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The Low Frequency Content Thread (films, games, music, etc)


maxmercy

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First of all, the DVD and the BD may or may not be from the same master.  I don't think anyone here knows for sure as no one has replied to your question.  However, even if the mixes are the same, your AVR may play back the DD track on the DVD with attenuation called dialnorm.  Typically, dialnorm reduces the signal by -4 dB, but it may be more or less, if whoever produced the digital bits overrode the dialnorm value to something other than the default.  My Denon AVR always flashes the dialnorm gain applied at the start of a bitstream.

 

Second of all, if you use Audyssey with Dynamic EQ, you may be getting different for the playback of each one because Dynamic EQ seems to operate based on the MV control without taking into account dialnorm.  If you turn up the MV to play the "softer" DD track, then Dynamic EQ is providing less correction than it is for playing the BD.  Dynamic EQ tends to boost the deep bass much more than the mid or upper bass, so the BD probably plays with stronger deep bass relative to the rest of the spectrum.

 

Of course, it's also possible that they are separate mixes.  As you would be right to point out, until someone does a comparison, we won't know.

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First of all, the DVD and the BD may or may not be from the same master.  I don't think anyone here knows for sure as no one has replied to your question.  However, even if the mixes are the same, your AVR may play back the DD track on the DVD with attenuation called dialnorm.  Typically, dialnorm reduces the signal by -4 dB, but it may be more or less, if whoever produced the digital bits overrode the dialnorm value to something other than the default.  My Denon AVR always flashes the dialnorm gain applied at the start of a bitstream.

 

Second of all, if you use Audyssey with Dynamic EQ, you may be getting different for the playback of each one because Dynamic EQ seems to operate based on the MV control without taking into account dialnorm.  If you turn up the MV to play the "softer" DD track, then Dynamic EQ is providing less correction than it is for playing the BD.  Dynamic EQ tends to boost the deep bass much more than the mid or upper bass, so the BD probably plays with stronger deep bass relative to the rest of the spectrum.

 

Of course, it's also possible that they are separate mixes.  As you would be right to point out, until someone does a comparison, we won't know.

 

I was referring to the DTS tracks so dialnorm wouldn't apply.

 

I use Audyssey but not Dynamic EQ, I just run 5db hot

 

It would be interesting to see a comparison, I'm sure some at AVS did one years ago but I couldn't find anything after searching.

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Valkyrie (5.1 DTS-HD MA)

 

Level        - 4 Stars (110.86dB composite)

Extension - 5 Stars (1Hz)

Dynamics - 5 Stars (32.47dB)

Execution - 5 Stars (by poll)

 

Overall     - 4.75 Stars

 

Recommendation - Rent (by poll)

 

Notes:  Interesting sound design - it has LOTS of scenes with effects below 20Hz.  This movie is very loud sounding because of the dynamics, and it's not a bad movie, either.

 

PvA:

 

attachicon.gifValkyrie-PvA.PNG

 

I finally got round to watching this tonight after I picked it up for cheap ages ago - I liked it, I liked it a lot.

 

Excellent dynamics, had it up about -10, whereas I usually have it about -16, and the speech volume was spot on while the sound effects were suitably loud without being ridiculous.

 

Great bass throughout and good use of the dynamic range, I will re-watch when I finally calibrate properly because some of the aircraft sounds were already weighty and I know I'm missing a lot of bottom end!

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Can't find any details, I would guess Speclab? But I guess their methodology must be different since they give LOTR 1 and 3 five stars and Iron Man four and a half! Madness!

 

Apart from 1 or 2 hits in the final battle, the only decent ULF portion in JW was when the jeep crashes through a gate hahaha! You have massive dinosaurs on screen and the only strong stuff is used on a jeep! Shocking...

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No joke.  I've seen reviews that state "amazing low frequency effects", and "Dynamic range is robust -- especially low bass, which can really deliver a wallop."

