Experimental Blu-ray Media Project - Acoustic Reality Experience [7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Disc] [Blu-ray]

Just look at some of the reviews for this or any of their other blu ray discs: about half are raves about how nice they sound....and the other half are from users complaining that the disc does not play in X player!

I've now tested several discs with the latest firmware, and they are indeed garbage. Amazon should pull all of the product from this company. Why would anyone want to deal with a company whose product only works in about 50% of players? I've never seen something so ridiculous or shoddy in my 10+ years of purchasing discs from hundreds of manufacturers.

BEWARE: DO NOT PURCHASE ANY PRODUCT FROM THIS COMPANY!

Update August 25, 2011

My First Opinion of This Disc Stands!

I was unaware of the tempest that was developing by reviewers who felt this disc and its performances were markedly inferior and those reviewers who had given it five stars were all fraudulent; I was unaware, that is, until it was brought to my attention by a comment on my review by EricR who referred to my review as fraudulent.

It is too bad that EricR has had such a bad experience with this disc, but his bad experience doesn't mean everyone else has had that same experience and just chose to conceal that fact. I can say with complete certainty that EricR was not in the room on April 17, 2010 when I played this disc on my system and could not possibly have any idea at all how it sounded at that time.

I can understand various individuals preferring different performances of well-know works as beauty of this sort is in the ear of the beholder; I just happened to find both performances musically and sonically satisfying, they were both dramatic and exciting.

All of my reviews are written based on my experience with the product in my home. I have no association with any industry groups and have no interest in promoting any industry causes. I am most specifically not associated with any "cabal of 10-20 people from blu ray dot com."

I have just replayed the disc and found it to be as sonically and musically rewarding as I reported in my original review.

Original review follows

I have just replayed this disc in order to provide my latest and freshest impression of this recording; my conclusions are this disc features both technical and musical superiority and should be in the collections of anyone who appreciates well recorded and well performed classical music.

First the music; the orchestra, conducted by Dmitry Yablonsky, gives an outstanding reading under Mr. Yablonsky's baton. The performance demonstrates a love for the music of Rachmaninov that gives full due to the beauty and drama of these two concertos. The pianist, Konstantin Scherbakov, plays the piano with confidence and yet demonstrates a sensitivity that brings out the subtle nuances of the music. Everything sounds right; the music flows as it should. It is a recording that invites you to sit back, relax and enjoy the music.

On the technical side the recording is also remarkable in many regards. I played the disc back using a 5.1 channel setup which took full advantage of the DTS-HD Master Audio technology. One of the first things one might notice is the wide dynamic range; I'm not sure how many decibels are involved but it is truly impressive. Another notable characteristic is the smooth hall ambience; one gets the impression of being in another place.

One of the outstanding characteristics of this recording is the complete absence of the scratchy, hissing sound that can accompany electronic audio. By this I mean a sound that accompanies both analog and digital music reproduction, and most often occurs when string instruments or soprano voices are performing in unison and has, in my experience, occurred in live performances of music electronically amplified and reproduced in strictly the analog domain.

I have experienced this on analog LaserDisc's, CD's, some SACD's, and some DVD's. It is most annoying and a constant reminder one is listening to an electronic reproduction of either a recorded or live performance. The total absence of this phenomenon on this recording contributes mightily to the feeling that one is listening to the actual performance rather than a recording.

By way of summary, my hat's off to the musicians and technicians who made this recording possible. In all regards it is a joy to hear!

You most likely will never find greater sounding performances of these works in these respects: Scherbakov delivers a meltingly poignant and lyrically beautiful reading, while delivering all the power and virtuosity you could possibly want. This combination of poetic renderings and long musically endearing lines with blazing fire and drama comes around only rarely. DTS-HD Master Audio produce a wonderfully full, integrated sonic experience with the reality of acoustic presents that hard to believe.

Yes, the third concerto is the piece featured as the "musical villain" in the movie "Shine," but don't be fooled. This piece is nothing to fear; rather, it is one of the most astounding, emotional, and moving masterpieces of piano literature ever. And the famous, beautiful, and unforgettable melodies of the second concerto will take you back to a time when composers and performers alike treasured all that was romantic, gorgeous, and heart-warming.