Dire Straits Album: “Brothers in Arms [DualDisc]”

I have owned "Brothers in Arms" since it was released in 1985, first on cassette and then on CD. It has always been on my short list of music that comes out of my 800-plus discs to be played often. For all of my enjoyment from this fine album over the years, it has been rendered obsolete after just a few minutes of hearing this 5.1 rendering playing through my home theater system. The mastering is not just a faux 5.1, but a true experience that makes hearing the songs feel like it is the first time. The rear speakers stay busy with short fills, the center speaker is pure vocal, making Knopfler's voice so clear and distinct, and when that thunder storm cracks on the title track, the sub lets you know it is really thunder, you can feel it.

For the price, you can't get a better rendering of a great album. In short, the 5.1 DVD is a perfect way to hear this music, but at a cost. It will make it hard to enjoy basic left / right stereo recordings again.

Others have commented on the band, the music, and even the surround sound. Since "Brothers in Arms" can be purchased in SACD or DualDisc (DVD-A), I thought I would offer a comparason between the two formats. Don't buy into "fanboys" who insist that SACD is the superior format. I am convinced that any significant differences between SACD and DVD-A are player-based. Some SACD players may sound better than a particular DVD-A player, and the reverse may also be true. In the case of "Brothers in Arms",The SACD was "resampled" from the same source as the DVD-A. In fact, the DVD-A MLP Lossless was basically a "direct transfer" at 96/24.

Here is what the people who actually mixed the surround versions had to say (as quoted in High Fidelity Review):

Thoughts on DVD-Audio and SACD Formats...

And now to the very end product: As touched-upon earlier, Bob Ludwig performed all the EQ in the digital domain from the PCM 96kHz 24-bit 5.1 Nuendo tracks at his extensive facility in Portland, Maine. This was basically just a digital transfer through his EQ and compression at 96/24 for the DVD-Audio version, but then he had to resample it for SACD.

"I think both the SACD and DVD-Audio products sound great," enthuses [Chuck]Ainlay (credited for mixing the 20th Aniversary Edition). "However, from the purist point of view, I do prefer the 24-bit Meridian Lossless Packing (MLP) DVD-Audio (on the DualDisc) over the DSD hybrid-SACD version. On a previous Mark Knopfler album, `Shangri-La', we mixed to lots of different formats: We had a Nuendo session running 96/24; We also mixed to a DSD Sonoma system. Interestingly, as much as we had heard about how great DSD recording technology was, we nevertheless felt that it altered the sound to some degree, whereas the 96/24 LPCM was more representative of the original mix straight out of the console. In addition, we also mixed it to half-inch analogue tape at 30 IPS, as well as to 15 IPS, one-inch tape in two-track. And everyone in the room had the same opinion that the 96kHz 24-bit PCM was the closest representation of the console bus, and coming second was the 15 IPS one-inch analogue tape. Thereafter, it was a toss-up of which came in third and fourth - i.e. was it the Sonoma DSD, or the half inch 30 IPS tape? So going forward now, we have basically determined that we prefer 96kHz 24-bit PCM for recording over the Sonoma DSD. I was really surprised at that. I thought that I would like the Sonoma DSD recording the best, but after speaking with other people and Bob Ludwig himself - who is highly knowledgeable of DSD - we feel there is nevertheless is an inescapable `softening' effect which DSD imparts. To me this seems to emulate analogue to some degree, but is not necessarily the closest representation of the console output."

So there you go. Since these discs are becoming increasingly rare (and expensive), you might want to just buy whatever is cheaper, assuming your player has the capability to play both SACD and DVD-A (which frankly seems to be the SACD, since this DualDisc is out of print). But if you want the closest representation of what the engineers heard in the studio, this is the version to get.

Well we all know this album is amazing. Well so is this surround mix. truly incredible....Brothers in Arms (the song) in surround is worth the price of admission.

Brothers in Arms is one of the greatest albums of all time. This edition kicks it up another notch. Over the years, since 1985, I have listened to this album on tape, LP, CD, MP3 and now in this super edition.

If this album does not give you the goose bumps with Money for Nothing, Ride Across the River, Man's too Strong and Brothers in Arms, I don't know what will.

To fully appreciate Dire Straits mastery, check out guitar playing book by Mark Knopfler and, of course other albums by Dire Straits. They are all amazing in their own right. You can also check out interviews with Mark Knopfler on YouTube. That will give you the goose bumps too, when you hear how he lets his guitar sing "because his voice goes only so far."

Here's the deal: I own the first 1985 pressing of the DDD-recorded "Brothers In Arms". Awesome musical performances! As one of the first "rock CD's" ever released, I used it through the 80's as a demonstration disc because of the chest-thumping drums and dynamic range it possessed...until now. WB Records has absolutely RUINED the stereo mix on what possibly might have been a BETTER sounding 20th anniversary release, if that's even possible. The drums now possess NO punch whatsoever in an effort to compete in "the loudness wars". I compared "MFN" with the short version from their greatest hits CD released a few years ago, and the radio edit KICKS A$$ over this over-limited garbage that might as well be advertised as an mp3. [I can't comment on the 5.1 mix as I can't bring myself to be disappointed further by more record company f**kery under the bogus marketing mask of "remastering" - aka rebastarding. I just hope the 5.1 mix wasn't ruined like the stereo was.] Keep your better sounding vinyl version and the early copies of this if you can truly appreciate dynamic range over this "hammered dog $h!+". I should have played this promptly and made Amazon take it back, but never dreamed the stereo mix would suck so much. That's the only way we can stop the record companies from pawning off these "rebastard" recordings!