Random Access Memories is the fourth and final album by Daft Punk, released in May 2013. This album received the Grammy Award for Best Album of the Year in 2014. It contains the famous track Get Lucky.

May 12, 2023: French electronic music group Daft Punk is celebrating 10 years since the release of their legendary album “Random Access Memories,” which won multiple Grammy Awards in 2014. To mark this special occasion, the band’s two members, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, are releasing an expanded anniversary edition of their latest album, entitled “Random Access Memories 10th Anniversary Edition.”

This reissue includes several bonuses for the fans. In addition to the 13 original tracks from the album, this anniversary edition contains 35 minutes of unreleased music spread over 9 tracks, with new Daft Punk tracks that have never been heard before.

The band also worked with artists and designers Warren Fu and Nick Knight to create a new series of images in the form of posters included in the anniversary edition of the album.

The review is updated with the Tidal Sony 360 Reality Audion and Apple Music Dolby Atmos versions.

We will review 11 editions (Vinyl , Download Qobuz, Streaming Qobuz, Tidal and Amazon ) and 10th anniversary editions (Vinyl, CD and Qobuz Hi-Res) of this album, and also spatial sound Sony 360RA and Dolby Atmos.
Below you will find the description of the different editions, as well as the measures of each edition in the different chapters and the samples of them here.

This album includes 22 tracks : 

1. Give Life Back To Music
2. The Game Of Love
3. Giorgio By Moroder
4. Within
5. Instant Crush
6. Lose Yourself To Dance
7. Touch
8. Get Lucky
9. Beyond
10. Motherboard
11. Fragments Of Time
12. Doin’ It Right
13. Contact
14. Horizon Ouverture*
15. Horizon*
16. GLBTM (studio outtakes)*
17. Infinity Repeating (2013 demo)*
18. GL (early take)*
19. Prime (2012 unfinished)*
20. LYTD (vocoder tests)*
21. The Writing of Fragments of Time*
22. Touch (2021 epilogue)*

* Only in 10th anniversary editions.

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.

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

Ed1 : Vinyl ref 88883716861- 2013

Presentation

This is the vinyl edition with two LPs in 33rpm with 13 tracks. We also find the inner sleeves with printed lyrics.

Label	Columbia
Reference	88883716861
Format (speed)	Vinyl 33 rpm 180g
Type	Double Vinyl LP
Master	Digital 24 bits 88.2 kHz
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered at Gateway Mastering and Translab
Original recording	Digital
State	Europe
Year original	2013
Year production	2013

Ed2 : Qobuz Hi-Res Download- 2013

Presentation

This is the download Qobuz presented in Hi-Res 24 bits 88.2 kHz.

Label	Columbia
Reference	Qobuz Hi-res
Format (speed)	Digital 24 bits 88.2 kHz
Type	Files downloaded
Master	Digital 24 bits 88.2 kHz
Mastering/Pressing	Digital
Original recording	Digital
State	Europe
Year original	2013
Year production	2013

Ed3 : Streaming Qobuz Hi-Res – 2013

Presentation

This is the streaming Qobuz presented in Hi-Res 24 bits 88.2 kHz.

Label	Columbia
Reference	Qobuz Streaming Hi-res
Format (speed)	Digital 24 bits 88.2 kHz
Type	Streaming
Master	Digital 24 bits 88.2 kHz
Mastering/Pressing	Digital
Original recording	Digital
State	Europe
Year original	2013
Year production	2013

Ed4 : Streaming Tidal Master – 2013

Presentation

This is the streaming Tidal presented in Master MQA 24 bits 88.2 kHz.

Label	Columbia
Reference	Tidal Master
Format (speed)	Digital 24 bits 88.2 kHz decoded by Audirvana in 24 bits 88.2 kHz
Type	Streaming
Master	Digital 24 bits 88.2 kHz
Mastering/Pressing	Digital
Original recording	Digital
State	Europe
Year original	2013
Year production	2013

Ed5 : Streaming Amazon UltraHD – 2013

Presentation

This is the streaming Amazon presented in Ultra HD 24 bits 48 kHz.

Label	Columbia
Reference	Amazon UltraHD
Format (speed)	Digital 24 bits 48 kHz
Type	Streaming
Master	Digital 24 bits 88.2 kHz
Mastering/Pressing	Digital
Original recording	Digital
State	Europe
Year original	2013
Year production	2013

Ed6 : CD ref 88883716862 – 2013

Presentation

This is the CD presented in 16 bits 44.1 kHz.

