“Tubular Bells” is Mike Oldfield’s first studio album, released in 1973. This emblematic album is often considered a pioneering work of progressive music. This is an opportunity to compare the new mixes produced for the 50th anniversary (stereo, 5.1 and Dolby Atmos) with original and other mastering. The emblematic track, “Tubular Bells Part One”, became famous thanks to its use in the film “The Exorcist”, which contributed to its worldwide popularity. “Tubular Bells” enjoyed significant commercial success, topping the charts in several countries.
For this review, you will find 14 versions tested: vinyl 1973, Vinyl quadraphonic, SACD stereo and 4.0, CD 1992 and HDCD, 50th anniversary : vinyl and Bluray , streaming Amazon and Tidal Dolby Atmos.
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 2 tracks:
- Tubular Bells Pt. I
- Tubular Bells Pt. II
Bonus tracks are available on some editions (see version descriptions below) but have not been tested.
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 6 : Summary, scoring and Sample
Part 1: presentation of the editions
Ed 1: Vinyl – 1973
Presentation
The 1973 vinyl record is a pure analog record made from the analog stereo master, so it’s the analog stereo reference that’s available today (Ref : 202617 AE 230).
Ed 2: Vinyl Quadraphonic – 1975
Presentation
The 1973 quadraphonic vinyl record is a pure analog record made from the analog quadraphonic master, so it’s the analog quadraphonic reference that’s available today. More details on the quadraphonic mix in the description of the SACD 4.0 edition (Ref : QV 2001).
Ed 3: Vinyl Abbey Road – 2023
Presentation
This vinyl record uses the original mix with a new mastering, with the Abbey Road vinyl cut at half speed for maximum quality in the treble reproduction (ref: 6 02448 62923 4). Bonus tracks are also available (untested):
- Tubular Bells 4 Intro (Demo / 2017)
- Tubular Bells / In Dulci Jubilo (London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony)
- Tubular X
- Tubular Bells (Mike Oldfield & YORK Remix)
- Mike Oldfield’s Single (Theme From Tubular Bells)
Ed 4: CD HDCD – 2000
Presentation
CD remastered using the HDCD (High Definition Compatible Digital) principle, enabling 20-bit music encoding stored on 16-bit CDs. It is based on the master produced in 2000. (Ref : 724384938826). The HDCD is decoded for this test and presented in 24-bit 44.1 kHz.
Ed 5: AMAZON 50th – 2023
Presentation
In addition to the part 1 and 2 of the album, Amazon’s 50th anniversary version features 8 additional bonus tracks (not reviewed). This version is presented in UltraHD 24 bit 44.1 kHz. 7 bonus tracks are also available (untested) including the 2023 mix by David Kosten:
- Tubular Bells 4 Intro (Demo / 2017)
- Tubular Bells / In Dulci Jubilo (London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony)
- Tubular Bells (Mike Oldfield & YORK Remix)
- Mike Oldfield’s Single (Theme From Tubular Bells)
- Tubular Bells (Pt. I / David Kosten Stereo Mix) [new 2023 mix]
- Tubular Bells (Pt. II / David Kosten Stereo Mix) [new 2023 mix]
- Tubular Bells 4 Intro (Edit) -Tubular Bells (Intro / David Kosten Stereo Mix)
Ed 6: Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2023
Presentation
The Tidal Dolby Atmos version features a third track, “Tubular Bells Intro” (unreviewed), in addition to the two album tracks. Streaming uses Dolby AC4 or Dolby Digital Plus formats.
Ed 7: Blu-ray Stereo mix 2023- 2023
Presentation
The limited pure-audio blu-ray edition features numerous versions (SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio), including the 2023 mix in 24-bit 48 kHz (REF: 602455294548).
Ed 8: Blu-ray Stereo Original 1973- 2023
Presentation
The limited pure-audio blu-ray edition features numerous versions, including the original 1973 edition presented in 24-bit 96 kHz (REF: 602455294548).
Ed 9: Blu-ray Quadra mix 1975 – 2023
Presentation
The limited pure-audio blu-ray edition features numerous versions, including the 1975 quadraphonic mix presented in 4.0 24-bit 96 kHz (REF: 602455294548). More details on the quadraphonic mix in the description of the SACD 4.0 edition.
Ed 10: Blu-ray 5.1 – 2023
Presentation
The limited pure-audio blu-ray edition features numerous versions, including the Mike Oldfield 2009 mix in 5.1 format , presented in 5.1 24-bit 48kHz (REF : 602455294548).
