9031 is Sonically Inferior to 8228

[childer]

Hi, Potti and your colleagues,

It just came to my attention that Version 9 is sonically inferior to Version 8. I recently did a aside by side comparison playing the Lawrence of Arabia Bluray produced by 9031 and 8228 through the same system, using single-ended tube amps and vintage Alnico speakers. All my guests and myself were surprised by the significant sonic difference between these two versions.

Version 9's sound is shrill and very dried devoid of any natural bass; Version 8's sound is very rich, but clear and musical without any unpleasant edge.

I personally do not know how this could have happened. If needed, I will be happy to post the logs here for you to study.

This is a major problem, because the problems could be even more pronounced for concert or vocal blurays.

Therefore, I earnestly hope that you and the Team would look into this problem and find a solution to rectify this unfortunate discrepancy and deficiency.

Many thanks, as always,

[Potti]

Great feedback, please tell us the details works. Such as, which profile do you used, which BD do you used.
Then we will verify and validate.

Thanks,
Potti

[childer]

Hi, Potti,

Great to hear from you.

I used the US release, the 2-Disc, Bluray version, Disc 1 for movie, and Disc 2 for Special Features.

In both 8 and 9, I used the default Main movies with 1 HD audio and 3 English Subtitles.

The scenes where the train tried to make a screeching stop right after the the explosions that mangled the tracks, are most obvious. Throughout the film, whenever the music becomes the focal point, the edgy shrill from the 9 version persists to a level that made the viewing of a great film quite uncomfortable. First I thought that maybe it was time to replace the tubes for my amps, but after switching to Version 8, what a surprise and pleasure to watch and listen.

I did a quick comparison of the logs between the 2, I could not find any difference. Could it be the encoding or the bit rate used for audio processing between these 2 versions are different? This audio quality produced by Version 9 reminds me of the first CDs in the early 80's, i.e., dry, high pitched and edgy, devoid of any natural ambiance, the essential ingredient making the music live.

I hope that I have answered your questions. If not, please let me know.

Many many thanks, again,

[Potti]

Got it, I have tested with mkv. mp4 files before you tell me the details, the Audio sounds are same between V8 and V9. Will test the main movie latter.

[childer]

Thanks for taking the trouble.

P.S.: I always set the audio output in my system neutral, without tampering with the bass or the treble controls. I only adjust the Volume control so that I get the most authentic reproduction.

[childer]

Hi, Potti,

I finality managed to do another test on the newest release and I must congratulate you and the entire team for fixing the audio problems. Now, 9032 sounds fuller, cleaner and more musical, compared to its predecessors.

When I get a chance, I may just compare this 9032 with 8228. They should sound the same, I suppose.

Great work!! Many thanks,