Label	Columbia
Reference	88883716862
Format (speed)	CD 16 bits 44.1 kHz
Type	CD
Master	Digital 24 bits 88.2 kHz
Mastering/Pressing	Digital
Original recording	Digital
State	Europe
Year original	2013
Year production	2013

Ed7 : Vinyl 10th anniversary 196587737313 – 2023

Presentation

This is the vinyl edition with two LPs in 33rpm with 13 tracks. We also find the inner sleeves with printed lyrics and a poster.

Label	Columbia
Reference	196587737313
Format (speed)	Vinyl 33 rpm 180g
Type	3 Vinyl LP
Master	Digital 24 bits 88.2 kHz
Mastering/Pressing	Digital
Original recording	Digital
State	Europe
Year original	2013
Year production	2023

Ed8 : CD 10th anniversary 196588010323 – 2023

Presentation

This is the expended edition presented in 2 CD (16 bits 44.1 kHz).

Label	Columbia
Reference	196588010323
Format (speed)	CD 16 bits 44.1 kHz
Type	2 CD
Master	Digital 24 bits 88.2 kHz
Mastering/Pressing	Digital
Original recording	Digital
State	Europe
Year original	2013
Year production	2023

Ed9 : Qobuz Hi-Res 10th anniversary Edition – 2023

Presentation

This is the streaming Qobuz presented in Hi-Res 24 bits 88.2 kHz.

Label	Columbia
Reference	10th anniversary Edition Qobuz Streaming Hi-res
Format (speed)	Digital 24 bits 88.2 kHz, except “Infinity Repeating (2013 Demo)” presented in 24 bits 44.1 kHz
Type	Streaming
Master	Digital 24 bits 88.2 kHz
Mastering/Pressing	Digital
Original recording	Digital
State	Europe
Year original	2013
Year production	2023

Ed10 : Tidal Sony 360 Reality Audio – 2023

Presentation

This is the streaming Tidal presented in Sony 360 Reality Audio (Sony 360RA).

Label	Columbia
Reference	Tidal 360RA
Format (speed)	Sony 360 Reality Audio
Type	Streaming
Master	Sony 360 Reality Audio
Mastering/Pressing	Digital
Original recording	Digital
State	Europe
Year original	2013
Year production	2023

Ed11 : Apple Music Dolby Atmos – 2023

Presentation

This is the streaming Apple Music presented in Dolby Atmos.

Label	Columbia
Reference	Apple Music Dolby Atmos
Format (speed)	Dolby digital Plus Atmos or Dolby AC-4
Type	Streaming
Master	Dolby Atmos
Mastering/Pressing	Digital
Original recording	Digital
State	Europe
Year original	2013
Year production	2023

Part 2 : Waveform and dynamic comparaisons

Waveform

The waveform represents all the 13 tracks of the album.

This edition Ed1 vinyl is dynamic, we can see many attacks of the music that gives this dynamic rendering. The graphic below shows the 13 tracks of the vinyl.

This edition 10th anniversary Ed7 vinyl is similar to the Ed1 vinyl with dynamic, we can see many attacks of the music that gives this dynamic rendering. The two graphics below show the 13 tracks of the first two LP and the new tracks of the 3rd LP.

The seven digital versions ( Original and 10th anniversary) are similar, with the presence of signal compression that caps the peak level, as shown by the yellow circles. The compression is done “cleanly”, with no clipping effect.

In the case of the CD, with a maximum level at 0dB, we find a true peak level at 0.74 dB, that is to say that we go above 0 dB. This happens only on some very narrow peaks, and depending on the capacity of the DAC to manage these peaks, it will produce a little distortion. The other digital supports are a little below 0dB, and will have a true peak level lower than 0.74 dB.

The waveform below represents the Tidal 360RA (Ed10) version decoded in 5.1. We can see that this version is more dynamic than the digital stereo versions. The center channel is not used much. For the LFE channel (bass), it is not used.

The waveform below represents the Apple Dolby Atmos (Ed11) version decoded in 5.1. We can see that this version is more dynamic than the digital stereo versions. The center and bass channel (LFE) are little, or even very little used.

Dynamic

We start this test by measuring the dynamic. Dynamic represents the ability to reproduce a wide range of sounds from the softest to the loudest. 

