In the context of Covid, unable to perform his tour at the Royal Albert Hall, Eric Clapton will do a concert without an audience (except his wife in the balcony) at Cowdray House.
For this concert Eric Clapton is assisted by Chris Stainton on keyboards, Nathan East on bass and Steve Gadd on drums.

The review includes 9 editions (Vinyl , CD, Streaming Qobuz, Tidal and Amazon , Amazon Dolby Atmos Binaural, Bluray stereo, DTS , Atmos and Tidal Atmos) of this album.

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.

This album includes 17 tracks and 19 tracks* for the Bluray reviewed: 

1. Intro*
2. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out
3. Golden Ring
4. Black Magic Woman
5. Man Of The World
6. Kerry
7. After Midnight
8. Bell Bottom Blues
9. Key To The Highway
10. River Of Tears
11. Rock Me Baby
12. Believe In Life
13. Going Down Slow
14. Layla
15. Tears In Heaven
16. Long Distance Call
17. Bad Boy
18. Got My Mojo Working
19. Outro*

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

Ed1 : Vinyl transparent yellow ref 3837210 – 2021

Presentation

This is the transparent yellow vinyl of this album in a gatefold sleeve.

Label	Universal Music Group
Reference	3837210
Format (speed)	Vinyl lp 33rpm
Type	Double transparent yellow LP 180g
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Marc Thériault
Original recording	Digital
State	Europe
Year original	2021
Year production	2021

Ed2 : Qobuz Hi-Res – 2021

Presentation

This is the streaming Qobuz presented in Hi-Res 24 bits 96 kHz (17 tracks).

Label	Universal Music Group
Reference	Qobuz Hi-Res
Format (speed)	Streaming 24 bits 96 kHz
Type	24 bits 96 kHz
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Marc Thériault
Original recording	Digital
State	Europe
Year original	2021
Year production	2021

Ed3 : Tidal Master – 2021

Presentation

This is the streaming Tidal presented encoded in Master MQA 24 bits 96 kHz (17 tracks).

Label	Universal Music Group
Reference	Tidal Master
Format (speed)	Streaming MQA 24 bits 96 kHz
Type	MQA 24 bits 96 kHz decoded by Audirvana in 24 bits 96 kHz
Master	Digital 24 bits96 kHz
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Marc Thériault
Original recording	Digital
State	Europe
Year original	2021
Year production	2021

Ed4 : Amazon UltraHD – 2021

Presentation

This is the streaming Amazon presented in UltraHD 24 bits 96 kHz (17 tracks).

Label	Universal Music Group
Reference	Amazon UltraHD
Format (speed)	Streaming 24 bits 96 kHz
Type	24 bits 96 kHz
Master	Digital 24 bits 96 kHz
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Marc Thériault
Original recording	Digital
State	Europe
Year original	2021
Year production	2021

Ed5 : Amazon Atmos Binaural – 2021

Presentation

This is the streaming Amazon Dolby Atmos binaural for headphone listening (17 tracks).

Label	Universal Music Group
Reference	Amazon Dolby Atmos Binaural
Format (speed)	Streaming Atmos
Type	Atmos Binaural
Master	Atmos
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Marc Thériault
Original recording	Digital
State	Europe
Year original	2021
Year production	2021

Ed6 : Bluray Stereo ref 602438472598 – 2021

Presentation

This is the Bluray video presented in stereo 24 bits 48kHz (19 tracks).

Label	Universal Music Group
Reference	602438472598
Format (speed)	Bluray video track stereo 24 bits 48 kHz
Type	24 bits 48 kHz
Master	Digital 24 bits 48 kHz
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Marc Thériault
Original recording	Digital
State	Europe
Year original	2021
Year production	2021

Ed7 : Bluray DTS HDMA 5.1 ref 602438472598 – 2021

Presentation

This is the Bluray video presented in DTS HDMA 5.1 24 bits 48kHz (19 tracks). DTS HDMA is a lossless audio data compression format like FLAC

Label	Universal Music Group
Reference	602438472598
Format (speed)	Bluray video track DTS HDMA 5.1 24 bits 48 kHz
Type	DTS HDMA 5.1 24 bits 48 kHz
Master	Digital 24 bits 48 kHz
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Marc Thériault
Original recording	Digital
State	Europe
Year original	2021
Year production	2021

Ed8 : Bluray Dolby TrueHD Atmos ref 602438472598 – 2021

Presentation

This is the Bluray video presented in Dolby TrueHD Atmos 24 bits 48kHz (19 tracks).

The Dolby True HD proposes natively a listening in 7.1 if you did not have an amp with Dolby Atmos decoder, in Atmos listening, we use a configuration 7.1.4 for the review.

