News

Opus3 calls for common sense in surround sound (13/4/2005)

Swedish independent record company, Opus3, has produced a special hybrid surround SA-CD showcase of many of its leading recording artists including Peder af Ugglas, Eric Bibb, Erik Westberg and Katinka Wilson. The album is the record company's 21st SA-CD release.

Opus3 has developed an international reputation for its luxurious acoustic surround recordings - many personally supervised by Opus creator Jan-Eric Persson. For these recordings, SA-CD has proved the perfect audio partner. "First it was mono, then came stereo and now, finally, we have surround sound," comments Jan-Eric Persson. "In DSD and SA-CD we have found the perfect recording and storage medium for surround sound."

Opus3 has chosen now to create its Surround Showcase on SA-CD since the company passionately believes in the power of surround sound to take music listening to new levels. "Surround sound takes idea of hi-fi to a higher ground, but not all music lovers realise this and I can understand why," explains Persson "The reason is that many surround recordings are made to put the listener in the middle of the orchestra. So far, I've never met anybody anywhere in the world who likes this arrangement - many people dislike surround sound because of this and think that this is the way it always is made.

"Also, continuous sharp sound with a lot of treble, such as percussion, is something that our 'ear-brain system' does not like at all when coming from behind. This is the reason why I have written a lot about surround sound in the sleeve notes for the new Opus3 SA-CD "Showcase 2005" album and hope to demonstrate with a variety of music how good surround sound can really be! My basic idea with surround sound is to make the walls in peoples listening room disappear and turn them into the place where the musicians are performing the music - a Blues or Jazz Club, a Church or a Concert Hall.

"Our target audience is people who like good music, but with special attention to people who also appreciate a good recording in order to transfer all the feelings and emotions that the musicians and the composer want the listener to experience," adds Jan-Eric. "I believe surround sound is very important for the future of the audio industry, thanks in a large part to the influence of DVD-Video. People have become more and more used to surround sound and I think it is already a natural expectation when buying a disc with music only. Also, well recorded surround sound erases many of the limitations of stereo when it comes to the musical experience!"

Within the surround sound sector, Opus3 is disappointed to see continuing attempts to introduce new multi-channel music formats - an event which, they believe, can only confuse the music buying public. "It is both disappointing and confusing to the music lover when we already have a Superb, versatile and flexible format as SACD," states Jan-Eric. "As I understand, Dualdisc is more expensive to press than SA-CD and you can not print text or label on either side. Also, it seems very very difficult to keep the thickness of the disc within the specifications - many hardware manufacturers have already issued warnings to use it in their players, while it can destroy the laser.

"I strongly believe that the music industry has to explain much more clearly to people what surround sound is supposed to do to enhance the enjoyment and realism of listening to music," concludes Jan-Eric Persson. "Most people do not understand its versatility for listening to music only - a lot of people associate it with the 'crash-boom-bang' sound effects on many films. What it offers to music is very different and of course also has to do with taste - something I have tried to explain when it comes to Opus3 surround recordings for years. I think it is very important that we promote what SA-CD offers in terms of a flexible choice - you can buy this future proof disc today, and later develop your hi-fi rig into surround sound when you feel ready for it."

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