For our 11 editions we have obtained the following Dynamic Range (DR):

	Ed1: Vinyl	Ed2: Qobuz DL	Ed3: Qobuz Streaming	Ed4: Tidal	Ed5: Amazon	Ed6: CD	Ed7 : Vinyl  (10th Anniversary Edition)	Ed8: CD (10th Anniversary Edition)	Ed9: Qobuz  (10th Anniversary Edition)	Ed10 : Tidal Sony 360 RA	Ed11 : Apple Music Dolby
GLOBAL	DR13	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR13	DR9	DR9	DR13	DR13
Min	DR10	DR5	DR5	DR6	DR5	DR6	DR10	DR5	DR5	DR11	DR11
Max	DR15	DR9	DR9	DR9	DR9	DR9	DR14	DR9	DR9	DR16	DR16
Give Life Back To Music	DR15	DR7	DR7	DR9	DR9	DR9	DR14	DR9	DR9	DR14	DR14
The Game Of Love	DR14	DR6	DR6	DR9	DR9	DR9	DR14	DR9	DR9	DR13	DR14
Giorgio By Moroder	DR12	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR12	DR7	DR7	DR14	DR15
Within	DR13	DR7	DR7	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR12	DR8	DR8	DR12	DR11
Instant Crush	DR12	DR8	DR8	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR12	DR7	DR7	DR15	DR15
Lose Yourself To Dance	DR12	DR8	DR8	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR13	DR7	DR7	DR13	DR13
Touch	DR12	DR9	DR9	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR12	DR7	DR7	DR14	DR14
Get Lucky	DR14	DR9	DR9	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR14	DR8	DR8	DR16	DR16
Beyond	DR14	DR7	DR7	DR9	DR9	DR9	DR14	DR9	DR8	DR13	DR13
Motherboard	DR13	DR8	DR8	DR9	DR9	DR9	DR13	DR9	DR9	DR11	DR12
Fragments Of Time	DR12	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR12	DR8	DR8	DR14	DR13
Doin’ It Right	DR12	DR9	DR9	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR11	DR7	DR6	DR11	DR12
Contact	DR10	DR5	DR5	DR6	DR5	DR6	DR10	DR6	DR5	DR13	DR12
Horizon Ouverture							DR11	DR11	DR11
Horizon							DR12	DR10	DR10
GLBTM (studio outtakes)							DR14	DR9	DR9
Infinity Repeating (2013 demo)							DR10	DR7	DR7
GL (early take)							DR11	DR9	DR9
Prime (2012 unfinished)							DR14	DR9	DR9
LYTD (vocoder tests)							DR14	DR8	DR8
The Writing of Fragments of Time							DR15	DR11	DR11
Touch (2021 epilogue)							DR11	DR7	DR7

The Dynamic Range for the 5 stereo digital versions is similar with a DR8 on average. This is in line with the waveforms. The Dolby Atmos and Sony 360RA versions are more dynamic with a DR13 (measured in 5.1) for these spatial audio versions. The vinyl benefits from a greater dynamic DR13, which is due to a less limited master or to a transformation of the analog support (see here).

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 curve represents the average frequency distribution over the sample “Get Lucky”.

The interesting features on this curve Ed1 Vinyl (white) vs Ed2 Qobuz (blue) are the following:

1. The two curves are superposed between 60 Hz and 15 kHz.
2. The yellow area shows an attenuation of more than 5 dB of vinyl above 15 kHz compared to the digital version). The difference in level in the high frequencies will be audible.
3. The yellow arrow shows that the noise floor of vinyl is higher than that of digital above 30 kHz, but the level remains very low.
4. The green area shows an attenuation of the bass on the vinyl compared to the digital version below 50 Hz, with more than 3 dB at 30 Hz.

For the Ed2, Ed3 and Ed4, all three in 24 bits 88.2 kHz sample rate, we find a superposition of the frequency response.

The Ed5 and Ed2 are superimposed up to 24 kHz (yellow arrow), limit frequency of the Amazon version (white) due to the sampling frequency of 48 kHz compared to 88.2 kHz for other digital versions.

The Ed6 and Ed3 are superimposed up to 22 kHz (white arrow), limit frequency of the CD (white) due to the sampling frequency of 44.1kHz compared to 88.2 kHz for the Qobuz digital version.

For the Ed3 Qobuz Streaming and the Ed9 : Qobuz Hi-Res 10th anniversary, in 24 bits 88.2 kHz sample rate, we find a perfect superposition of the frequency response.

For the Ed6 CD and the Ed8 : CD Hi-Res 10th anniversary, in 16 bits 44.1 kHz sample rate, we find a perfect superposition of the frequency response.