Dolby True HD is a lossless audio data compression format like FLAC.

Label	Universal Music Group
Reference	602438472598
Format (speed)	Dolby TrueHD Atmos 24 bits 48 kHz
Type	Dolby TrueHD Atmos 24 bits 48 kHz
Master	Digital 24 bits 48 kHz
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Marc Thériault
Original recording	Digital
State	Europe
Year original	2021
Year production	2021

Ed9 : Tidal Atmos – 2021

Presentation

This is the Tidal Atmos presented in Dolby Digital+ 48 kHz (17 tracks). The Dolby Digital+ proposes natively a listening in 5.1 if you did not have an amp with Dolby Atmos decoder, in Atmos listening, we use a configuration 7.1.4 for the review.

Dolby Digital+ is a compressed format with loss of data, the rate is 768 kb/s.

Label	Universal Music Group
Reference	Tidal Dolby Atmos
Format (speed)	Streaming Atmos Dolby Digital+ at 768 kb/s
Type	Dolby Atmos
Master	Digital 24 bits 48 kHz
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Marc Thériault
Original recording	Digital
State	Europe
Year original	2021
Year production	2021

Part 2 : Waveform and dynamic comparaisons

Waveform

The waveform represents all the 17 (or 19 for bluray) tracks of the album.

For the stereo versions, we can classify the editions in 3 categories:

• The vinyl version (Ed1) shows no signs of limiting and has a nice dynamic.
• The bluray stereo version (Ed6) which is the most dynamic digital stereo version. There are zones with limitation (yellow zone), but this only affects the sound peaks and not the whole music. For each edition, the Zoom Sample Layla shows that the dynamics of the album (DR13).
• The Qobuz (Ed2), Tidal (Ed3), Amazon UltraHD (Ed24) and Atmos binaural (Ed5) versions show compression (yellow area). Compared to the vinyl and bluray stereo versions, the comparison of the beginning of the right channel (bottom left) shows a limitation of the peaks only on these versions. But this compression only applies to the peaks of the signal, the zoom of the Layla sample shows that the signal remains dynamic (DR10)

The graphics below represent the album in vinyl version and a zoom on the sample Layla.

The graphics below represent the album in Bluray stereo version and a zoom on the sample Layla.

The graphs below represent the digital stereo versions of the album which are concerned by a limitation of the dynamic range and a zoom on the sample which shows that this limitation remains limited.

The graphs below represent the Amazon Dolby Atmos Binaural version of the album which is concerned by a limitation of the dynamic range and a zoom on the sample which shows that this limitation remains limited.

The DTS HDMA 5.1 version below is very dynamic, the yellow arrow shows that there is no level limitation (no dynamic range compression). The spatial distribution is mainly frontal on the left, right and center channels.

The Dolby Digital TrueHD 7.1 (without Atmos decoding) version below is very dynamic, the yellow arrow shows that there is no level limitation (no dynamic range compression). The spatial distribution is mainly frontal on the left, right and center channels.

The graph below represents the Tidal Dolby Digital+ in 5.1 without Atmos decoding. We notice a good dynamics of the tracks, without compression (yellow arrow), The spatial distribution is mainly frontal on the left, right and center channels.

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 9 editions we have obtained the following Dynamic Range (DR) :

	Ed1: Vinyl	Ed2: Qobuz	Ed3: Tidal	Ed4: Amazon	Ed5: Amazon Atmos Binaural	Ed6: Bluray Stereo	Ed7: Bluray DTS HDMA	Ed8: Blu-ray Dolby True HD	Ed9: Tidal Atmos
GLOBAL	DR14	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR13	DR13	DR13	DR13
Min	DR13	DR9	DR9	DR9	DR10	DR12	DR10	DR11	DR11
Max	DR15	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR14	DR15	DR15	DR14
Intro						DR12	DR10	DR11
Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out	DR14	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR11	DR13	DR14	DR14	DR13
Golden Ring	DR15	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR14	DR14	DR13	DR14
Black Magic Woman	DR14	DR10	DR11	DR10	DR11	DR13	DR14	DR13	DR14
Man Of The World	DR14	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR10	DR14	DR14	DR14	DR14
Kerry	DR12	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR10	DR12	DR12	DR11	DR11
After Midnight	DR14	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR13
Bell Bottom Blues	DR14	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR11	DR13	DR13	DR13	DR13
Key To The Highway	DR14	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR11	DR14	DR14	DR13	DR14
River Of Tears	DR15	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR11	DR14	DR14	DR14	DR14
Rock Me Baby	DR14	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR11	DR14	DR15	DR15	DR14
Believe In Life	DR14	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR11	DR13	DR13	DR12	DR12
Going Down Slow	DR15	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR12	DR14	DR14	DR14
Layla	DR15	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR10	DR13	DR14	DR13	DR13
Tears In Heaven	DR13	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR12	DR13	DR13	DR13
Long Distance Call	DR15	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR12	DR13	DR14	DR13	DR14
Bad Boy	DR15	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR12	DR14	DR14	DR14
Got My Mojo Working	DR13	DR9	DR9	DR9	DR11	DR11	DR13	DR13	DR13
Outro						DR13	DR14	DR15

