Best discs to show off your system's "surroundness"

Best discs to show off your system's "surroundness"

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Los Palmas 7

Original Poster:

29,908 posts

231 months

Monday 20th July 2009
quotequote all
I am nominating Jean Michel Jarre's "Aero".

In DTS, it's the best, most immersive use of 5.1 I've ever heard.

The SACD of "Brothers In Arms" is also pretty good.

DavidY

4,459 posts

285 months

Monday 20th July 2009
quotequote all
The attack on Pearl Harbour, in the film Pearl Harbour, lots of aircraft, gunfire, and the big bang when the Arizona goes up (or down!) will test your sub-woofer.

There are lots of films with great soundtracks that if the system is set up well will let you be within the soundtrack.

davidy

Plotloss

67,280 posts

271 months

Monday 20th July 2009
quotequote all
DavidY said:
The attack on Pearl Harbour, in the film Pearl Harbour, lots of aircraft, gunfire, and the big bang when the Arizona goes up (or down!) will test your sub-woofer.
I estimate that in the last 3 years I've seen that clip from Pearl Harbour about 1000 times.

Film wise Three Kings has a good bit of surround sillyness.

headcase

2,389 posts

218 months

Monday 20th July 2009
quotequote all
Toy story 2, the bit where they are crossing the road wink

Graham E

12,720 posts

187 months

Monday 20th July 2009
quotequote all
Depends what you want - the "usual suspects," i.e the DTS / Dolby / THX sampler disks all have bits that are quite good for the "wow, thats dead loud, and the sound geet zooms everwhere" croud - and it is impressive, but doesn't really show off top quality systems every time.

I personally like behind enemy lines' "minefield" scene, as on a top system, you can hear the small child very feintly, and the "drip" off the wire is great. Obviously the bangs and crashed bit tests your sub for that cap on backwards bit, but in a great system, you can make out induvidual rocks within the explosions that are going off. Also, a "try hard" home cinema system will often have that great failiure that is the downfall of many HC subs, in that the front wave will be very powerful, but the ongoing power isn't there - a symptom of slightly ropey sub ampification. This will give a massive boom, followed by uncontrolled, lower SPL ongoing explosion noise. A great system will have a continuously contolled, nice sounding sub part of the explosions.

Oh, and if your "audience" hasn't seen the clip before, distract them after the initial mines, and they'll brick it if it's still loud when the bloke dressed as a scouser sets the last one of with his pistol =)

Or, for a more mature audience, play "Event Horizon" at high volume, and watch people jump. It's a third rate film on a telly, but bloody marvelous with a proper HC setup.

E31Shrew

5,923 posts

193 months

Monday 20th July 2009
quotequote all
Plotloss said:
DavidY said:
The attack on Pearl Harbour, in the film Pearl Harbour, lots of aircraft, gunfire, and the big bang when the Arizona goes up (or down!) will test your sub-woofer.
I estimate that in the last 3 years I've seen that clip from Pearl Harbour about 1000 times.

Film wise Three Kings has a good bit of surround sillyness.
Ditto Pearl Harbour. I must've seen chapter bloody 22 about 220000000 times. Also chapter 14 on Day After tomorrow. Also use the last track I think it is from Aero to demo 2.1 systems. Helicopter flying over sounds very realistic

tdm34ds

7,374 posts

211 months

Monday 20th July 2009
quotequote all
Just load up Master and Commander preferably on BluRay in DTS-HD Master Audio

Chapter 4 the quiet bit in the beginning of the chapter the rigging creaking
the wind in the sails etc, then all hell breaking loose as the Acheron opens fire!!

The disc is stellar demo material from start to finish, and a good film to boot!!!

E31Shrew

5,923 posts

193 months

Monday 20th July 2009
quotequote all
tdm34ds said:
Just load up Master and Commander preferably on BluRay in DTS-HD Master Audio

Chapter 4 the quiet bit in the beginning of the chapter the rigging creaking
the wind in the sails etc, then all hell breaking loose as the Acheron opens fire!!

