Jean-Michel Jarre has announced the release of Bridge From The Future, the official audio-visual record of his historic open-air concert on May 12, 2024, in Bratislava, Slovakia. Available worldwide on September 5, 2025, it includes a limited Ultimate Collector’s Box Set.
The event drew over 100,000 attendees along the Danube and millions more via livestream and TV. It featured a collaboration with Queen guitarist Sir Brian May, performances by the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, and contributions from Claude Samard and Adiescar Chase. Highlights included a new composition by Jarre, a 400-drone ballet, fireworks, laser and light displays, and a monumental stage framing the iconic UFO Bridge.
The release presents the full 22-track performance in deluxe formats, including a Director’s Cut of the concert film, remastered audio, exclusive vinyl, and a 40-page photo book.
The box set features a message from Jean-Michel Jarre:
“The film and sound for this concert were directly from the recording made by Slovak National Television / RTVS in HD and stereo, and upmixed for the 5.1 version. Despite the technical limitations related to live conditions, I wanted to share this special moment with the audience as a testimony to a project that was unique for me.”
What does this message really reveal, and what can we legitimately expect in terms of the quality of this box set?
This is what we will explore in detail in this review updated with the Youtube version.
Explore our reviews of other Jean-Michel Jarre albums:
For this review, you will find 7 versions tested:
- Ed 1: Blu-ray Dolby TrueHD 5.1 – 2025
- Ed 2: Blu-ray DTS HDMA 5.1 – 2025
- Ed 3: Blu-ray Stereo – 2025
- Ed 4: CD – 2025
- Ed 5: Tidal MAX – 2025
- Ed 6: Blue vinyl record – 2025
- Ed 7: Youtube – 2024
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 22 tracks:
- The Opening Bratislava (live)
- Epica Oxygene (live)
- Oxygene 2 (live)
- Web Spinner (live)
- Equinoxe 4 (live)
- Equinoxe 7 (live)
- Falling Down (live)
- Industrial Revolution P2 (live)
- The Architect (live)
- Zero Gravity (live)
- Rendez-vous Bratislava (feat. Brian May) (live)
- Cosmic Guitar Solo Part 1 (live)
- New World Symphony Bratislava (feat. Brian May) (live)
- Cosmic Guitar Solo Part 2 (live)
- Azimuth (live)
- Exit (live)
- Herbalizer (live)
- Oxygene 19 (live)
- Glory (live)
- Rendez-Vous 4 (live)
- Stardust (live)
- Bratislava Time (feat. Brian May) (live)
Summary, scoring and Samples
Ed 1: Blu-ray Dolby TrueHD 5.1 – 2025
Presentation
This edition features the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (lossless) track from the Blu-ray, presented in 24-bit / 48 kHz. This stereo track was generated from an upmix of the existing stereo version, rather than from a genuine mix created using the original multitrack recordings. The Blu-ray also includes 24-bit / 48 kHz stereo PCM and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 tracks, providing a range of high-quality audio formats tailored for audiophiles. This Blu-ray is part of a stunning collector’s box set, which also contains the concert on two CDs, a vinyl record with previously unreleased tracks, and a 40-page illustrated book with beautiful photographs, making the set a true collector’s item.
Spatialization:
The spatialization of Blu-ray Dolby TrueHD 5.1 – 2025 version varies from track to track, with values between 1.5 and 2.6. The 5.1 track comes from an upmix of the original stereo version without dynamic compression. This upmix emphasizes the center channel due to the original stereo mix, but the result remains somewhat limited. Moreover, it would have been interesting to also offer a 7.1 or Dolby Atmos format, as some Atmos upmixers provide a more immersive and detailed sound than this 5.1 version.
Spatialization : ●●ooo (2)
Below the spatialization for all tracks. Click on the images to zoom in.
Below the video of the spatialization for the track Equinoxe 4 (live):
Waveform and Spectrum: DR11
The waveform of the Blu-ray Dolby TrueHD 5.1 – 2025 version shows a good dynamic range confirmed with DR11.