As the waveform curves show, we have two categories for the stereo versions. The vinyl with a DR14 and the other stereo version with a DR11 (Qobuz, Tidal, Amazon, Amazon Atmos binaural).

The multichannel versions (Ed7, Ed8 and Ed9) and the stereo Bluray are distinguished by a greater dynamic range with DR13.

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 “Layla”.

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

1. The two curves are superimposed up to 9 kHz.
2. The yellow area shows a progressive decrease of the vinyl compared to the Qobuz version above 9 kHz, with 8 dB of attenuation at 20 kHz. This will give a slightly warmer sound to the vinyl.
3. The red arrows show interference peaks at 15 kHz and 30 kHz.

The graph below shows that the curves of the Tidal (Ed3) and Qobuz (Ed2) versions almost perfectly match. We find the same frequency peaks at 15 kHz and 30 kHz (red arrow).

The graph below shows that the curves of the Amazon UltraHD (Ed4) and Qobuz (Ed2) versions almost perfectly match. We find the same frequency peaks at 15 kHz and 30 kHz (red arrow).

The graph below shows that the curves of the Bluray stereo (Ed5) and Qobuz (Ed2) versions match almost perfectly up to 24 kHz (yellow arrow), this is due to the 48kHz sampling rate used for bluray. There is also a slight difference below 60 Hz of one or 3dB more for the bluray.

The difference in mixing and processing with binaural does not show any significant differences between the spectrum curve of the binaural version and Qobuz. This is due to the fact that the signal is mainly frontal. The yellow arrow shows that there is no signal above 20 kHz, this limit of the Dolby Atmos binaural edition is due to the encoding of the Dolby Digital Plus format.

The spectrum below represents the 6 channels of DTS HDMA 5.1 bluray. You can see that the maximum frequency is 24 kHz (yellow arrow) , due to the sampling frequency of 48 kHz. Surround channels are about 15 to 20 dB lower than the front channels.

The spectrum below represents the 8 channels of the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 bluray without ATMOS decoding. As with DTS HDMA, you can see that the maximum frequency is 24 kHz (yellow arrow) , which indicates that the sampling rate is 48 kHz. Surround channels are about 20 dB lower than the front channels..

The spectrum below represents the 6 channels of Tidal Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 without ATMOS decoding. Unlike Dolby TrueHD, you can see that the maximum frequency is 20 kHz (yellow arrow) and not 24 kHz like Dolby TrueHD. This is due to the data compression with loss of information of Dolby Digital Plus (bit rate of 768 kb/s) compared to Dolby True HD. We also find the LFE channel (green arrow), but which is highly filtered in the 120 Hz unlike the Dolby True HD and DTS versions.

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 spectrum beloow représente the vinyl version (Ed1). the signal rises above 20kHz (yellow arrow), with the signal rising above 30kHz (white arrow) which is composed of music and also distortion due to the reading principle of vinyl.

For Qobuz (Ed2), Tidal (Ed3) and Amazon UltraHD (Ed4), we find the same representation with a maximum frequency of 48 kHz (white arrow), much higher than 20 kHz (yellow arrow) because of the sampling frequency of 96 kHz. The black arrow shows the parasite frequency at 30 kHz as on the spectrum.

For the Ed5 Amazon Atmos Binaural, we find a maximum frequency limited to 20 kHz (yellow arrow) due to dolby compression. And a black area above 24 kHz (white arrow) which shows the presence of no signal above 24 kHz (due to the use of a 48 kHz sampling rate). The red area shows an unavailable signal between the 20 kHz limit (Dolby compression) and 24 kHz (48 kHz sampling rate).

The spectrograms below of the Ed6 Bluray Stereo, Ed7 Bluray DTSHD and Ed8 Bluray Dolby True HD are similar. The yellow arrow indicates the limit at 24 kHz. There is no signal above 24 kHz (white arrow). This is in coherence with the representation of the spectrum.

In the spectrograms below of the Ed9 Tidal Doby Digital+, the yellow arrow indicates the limit at 20 kHz. There is no signal above 20 kHz (white arrow). This is in coherence with the representation of the spectrum. The red arrow shows the LFE channel filtering at 120 Hz.

