Customer Reviews

2L: Nordic Sound - 2L Audiophile Reference Record (Blu Ray Audio & SACD)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this title hoping to get a title showing up the possibilities of blu ray and its new HD audio codecs and boy, was i in for a treat.
This is absolute audiophile reference material consisting of real multi channel recordings, although the producer does not use the "classical" disposition of the musicians for his recordings.
In the accompanying booklet there is a whole - very interesting - section about the setup of the musicians, the philosophy behind this and how it was reached with the input of recording engineer, musicians and conductor.

Everybody on the outlook for show-off effects will be disappointed though, this disc is about realistic and authentic reproduction of the music and not about virtual reality upmixes like many audio blu rays with the magic keywords "7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio" in all titles, to ensure to be found by everybody searching HD music .

This really is a must have for every audiophile and those looking for a showcase of high-def classical music, this record will make your system come alive. The better your playback system, the higher the rewards you get from this title.

This title includes a Hybrid CD/SACD (multichannel) and a music Blu ray disc. So far I've just listened to the SACD. I expect the Blu ray to be as good or better.

The recording quality is absolutely fantastic (some of the best I've heard!) and I really like the music. If only we could get this kind of quality from the more mainstream music industry.

The only negative for me is the surround mix on a couple of pieces. The surround mix on some pieces puts you in the middle of the performance (the liner notes even mention some pieces were recorded with the musicians placed in a circle with the mics in the center). While I like the effect with some music, there are pieces where I would prefer the performance in front of me with the surrounds used to capture the ambience of the venue. No matter, this set does include options for 2 channel listening on both the SACD and BD for those that prefer 2 channel.

Highly recommended!

I am not a huge classical music fan, and most of the material on this disc wouldn't typically appeal to me, but the stunning sound when played back on Blu-ray through a high quality stereo would make anyone take notice. The included Hybrid SACD is very useful for listening on a CD player or SACD player, but the sound from the Blu-ray is really something else and leads to hope that I can get material that I really want to hear in the future.

In order to provide the right context to my review of this outstanding Music-only Blu ray disc I think its important that people have the right equipment that can actually output the full audio qualities that the producers of this album intented in order to experience the magic of this recording. My review is for the Blu-ray disc and not the SACD disc also include. First, you will need a capable blu ray player and receiver that can decode 192khz/24-bit DAC's for all channels, this is important as this Blu ray has both 5.1 DTS HD MA 24/192kHz 5.1 LPCM 24/192kHz soundtracks, I actually prefer the 5.1 LPCM to DTS HD MA as the bit rate was constant at 27 mbits almost for LPCM, almost twice the rate for the DTS audio and you could tell it provided a more enveloping sound field IMO. This recording also gave you a good selection of different recordings, some originally recorded with Original source: DXD (352.8kHz/24bit) before mixing to 24/192kHz taking full advantage of the maximum audio capabilities currently available today. For comparison, regular CD's are recorded at 44.1 kHz/16-bit rates with only 2 channels. Overall, the recent recordings from 2L released on this music only Blu ray format is really exciting and rewarding for those that care about sound quality and this type of music. It really gives you that true in concert feeling without being there.

My equipment:
Blu ray player:PS3 outputting LPCM
Receiver: Integra DTR 7.8 with 192/24 Burr Brown DAC's for all channels
AMP: B&K reference 200.2 watt 2 channel amp for front L/R speakers
Speakers: Martin Logan Source Front L/R, B&W CC6 center, Martin Logan Ticket Rears, Martin Logan Dynamo Sub

As usual, 2L products are of high quality, and the sound is always in the nest of all productions around the World. This was is maybe a little bit different, as a mixt of genre, but interesting to determine if your system is up todate, in which case you will appreciate the quality at this best. Morten, the boss is a purist, and as such, do not like compromises. I have a number of other titels from the catalog, with amways the same quality, that I can extract easily on my big system, but each have a number of particularities that make the listening interesting. Production is based on a Pyramix station from Merging, reputated for best recorders and processing system. Even if you appreciate the music but like less the style, you should consider first the quality, at least egal to refence test disc, so the title is not just smoke. To extract the best, listen it in a silent pièce, so you will detect the small details more easily. Recommanded for all types of audiophile.

It is another fine recordings from the Norwegian 2L, suitable for testing purpose, because of fine music selection.
Only who listens the music "closed" to these discs can experience that not only advertisement the "audiophile reference recordings" on the cover art. What we get is really a five-star production!

If you are looking to hear the best of what your gear will do in terms of reproduction, this is a good cd to own.

An indispensable item for anyone who owns a high end audio equipment and wants to hear the very best in sound quality.

I picked up this title after discovering 2L's hi-res music through their 'Divertimenti' release (also Blu-ray, also worth checking out). Wow- what a fantastic sampler IMO... plenty of nice hi-res 192/24 Blu-ray selections- and again with a companion SACD for A-B comparison if your system supports that. Good bang for the buck, great hi-res sound, dynamics, variety of pieces, etc. Have also done some quick A-B comparisons between the pieces on Blu-ray vs. the same pieces on SACD (I have a fairly hi-q 2ch/multi-ch SACD deck to do that)... have to say the titles on SACD show just a bit more brilliance up high (possibly due to SACD's transient response), but I did find the Blu-ray samples to be more warm- maybe more fuller in the midrange dept, with a more natural and balanced (you're there) type of feel. Which one did I like better? That's really up to the individual... I'm just pointing out some of the subtle (but noticeable) diffs I experience between these two strong formats. As one of the earlier reviews stated: your mileage may vary depending on the quality of your playback equipment... with the gear I currently have, I'm loving hi-res music based on the Blu-ray medium and it's definitely worth checking out. (thank you, 2L!)

current equipment:

Sony str-da777es, dvp-s9000es, scd-xa777es, bdp-s5000es
NHT VT-2.4 mains (stereo bi-amped w/2 x 250w NHT SA-3 monoblocks)
NHT VS-2.4 center/surrounds (5.1 config)
Velodyne HGS-15 Series II sub (servo-controlled)

Excellent Blu-Ray for testing high end HD audio. Has recordings at a rarely found 192KHz/24 bits in both DTS-HD MA and LPCM.