Ed 11: Blu-ray Dolby Atmos – 2023
Presentation
The limited pure-audio blu-ray edition features numerous versions, including the David Losten Dolby Atmos mix from 2023 encoded in Dolby Digital TrueHD 24 bit 48 kHz with a mix rate exceeding 8 Mbits/s. (REF : 602455294548)
Ed 12: SACD – 2001
Presentation
This is the SACD remastered in 2020 by Simon Heyworth and David Glasser. It features 2 SACD layers for stereo and 4.0. The stereo version is encoded in DSD64. (REF : 24385073328)
Ed 13: SACD 4.0 – 2001
Presentation
This is the SACD remastered in 2020 by Simon Heyworth and David Glasser. It features 2 SACD layers for stereo and 4.0. The quadraphonic version is encoded in 5.0 DSD64 (without information in central channel). (REF : 24385073328).
In the SACD booklet, Phil Newell goes into great detail about the conditions under which the quadraphonic mixing was carried out with sound engineer Alan Perkins, whom he had recruited for the occasion.
The initial aim was to make a quadraphonic demo. When the 16-track masters were played back, several elements were missing, notably the original tubular bell track, which had been erased and replaced by another recording. Attempts to locate the original bells were unsuccessful, as they had been damaged in an attempt to achieve a ‘different’ sound. Other elements were also missing, such as a piano chord that had been left on a montage.
To remedy this, the tape had to be transferred to a 24-track machine and the piano recorded in the spaces between the tracks on the 16-track format. To reduce costs, the mixes were recorded on half-inch Ampex 748 or 741 instrumentation tape. Tape delays were achieved using variable speed capstans on 4-track tape recorders. Instrumentation tapes were ideal as they were cheap, although slightly noisier than high quality audio tapes. The DBX noise reduction system was used to reduce the noise. In total, they had two days to repair and remix each side of the album. Numerous razor blade edits were made to the four channel master tapes. The mixing process was complex, with many changes required throughout the album.
After playing the tapes back to Mike, he approved the mix without asking for any further changes.
Ed 14: CD – 1992
Presentation
This is the CD reussue in 1992 (REF : 77778600725)
Part 2 : Waveform and dynamic comparaisons
Waveform
The waveform represents tracks of this album.
For the watforms (Vinyls, Bluray stereo tracks and CD 1992), we find a good dynamic rangeas shown in the graph and confirmed by the DR measurement.
On the waveforms below (CD HDCD, Amazon, SACD), we notice the use of a limiter on the peaks compared to the other stereo versions.
The Dolby Atmos version, decoded in 5.1, shows fine dynamics across all channels, with no trace of limiter. The rear channels have a high sound level, as is the case with 4.0 and 5.1 mixes, which should provide excellent spatialization.
The quad version and 5.1 version from Blu-ray and SACD, show fine dynamics across all channels, with no trace of limiter. The rear channels have a high sound level, which should provide excellent spatialization.
The Dolby Atmos TrueHD version, decoded in 7.1, shows fine dynamics across all channels, with no trace of limiter.The rear channels have a high sound level, as is the case with 4.0 and 5.1 mixes, which should provide excellent spatialization.
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 14 editions reviewed have obtained the following Dynamic Range (DR) :
| Vinyl – 1973 | Vinyl Quadraphonic – 1975 | Vinyl Abbey Road – 2023 | CD HDCD – 2000 | AMAZON 50th – 2023 | Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2023 | Blu-ray Stereo mix 2023- 2023 | Blu-ray Stereo 1973 – 2023 | Blu-ray Quadra mix 1975 – 2023 | Blu-ray 5.1 – 2023 | Blu-ray Dolby Atmos – 2023 | SACD – 2001 | SACD 4.0 – 2001 | CD – 1992 | |
| Global | DR14 | DR14 | DR14 | DR12 | DR10 | DR15 | DR13 | DR13 | DR15 | DR14 | DR15 | DR12 | DR12 | DR15 |
| Min | DR14 | DR13 | DR13 | DR11 | DR9 | DR14 | DR12 | DR12 | DR14 | DR14 | DR14 | DR11 | DR11 | DR15 |
| Max | DR15 | DR15 | DR15 | DR12 | DR12 | DR15 | DR14 | DR13 | DR16 | DR14 | DR15 | DR12 | DR13 | DR15 |
| Tubular Bells Pt. I | DR14 | DR15 | DR13 | DR12 | DR9 | DR14 | DR12 | DR12 | DR14 | DR14 | DR14 | DR12 | DR11 | DR15 |
| Tubular Bells Pt. II | DR15 | DR13 | DR15 | DR11 | DR12 | DR15 | DR14 | DR13 | DR16 | DR14 | DR15 | DR11 | DR13 | DR15 |
We find a very good dynamic range for the supports, which are between DR13 and DR15, with the exception of the stereo versions mixed in 2000 with a DR12, and the Amazon version with a 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 1973 vinyl spectrum (white curve) to the 2023 vinyl spectrum (blue curve). The curves are similar, but there are many variations, particularly at the lower end of the spectrum (green zone) up to 5 dB, and at the upper end of the spectrum (yellow zone) up to 3 dB. The red arrow indicates a spurious frequency peak of over 10 dB below 30 kHz. These differences are due to mastering and cutting in half speed for the Abbey Road vinyl.