For the Ed1 vinyl and the Ed7 : Vinyl 10th anniversary Edition, we notice a difference in mastering and cutting of the vinyl records. The vinyl record of the 10th anniversary is raised a little higher in the high frequencies (up to 8 dB more at 18 kHz) (yellow zone) and a little more low frequencies (green zone) up to 1 to 2 dB around 30 Hz. This should be noticeable in the listening experience with more bass and more detailed highs.

The spectrum below represents the sample of the Ed10 360RA decoded in 5.1. We can see that the maximum frequency is below 20 kHz (yellow arrow), the limitation to 20 kHz is due to the encoding in MPEG-H format. The front channels have a higher level than the side and surround channels. On this sample, there is no signal in the bass channel (LFE). The spectrum in 360RA is very similar to the spectrum in Dolby Atmos.

The spectrum below represents the Ed11 Dolby Atmos sample decoded in 5.1. We can see that the maximum frequency is below 20 kHz (yellow arrow), the limitation to 20 kHz is due to the encoding in Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC3). The front channels have a higher level than the surround channels and the center channel. On this sample, there is no signal in the bass channel (LFE).

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 spectrograms of the Ed1 Vinyl and Ed7 Vinyl 10th anniversary Edition , show that the frequencies rise above 20 kHz (yellow arrow). The white arrow represents a part of the signal mixed with distortion due to the functioning of the vinyl record..

* The difference in color intensity is due to the new settings used for the new measurements allowing a better visibility of the spectrum.

The Ed2, Ed3, Ed4 and 10th anniversary edition Ed9 Qobuz Hi-Res have a high bandwidth above 20 kHz (indicated by the yellow arrow). This is a true 88.2 kHz mix.
The black arrows indicate small parasitic frequency peaks present on all the tracks of the album at a frequency of 30 kHz.

* The difference in color intensity is due to the new settings used for the new measurements allowing a better visibility of the spectrum.

As for the spectrum, the Ed5 has a limited bandwidth of 24 kHz (yellow arrow). The black area (white arrow) shows that there is no signal above 24 kHz.

As for the spectrum, the Ed6 CD has a limited bandwidth of 22 kHz (yellow arrow) due to the sampling frequency of the CD (44.1 kHz). The black area (white arrow) shows that there is no signal above 22 kHz.

The spectrogram below represents the ED10 Tidal 360RA decoded in 5.1. We find a maximum frequency below 20 kHz (yellow arrow) without any signal above (white arrow). There is no signal on the bass channel (green arrow).

The spectrogram below represents the ED11 Apple Dolby Atmos decoded in 5.1. We find a maximum frequency below 20 kHz (yellow arrow) without any signal above (white arrow). There is little signal on the bass channel (green arrow), with a very strong attenuation above 120 Hz.

* The difference in color intensity is due to the new settings used for the new measurements allowing a better visibility of the spectrum.

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.

The graphs below represent the spatialization of the Ed10 Tidal 360RA and Ed11 Apple Dolby Atmos versions. We find an exploitation of all the channels, with a more or less important exploitation according to the songs.

Below the spatialization for the 13 tracks of Apple Music Dolby Atmos version. Click on the images to zoom in.

Below the spatialization for the 13 tracks of Tidal 360RA version. Click on the images to zoom in.

Part 6 : Summary, scoring and Samples

Ed1 : Vinyl ref 60250742562- 2013

Very nice pressing of the vinyl. The vinyl version has a softer and more open feel than the digital versions. There is a little less extreme bass, a very dynamic listening despite the slight attenuation of the highs compared to the digital versions.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5/5)
  • Surface noise: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (4/5)

• Sample : “Get Lucky” 24 bits 88.2 kHz:

Ed2 : Qobuz Hi-Res Download- 2013

The digital version has a different balance than the vinyl version, with more bass and treble presence giving more clarity to this compressed version. The sound is heavier, and although “Get Lucky” is the least compressed track on the album (DR9), it is the best in terms of rendering.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic:  ●●ooo (2/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●oo (3/5)

• Sample : “Get Lucky” 24 bits 88.2kHz:

Ed3 : Streaming Qobuz Hi-Res – 2013

The Qobuz streaming version is identical to the Qobuz download version.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic:  ●●ooo (2/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●oo (3/5)

• Sample : “Get Lucky” 24 bits 88.2kHz:

Ed4 : Streaming Tidal Master – 2013

The Tidal version is very similar to the Qobuz version. We find more bass and treble than the vinyl version, but still with a compressed sound giving less opening to listening.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●ooo (2/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●oo (3/5)

• Sample : “Get Lucky” 24 bits 88.2kHz:

Ed5 : Streaming Amazon UltraHD – 2013

The Amazon version is similar to the other digital versions, but with a little less finesse and smoothness in the treble. The 24-bit 96 kHz version was not available on Amazon (at the time of the review).

