I had the opportunity this week to put my hands on 4 recordings that were done in the three formats + DTS and/or DD. My last day off and one afternoon were spent comparing those DVD-a, SACD and CDs.
For those who are interested (this is long!), here are the method used and results.
MusiC:
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Vivaldi: Sacred works (Naxos)
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique with Colin Davis
Schubert: String Quintet and String Quartet 13 (Brandis Quartet)
Prokofiev: Transcriptions and others (movement for 4 bassoons, 2-piano version of his Classical Symphony, quintet for wind and strings and transcriptions for wind octet of Romeo et Juliet's ballet extracts).
Devices:
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Oppo 980 (DVD-Audio, SACD et CD PCM output on HDMI)
Onky 805
Epic-80/500
Method:
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2/3 of the tests were done with two people, one changing disks and the other "blindly" listening. The rest of the time, my ears had to ignore what my hands were doing!
Two sets of tests: 1) In 5.1 with direct multi-channel for DVD-Audio, SACD and DTS and with PLII for CDs. 2) In 7.1 with EVERYTHING using PLIIx (5.1=>7.1 and 2.0=>7.1)
Selected criteria were: Dynamics, instruments clarity (voice, strings and winds separate) and ambiance (surround).
Note: Apart from Prokofiev, I knew very well all these recordinds (CD), so some tests were done only on part of the material (where I thought it would be more relevant).
Results (in 5.1)
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Note: A+ indicates a big "WOW"!
Note: It is important to note that DVD-Audios are assuming a perfect circle of speakers while que PLIIx, SACD et DTS/DD are assuming a more "home theater" arrangement.
1) Vivaldi (voice and orchestra)
a) Dynamics: DVD-Audio (A), SACD (A), CD (C), DTS (B)
b) Clarity (voice, strings and winds): DVD-Audio (A,A,A), SACD (A,A,A), CD (B,B,B), DTS (A,B,B)
c) Surround: DVD-Audio (B), SACD (A), CD (B), DTS (A)
2) Berlioz (orhestra)
a) Dynamics: DVD-Audio (A++), SACD (A), CD (C), DTS (C)
b) Clarity (voice, strings and winds): DVD-Audio (-,A,A), SACD (-,B,A), CD (-,C,C), DTS (-,B,B)
c) Surround: DVD-Audio (A), SACD (A), CD (B), DTS (B)
3) Schubert (Chambre, cordes seulement)
a) Dynamics: DVD-Audio (A), SACD (A), CD (B), DD (A)
b) Clarity (voice, strings and winds): DVD-Audio (-,A+,-), SACD (-,A,-), CD (-,B,-), DD (-,B,-)
c) Surround: DVD-Audio (A), SACD (A), CD (B), DD (B)
4) Prokofiev (chambre, piano, cordes et vents)
a) Dynamics: DVD-Audio (B), SACD (B), CD (B), DTS (B)
b) Clarity (voice, strings and winds): DVD-Audio (-,A+,A), SACD (-,A,A), CD (-,C,B), DTS (-,B,B)
c) Surround: DVD-Audio (B), SACD (A), CD (C), DTS (C)
Summary: Keeping in mind that these tests are not scientific for one bit, here's a little "summary":
Dynamics: DVD-Audio is generally the winner, especially with very large orchestra. CD almost painful when played back-to-back, but still adequate with chamber music. DTS et DD seem to have a bit more dynamics than CDs.
Clarity: SACD et DVD-Audio are clearly better, with maybe a little plus in the strings for DVD-Audio. CD is adequate, as are DTS et DD, but the différence is noticeable.
Surround: Here, in "direct multi-channel", SACD sounds more natural than DVD-Audio and, on occasion, DTS and DD are also better than the latter. See 7.1. for more info.
Conclusion 5.1: DVD-Audio and SACD (all things considered) are pretty much equal.
Results (in 7.1)
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Actually, I will not reproduce all the details as above (not enough difference). The bottom line is as follows:
Conclusion 7.1: PLIIx helps DVD-Audio and actually ends up making it number one (not by a margin to go crazy, though!)
Peripheal advantages:
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DVD-Audio: Generally has one or two good "mixes" in DTS or DD that gives an excellent sounds on any Home Theater. Also, it frequently contains additional material such as biographies, old disks' extracts...
SACD: Generally has a CD layer playable in any stereo system. They are a lot, A LOT, easier to find!
Well, That's all!
