I've scheduled a demo of the QS8s on Saturday. The person that's coming is only interested in surround speakers for now. He also said that he's not interested in multi-channel music. I'm looking for DVD suggestions of movies that have good use of the surrounds. Here are some DVDs I'm planning to use:
Gladiator
Golden Eye
Lion King (using the new Home Theater soundtrack)
Matrix Reloaded
Star Wars: Episode I
Any other suggestions?
Horrible movie, but I really enjoyed the surround sound on it, is Lost in Space.
Let me repeat, its a HORRIBLE movie, but I really felt immersed in the sound =)
Jurassic Park III
Saving Private Ryan
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Horrible movie, but I really enjoyed the surround sound on it, is Lost in Space.
I've seen the movie and agree that it was awful, which is why I don't own it...
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Jurassic Park III
Saving Private Ryan
I'd considered Saving Private Ryan for the opening beach scene, so that may be a consideration.
Any particular scene in JPIII?
I thought the sound tracks on the Italian Job and the recent Dreamworks version of The Time Machine were great. If you want to be hammered by helicopter rotors, but depressed by the material, Black Hawk Down works.
Saving Ryan's Privates (yeah, I always call it that) has a scene later on in the movie when they're standing around talking in an alley. It's raining and there's water dripping from a roof behind and to your left. That scene isn't dramatic, but DAMN it sounds like you're right there with them.
I got it for free along with 4 other movies about 3 yrs ago when I bought a Sony DVD Player. I just took it out of the plastic last friday. I still have step-mom and lethal weapon 4 in the plastic too =)
The ever popular LOTR:FOTR Extended edition (DTS-ES track). The council of Elrond scene where Gandalf starts speaking in the language of Mordor is excellent. The room fills up with voices!
If you have Signs, the scene where Mel Gibson is running through the cornfields alone with a flashlight is a real showpiece for the QS8's. The sound of the cornfields rustling is really cool with the QS8's.
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...a scene later on in the movie when they're standing around talking in an alley. It's raining and there's water dripping from a roof behind and to your left. That scene isn't dramatic, but DAMN it sounds like you're right there with them.
I'd forgot about that scene. Thanks!
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I got it for free along with 4 other movies about 3 yrs ago when I bought a Sony DVD Player.
I remember when they were doing that. I already had a DVD player (the 2nd one I'd owned I think and I'm on my 7th now!), so I didn't get those DVDs.
Thanks for the suggestion MisoSoup. That's another good one. Maybe the cave troll scene too!
I don't have Signs and have to admit that I haven't seen it yet...
The pod race scene in Episode I is a given, but make sure you play the THX intro at the beginning, it's amazing. Soft rain, like something you'd hear under a porch, soft but very enveloping, comes from the QS8s while you hear the sound of thunder from inside a glass sphere from the fronts. BAM, lightning hits the sphere, it explodes, and suddenly you're an open plain and the storm is rolling over you. Then the pieces of the glass ball come togther to create the THX logo and that THX sound fills the room. AWESOME!
Also, Toy Story 2, at the beginning Buzz is flying around the planet in the video game with his jet pack and he drops into a canyon. The camera position shifts to behind Buzz as he flys along and the sound moves to behind the listner - very cool effect.
I think one of the best DVDs I've heard in recent days has been "Die Another Day," the latest in the Bond trillogy. (Get it for the audio, not for the movie, itself) The opening sequence where Bond shoots at the camera is enough to make you jump out of your seat and is a great test of the rear speakers. The whole DVD sounds incredible, to boot. It's worth a rent for the audio aspects alone.
Coincidently, anyone else pick up the new "Matrix" DVD this week? I'm disappointed. I don't even think it's in DTS. I was hoping for so much more out of the audio from this flick, too. Anyone agree or disagree?
thx intro on monsters inc-bombing scene on pearl harbor
we were soldiers - helicopters gun firer bomb blasts
Got the Matrix Reloaded today. I'll throw it in tonight. I'll forgive WB for bad sound on this disc if for no other reason than they've finally abandoned those cheap-ass cardboard boxes they've used. FINALLY a proper DVD case for WB!
Great opening scene on Evolution where the meteor breaks up in the atmosphere and then again when it crashes near the car and again when the car flys through the air and lands.
