SDEtv

Pink Floyd / The Dark Side of the Moon blu-ray audio – unboxed!

SDEtv takes a close look at the new Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon ‘breakout’ blu-ray audio and compares it to some previous offerings along the way.

The Dark Side of the Moon blu-ray is released on 13 October 2023. Order your copy from the SDE shop (we’re already shipping).

Related Content

32 Comments

32 thoughts on “Pink Floyd / The Dark Side of the Moon blu-ray audio – unboxed!”

  2. Finally got to listen to this. The uncompressed 5.1 mix sounds most excellent, as expected.

    One technical issue: the indexing of the tracks is off for some of the songs. New chapters start before the song is finished. So for example, the chapter for Any Colour You Like actually starts with the last few seconds of Us and Them.

    Not a huge deal if you listen to it straight through, but if you happen to skip songs, you’ll catch the end of the previous song before the new song starts. A manufacturing defect, I presume.

  3. Thanks for another great unboxing video Paul; bringing out some previous releases was an excellent stroll down memory lane!
    Pink Floyd appeared in Jacksonville, Florida four months after the DSOTM March 1, 1973 release date, and on the heels of some less commercially successful albums, it wasn’t too difficult to score a ticket. The quad setup, female vocalist, special effects, etc. made for a transcendent night.

    That aside, it would be REALLY interesting to me if you made a video going over the evolution of high definition recordings and what is meant by all the different terms: bit-rates, frequency (khz), formatting, ATMOS, etc.
    This would not have to be overly technical, just a concise summary of the history……

  4. It may be a good idea to create a backup copy this time. The blu-ray from the Immersion Box infamously dissolved itself. One of the reasons I picked up this one.

  5. Great video! Given all the different versions that exist, it was very useful to see the comparisons between them. I have the old SACD in the simple jewel case… does the new Atmos mix sound noticeably different?

  6. Hi, good video but can you tell me if it sounds any better than my old SACD 5.1 mix in the sense is it even more directional and remixed differently?

    1. The Atmos will sound better, it has an extra dimension (height) for starters, in addition to at least two more channels on the vertical plain.

      1. Doesn’t that only work if you have an Atmos compatible receiver and the additional speakers? I don’t know too many people who would be willing to start installing speakers in their ceiling. I know that I cannot do that. Then there is the additional expense of additional speakers on top of a typical 5.1 setup. An Atmos setup doesn’t seem all that practical to implement in most rooms.

        1. I’m not saying it’s easy or cheap, just that it will sound better. 5.1 is hardly practical either (six speakers dotted around the room), so it’s horses for courses..

  7. Hi Paul, This album is a personal favorite. Have always hunted down the 4 channel and surround versions of albums. Just recently purchased the blu ray versions of Billion Dollar Babies & Paranoid. And yesterday Dark side of the moon arrives! Quite a week for me!! Keep up the good work! Bring up more rock n Roll surround!!

  8. Great video Paul. Like many people who grew up in the ’70s I’m familiar with this album, but this is the first version I’ve ever owned. The uncompressed 5.1 Surround Mix sounds great on my set-up. Obviously I’m no Pink Floyd expert: can anyone tell me what music is playing over the menu if you leave it running after the album has finished playing?

  9. I listened to the 24/192 uncompressed stereo mix and it’s certainly clearer than the previous 24/96 stereo mix. This is crystal clear and well worth the money.

    1. In spite of the higher resolution of the stereo remaster, the other mixes still sound considerably clearer, simply because, as David Gilmour pointed out in an interview, the original mix is a 3rd generation copy, and the surround mixes are made from the multitrack sources.
      I find that clearly audible.
      (BTW, if you forgive my nitpicking … the mix of the stereo version is still the same as 1973)

      1. Fair point yes it’s the same original stereo mix of course, it’s just a remaster which is stated to use no compression (limiters) so should be a flat transfer of that stereo mix. Apologies I wasn’t meaning to suggest the multitrack tapes had been remixed down to a new stereo mix……

        I’m going to fold the 5.1 down to stereo and see what that sounds like.

