HiRez Poll - Nine Inch Nails - THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL [SACD/DualDisc:DVD-A] (2024)

Here is a "modern" release, available from Universal (our hero) on the Interscope label, being made available in ALL MODERN FORMATS!!!!:banana:

The CD/SACD package, and the DualDisc/DVD-A package.

Let's hope this thing sells well, to let the labels know that there is a market out there for good product. If you don't care for NIN, or you have never heard them, don't disparage this release (i.e. please do not vote a "1" because you have no interest in this artist). In order for surround and HiRez to survive, there must be a wide range of titles out there, and this one certainly will get some notice.

Once y'all get yours, let us know what you think. Keep the differences between the SACD and the DVD-A in your post, and use the poll to rate the surround presentation.

THANKS

:-jon

Back of the DVD-A/V Dualdisc:

Back of the Multichannel SACD:

Love the album!!! Hard to believe it's 10 years old already.

The mix (rated an 8 on first listen) is effective using the rears to fill with some of the swirls and effects that seem to be buried in the mix. The whole thing just opens up. I do wish that there was a little more in the rear and that it was mixed a little louder. Kind of soft for my taste but I guess I can always raise the rears a little. Great bass! Especially on the SACD. I bought both the DualDisc and SACD today and after a quick comparison of "Closer" and "Hurt" it seems that the SACD has a little more balls to it but neither is bad and I was not disappointed at all by either.

Each has it's own bonuses:
The DD has 48/24 surround and stereo mixes (hi-rez) as well as DD5.1 and 2.0 mixes. It also includes the videos for Closer in 5.1 and stereo as well as March Of The Pigs (5.1) and a live version of Hurt (also 5.1). No bonus tracks are included.

The SACD has 5.1 and stereo tracks on disc 1 (the full original album) with disc 2 containing bonus B-sides and unreleased tracks. Both discs are hybrids though disc 2 is stereo only.

SACD was on sale for $19.99 and DualDisc was $13.99 at Best Buy today. Both were located in the cd section under NIN and not in the SACD or DVD-A sections.

Bob Romano said:

SACD was on sale for $19.99 and DualDisc was $13.99 at Best Buy today. Both were located in the cd section under NIN and not in the SACD or DVD-A sections.

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Neither one at my local Best Buy, Borders only had the Dual Disc version. Tough to support these formats when the damn things aren't available to purchase...

I'll vote on this one when I get the SACD version..

I won't rate the sonics of this one until I go back to the original '94 import vinyl AND the SACD edition, since all they had in this town was the DualDisc edition, and my bro got only that one in....this is one of those wild, dark, crazy albums where I just have to compare both editions to be sure of what I'm hearing...

I will say this much: my Pioneer player didn't have any problem playing the redbook layer which, while no concern to most of us here, but to more casual fans. The DVD-A 5.1 is a very clever mix, which puts the basics in front and accents parts in back, often very, very forcefully(and in unison, it seemed upon the one listen I've had).

Back later on this one!

ED

Ed Bishop said:

The DVD-A 5.1 is a very clever mix, which puts the basics in front and accents parts in back, often very, very forcefully(and in unison, it seemed upon the one listen I've had).

Back later on this one!
ED

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I agree, very nicely done, because of the style of music some of those accents are un-nerving but in a good sort of way, but I will reserve voting until I get the SACD version.

I spent some time listening to this one, by myself and with my nephew.

First off, this is my first NIN disc. I had not heard any of this stuff before, with the exception of Hurt, which I had heard only in passing.

I must admit that it is rather LOUD at times (the music, not the mastering), and given that, I found that I started liking it, a lot. The surround mix is done very well, at times the rears are silent, then they slam you with something that grabs your attention.

For the Quad fans, there is even a spot where a guitar moves around the soundfield!

Although this is not my primary type of music, I have to rate this one highly. It's done well, the slide show is great (DualDisc), and the audio is full and clear. When it settles down to some quiet spots, it is quite detailed. When it gets cranking, it's a wall of sound, heavy sound.

Not for everyone, not for me all of the time, but I can appreciate its power, and the great mix. I have to give it a 9 overall, with the caveat that it is not something that everyone will like.

First, a comment on a comment:

"This is probably the definitive NIN project and has certainly been a defining moment to Goth-Industrial as it has had tons of replicators since it's release."

While I personally am not a fan of this band, my wife and many of my friends are, so I was already well familiar with the disc....the above quote nails it right on the head, this is one of those genre-defining discs, and is worth owning for that reason alone if nothing else! If someone wanted to know what techno / industrial music is, this is one of the first discs that you would hand them.

Our Pioneer '578 arrived, this was the first disc we bought for it (having this release available in surround went a long way towards convincing the wife to replace her broken el cheepo DVD player with something worthwhile), and the wife had it ready and waiting.....popped it in, and WOW! What a revelation! Being familiar with NIN and the excellent recording quality and mixing of their releases, I had already assumed that the surround mix would be excellent, but this one goes far beyond expectations! As other comments indicate, the surround mix does a great job of allowing the layers and layers of tracks to be separated, many things are plainly audible in the surround mix which are half-buried in stereo. A very discrete sounding mix, with very little of what's going on positioned between speakers. I think it'll take quite a lot for future purchases to measure up to this one.....excellent recording, excellent surround mix, excellent songs.....even if you're like me and prefer music with guitar solos and human drummers, this disc is a must-have and an absolute classic, and the extra disc and excellent surround mix make it even more so. I'll give this one a very solid "9".....the only thing that keeps it from being a full "10" is that the bonus disc is only in stereo.....very exciting, this has me entering 'record stores' again for the first time in over 10 years.... I'm sure glad that I held out all these years and never bought a CD player, as this is what we should have been given back in 1982 or so, and even just this one disc alone has made the waiting worthwhile.....can't wait to get some more discs and compare hi-res to something that I already have a good vinyl copy of.....now my wife is even thinking about selling off her CD collection so we can buy more hi-res surround discs, even she noticed a major difference between hi-res and redbook! We have the SACD, purchased off the racks at Record And Tape Traders....

Yours Truly,
john e. bogus

Eugenius said:

I really like some of the surround mixes. "Closer" kicks butt!!! However, I'm a little disappointed in the sonics of the recording.

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It was never a warm recording. Very digital sounding......but it suits the music.

Hi All (1st Message here)

I love this record, and think the 5.1 mix just give justice to the oppressivity of the music of Nine Inch Nails. It really rules. A good 8, for me.

I had some problems playing the SACD on my player, sometimes (mainly after the middle of the CD) the 5.1 layer is "jumping" ... It gets worse and worse through the reading of the CD. My DVD - SACD player is a Marantz DV6400.
Did someone have this kind of problem with this SACD ?

Bertrand