Question about the Barenaked Ladies *Maroon* DVD-Audio disc. (1 Viewer)

[KeithH]

My question centers on the DVD-Audio track on the Barenaked Ladies Maroon disc, especially in comparison to the CD. In reading a thread on Audio Asylum today, a person going by the moniker "Michi" stated that watermarking is noticeably audible. Specifically, this person wrote:

Folks argue that you can't hear watermarking. Ehhh hm. The most evidently watermarked disc I've heard so far is Barenaked Ladies 'Maroon' on DVD-A. It sounds like slight crackling buzzing in the high frequencies.

Has anyone noticed this on the DVD-Audio track? If so, have you compared it to the CD to see if the crackling/buzzing is there too? Just curious.
For those interested, here is a link to the thread on Audio Asylum that sparked my questions:
http://www.audioasylum.com/scripts/t.pl?f=hirez&m=76963

 

[ReggieW]

Keith,
I don't mean to insult anyone, but this is another one of those guys (not unlike "Rich") who gets his kicks by bashing DVD-A at every turn. Sorry, I would just take everything he says with a grain of salt. I personally find it hard to believe that DVD-A authors would make the watermarking that OBVIOUSLY audible. I don't have this specific disc, so couldn't say, but I find it highly unlikely that you can hear the watermarking at the frequencey levels in which they are inserted. Perhaps he got a bad disc, maybe he's blowing hot air, or just MAYBE he's telling the truth, who knows? I have heard claims by many (very suspiciously, almost always from the SACD camp) that the watermark is quite audible, but I have never heard any noise in any of my DVD-A's. Nothing but clean sound. I'm sure Lee Majors, Clark Kent, Matt Murdock, and other super-hearing types would beg to differ though!
Reg

 

[KeithH]

Reggie, I'm hoping John Kotches will chime in here. He has said that the test run in Europe that showed the watermarking scheme to be audible was a "worst-case scenario". I have seen this "Michi" post before on Audio Asylum, but I have not followed his or her posts. There are some people whom I would expect the "bash DVD-Audio at all costs" behavior from, but I have not encountered this Michi enough to put him or her in that category. I am curious to hear what owners of the DVD-Audio disc and CD have to say.

 

[Micahel C]

Keith, I have this title on dvd-a and I can't hear what she describes. In fact, I've never heard the so called "audible watermarking" on any of the 50+ titles I own. You should consider the source of the post as this is one of the major topics for dvd-a bashing over there.

 

[KeithH]

Micahel, your news is good news. Given that I have never heard anything unusual on any of my DVD-Audio discs, I can't imagine that the watermarking would be as obvious as what was described on Audio Asylum. It seems like more worthless anti-DVD-Audio banter over on the Asylum.

 

[Philip Hamm]

I have the "Maroon" disc and my only complaint (and it is a major one) is that there is no high resolution stereo track on there. No "audible" watermarking that I noticed, I think that disc sounds great. It's got a really aggressive 5.1 mix that takes some getting used to, that I didn't like at first, but now I think it kicks ass.

NP: Midnight Oil: Capricornia

P.S. I think that the Audio Asylum board is well named. I've spent enough time there to know better than to go back.

 

[John Kotches]

Keith,

That's a DVD-A disc I don't own... yet.

For those that aren't aware, Michi is a female. She claims to have been tested multiple times, and found her hearing to be out to 24K from the left ear, 25K from the right ear. This is at the limits of tested human capability.

20-20K is like 20/20 vision. It's the norm, but there are outlying data points on either side.

Regards,

 

[Brian Kleinke]

I have this disc, as well as the CD and I've not noticed anything odd with it.

Brian

 

[Mike Frezon]

Keith--
Maroon sounds clean to me.
Would love to have Gordon released in DVD-A soon!

 

[Jeff Keene]

I have this disc and it sounds fine to me. No snap, crackling or pop. Of course I doubt I hear 24 khz, so what do I know

 

[Sutjahjo Ngaserin]

I can't hear anything wrong, in fact, this disc sounds really fine.

 

[KeithH]

Thanks all for the comments. I have learned (and it didn't take long) to take anything said on Audio Asylum with a grain of salt.

 

[Micahel C]

Thanks all for the comments. I have learned (and it didn't take long) to take anything said on Audio Asylum with a grain of salt.

I think we've all known that for quite some time!