The spectrogram shows that the signal extends up to 16 kHz (yellow arrow), with a residual present up to 24 kHz (white arrow) and no signal beyond, as a result of the 48 kHz sampling frequency.The green arrow shows the 120Hz filtering of the bass channel (LFE).
The graph below represents the spectrum of the Blu-ray Dolby TrueHD 5.1 – 2025.
A sharp cutoff in the frequency response is observed at 16 kHz(yellow arrow), a direct consequence of lossy AAC* encoding at 128 kBits/s. Beyond this limit, a residual signal persists, increasingly attenuated, up to 24 kHz (white arrow), revealing the typical effects of audio compression on high frequencies and the persistence of certain transient components. The green arrow shows the 120Hz filtering of the bass channel (LFE).
Synthesis and listening
The 5.1 Dolby TrueHD version (like the DTS HDMA version) is created by upmixing the stereo version, which itself was lossy compressed. This explains the frequency limitation at 16 kHz as well as the lack of clarity and sharpness in the soundtrack. However, the absence of dynamic compression provides a significant advantage: it preserves more detail and nuance, offering slightly greater sonic precision compared to the stereo versions available on Blu-ray, Tidal, or CD.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●oo (3.5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●oo (3)
- Spatialization: ●●ooo (2)
- Restitution: ●●●oo (3)
Ed 2: Blu-ray DTS HDMA 5.1 – 2025
Presentation
This edition features the DTS HDMA 5.1 (lossless) track from the Blu-ray, presented in 24-bit / 48 kHz. This stereo track was generated from an upmix of the existing stereo version, rather than from a genuine mix created using the original multitrack recordings. The Blu-ray also includes 24-bit / 48 kHz stereo PCM and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 tracks, providing a range of high-quality audio formats tailored for audiophiles. This Blu-ray is part of a stunning collector’s box set, which also contains the concert on two CDs, a vinyl record with previously unreleased tracks, and a 40-page illustrated book with beautiful photographs, making the set a true collector’s item.
Spatialization:
The spatialization of Blu-ray DTS HDMA 5.1 – 2025 version varies from track to track, with values between 1.5 and 2.6. The 5.1 track comes from an upmix of the original stereo version without dynamic compression. This upmix emphasizes the center channel due to the original stereo mix, but the result remains somewhat limited. Moreover, it would have been interesting to also offer a 7.1.
Spatialization : ●●ooo (2)
Below the spatialization for all tracks. Click on the images to zoom in.
Waveform and Spectrum: DR11
The waveform of the Blu-ray DTS HDMA 5.1 – 2025 version shows a good dynamic range confirmed with DR11.
The spectrogram shows that the signal extends up to 16 kHz (yellow arrow), with a residual present up to 24 kHz (white arrow) and no signal beyond, as a result of the 48 kHz sampling frequency.The green arrow shows the 120Hz filtering of the bass channel (LFE).
The graph below represents the spectrum of the Blu-ray DTS HDMA 5.1 – 2025.
A sharp cutoff in the frequency response is observed at 16 kHz(yellow arrow), a direct consequence of lossy AAC* encoding at 128 kBits/s. Beyond this limit, a residual signal persists, increasingly attenuated, up to 24 kHz (white arrow), revealing the typical effects of audio compression on high frequencies and the persistence of certain transient components. The green arrow shows the 120Hz filtering of the bass channel (LFE).
Synthesis and listening
The 5.1 DTS HDMA version (like the Dolby TrueHD version) is created by upmixing the stereo version, which itself was lossy compressed. This explains the frequency limitation at 16 kHz as well as the lack of clarity and sharpness in the soundtrack. However, the absence of dynamic compression provides a significant advantage: it preserves more detail and nuance, offering slightly greater sonic precision compared to the stereo versions available on Blu-ray, Tidal, or CD. This difference is even more noticeable in the 2.0 downmixed version of the DTS HDMA 5.1 track.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●oo (3.5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●oo (3)
- Spatialization: ●●ooo (2)
- Restitution: ●●●oo (3.0)
Ed 3: Blu-ray Stereo – 2025
Presentation
This edition features the PCM stereo track from the Blu-ray, presented in 24-bit / 48 kHz. The Blu-ray also includes 24-bit / 48 kHz stereo PCM and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 tracks, providing a range of high-quality audio formats tailored for audiophiles. This Blu-ray is part of a stunning collector’s box set, which also contains the concert on two CDs, a vinyl record with previously unreleased tracks, and a 40-page illustrated book with beautiful photographs, making the set a true collector’s item.
