, right button menu and “Save Audio As…” and play it with an external player.

Ed 4: Clear Purple Vinyl – 2023

The vinyl record was a nice surprise, providing a more dynamic sound than the digital stereo versions. The listening experience seemed more open and open-minded than with the stereo versions.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●oo (3)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
• Restitution: ●●●●o (3.5)

Sample : ”Sweet Sounds Of Heaven” 16 bits 88.2 kHz:

Ed 5: Blu-ray Stereo – 2023

We find a similar rendering with the Amazon Music UltraHD version, but with a lower sound level than the CD, to be consistent with the sound level of the Blu-ray’s Dolby Atmos track.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●oooo (1)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
• Restitution: ●●●●o (4)

Sample : ”Sweet Sounds Of Heaven” 16 bits 96 kHz:

Ed 6: Blu-ray Dolby Atmos – 2023

The Dolby Atmos version of the blu-ray benefits from a lossless encoding in Dolby TrueHD compared to the streaming version. We find the same characteristics of the Atmos mix, which favors the widening of the front soundstage, but it brings more precision in spatialization and more finesse in the rendering of instruments and vocals. This is the best version of this album.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●●o (4)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
• Spatialization: ●●●●oooooo (4.6)
• Restitution: ooooo (0)

Sample : ”Sweet Sounds Of Heaven” downmised in 7.1:

The sample is in 5.1 wav format, if you can not play the sample in your navigator, you can save it, right button menu and “Save Audio As…” and play it with an external player.

Ed 7: CD – 2023

CD rendering is similar to that of high-resolution stereo versions, but may vary depending on the DAC used and the sample rate processing performed.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●oooo (1)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
• Restitution: ●●ooo (2)

Sample : ”Sweet Sounds Of Heaven” 16 bits 44.1 kHz:

The Rolling Stones’ new album “Hackney Diamonds” is a pleasant surprise. It’s available in stereo and Dolby Atmos versions, but we regret the excessive maxtering, in particular with the use of a dynamic limiter that causes clipping on the signal, despite the effort to offer a high-resolution 24-bit/96 kHz version. It is therefore preferable to turn to the Dolby Atmos version, which is more dynamic and spatial, but also more pleasant in stereo downmix. Update 10/26/2023: Vinyl record and bluray test change conclusions. If you want a stereo version, vinyl record is a good compromise. For the most dynamic rendering, or the most precise spatial sound, the Dolby TrueHD Atmos version is the best support, even with stereo downmix.

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Detail of the ratings :

• Dynamic :
  1. Significant dynamic compression, DR less than 7
  2. Compression of the present dynamics, DR between 7 and 9.
  3. Correct piece DR >=10
  4. No dynamic compression (DR >12), dynamic rendering
  5. No dynamic compression, high DR and very dynamic sound rendering
• Spectrum :
  1. Spectrum cut and less than 15 khz
  2. Spectrum cut at 15 khz
  3. Spectrum not conforming to the original and cut (not HD) or original but limited bandwidth (but less than 20 kHz)
  4. Spectrum conforming to the original (but not HD)
  5. Spectrum conforming to the original with HD resolution (higher than 24kHz)
• Surface noise (only for vinyl):
  1. Continuous audible noise
  2. Audible surface noise except on passages with a high level of noise
  3. Reduced surface noise, barely audible on low level crossings
  4. Low surface noise, very good quality
  5. Very low surface noise, no defects, almost inaudible on the quiet passages (exceptional disc)
• Spatialization :
  • Between 0 and 5 for 5.1 or 7.1 channels configuration
  • Between 0 and 10 for Atmos configuration (7.1.4)
  • For more information on spatialization, you can read the article describing this parameter here.
• Restitution :
  1. Low quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments.
  2. Average quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments.
  3. Quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Good record.
  4. High quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Very high level disc.
  5. Maximum quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Exceptional disc.

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