The disc is stellar demo material from start to finish, and a good film to boot!!!
Better get that one tomorrow. I'm getting a bit bored with Pearl Harbour!

paul26982

3,850 posts

219 months

Monday 20th July 2009
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black hawk down

Strangely Brown

10,110 posts

232 months

Monday 20th July 2009
quotequote all
Super Speedway. Skip to Mario out on the Oval during testing and crank the volume up.

http://www.superspeedway.com/

Los Palmas 7

Original Poster:

29,908 posts

231 months

Tuesday 21st July 2009
quotequote all
E31Shrew said:
tdm34ds said:
Just load up Master and Commander preferably on BluRay in DTS-HD Master Audio

Chapter 4 the quiet bit in the beginning of the chapter the rigging creaking
the wind in the sails etc, then all hell breaking loose as the Acheron opens fire!!

The disc is stellar demo material from start to finish, and a good film to boot!!!
Better get that one tomorrow. I'm getting a bit bored with Pearl Harbour!
Master And Commander is a cracker, as is Saving Private Ryan.

SteveO...

465 posts

226 months

Tuesday 21st July 2009
quotequote all
Los Palmas 7 said:
I am nominating Jean Michel Jarre's "Aero".

In DTS, it's the best, most immersive use of 5.1 I've ever heard.

The SACD of "Brothers In Arms" is also pretty good.
Dark Side of the Moon (SACD) - the intro to Money is a great demo.
War of the Worlds (SACD) is another good one. Disc 1, track 2; Horsell Common And The Heat Ray.

Ranger 6

7,064 posts

250 months

Tuesday 21st July 2009
quotequote all
It may not be on the 'demo radar' for the pros but I do like the gun fight in Heat as they come out of the bank. Very good directional effects and the 'crack and whizz' sounds are very realistic.

Los Palmas 7

Original Poster:

29,908 posts

231 months

Tuesday 21st July 2009
quotequote all
SteveO... said:
Los Palmas 7 said:
I am nominating Jean Michel Jarre's "Aero".

In DTS, it's the best, most immersive use of 5.1 I've ever heard.

The SACD of "Brothers In Arms" is also pretty good.
Dark Side of the Moon (SACD) - the intro to Money is a great demo.
War of the Worlds (SACD) is another good one. Disc 1, track 2; Horsell Common And The Heat Ray.
I have both of them (bit of an SACD fan) and they're brilliant.

garycat

4,431 posts

211 months

Tuesday 21st July 2009
quotequote all
Porcupine Tree's In Absentia DVD Audio has an excellent 5.1 mix. "Heartattack in a Layby" is particularly chiling with multiple harmonies from the different channels.

Eggle

3,583 posts

237 months

Tuesday 21st July 2009
quotequote all
SteveO... said:
Los Palmas 7 said:
I am nominating Jean Michel Jarre's "Aero".

In DTS, it's the best, most immersive use of 5.1 I've ever heard.

The SACD of "Brothers In Arms" is also pretty good.
Dark Side of the Moon (SACD) - the intro to Money is a great demo.
War of the Worlds (SACD) is another good one. Disc 1, track 2; Horsell Common And The Heat Ray.
Is the 4.1 Alan Parsons mix a better surround experience?

Ciaran

1,442 posts

203 months

Wednesday 22nd July 2009
quotequote all
Saving Private Ryan


Einion Yrth

19,575 posts

245 months

Wednesday 22nd July 2009
quotequote all
Eggle said:
SteveO... said:
Los Palmas 7 said:
I am nominating Jean Michel Jarre's "Aero".

In DTS, it's the best, most immersive use of 5.1 I've ever heard.

The SACD of "Brothers In Arms" is also pretty good.
Dark Side of the Moon (SACD) - the intro to Money is a great demo.
War of the Worlds (SACD) is another good one. Disc 1, track 2; Horsell Common And The Heat Ray.
Is the 4.1 Alan Parsons mix a better surround experience?
I've never heard the SACD mix - but the Parsons offering is bloody brilliant.

Asterix

24,438 posts

229 months

Wednesday 22nd July 2009
quotequote all
Graham E said:
Or, for a more mature audience, play "Event Horizon" at high volume, and watch people jump. It's a third rate film on a telly, but bloody marvelous with a proper HC setup.
Funnily enough - I bought Event Horizon last week on BluRay. I'd seen it a few times before - first at the flicks - quite an average film bt I agree that it has extra merits on a good system.

So, plonked the wife down and said watch this - had to peel her off the ceiling a few times hehe

Fork in hell

93 posts

179 months

Wednesday 22nd July 2009
quotequote all
why not try the dolby digital demo disc?