Best 5.1 Surround Music
With this in mind, we talked to a handful of the very best surround mixers in the business, including GRAMMY nominees and winners like Bob Clearmountain, Frank Filipetti, Jim Anderson, David Fridmann, Nick Davis, Ronald Prent, Morten Lindberg, Martin Walters, Keith O. Johnson and Greg Penny, about how to master the format. Things To Look For In 5.1 Speakers. The most important aspect to consider when shopping for 5.1 speakers is the build quality. After spending a few hours setting up, installing, and programming the surround sound system as you want it, it would be a waste if the speakers blew within the first few uses.
Music makes the perfect holiday gift and while many now rely on streaming services to get their tunes, there's a diehard group of listeners who still rely on discs.
Compact discs may be fading, but many labels and artists continue to put out special commemorative releases of beloved albums on CDs and often include Blu-ray discs, which offer high-resolution versions of the music in stereo and surround sound.
These special releases are usually accompanied by new high-quality vinyl box sets to satisfy a growing vinyl audience, too. But high-resolution digital music can transform these original recordings with stereo surpassing most streaming and CD-quality sound and multichannel renditions creating entirely new, immersive experiences.
In assisting on new surround mixes of 'Music From Big Pink' for its 50th Anniversary edition of The Band's classic release from 1968, guitarist and songwriter Robbie Robertson recently told Sound & Vision's Mike Mettler that he and producer Bob Clearmountain sought to get listeners closer to the music. 'I so appreciate the idea that, the closer you can get to being right in the room, right in the center of the music, closing your eyes and feeling what everyone else was feeling playing that music – I think that that’s a special gift,' Robertson said.
Most Blu-ray disc players and the latest game consoles such as Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4 will play high-res music on Blu-rays, but you need a surround sound-capable home theater to play the multichannel versions. To play high-res downloads, you will need an digital-to-analog converter to export improved sound from your computer to headphones or your music system. (Online retailer Crutchfield offers some advice on high-res audio on its site at crutchfield.com.)
Here are some recent releases – including 'Music from Big Pink' – perfect for music lovers who might be on your shopping list – or if you happened to be on the receiving end of a holiday gift card to treat yourself with:
• The Beatles Super Deluxe edition ($159.98 on thebeatlesstore.com and $102.01 on Amazon.com). For its 50th anniversary, the Beatles' self-titled double LP – best known as 'The White Album' – gets an expansive box set with six compact discs and a Blu-ray Disc with high-resolution stereo and mono versions, as well as two different surround mixes. On the CDs are 27 demos and 50 session performances. The new remastered CDs sound more lively and richer than the older discs, but the high-resolution stereo versions are even more revelatory, for instance, with a more pronounced piano near the end of 'Dear Prudence' and Eric Clapton’s guitar lead is crisper and cleaner on 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps.'
• John Lennon – Imagine: The Ultimate Collection ($72.09 on Amazon.com). There's a treasure trove for Lennon fans on the two Blu-rays and four CDs documenting this 1971 release. You can listen to the album and singles such as 'Power to the People' and 'Happy Xmas (War is Over)' in high-res surround, quadrophonic and stereo, and dive into an extended versions of the songs, outtakes and interviews with John and Yoko Ono, who oversaw this project.
• Paul McCartney and Wings – 'Red Rose Speedway' ($181.49 on Amazon.com). This six-disc set includes a Blu-ray of 'The Bruce McMouse Show,' a previously unreleased TV special with Wings performing songs and interacting with animated characters, in surround sound. There's also reproductions of the drawings made by McCartney and a book with images by Linda McCartney. On a DVD, is another video, the James Paul McCartney TV Special. You also can download of high-res versions of the 1973 original album and an extended version, as it was originally conceived as a double album.
• The Band – Music from Big Pink ($67.49 on Amazon.com). In addition to a Blu-ray Disc with high-resolution stereo and 5.1 surround versions of the 1968 classic and six bonus tracks, there's a CD version and two 180-gram vinyl LPs.