The graph below compares the 2023 vinyl spectrum (white curve) to the original 1973 blu-ray spectrum (blue curve). The curves overlap up to 10 kHz, and above this frequency (yellow zone) there’s a slight increase of a few dB for vinyl. The same frequency peak is found below 30 kHz, at 25 dB for bluray and 10 dB for vinyl. This means that vinyl is capable of reproducing signals up to 30 kHz (with attenuation). The sound balance between vinyl Abbey Road and 1973 blu-ray stereo mix will be very similar.
The graph below compares the quadraphonic vinyl mix spectrum (white curve) to the 2023 vinyl spectrum (blue curve). The curves are similar between 1 kHz and 15 kHz, but there are many variations, particularly at the lower end of the spectrum (green zone) up to 10 dB, and at the upper end of the spectrum (yellow zone) up to 5 dB. These differences are due to the different mixing and encoding techniques: stereo for the 2023 vinyl, and quadraphonic with SQ encoding for the quadraphonic vinyl.
The graph below compares the CD 1992 spectrum (white curve) to the HDCD CD spectrum (blue curve). The curves are superimposed from 100 Hz to 3 Khz. The CD HDCD version (in blue) has a bass boost below 60 Hz (green zone) of up to 5 dB. Above 5 kHz, the blue curve attenuates in relation to the white curve (green zone) by up to 8 dB at 20 kHz. The balance of the HDCD CD will be more bass-oriented, with less high-frequency extremes.
The graph below compares the Amazon 50th spectrum (white curve) to the bluray 1973 spectrum (blue curve). The two curves overlap perfectly up to 22 kHz (yellow arrow), the maximum frequency due to the 44.1 kHz sampling frequency used for the Amazon version. Blu-ray uses a sampling frequency of 96 kHz. Just below 30 kHz, there’s a peak in spurious frequencies (red arrow).
The spectrum of the Dolby Atmos Tidal version decoded in 5.1, shows a higher bass level for the front channels (R, L, C) (yellow arrow). The bass channel is filtered at 120 Hz with a fairly low level. The yellow arrow indicates the 20 kHz limit due to Dolby Digital Plus encoding.
The graph below compares the blu-ray 2023 mix spectrum (white curve) to the CD HDCD spectrum (blue curve). The two curves are similar, with a higher bass level below 200 Hz for the blu-ray version (green zone) up to 5 dB. There’s also a small variation in the treble (yellow zone) and an increase in treble from 15 kHz for the blu-ray version, with more than 6 dB at 20 kHz. The yellow arrow shows the difference in maximum frequency limitation, with 22 kHz for the CD due to its 44.1 kHz sampling frequency and 24 kHz for the blu-ray due to its 48 kHz sampling frequency.
The graph below compares the blu-ray 2023 mix spectrum (white curve) presented in 48 kHz to the blu-ray original 1973 mix spectrum (blue curve) presented in 24 bits 96 kHz. The 2023 mix version has a strong bass boost below 300 Hz (green zone), up to 5 dB more at 50 Hz. There’s also an accentuation at the top of the spectrum (yellow zone) above 12 kHz, up to 8 dB at 20 kHz. The tonal balance between the two versions will be very different, more “loudness” on the 2023 mix.
The spectrum of the bluray in 4.0, shows a higher bass level for the front channels (R, L) (yellow arrow). The signal rises above 30 kHz due to the 96 kHz sampling frequency. There is a spurious frequency peak below 30 kHz (red arrow).
The spectrum of the bluray in 5.1, shows a higher bass level for the front channels (R, L) (yellow arrow). The bass channel is not filtered at 120 Hz. The green arrow indicates the 24 kHz limit due to the sampling frequency at 48 kHz.