      2. Ok so I can confirm that the down mix of the 24/96 5.1 mix to 24/96 stereo is noticeably clearer than the 24/192 transfer of the original stereo mix.

        I’m highly sceptical as to whether 192kHz delivers any audible benefits over 96kHz (or 88.2kHz). The filters in my Naim NDX2 streamer begin a slow roll off from 30kHz and no human can hear anything above 30kHz, even those with bat like hearing.

        The fact that the 5.1 is mixed digitally from first generation analogue multitracks is going to make a difference, especially since the original stereo mix is third generation analogue.

        The stereo down mix of the 5.1 does seem to stay very faithful to the original stereo mix as well, which is a bonus.

        They really should have released a stereo remix like Steve Wilson does to get a first generation stereo mix.

  10. I’ve spent the money on a pretty good atmos setup, only to be disappointed with many atmos releases. This release makes it all worthwhile. Superb. The best this album has sounded!

  11. Listening to mine this morning, a whole new experience listening to this album. The background chatter is more enhanced and Gilmour’s solo on Time sounds out of this world.
    Well worth the investment.

  12. My booklet has the pages messed up! It has Great Gig in the Sky through Eclipse on pages 14 – 17 and Speak to Me through Time on pages 18 and 19. Very strange! Did I get a misprint?

    Update: Watched the video again. Paul is thumbing through the booklet quite fast, but it seems to have the same error.

    3. The pages in the booklet are numbered and the pagination is correct, so it’s not a misprint or a “printing error”. It might be a design and/or proof-reading oversight. Or maybe the lyrics are intentionally in that order? Slightly irritating though.

    4. Same error on my copy, just received today from SDE Shop (thanks Paul!).

      To nitpick even further, the misprint (or whatever you want to call it) messes up the color order as you flip through the lyrics pages. Instead of going from red to violet, you go from… yellow to orange?

      Now I have to find Time to listen to it…

  13. Just watched, Paul!

    “Thank you.” I’ve been looking forward to this “breakout” (standalone) PF (ATMOS) Blu-offering.

    Fingers crossed that others (e.g. YES, the Who) follow suit by offering “breakout” 5.1+ Blu-rays going forward.

    EVERYONE should be able to access (i.e. afford to own a physical copy of) these STELLAR 5.1+ music-offerings given (that) ANYONE (well, MOST in this space) can afford a “surround-setup” these days – if they choose.

  14. Meh! I’m sticking with my Dark Side immersion box. Sorry, but I just don’t really get all this fascination with 5.1, Atmos and all the rest of it. I’ve only got a straight forward stereo set up with absolutely no more room for any additional speakers. I can only presume that those who do have such set up’s must live in simply enormous houses to be able to have all these extra speakers. If not how does it all work. Can somebody please explain?

    1. Yawn…….
      I have a 5.1.4 setup in a 15×30 ft room and it could probably fit another set, but that’s either a 11.2 AVR or an added 2 channel amp…. I’m good for now…..
      Being a teen when Quadraphonic 4.0 sound was a thing, surround sound is just a better listening experience…..imo…..

      1. I’ll stick to my immersion box set.. and add this bluray inside. even with the scarf and the marbles there is enough room left to store this new mix. The die-cut inside sleeve is a very good idea to me. the price is fair, a very welcome addition to the immersion set indeed.

      2. “Yep!”

        Bingo, Hanf!

        …and to Paul’s point, a “COMPLETED” Quadraphonic (4.0) 24bit/192 kHz Alan Parsons mix would have completed the circle, imo, for now…

    2. That is the exact objection that I have. There is the expense of the additional speakers and for an Atmos set up, you have to install some speakers in the ceiling. How many people have rooms that can accommodate that?

  15. Thanks for the video. This reissue offers good content for a reasonable price. The cover design, though, can only interpreted as a punishment for those who refused to buy the 50th anniversary deluxe. Even the 2021 SACD cover, already inferior to the church window version, looks better in comparison.
    (Are those dots or tiny crosses…?)

  16. Great video – I am really looking forward to receiving this. Glad that I didn’t go for the bloated box. Also thanks for not mentioning the Roger Waters version in the video. Doh ! I just did but I think I got away with it.

Leave a Reply