Waveform and Spectrum: DR7
The waveform of the Blu-ray Stereo – 2025 version shows a low dynamic range confirmed with DR7.
The spectrogram shows that the signal extends up to 16 kHz (yellow arrow), with a residual present up to 21 kHz (white arrow) and no signal beyond, as a result of the 48 kHz sampling frequency.
The graph below compares the spectrum of the Blu-ray DTS HDMA downmixed 2.0 – 2025 (white curve) with the spectrum of the Blu-ray Stereo – 2025 (blue curve).The 2.0 downmixed version of the DTS HDMA 5.1 track differs slightly from the original stereo version, which was upmixed to create the 5.1 track. However, the DTS HDMA version exhibits a higher maximum frequency, reaching 24 kHz (white arrow), compared to 21 kHz for the stereo version. In both versions, a clear cutoff at 16 kHz(yellow arrow) is observed, resulting from the lossy AAC* 128 kBits/s encoding of the original source.
Synthesis and listening
The source comes from a lossy AAC* 128 master, similar to what is used for television broadcasts. One might question why the retransmission was not preserved in a PCM format, as is standard practice in professional environments. This compression has a direct impact on the sound quality, resulting in a frequency limitation at 16 kHz and a lack of clarity and precision. The effect is further amplified by the use of a dynamic compressor, which degrades the signal even more compared to the 5.1 versions. It would have been preferable not to pursue increased loudness when starting from a soundtrack already compromised by lossy storage compression.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●ooo (2)
- Bandwidth: ●●●oo (3)
- Restitution: ●●ooo (2)
Ed 4: CD – 2025
Presentation
This edition corresponds to the two CDs of the concert box set. The stunning box set also includes the Blu-ray, a vinyl record with previously unreleased tracks, and a 40-page illustrated book featuring beautiful photographs, making the collection a true collector’s item.
Waveform and Spectrum: DR7
The waveform of the CD – 2025 version shows a low dynamic range confirmed with DR7.
The spectrogram shows that the signal extends up to 16 kHz (yellow arrow), with a residual present up to 21 kHz (white arrow) and no signal beyond, as a result of the 44.1 kHz sampling frequency.
The graph below compares the spectrum of the CD – 2025 (white curve) with the spectrum of the Blu-ray Stereo – 2025 (blue curve).The curves of the two spectra overlap with remarkable precision, indicating an almost perfect match between the analyzed signals. A clear frequency limitation is observed at 16 kHz(yellow arrow), a direct consequence of lossy AAC* encoding at 128 kBits/s. Beyond this frequency, a residual signal is still present but strongly attenuated, persisting sporadically up to 21 kHz (white arrow), reflecting the typical characteristics of compressed encoding and the effects of high-frequency attenuation.
Synthesis and listening
The sound quality of the CD is similar to that of the Blu-ray stereo version.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●ooo (2)
- Bandwidth: ●●●oo (3)
- Restitution: ●●ooo (2)
Ed 5: Tidal MAX – 2025
Presentation
This is the Tidal Max release presented in 24 bits 48 kHz (link)
Waveform and Spectrum: DR7
The waveform of the Tidal MAX – 2025 version shows a low dynamic range confirmed with DR7.
The spectrogram shows that the signal extends up to 16 kHz (yellow arrow), with a residual present up to 21 kHz (white arrow) and no signal beyond, as a result of the 48 kHz sampling frequency.
