Kim Wilde – Closer – Review – (Tidal MAX Stereo vs Tidal Dolby Atmos)

[Jean.Francois]

Hello,

Kim Wilde's latest album, Closer, was released on January 31, 2025. This album, billed as the follow-up to her acclaimed 1988 release Close, combines the essence of her earlier work with a modern twist, integrating nostalgic elements with contemporary sounds.

For this analysis, two versions were tested: Tidal MAX and Tidal Dolby Atmos.

The Tidal Max Flac version has a reduced dynamic range due to the use of a dynamic limiter, confirmed by a DR8 measurement (see below).

In contrast, the Tidal Dolby Atmos version downmixed to 2.0 has a good dynamic range, as confirmed by a DR12 measurement(see below).

The spatialization of the Dolby Atmos version varies from track to track, with values ranging from 5.3 to 8.1.

Kim Wilde returns with Closer, which conforms to current standards, offering a moderately dynamically compressed stereo version (DR8) as well as a successful Dolby Atmos version, providing complete musical immersion.

Samples of both versions and all measurements are available HERE.

Enjoy listening,
Jeff

 

[Hayabusa]

The spatialization of the Dolby Atmos version varies from track to track, with values ranging from 5.3 to 8.1.

you mean the DR I assume..

 

[Jean.Francois]

you mean the DR I assume..

Hello,

This is not the DR value, it's a value that represents the spatialization of the music. The maximum value is 10 when all channels are fully used in Dolby Atmos. I give more details on this spatialization representation here.

Below are the representations for the minimum and maximum spatialization values for the album, all values are available in the review:

 

[Hayabusa]

Ok! so sort of DR between the channels.