The spectrum of the Dolby Atmos version of the bluray decoded in 7.1, shows a higher bass level for the front channels (R, L, C) (yellow arrow). The bass channel is filtered at 120 Hz with a fairly low level. The green arrow indicates the 24 kHz limit due to the sampling frequency (48 kHz) used for Dolby Digital True HD. No limitation to 20 kHz as with Dolby Digital Plus encoding.
The graph below compares the SACD spectrum (white curve) to the HDCD CD spectrum (blue curve). The two curves overlap perfectly up to 20 kHz. The CD limit (yellow arrow) is reached at 22 kHz, due to the CD sampling frequency of 44.11 kHz. Above 22 kHz, the white curve (SACD) rises (red arrow) to make way for the noise generated by the DSD64 encoding principle used for SACD.
The spectrum of the 4.0 layer of the SACD clearly shows the use 4 of 5 channels (SACD uses 5.0 channels). The front channels mainly carry bass below 200 Hz (yellow arrow). A rise in noise above 20 kHz (red arrow) due to DSD64.
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 below of the two vinyl records show a frequency that rises above 20 kHz (yellow arrow) with a signal above these frequencies that is composed of music and also distortion due to the principle of vinyl record playback (white arrow). The black arrow shows a parazite frequency peak present in the signal (yellow line).
The graphs above show the spectrograms for the CD HDCD, CD 1992 and Blu-ray 2023 mix versions, with the maximum frequency limited to 22 kHz or 24 kHz (yellow arrow) depending on the sampling frequency used for the medium (44.1 kHz or 48 kHz). There is no signal above this limit (white arrow).
The spectrogram of the Dolby Atmos version decoded in 5.1 shows that the maximum frequency is 20 kHz (yellow arrow) with no signal above (white arrow). This is due to the encoding used, which optimizes the amount of information by limiting the bandwidth to 20 kHz in order to reduce the data rate. The green arrow shows 120 Hz filtering of the bass channel (LFE).
The graph above shows the spectrogram for Blu-ray 5.1 track, with the maximum frequency limited to 24 kHz (yellow arrow) depending on the sampling frequency 48 kHz. There is no signal above this limit (white arrow). The green arrow shows that there is no 120 Hz filtering of the bass channel (LFE).
The graph above shows the spectrogram for Blu-ray Dolby Atmos decoded in 7.1, with the maximum frequency limited to 24 kHz (yellow arrow) depending on the sampling frequency 48 kHz. There is no signal above this limit (white arrow). The green arrow shows 120 Hz filtering of the bass channel (LFE).
The spectrogram of the Blu-Ray stereo (original 1973) in 24 bits 96 kHz version shows a frequency that rises well above 20 kHz (yellow arrow) with a signal that rises to 40 kHz (white arrow). The black arrow shows that the parasitic frequency below 30 kHz is present throughout the recording.
The spectrograms of the SACD versions, whether stereo or multichannel, show that the frequency rises above 20 kHz (yellow arrow). Above this frequency, from 30 kHz onwards, there is a rise in noise due to the DSD64 operating principle, as shown by the white arrow.
The spectrogram of the Blu-Ray 4.0 in 24 bits 96 kHz version shows a frequency that rises well above 20 kHz (yellow arrow) with a signal that rises to 40 kHz (white arrow). The black arrow shows a parazite frequency peak around 30 kHz present in the signal (yellow line).
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 versions 4.0, 5.1 and Dolby Atmos. Originally designed for Quadraphonic use, all the tracks feature excellent spatialization, especially the Dolby Atmos versions.
Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2023 : Very good spatialization, exploiting all the channels and distributing the instruments around us in 3D.
Spatialization : ●●●●●●●●●o (8.9)
Below the spatialization for the 2 tracks of Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2023 version. Click on the images to zoom in.
Blu-ray Quadra mix 1975 – 2023 :
Spatialization : ●●●●o (4)
Below the spatialization for the 2 tracks of Blu-ray Quadra mix 1975 version. Click on the images to zoom in.
Blu-ray 5.1 – 2023 :
Spatialization : ●●●●o (4)
Below the spatialization for the 2 tracks of Blu-ray 5.1 version. Click on the images to zoom in.
Blu-ray Dolby Atmos – 2023 : Very good spatialization, exploiting all the channels and distributing the instruments around us in 3D. The Dolby TrueHd encoded Blu-ray version is always a little more accurate than the Dolby Digital Plus streaming version.