The graph below compares the spectrum of the Tidal MAX – 2025 (white curve) with the spectrum of the Blu-ray Stereo – 2025 (blue curve).The curves of the two spectra overlap with remarkable precision, indicating an almost perfect match between the analyzed signals. A clear frequency limitation is observed at 16 kHz(yellow arrow), a direct consequence of lossy AAC* encoding at 128 kBits/s. Beyond this frequency, a residual signal is still present but strongly attenuated, persisting sporadically up to 21 kHz (white arrow), reflecting the typical characteristics of compressed encoding and the effects of high-frequency attenuation.
Synthesis and listening
The sound quality of the CD is similar to that of the Blu-ray stereo version.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●ooo (2)
- Bandwidth: ●●●oo (3)
- Restitution: ●●ooo (2)
Ed 6: Blue vinyl record – 2025
Presentation
This edition corresponds to the blue vinyl record of the concert box set (LP 33.33 rpm). The stunning box set also includes the Blu-ray, a vinyl record with previously unreleased tracks, and a 40-page illustrated book featuring beautiful photographs, making the collection a true collector’s item.
The vinyl record contains 2 tracks:
- Bridge from the future (part 1)
- Bridge from the future (part 2)
Waveform and Spectrum: DR13
The waveform of the Blue vinyl record – 2025 version shows a good dynamic range confirmed with DR13.
The spectrogram shows that the signal extends up to 16 kHz (yellow arrow), with a residual present up (white arrow) due to the vinyl record.
The graph below shows the spectrum of the Blue vinyl record – 2025 (white curve) . A clear frequency limitation is observed at 16 kHz (yellow arrow), a direct consequence of lossy AAC* encoding at 128 kBits/s of the original record. Beyond this frequency, a residual signal is still present but strongly attenuated, persisting sporadically up to 21 kHz, reflecting the typical characteristics of compressed encoding and the effects of high-frequency attenuation.
Synthesis and listening
The sound of the vinyl record is probably the most pleasant to listen to, even though the cutoff at 16 kHz is clearly visible on the spectrogram. It is therefore evident that the same audio source, compressed with losses, was used just like for all the digital versions.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●ooo (2)
- Surface noise: ●●●●o (4)
- Bandwidth: ●●●oo (3)
- Restitution: ●●●oo (3)
Ed 7: Youtube – 2024
Presentation
This is the youtube version of the concert released in 2024 (link).
Waveform and Spectrum: DR10
The waveform of the Youtube version shows a good dynamic range confirmed with DR10.
The spectrogram shows that the signal extends up to 16 kHz (yellow arrow), with a residual present up to 21 kHz (white arrow) and no signal beyond.
The graph below compares the spectrum of the Youtube – 2024 (white curve) with the spectrum of the Blu-ray Stereo – 2025 (blue curve).The comparison of the two spectra shows a strong similarity between the curves, but also some differences resulting from slightly different mix versions. In both cases, however, there is a noticeable limitation in the high frequencies caused by the lossy compression applied.
Synthesis and listening
It is paradoxical to note that the YouTube version offers a more dynamic soundtrack than the stereo editions available via streaming, CD, or Blu-ray. Only the multichannel tracks on the Blu-ray preserve this dynamic range. This gives the impression that unnecessary dynamic compression was applied to an audio signal already encoded with a lossy codec. Fortunately, the Blu-ray’s video quality remains superior to YouTube’s; otherwise, the YouTube version would stand out as the best edition to enjoy this concert.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●oo (3)
- Bandwidth: ●●●oo (3.5)
- Restitution: ●●ooo (2.5)
As the saying goes, “a fault admitted is half a fault pardoned”: Jean-Michel Jarre warns us from the start that there are technical limitations due to the live conditions, so we are forewarned. Visually, the result is quite good, but in terms of sound, the choices made are hard to understand. It seems as if the televised broadcast, compressed in AAC* 128, was used as the source! But where is the original stereo PCM master or the backup recordings? This leads to significant disappointment in the audio quality. While Jean-Michel Jarre talks about spatial sound, one might have expected a concert presented in Dolby Atmos. With today’s modern technologies, it is surprising that this concert falls so short in musical quality compared to the live “Concert in China” released in 1982, 43 years ago. Fortunately, the show remains visually impressive and provides a genuine feast for the eyes.
