Jean.Francois
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Hello,
Boys and Girls is Bryan Ferry’s sixth solo album, released in 1985 after the breakup of Roxy Music. It achieved great commercial success, reaching number one in the UK and earning multiple certifications. Key singles include Slave to Love, Don t Stop the Dance, and Windswept, featuring contributions from renowned musicians such as David Gilmour and Mark Knopfler.
For its 40th anniversary, a special Blu-ray edition (Special Deluxe Edition) was released, is this blu-ray the best edition?
For this review, you will find 9 versions tested:
The graph below compares the spectrum of the CD – 1985 (white curve) with the spectrum of the SACD – 2005 (blue curve).The two curves are very similar up to 22 kHz (yellow arrow), which corresponds to the maximum frequency of the CD format. However, a slightly higher level can be observed for the SACD below 100 Hz (green zone), with a boost of approximately 2 to 4 dB between 40 Hz and 100 Hz. Between 3 and 10 kHz (yellow zone), the SACD version shows a slight attenuation of about 1 to 2 dB. The white arrow indicates the rise in noise on the SACD, caused by the use of DSD64, which generates an increase in noise above 30 kHz.
The spatialization of Bluray Dolby Atmos – 2025 version varies from track to track, with values between 5.9 and 8.9.
If you are looking for a dynamic stereo version that remains completely faithful to the original album, the obvious choice is the 1985 CD (or the 1985 vinyl record if you prefer that format).
The remastered SACD, Blu-ray, and streaming stereo editions, while benefiting from mastering that provides a more contemporary tonal balance, unfortunately suffer from noticeable dynamic compression, which reduces the impact and liveliness of the original recording.
The real highlight, however, is the Blu-ray Dolby Atmos mix: it preserves all the qualities of the original version while delivering a modern, immersive, and enveloping experience. Each instrument is precisely positioned in space, the soundstage is perfectly constructed, and the mix benefits from the subtlety and clarity of Dolby TrueHD encoding, making this edition a reference for immersive Dolby Atmos mixing.
Find all the samples in high resolution to listen to and compare the different versions, as well as all the analyses and measurements of each versions here (link).
Enjoy listening,
Jean-François
Boys and Girls is Bryan Ferry’s sixth solo album, released in 1985 after the breakup of Roxy Music. It achieved great commercial success, reaching number one in the UK and earning multiple certifications. Key singles include Slave to Love, Don t Stop the Dance, and Windswept, featuring contributions from renowned musicians such as David Gilmour and Mark Knopfler.
For its 40th anniversary, a special Blu-ray edition (Special Deluxe Edition) was released, is this blu-ray the best edition?
For this review, you will find 9 versions tested:
- Ed 1: Bluray – 2025
- Ed 2: Bluray Dolby Atmos – 2025
- Ed 3: Bluray DTS HDMA 5.1 – 2025
- Ed 4: CD – 1985
- Ed 5: SACD – 2005
- Ed 6: SACD 5.1 – 2005
- Ed 7: Tidal – 2025
- Ed 8: Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2025
- Ed 9: Vinyl record – 1985
The graph below compares the spectrum of the CD – 1985 (white curve) with the spectrum of the SACD – 2005 (blue curve).The two curves are very similar up to 22 kHz (yellow arrow), which corresponds to the maximum frequency of the CD format. However, a slightly higher level can be observed for the SACD below 100 Hz (green zone), with a boost of approximately 2 to 4 dB between 40 Hz and 100 Hz. Between 3 and 10 kHz (yellow zone), the SACD version shows a slight attenuation of about 1 to 2 dB. The white arrow indicates the rise in noise on the SACD, caused by the use of DSD64, which generates an increase in noise above 30 kHz.
The spatialization of Bluray Dolby Atmos – 2025 version varies from track to track, with values between 5.9 and 8.9.
If you are looking for a dynamic stereo version that remains completely faithful to the original album, the obvious choice is the 1985 CD (or the 1985 vinyl record if you prefer that format).
The remastered SACD, Blu-ray, and streaming stereo editions, while benefiting from mastering that provides a more contemporary tonal balance, unfortunately suffer from noticeable dynamic compression, which reduces the impact and liveliness of the original recording.
The real highlight, however, is the Blu-ray Dolby Atmos mix: it preserves all the qualities of the original version while delivering a modern, immersive, and enveloping experience. Each instrument is precisely positioned in space, the soundstage is perfectly constructed, and the mix benefits from the subtlety and clarity of Dolby TrueHD encoding, making this edition a reference for immersive Dolby Atmos mixing.
Find all the samples in high resolution to listen to and compare the different versions, as well as all the analyses and measurements of each versions here (link).
Enjoy listening,
Jean-François