• Guns n Roses – Appetite for Destruction Super Deluxe Edition ($24.83 on Amazon.com). Welcome to an even more expansive soundscape for the rough-edged debut for the L.A. hard rockers on the Blu-ray in this set. In addition to the original 1987 album remastered in high-res surround and stereo – with accompanying on-screen animations – a handful of bonus tracks and music videos get that treatment, too. Four CDs include the remastered album, bonus tracks and a full session recorded in 1986 at L.A.'s Sound City Studios.
•The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric Ladyland Deluxe Edition ($42.98 on Amazon.com). Another classic hitting its 50th anniversary, the Blu-ray Disc included is the first surround treatment of a Hendrix release, and the mix by the album's original engineer, Eddie Kramer, is suitably trippy. 'At times the mix feels like you are in the room with Hendrix and his studio mates, especially Mitch Mitchell whose drums are everywhere,' wrote Mark Smotroff in reviewing the release for AudiophileReview.com. Kramer appears on a documentary included on the Blu-ray. And the three CDs include a never-before released official live bootleg, 'Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live At the Hollywood Bowl 9/14/68.'
• INXS – Kick ($34.13 on Amazon). The Blu-ray Disc has a Dolby Atmos surround version of the 1987 multi-platinum release overseen by Giles Martin, who also helmed last year's 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 50th Anniversary' remix. Also here: a high-resolution stereo version and three CDs with the remastered album, which included hit singles 'Devil Inside' and 'Never Tear Us Apart,' and additional demos, remixes and b-sides.
• Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains The Same ($20.63 on Amazon) & How the West Was Won ($18.29 on Amazon). The songs are the same, but they sound crunchier and crisper with this pair of Jimmy Page-produced Blu-rays, the first a remastering of the audio from the 1973 live shows that yielded 1976's concert film of the same name. The second release documents performances from a year earlier. Both discs have high-res surround and stereo versions, and videos with surround audio of four songs.
• Alan Parsons Project – Eye in the Sky ($14.59 on Amazon.com). Remastered by Parsons for a 35th anniversary box set released last year and now available as a single Blu-ray, this disc has high-res stereo and surround versions of the 1982 album. And you can crank up the first track 'Sirius,' just like they do in basketball arenas.
• Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet ($34.05 on Amazon.com). An anomaly in this list, 'Beggars Banquet' is a Super Audio CD, a format launched two decades ago that's fairly dormant in the U.S., but still supported in Japan. The discs work on standard CD players but when played on an SACD player will produce a high-res version of the album, recently remastered for a 50th anniversary release. A limited amount of this Japanese release will be imported, but for the few who have an SACD player, you may never here a more fresh rendition of 'Street Fighting Man' than this.
• Rush – Hemispheres Super Deluxe Edition ($124.99 on rushbackstage.com; $108 on Amazon). The Canadian rock trio's 1978 prog-rock concept album is ideal for high-res surround treatment on the Blu-ray included in this set. The guitar and synthesizer occasionally dominate the center channel, and at other times the sound simply resonates around the room. Also on the disc: a high-res stereo version and four videos. The two CDs and three 180-gram black vinyl LPs fill out the discs in the set. Live concert tracks include a 1979 rendition of 'Cygnus X-1' that makes up side one of the album and a 1978 ‘2012’ performance.
High-res discs may not be for everyone, but if you have a music lover on your list, these will be music to their ears.
More: The Beatles' 'White Album' turns 50: Every song on the album, ranked
Follow USA TODAY reporter Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.
