Traditionally I have always been a music listener rather than a videophile. Lately I have been watching concerts on the DVD?s as well, therefore, I decided to compile a list of DVD?s which not only are fantastic additions to ones collection due to superb performances from the artist in question, but, can be used to evaluate any Home Theatre System. The DVD?s that I have listed are not just sounding good and look good on my system but I have had the opportunity to experience them on various systems ranging from budget priced to high end including large screen home theatre projection systems.
When selecting video/audio equipment one must use media that one is familiar with, I have not included new releases since it takes time to get familiar with the contents. The likelihood of ending up with good equipment in my opinion is very high, if in the first place you are familiar with the contents of the video/audio to be used for evaluating the equipment in question.
Another important thing to consider when buying any component, a bad DVD player cannot project a good image onto a high-end television nor will a low end Television do justice to the high-end DVD player?s capabilities of high-resolution video.
First, I will list the DVD?s and at the end, I will list out the equipment used for my own evaluation of the DVD?s listed.
So here goes?
DIANA KRALL? LIVE IN PARIS
Live in Paris illustrates the diversity of Ms. Krall’s repertoire. Ms. Krall is in command on the Steinway and the trio accompanying her consists of Anthony Wilson on guitar, John Clayton on bass and Jeff Hamilton on drums. Majority of the songs are performed by the quartet themselves, some with the backing of European Symphony Orchestra. It should be particularly noted that the disk is presented in a Widescreen Anamorphic format unlike other concerts; this should be considered a plus. The video quality is top notch and the DVD conveys the band?s live sound with remarkable REALISM! The sound of the disk was as crisp as a cracker, no question about that.
It conveys the band?s live sound in a very REALISTIC manner. The hall ambience is distinctly noticeable even on straight two-channel stereo. Those who use smaller centre speakers are advised to steer the low end towards the front left and right otherwise John Clayton?s excellent bass plucking which is positioned dead centre would not be noticeable. If unable to steer the bass through the DVD player/processor?s audio setup, the best bet would be to switch the centre channel off completely and use the front L/R speakers to handle the centre channel signal. This way you would not be missing anything that is there in the first place.
EAGLES? HELL FREEZES OVER
This DVD is a treat for all those who heard Hotel California for the first time back in 1976. It was one of my favourite songs back then, and still is now. This is a collector?s item for anyone with a DVD player; the video and audio are reference by themselves. It is very difficult for even younger folks to disregard the musicianship of these old timers, this DVD boasts some of the finest acoustic guitar rendition by any artist. The most difficult part on the DVD for and audio system is when the first bass notes come into play on the track?Hotel California?. This is not deep bass as such, but the frequency is such that it likely to affect the room nodes. Most rooms in which the system is poorly setup will invariably produce boom. You can actually use this part of the disk to test your system for the boominess. Once at a friends? place I noticed his system was sounding boomy and I simply said?Your system is capable of producing a deep fart? He could not help but laugh hysterically. I of course ended up tweaking his system, which took almost three weeks of painful relocation until it finally started to sound OK.
FLEETWOOD MAC? DANCE
You cannot ask for a better compilation of Fleetwood Mac songs than this one. Both, the audio, as well as video, are first rate. Some will find the video to be tad on the softer side but it is not the fault of the DVD it is because a soft filter was used during the filming of this video. In certain places it give a nice effect which should be noticeable to the viewer. The sound quality is nothing short of remarkable, the bass is just right and highs tamed in a way that it is smooth without missing the last ounce of detail, If you are a Fleetwood Mac fan shame on you for not having it, if not, you should definitely consider this concert for sheer entertainment.
I also have their concert LIVE IN BOSTON which was done very recently, however, I found that to be inferior in terms of sound quality and also the performance was not as polished by the group as in THE DANCE. My favourite Christine McVie is also missing from the concert having retired recently. In my opinion, all members needed a stick to stand on their own two feet. That is how much they have aged. Therefore, The Dance is for all practical purposes the last great concert from the band.
JAMES TAYLOR? LIVE AT THE BEACON THEATRE
This DVD boasting a fantastic selection of songs, has sound that is crisp and audiophile grade. The video is absolutely crystal clear with vibrant colours. JT has not only succeeded to keep the integrity of the music, but in fact improved upon it. The rendering of the songs have a fresh perspective to it; the subtle changes and improvisation on JT?s part make it an exhilarating experience watching the video. Watch out for the wooden stage floor, on good system the natural texture of it has a lot of detail and you can actually feel that you are sitting in the front row.
BARBRA STREISAND? TIMELESS: LIVE IN CONCERT
One of the greatest performers of our time, with 42 gold albums, winning Grammy, Oscar, Tony and Emmy awards, she is known to be a perfectionist. Her career spans almost 40 years and to include all her best songs on just one DVD is I think asking too much; nonetheless, some of her most memorable songs are featured on this fine DVD. I could not find any faults with either the video or audio. The bonus is that a very energetic large 65-piece orchestra and a 100-man choir back her. The first of Barbra Streisand DVD to be released worth having in one?s collection.
This DVD also is an excellent choice to check the dynamics of any Home Theatre System since Barbra has rendered songs in a fabulous way, in one song she is singing from the top of her lungs and in the other she is barely whispering? A real workout for the systems audio circuitry. You will be able to hear her singing/whispering only if the system has high resolution, and if so, you can follow the lyrics without missing any word in the mix.
Until I come up with the next list I hope some of these will help you evaluate video components or make it to your collection and will enjoy them as much as I did viewing/listening to them!
If interested, I have the equipment listed in the comments section of this review.
Thank you for dropping by and reading what I write!
All text Copyright Quadophile 2004