 

The recent 4k release also has quite a bit of praise for low end, although that disc features a new Atmos remix so they may indeed have boosted the bass levels for that one.  That being said, I still have a hard time believing "Bass was so demonstrative I even turned down the subs by a few dBs because I was literally rattling the walls of my living room."

 

Back when the Fifth Element was released soundtracks were still mastered to analog magnetic tape using analog mixing boards, and even heavy hitters like Saving Private Ryan didn't go under 30Hz.  So unless they did some serious low end processing or a full on, from scratch, new mix I doubt it has any more ULF than the original Blu-Ray (which is to say none).

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I actually watched The Fifth Element with the new Atmos track yesterday and it does indeed have some nice bass.

I've never heard it on a proper system before and I certainly don't have nearly as big a system as some others here but I'm pretty sure it has a lot more bass than the mix that was already measured here.

I recently watched a bunch of movies of similar age (Godzilla, Armageddon, Dante's Peak) and none of those had as much bass as The Fifth Element. The bass also sounded more "modern" than on the other movies.

It definitely has some missed opportunities (the biggest explosion sounded quite unimpressive) but some scenes (like the second biggest explosion) really rattled my room.

Sure, the blu-ray.com review is heavily exaggerated but I don't think they use particularly sophisticated systems, since they even attested great bass to 2012 and The Hobbit (and Sucker Punch for that matter).

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Errrrr... what?  Srsly?

 

I love that film but it sucks in the bass department compared to the stuff measured here.

 

Ditto. I thought The Fifth Element had awesome bass when I was in college with four Eminence PA-15's IB in four of the 18" drop-celing spaces powered by a Carver 1.5. But that was before I knew what truly deep bass was. It was bass, but not DEEP bass like what we measure on here. Since I got my movie room going I ended up purchasing nearly every version / publication of The Fifth Element trying to find a good proper mix with maybe some more low end extension but no-go. :( 

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I actually watched The Fifth Element with the new Atmos track yesterday and it does indeed have some nice bass.

I've never heard it on a proper system before and I certainly don't have nearly as big a system as some others here but I'm pretty sure it has a lot more bass than the mix that was already measured here.

I recently watched a bunch of movies of similar age (Godzilla, Armageddon, Dante's Peak) and none of those had as much bass as The Fifth Element. The bass also sounded more "modern" than on the other movies.

It definitely has some missed opportunities (the biggest explosion sounded quite unimpressive) but some scenes (like the second biggest explosion) really rattled my room.

Sure, the blu-ray.com review is heavily exaggerated but I don't think they use particularly sophisticated systems, since they even attested great bass to 2012 and The Hobbit (and Sucker Punch for that matter).

 

Yeah they are very subjective over there with audio reviews.  I still can't believe that anybody in their right mind would find good bass in 2012 unless you had an 8 inch sub cranked 10dB over normal in a bedroom.

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Maybe a touch more low content, but yeah, nothing to write home about.  Nice to see Blu-Ray.com's hyperbole is still alive and well.

 

I really like their reviews for the most part but they constantly overdo it when it comes to bass.  Although we have to leave it to High Def Digest for this "Spectre" nugget:

 

If you don't have a good subwoofer in your home theater, get yourself out and buy one right now. [Fair warning: Your spouse and neighbors may object.] The bass on this disc is insane. My sensory memory of the opening scene reverberated through my bones a full day after watching it – and that was just from the throbbing music. When the explosions hit… well, just make sure you secure anything in your home that might rattle or fall, because your whole house is going to shake.

 

Yeah, not so much.

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Ok, so it really doesn't have that much more bass. I guess no one expected it to go below 20 Hz since it's still a movie from 1998 but it seems like it's extension is at least around 25 Hz.

And when you compare the Atmos chart to the old one you can see that the average graph is about 7 or 8 db higher on the Atmos track.

I guess I was a bit over enthusiastic about the bass on this one but I'm still convinced that the Atmos track is a lot better than the previous one, it's far from "nonexistent" (that's what Nube said about the other track).

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