Best 5.1 Surround Sound Music
- Brand NewFrom United Statesor Best OfferCustoms services and international tracking provided
Subwoofer Surround Sound 5.1-Channel Music TV DVD Home Theater SPEAKERS SYSTEM
Brand NewFrom United Statesor Best OfferCustoms services and international tracking providedThe Band Music From Big Pink 5.1 Advanced Resolution Surround Sound DVD Audio
Pre-OwnedFrom United Statesor Best OfferSubwoofer Surround Sound 5.1-Channel Music Tv Dvd Home Theater Speakers System
Pre-OwnedFrom United Statesor Best OfferCustoms services and international tracking providedNew ListingSIMPLE MINDS NEW GOLD DREAM (81-84) 5.1 SURROUND MUSIC DVD Audio DTS Ultra Rare!
Pre-OwnedFrom United Statesor Best OfferCustoms services and international tracking providedDangerous Music DAC-SR - 5.1 Surround D/A option for MONITOR ST -- RARE --
Pre-OwnedFrom United StatesBuy It Now12 WatchingBritney Spears In The Zone 5.1 Surround Sound Rare Dualdisc Sealed!
Brand NewFrom United StatesBuy It Now13 WatchingSteve Miller Band Fly Like An Eagle Rare 5.1 Surround Sound DTS Disc
Pre-OwnedFrom United Statesor Best OfferEagles Hotel California 5.1 Advanced Resolution Surround Sound DVD Audio Nice
New (Other)From United Statesor Best Offer- Pre-OwnedFrom United Statesor Best OfferCustoms services and international tracking provided
- Pre-OwnedFrom United Statesor Best OfferCustoms services and international tracking provided
Marvin Gaye Live! 5.1 Surround Sound DVD Audio Sealed!
Brand NewFrom United Statesor Best OfferPre-OwnedFrom United Statesor Best OfferCustoms services and international tracking providedRush Snakes & Arrows Rare 5.1 Advanced Resolution Surround Sound Box Set Nice!
Pre-OwnedFrom United StatesBuy It NowTalking Heads 77 Rare 5.1 Advanced Resolution Surround Sound DVD Audio!
New (Other)From United StatesBuy It NowSantana Supernatural 5.1 Advanced Resolution Surround Sound DVD Audio
Pre-OwnedFrom United StatesBuy It NowCustoms services and international tracking providedSantana Shaman Rare 5.1 Advanced Resolution Surround Sound DVD Audio Nice
New (Other)From United Statesor Best OfferBeck Guero Limited Edition Deluxe Version 5.1 Surround Sound DVD Audio Sealed!
Brand NewFrom United StatesBuy It NowPOCO Crazy Eyes 5.1 Surround Sound DTS Disc New Sealed!
Brand NewFrom United Statesor Best OfferMiles David Kind Of Blue Rare 5.1 Surround Sound Dualdisc
Pre-OwnedFrom United StatesBuy It NowDavid Bowie Stage 5.1 Advanced Resolution Surround Sound DVD Audio Nice
New (Other)From United StatesBuy It NowDEEP PURPLE Concerto For Group And Orchestra RARE OOP DVD-AUDIO 5.1 SURROUND
Brand NewFrom United Statesor Best OfferChicago 5 Rare 5.1 Advanced Resolution Surround Sound DVD Audio Nice!
New (Other)From United Statesor Best OfferJoni Mitchell Both Sides Now 5.1 Advanced Resolution Surround Sound DVD Audio
Brand NewFrom United Statesor Best OfferNeil Young Greendale 5.1 Advanced Resolution Surround Sound DVD Audio Reprise
New (Other)From United StatesBuy It NowCustoms services and international tracking providedOutkast - Stankonia DVD-Audio (Stereo and 5.1 Multichannel) Surround Sound MLP
New (Other)From United Statesor Best OfferCustoms services and international tracking providedThe Best of R.E.M. 5.1 Advanced Resolution Surround Sound DVD Audio Nice
New (Other)From United Statesor Best OfferBrand NewTop Rated PlusBuy It NowFrom United StatesPre-OwnedFrom United Statesor Best OfferCustoms services and international tracking provided
Price refinements - Carousel
Showing slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES} - Price refinements