Surround CD's (1 Viewer)

[Eric Taylor]

Hello, new to the forum and was just wondering if anyone could answer me a question. I have heard lately that alot of artists are putting out new cd's in surround sound, but I can't seem to find any. How do you know if a cd is in surround and also can anyone name a few of the more recent ones that are out in this format. Thanks.

 

[Alex Shk]

Well - music is being released in surround sound, but surround CD's are only available in DTS format. They are usually segregated from the "standard" CD's in B & M stores so as not confuse consumers. Surround sound discs are also available on DVD-A's, for which (ideally) you should have a DVD-A player (although you can play them on standard DVD players, without the benefit of the higher resolution audio).
DTS CD's require you to have a digital output on your CD player, a DTS decoder, and multiple channels of amplification. Analog outputs (RCA plugs) WILL NOT WORK.
DVD-A's require a DVD or DVD-A player and a Dolby Digital decoder.
With all formats you will need 5 channels of amplification, with the .1 channel (a subwoofer) being preferred.
These discs aren't carried everywhere, but Best Buy and Target have them (Virgin does not, yet).
In popular music - most of the available titles are catalog artists (Wings, Alice Cooper, Doors, Police, Sting et al), with a handful of newer artists (Stone Temple Pilots, Bjork? - coming soon?).

 

[WoodyH]

...surround CD's are only available in DTS format.

I don't think that's entirely true - I'm pretty sure that artists have had the ability to use Dolby Pro Logic for quite a while now, since it only requires the standard two channels of information to produce the full surround mix. I don't know of many albums that take advantage of that off the top of my head, though I believe that Trent Reznor has used DPL on most (if not all) Nine Inch Nails albums from Broken on forward, though I'm not positive. Occasionally you'll see a cd with the DPL logo on it, though it's kind of rare, so I have no idea how widespread the practice is/was.
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Woody Hanscom
Link Removed

 

[Alex Shk]

Well... I have listened to "The Downward Spiral" with DPL on, and I will agree that it seems hardly accidental that it was mixed this way. Ditto for Meat Loafs "Bat Out of Hell II". The trouble is that none of these are labeled as such, and ANY stereo signal that contains L-R information (and that's most of them) will have sound thrown to the rears with DPL on. Listen to the Beatles Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da this way, and you will see what I mean (wait till the vocals come in).
I read an interview with Mark Knopfler a long time ago that he mixed "Brothers in Arms" with DPL in mind, but Dolby wanted too much for the logo so he just left it off. The only CDs I recall seeing labeled as DPL were a "101 Strings" type "Beautiful Music" collection, and a Yes album (Open Your Eyes??) that seems to be regarded as one of their weaker (if not WEAKEST) efforts by the Yes-heads.

 

[TomRS4]

There is a CD of Yes music performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra entitled 'Symphonic Music of Yes' which is encoded with Dolby Surround. The album also includes Steve Howe, Bill Bruford, and Jon Anderson. I don't recommend going out of your way to get this unless you're dying to hear an orchestra perform Yes music.
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Tempus Fugit

 

[Bobby T]

Super audio CDs are also multi channel.
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The same thing we do every night Pinky, try to take over the world!
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