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.

As the graphs below show, the spatialization of the music mainly concentrated on the three front channels for all the editions.

Part 6 : Summary, scoring and Samples

Ed1 : Vinyl transparent yellow ref 3837210 – 2021

The vinyl has a very nice pressing with a reduced surface noise. The listening is dynamic, with very beautiful rendering of the voices and the guitar. The vinyl brings a warmer sound, very natural, softer than the digital versions while keeping the precision in the instruments. The sound image distributes well all the instruments and singers.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●●o (4.5/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5/5)
  • Surface noise: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (4/5)

• Sample : “Layla” 24 bits 88.2 kHz:

Ed2 : Qobuz Hi-Res – 2021

The rendering of the Qobuz Hi-Res version in 24/96 is dynamic and very precise, especially in the treble. All the details are retranscribed, with a beautiful sound scene.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●oo (3.5/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (4/5)

• Sample : “Layla” 24 bits 96kHz:

Ed3 : Tidal Master – 2021

The Tidal rendering is very similar to that of Qobuz, we find the same dynamic, and the same precision in the highs.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●oo (3.5/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (4/5)

• Sample : “Layla” 24 bits 96kHz:

Ed4 : Amazon UltraHD – 2021

The Amazon version is very similar to the Qobuz and Tidal versions in terms of dynamics and precision in instruments and voice.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●oo (3.5/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (4/5)

• Sample : “Layla” 24 bits 96kHz:

Ed5 : Amazon Atmos Binaural – 2021

The Amazon Atmos binaural version is made from a different Atmos mix than the stereo versions. The ambiences are reduced, but we find the use of the 3 front channels which widens and brings good precision in the front positioning between the right and the left.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●oo (3.5/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●oo (2.5/5)

• Sample : “Layla” Dolby Atmos Binaural for headphone listening :

Ed6 : Bluray Stereo ref 602438472598 – 2021

This Stereo version of the Bluray differs from the Qobuz, Tidal and Amazon stereo versions. We find here a little more dynamics compared to these versions, but also a rendering of the highs a little different, they are very precise, but a little more incisive than the other digital stereo versions, this can be due to the fact that the bluray is in 24/48 and not in 24/96, or to this extra dynamics.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●●o (4.5/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (3.5/5)

• Sample : “Layla” 24 bits 48kHz:

Ed7 : Bluray DTS HDMA 5.1 ref 602438472598 – 2021

The listening in 5.1 is concentrated in front, with the right, left and central channels. The ambiences bring that the rendering of the room.
The exploitation of the 3 front channels allows to adjust more precisely the frontal space and makes reveal more details in the distribution than the stereo version.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●●o (4.5/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Spatialization : ●●ooo (2.5)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (4/5)

• Sample : “Layla” 5.1 24 bits 48kHz:

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.

Ed8 : Bluray Dolby TrueHD Atmos ref 602438472598 – 2021

The listening in 7.1 or Atmos is concentrated in front, with the right, left and central channels. The ambiences remain present only to bring a little volume with the reflections of the concert hall which is without spectators.
The exploitation of the 3 front channels allows to adjust more precisely the frontal space and makes reappear more details in the distribution than the stereo version.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●●o (4.5/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Spatialization : ●●●●oooooo (4.4)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (4/5)

• Sample : “Layla” 7.1 24 bits 48kHz, the sample corresponds to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio track without Atmos decoding:

The sample is in 7.1 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.

Ed9 : Tidal Atmos – 2021

The Tidal Atmos version is presented in Dolby Digital Plus, which means that it is a highly compressed format compared to the DTS HDMA and Dolby Digital True HD versions. Compared to the Bluray Dolby True HD Atmos version, we find the same spatial distribution, but not the same finesse and precision of voices and instruments. We find this same type of quality gap in the Atmos rendering (between Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby trueHD) as in the album review The Tipping Point.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●●o (4.5/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Spatialization : ●●●●oooooo (4.2)
  • Restitution: ●●●oo (2.5/5)

• Sample : “Layla” 5.1 16 bits 48kHz, the sample corresponds to the Dolby Digital+ 5.1 audio track without Atmos decoding:

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.

This concert realized in the particular condition of the covid, without spectators, is a very beautiful album. The choice of the version to listen to will depend on your preferences and the way you listen to it. If you want a dynamic, natural version, the vinyl brings all its heat to this concert. If you prefer more precision and details, the stereo versions in 24/96 or the bluray stereo version will be able to answer your wait. In multichannel listening, depending on your configuration (from 5.1 to Atmos) you can start on the 5.1 or Atmos versions of the bluray, you will have a greater precision of the sound scene before with these multichannel mixes.

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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