Gotta' love Jurasic Park III when the plane crashes through the trees and then falls to the ground where it's mauled by Spineosaurous and then latter when Spineo and T Rex have a little tiff (the tail whip is awsome).
I was disappointed in it at the theater. I thought it was hastily thrown together so that they could capitalize on the sequel while "Matrix" was still hot. It was as though they threw in these huge special effects so that you wouldn't notice how poorly written it is.
The third installment looks a touch better than the 2nd. (Matrix that is)
Go see it in IMAX when it comes out! (yeah that was a shameless plug)
I am surprised noone has mentioned Daredevil. Most impressive use of surrounds IMNSHO.
I finished watching Reloaded last night. I have to say, I liked it BETTER than the first movie. The surround usage is good in the fight scenes. Lot's of bullets flying by...
Oh, and I'm sure the guys over at Home Video will be glad to hear that spiff is happy with the Keepsake case
.
Yer right about Daredevil. HORRIBLE movie, but terrific use of surround f/x in a couple of scenes.
IMAX is two miles from my house...that's how I plan to see it.
I really can't stand Laffleck (Laughleck?) in ANY movie. He's the most overrated actor at the moment, IMHO.
I have a friend that works a lot with Kevin Smith on his movies.....anyways, I think she has done 2 or 3 movies with B.A. in them....and she says in each one he is more of an a** than the previous.
with all the acronyms flying about is:
IMDHO the opposite of IMHO?
I've seen the trailer in IMAX, and I've got to tell you...wow. The sound is AMAZING.
I saw reloaded first in regular and later in IMAX. I was much more impressed by the better sound then the bigger screen. Voices are coming from all over the theater in the scene with the architect and all the TVs.
Daredevil has some good scenes for surround. Another one that's really great is Blade 2.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll post an update on how the demo went.
Gladiator, for sure. The 6.1 sound in that movie is just incredibly nice. I especially love the first big battle scene when all the little fire darts are shooting.
BTW spliffnme I did it as well...
I have never paid close attention to surround use only so many of my suggestions are based more on encompassing sound fields which I am assuming makes used of the surrounds.
x-men 1
When Logan first meets professor X and he is using his telepathic powers, good placement and movement of Patrick Stewarts voice.
Also when Magneto shreds the train to get to Rogue, very good metal fatigue sounds in the rears.
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings. The scene at the party in the begining starting with the launching of the firework that goes straight up and explodes into the blue arrows that fall back to earth and fly out from the party across the water and past the camera.
The scene in the mines of moria with the Balrog. When the enter the great hall and all the orcs are coming down from the ceiling and surrounding them.
The staircase scene after that, when the orcs attack and the arrows are flying back and forth.
Star Trek First Contact.
The scene in the begining when the Enterprise opens the audio channel to the fleet to monitor the fight against the Borg. You hear all the radio chatter of the various ships involved but when the Borg override the other signals the rear surrounds really goto work and surround you with the Borg voice.
Much of First Contact has good use of the surrounds mostly when on the Enterprise.
Swordfish.
The opening explosion has spectacular use of the surrounds.
Thats all I can think of off the top of my head but ill post more if I can think of any.
Hank
Haha I just noticed it was for Saturday and today is Sunday, sorry my bad.
I enjoyed posting it anyway since I will often sit down with my HT and play many different DVDs just for the good sound on them. It was fun trying to think of some of my favorites.
So much so in fact that I plan on going to doing some listening right now.
Hank
I was hoping that John would post a reply with his impressions before I gave mine...oh, well.
I thought the demo went very well. There were times that John wasn't able to tell where the sound was coming from and had to get up and walk over to the QS8s to listen. He mentioned that he thought sounds were coming from beside him at times (my QS8s are mounted 6 feet behind the viewing area, about 7 feet high). There were other times that he could pinpoint the sound coming from one QS8 or the other. In every case, the speaker performed exactly as it should and he was impressed.
I played the following DVDs:
Lion King
GoldenEye (James Bond)
Gladiator
Lord Of the Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring - Extended Edition
Matrix
Then I played a little multi-channel music:
Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon (SACD)
Eagles - Hotel California (DVD-A)
At the beginning of the mulit-channel version of "Money", the cash register sounds ping-pong from speaker to speaker. John had a big grin on his face during that demo.
John mentioned, before he left, that the QS8s were now at the top of his list for surround speakers.
David