Spatialization : ●●●●●●●●●o (9)
Below the spatialization for the 2 tracks of Blu-ray Dolby Atmos – 2023 version. Click on the images to zoom in.
SACD 4.0 – 2001 :
Spatialization : ●●●●o (3.8)
Below the spatialization for the 2 tracks of SACD 4.0 version. Click on the images to zoom in.
Part 6 : Summary, scoring and Samples
Ed 1: Vinyl – 1973
This is the original 1973 vinyl in pure analog, with the original mix and a soundstage with a greater central presence than the 2023 vinyl edition. Listening is precise, but without the open soundstage provided by the new vinyl edition.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●● (5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
- Surface noise: ●●●●o (4)
- Restitution: ●●●●o (3.5)
Sample : ”Tubular Bells Pt. I” 24 bits 88.2 kHz:
Ed 2: Vinyl Quadraphonic – 1975
This quadraphonic edition was mixed 2 years after the stereo version. The mix is different from the original (see details in the description). The stereo sound is different from the stereo vinyl, due to the quadraphonic mix and SQ encoding. The soundstage is enlarged by the SQ encoding principle, which modifies the phase of the rear channels. Best listened to with 4-channel decoding.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●● (5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
- Surface noise: ●●●●o (4)
- Restitution: ●●●oo (3.5)
Sample : ”Tubular Bells Pt. I” 24 bits 88.2 kHz:
Ed 3: Vinyl Abbey Road 50th – 2023
The vinyl comes from the new original mix (1973). We find the same sound balance as the digital version, with a wider, more open soundstage than the vinyl (Ed1). The rendering provides a wider aperture, making the most of intial recording with greater detail and precision.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●● (5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
- Surface noise: ●●●●o (4)
- Restitution: ●●●●o (4)
Sample : ”Tubular Bells Pt. I” 24 bits 88.2 kHz:
Ed 4: CD HDCD – 2000
This HDCD version is based on the same master as the SACD stereo version, with the same sound balance and similar rendering. Depending on the DAC used, the rendering may differ according to the processing carried out between PCM and DSD. The comparison with the 1992 CD is blatant in terms of dynamics from the very first seconds of the extract, where the musical attack is limited in dynamics compared with the 1992 CD. But the HDCD version offers a much wider and more open soundstage than the 1992 CD. The HDCD is closer to the 2023 edition than to the original from this aspect.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●o (4)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
- Restitution: ●●●oo (3.5)
Sample : ”Tubular Bells Pt. I” 24 bits 44.1 kHz:
Ed 5: AMAZON 50th – 2023
For this streaming version, we find the same original 1973 mix as for the bluray, but with less dynamic range due to the use of a dynamic limiter. This is perceptible at high level variations, giving less openness.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●oo (3)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
- Restitution: ●●●oo (3)
Sample : ”Tubular Bells Pt. I” 24 bits 44.1 kHz:
Ed 6: Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2023
The Dolby Atmos version is a 3D extension of the music, creating a veritable sphere of sound in which the music is perfectly distributed among the instruments. This Atmos mix is in the same spirit as the 5.1 mix, with a volume extension that perfectly matches the music.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●● (5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
- Spatialization: ●●●●●●●●●o (8.9)
- Restitution: ●●●●o (4)
Sample : ”Tubular Bells Pt. I” 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.
Ed 7: Blu-ray Stereo mix 2023- 2023
The original version presented here is closer to the original 1973 version, but with a little more bass and a higher treble. The soundstage also opens up nicely, but without the balance of the original mix. It’s a matter of personal preference for those who want a version with more bass.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●o (4.5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
- Restitution: ●●●●o (3.5)
Sample : ”Tubular Bells Pt. I” 24 bits 48 kHz:
Ed 8: Blu-ray Stereo Original – 2023
This is the best edition of the album, presented in 24-bit 96 kHz. The finesse and openness of this new mastering, much more open than the original vinyl, brings out a great deal of detail and precision in all the instruments, which is perfectly audible at the end of the sample when comparing the different versions.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●o (4.5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
- Restitution: ●●●●o (4.5)
Sample : ”Tubular Bells Pt. I” 24 bits 96 kHz:
Ed 9: Blu-ray Quadra mix 1975 – 2023
The 4.0 mix brings a nice distribution of channels between front and rear. Mike Oldfield’s electronic music lends itself very well to this quadraphonic mix. Mike Oldfield’s electronic music lends itself very well to this quadraphonic mix by Phil Newell with sound engineer Alan Perkins (more on the 4.0 mix in the SACD 4.0 description).
