Russian Philarmonic - Blu-ray Audio Signature Classical Collection 40 Disc 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio

Product Description
1. Wagner: Overtures & Preludes
2. Johann Strauss: The New Years Concert in Vienna
3. Anton Bruckner: Symphony Nos. 7&8
4. Tchaikovsky Overtures: Romeo and Juliet , 1812
5. Chopin: Nocturns and Preludes
6. Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring, The Card Party
7. Tchaikovsky: Piano Concertos Nos. 1&3
8. Barber Symphonies Nos. 1&2
9. Brahms: Tragic Overture , Symphony No.1
10. Ravel: Bolero
11. Bach: Orchestral Suites 1, 2, 3; Tripelkoncert
12. Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherezade, Russian Easter Festival Overture
13. Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 40&35
14. Mahler: Symphonie No. 2 in C minor 'Resurrection'
15. Sibelius: Symphonies Nos.5&7
16. Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 4'Italian' & 5'Reformation'
17. Brahms: Academic Festival Overture, Symphony No.4
18. Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition, Night on the Bare Mountain, Stokovsky Transcriptions
19. Rimsky-Korsakov: Sadko, The Snow Maden, The Tale of Tsar Saltan
20. Tchaikovsky: Suites from Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutkraker
21. Respighi: Pines of Rome, Fountains of Rome, The Birds
22. Shostakovich: Symphony No.7 'Leningrad'
23. Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 41'Jupiter' & 38'Prague'
24. Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos.5&6 'Paphetique'
25. Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 9
26. Beethoven: Symphonies Nos.3'Eroica' & 8
27. Mahler: Symphony No. 9
28. Mozart: REQUIEM
29. Holst: The Planets
30. Dvorak: Symphonies Nos.8&9 'From the New World'
31. Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos.2&12
32. Beethoven Symphonies Nos.4&7
33. Beethoven Symphony No.9 'Ode to Freedom'
34. Beethoven Symphonies Nos.5'Fate'&6
35. Beethoven: Symphonies Nos.1&2
36. Rachmaninoff: Symphonies Nos. 2&3
37. Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos.2&3
38. Beethoven/Mendelsohn: Violin Concertos
39. Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, Concerto for Double Orchestra
40. Vivaldi: L'estro Armonico

For Lossless Audio make sure that you have and properly set-up DTS-HD decoder in your Blu-ray Player and/or Receiver to decode Lossless part of DTS-HD.

Intended for 5.1 and 7.1 Surround Sound Experience.
Stereo Downmix is also available.

THE TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
AND COMPARISON:

CAPACITY
25 Gigabytes (CD Audio is 0.65 Gigabytes)

FORMATS
HD Formats 7.1/5.1/2.0
DTS HD Master Audio
(CD Audio is PCM limited to 44.1khz 2.0)

SAMPLING FREQUENCY
96Khz / 24 bit
96.000 mini information per second
(CD Audio is 16 bits / 44.1khz = 65,546 possible values)

DYNAMIC
144 Decibels
(CD Audio is 96 Decibels)

BITRATE
21.5 Megabits/sec
(CD Audio is 1.5 Megabits/sec)
Review
This music-only Blu-ray discs delivers 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio if and when connections are made with 1.3 and/or 1.4 HDMI cables. If connected with optical cables it will only deliver 5.1 or 6.1 standard DTS quality sound. For the purpose of this review I only used high-speed 1.3 cables connecting the Blu-ray player and the 7.2 AV receiver. I should mention that the present receiver is one of Onkyo s new generation of THX-certified products built around high quality Burr-Brown DACs. The DTS-HD MA encoding of this recording as connected with 1.3 HDMI cables produces a variable bit rate (VBR), bit-for-bit (lossless) stream that includes 7.1 channels with sample rates of 96 kHz. Just as well the DTS-HD MA-encoded files also contain a backward-compatible DTS Digital Surround 5.1 (and 6.1) core with a bit rate of 1509 kbps. However, this review concerns itself only with 7.1 DTS-HD MA channels reproduction. The unique acoustic reality experience that his recording affords to my ears as to the musical phrasing and playing of these two very complex scorings, the orchestral presence, instrumental sections separation, high and low dynamics and instrumental solos are far superior to anything I have heard on so-called true surround recordings. We are placed at the same location that the conductor assumes in the podium, we are not part of the audience - we hear what the conductor hears. Orchestral sound is very close and all around, especially the sound coming out of the two side-surround speakers. In my mind the use of these side speakers totally redefines surround sound; this is a new experience and something to behold. --Audiophile Audition Review