Updated with the YouTube version: this one offers the original stereo track, which is significantly less dynamically compressed than the other stereo versions available (streaming, CD, and Blu-ray). It’s disappointing to make such a finding for a €100 box set, but fortunately, the Blu-ray’s video quality remains superior to YouTube’s thanks to a much higher bitrate.
AAC* Lossy audio formats like AAC, MP3, or Dolby Digital deliberately cut off the highest frequencies to save space when those sounds are too faint to be clearly heard. That’s exactly what we find on this album: instead of an original high-quality (lossless) master, the source comes from a heavily compressed TV broadcast. On the spectrograms, you can clearly see this cutoff around 16 kHz most of the time, with occasional peaks reaching up to 21 kHz.
Dynamic Range measurements are shown below.
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Measurements
Dynamic Range comparaisons
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).
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 6 editions reviewed have obtained the following Dynamic Range (DR) :
| Blu-ray Dolby TrueHD 5.1 – 2025 | Blu-ray DTS HDMA 5.1 – 2025 | Blu-ray Stereo – 2025 | CD – 2025 | Tidal MAX – 2025 | Youtube – 2024 | |
| Global | DR11 | DR11 | DR7 | DR7 | DR7 | DR10 |
| Min | DR10 | DR10 | DR6 | DR7 | DR6 | DR10 |
| Max | DR13 | DR13 | DR8 | DR8 | DR8 | DR11 |
| The Opening Bratislava (live) | DR11 | DR11 | DR7 | DR7 | DR7 | DR11 |
| Epica Oxygene (live) | DR11 | DR11 | DR7 | DR7 | DR7 | DR10 |
| Oxygene 2 (live) | DR11 | DR11 | DR7 | DR8 | DR7 | DR10 |
| Web Spinner (live) | DR13 | DR13 | DR7 | DR7 | DR7 | DR11 |
| Equinoxe 4 (live) | DR13 | DR13 | DR8 | DR8 | DR8 | DR11 |
| Equinoxe 7 (live) | DR11 | DR11 | DR8 | DR8 | DR8 | DR11 |
| Falling Down (live) | DR11 | DR11 | DR8 | DR8 | DR8 | DR10 |
| Industrial Revolution P2 (live) | DR11 | DR11 | DR7 | DR7 | DR7 | DR10 |
| The Architect (live) | DR11 | DR11 | DR7 | DR7 | DR7 | DR10 |
| Zero Gravity (live) | DR11 | DR11 | DR7 | DR7 | DR7 | DR11 |
| Rendez-vous Bratislava (feat. Brian May) (live) | DR12 | DR12 | DR8 | DR8 | DR8 | DR10 |
| Cosmic Guitar Solo Part 1 (live) | DR10 | DR10 | DR8 | DR8 | DR8 | DR10 |
| New World Symphony Bratislava (feat. Brian May) (live) | DR10 | DR10 | DR7 | DR7 | DR7 | DR10 |
| Cosmic Guitar Solo Part 2 (live) | DR11 | DR11 | DR8 | DR8 | DR8 | DR10 |
| Azimuth (live) | DR12 | DR12 | DR7 | DR7 | DR7 | DR11 |
| Exit (live) | DR12 | DR12 | DR8 | DR8 | DR8 | DR11 |
| Herbalizer (live) | DR11 | DR11 | DR7 | DR7 | DR7 | DR11 |
| Oxygene 19 (live) | DR12 | DR12 | DR7 | DR7 | DR7 | DR11 |
| Glory (live) | DR11 | DR11 | DR7 | DR7 | DR7 | DR11 |
| Rendez-Vous 4 (live) | DR10 | DR10 | DR7 | DR7 | DR7 | DR10 |
| Stardust (live) | DR11 | DR11 | DR7 | DR7 | DR7 | DR10 |
| Bratislava Time (feat. Brian May) (live) | DR11 | DR11 | DR6 | DR7 | DR6 | 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.
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.