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●● (5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
- Spatialization: ●●●●o (4)
- Restitution: ●●●●o (4)
Sample : ”Tubular Bells Pt. I” 4.0 presented in 5.1 for playing:
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 10: Blu-ray 5.1 – 2023
The 5.1 mix goes further than the 4.0 mix, offering more homogenous spatialisation between the channels. It’s a more holographic rendering for this mix produced by Mike Oldfield in 2009.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●● (5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
- Spatialization: ●●●●o (4)
- Restitution: ●●●●o (4)
Sample : ”Tubular Bells Pt. I” 5.1 16 bits 48 kHz:
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 11: Blu-ray Dolby Atmos – 2023
The Dolby Atmos version of the Blu-ray is encoded in Dolby TrueHD, a lossless codec, unlike the Dolby Digital Plus streaming version, which has a bit rate 10 times lower (Dolby TrueHD up to 8000kbits/s vs Dolby Digital Plus at 768 kbits/s). This is noticeable in the listening experience, with greater finesse in restitution and spatial rendering. This is the best Atmos version available and the best spatial rendering on the album.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●● (5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
- Spatialization: ●●●●●●●●●o (9)
- Restitution: ●●●●o (4.5)
Sample : ”Tubular Bells Pt. I” decodec 7.1 :
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.
Ed 12: SACD – 2001
Despite the use of a high-resolution support, the mastering carried out for the SACD does not allow the capacities of this support to be exploited, and we find a less dynamic sound than the CD version of 1992. But the mastering does provide a wider soundstage than the 1992 CD and the original 1973 vinyl.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●o (4)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
- Restitution: ●●●oo (3.5)
Sample : ”Tubular Bells Pt. I” 24 bits 82.2 kHz:
Ed 13: SACD 4.0 – 2001
Like blu-ray version 4.0, SACD version 4.0 brings a nice distribution of channels between front and rear. Mike Oldfield’s electronic music lends itself very well to this quadraphonic mix by Phil Newell with sound engineer Alan Perkins (more on the 4.0 mix in the SACD 4.0 description).
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●o (4)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
- Spatialization: ●●●●o (3.8)
- Restitution: ●●●●o (4)
Sample : ”Tubular Bells Pt. I” 5.1 16 bits 44.1 kHz:
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 14: CD – 1992
This is a very fine CD edition of this album, with all the dynamics of the recording, it’s a version closer to the 1973 vinyl version with a slightly wider soundstage than the vinyl, but not as wide as the following editions (CD HDCD, SACD and Bluray).
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●● (5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
- Restitution: ●●●●o (4)
Sample : ”Tubular Bells Pt. I” 16 bits 44.1 kHz:
The audio-only Blu-ray edition is excellent and includes all versions, including the original stereo, 4.0 and 5.1 versions, as well as the new 2023 mixes in stereo and Dolby Atmos. This dynamic edition reproduces the album perfectly, with the Dolby Atmos version immersing us in Mike Oldfield’s music. Listeners can choose between the original version and the 2023 mix. The new mastering of the original version brings more detail and precision, with a more open balance and slightly less bass than the 2023 mix. There is also a quality CD edition dating from 1992 which is closer to the original vinyl in terms of sound quality.For those who prefer analogue, the 1973 vinyl disc offers the original version without any digital processing, in pure AAA quality. But the 2023 mastering of Abbey Road’s Half Speed Cut vinyl is of excellent quality, with fine reproduction of detail and a much wider soundstage, making this reissue a superb piece of vinyl with bonus tracks.
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Detail of the ratings :
- Dynamic :
- Significant dynamic compression, DR less than 7
- Compression of the present dynamics, DR between 7 and 9.
- Correct piece DR >=10
- No dynamic compression (DR >12), dynamic rendering
- No dynamic compression, high DR and very dynamic sound rendering
- Spectrum :
- Spectrum cut and less than 15 khz
- Spectrum cut at 15 khz
- Spectrum not conforming to the original and cut (not HD) or original but limited bandwidth (but less than 20 kHz)
- Spectrum conforming to the original (but not HD)
- Spectrum conforming to the original with HD resolution (higher than 24kHz)
- Surface noise (only for vinyl):
- Continuous audible noise
- Audible surface noise except on passages with a high level of noise
- Reduced surface noise, barely audible on low level crossings
- Low surface noise, very good quality
- 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 :
- Low quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments.
- Average quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments.
- Quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Good record.
- High quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Very high level disc.
- Maximum quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Exceptional disc.