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●ooo (2/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●oo (3/5)

• Sample : “Get Lucky” 24 bits 48kHz:

Ed6 : CD ref 88883716862 – 2013

The CD version is similar to the other digital versions, but with a little less finesse and smoothness in the treble than the sampling frequency 88.2 kHz release. The CD has a sample rate that is half (44.1 kHz) that of the 88.2 KHz master, it is a little more precise than the Amazon version.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●ooo (2/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●oo (3/5)

• Sample : “Get Lucky” 16 bits 44.1kHz:

Ed7 : Vinyl 10th anniversary Edition – 2023

Very good pressing of the vinyl. We find with this edition of the 10th anniversary, a vinyl version is softer and more open than the digital versions. Compared to the vinyl record (Ed1), there is a little more bass, with a very dynamic listening and extreme highs a little more precise.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5/5)
  • Surface noise: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (4/5)

• Sample : “Get Lucky” 24 bits 88.2 kHz:

Ed8 : CD 10th anniversary Edition – 2023

The first CD disc is identical to the previous Ed1 edition. The great novelty are the new tracks present on the CD 2 which are very successful and interesting to bring a complement for this edition of the 10 years.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●ooo (2/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●oo (3/5)

• Sample : “Get Lucky” 16 bits 44.1 kHz:

Ed9 : Qobuz Hi-Res 10th anniversary Edition – 2023

The first part of this Qobuz Hi-Res edition is identical to the previous Ed3 : Streaming Qobuz Hi-Res edition. The great novelty are the new tracks present on the second part which are very successful and interesting to bring a complement for this edition of the 10 years.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●ooo (2/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●oo (3/5)

• Sample : “Get Lucky” 24 bits 88.2 kHz:

Ed10 : Tidal Sony 360 Reality Audio – 2023

The version in Sony 360 Reality Audio goes a little further in the rendering of the spatial sphere than with Dolby Atmos, the sound space seems more aerial and more precise. We find the same characteristics described for “Contact”, “Giorgio”, “Touch”, “Get Lucky” with Dolby Atmos (see the description below), but with a little more air, space.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Spatialization: ●●●●●●●●●o (8.3)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (4.5/5)

• Sample : “Get Lucky” 360RA decoded 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.

Ed11 : Apple Music Dolby Atmos – 2023

The mixing in spatial sound is a real success for this album of electronic music which seems to have been imagined for this principle of restitution.

On “Contact”, the atmosphere of the space sound immerses us in the music, with the voice above our heads then the music surrounds us and the bass is there, present with a lot of energy and dynamics.
The sound effects are really around us.
The enlargement of the sound space exploits a positioning of voices, instruments, sound effects in the 3D space, while keeping a beautiful frontal energy.
On “Giorgio”, the word of the beginning is very clear while being plunged in an atmosphere then, we follow the movement of the music which rocks us in the room with a beautiful dynamics.
On “Touch” the music plays in the space as if it had been conceived for that.
On “Get Lucky”, we want to clap our hands to follow the rhythm of the music that surrounds us at 360 degrees literally.

Very nice version in Dolby Atmos.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Spatialization: ●●●●●●●●oo (7.6)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (4/5)

• Sample : “Get Lucky” Dolby Atmos decoded 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.

Between digital (CD, streaming and download) and vinyl, if you prefer a dynamic listening, drier bass and a more open warm sound, vinyl is for you, it is the most pleasant sound. If you prefer a heavier sound, more extreme bass, and more treble, it’s the digital version with its compression. It is a pity not to have this digital version with more dynamics.

Updated with 10th anniversay Editions : As for the previous versions, we find the same difference between the digital versions and the vinyl record. The balance of the vinyl record of this 10th anniversary edition is a little clearer and present in the bass, making this an excellent anniversary vinyl edition. But what characterizes especially this new edition, those are the additional tracks as “Infinity Repeating” and “The Writing of Fragments of Time”, and also the versions in spatial audio which will be tested soon.

Updated with Apple Music Dolby Digital and Tidal Sony 360RA releases: this is the real revelation of this 10th anniversary of Random Access Memory, the Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio versions bring a new vision and listening of this album. The spatial mix is perfectly adapted to this electronic music, it’s a great success, with a Sony 360RA version that offers a little more space in the sound rendering. If you have the opportunity, listen to this album at least in 7.1.4.

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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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