Simple Minds – New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84) – Which is better between CD, SACD, Blu-ray and streaming, new remix or original mix...

[Jean.Francois]

Hello,
“New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)” is the fifth studio album by Scottish band Simple Minds, released on September 13, 1982. The album is often regarded as one of the band’s finest works, and marked a decisive turning point in their career, propelling them onto the international scene.

For this review, you will find 9 versions tested: CD, SACD, Blu-ray and streaming, with stereo, 5.1 and Dolby Atmos mix. And there are some surprises in the results.

The original CD version, with its dynamic DR15 sound, will delight those who want to rediscover the sound of the 80s.

A remastered version is also available:
- in stereo and 5.1 on the blu-ray, with excellent DR14 dynamics
- in stereo on SACD, but with a more reduced dynamic DR11, as confirmed by the graph below

- in stereo on Amazon UltraHD streaming, also with reduced dynamics DR11

The main benefit of this remastered version is a rise in bass below 100 Hz (up to 4 dB), as shown by the comparison of spectra below between the CD (blue) and the original remastered blu-ray version (white).

And finally, a remixed version for Dolby Atmos, available in 5.1 and stereo, which deviates from the original version in terms of balance and tonal balance, and also with a choice to emphasize the center channel in Dolby Atmos (see spatialization graph below), which unbalances the 5.1 and stereo versions, which must surely be a downmix.

For this album, if you want to get back to the original sound, it's best to stick with the original CD or the original stereo or 5.1 remastered versions of the blu-ray.
To get an idea of the differences perceived during listening, you can find samples and all the measurements here.

Enjoy listening,
Jean-François

 

[voodooless]

I don’t know about the Atmos mix, the the more “modern” stereo versions (from 2000+ and on) surely aren’t the best:

https://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list/1/year/desc?artist=Simple%20Minds&album=New%20Gold%20Dream

So this has been screwed up for more than 2 decades, as with many of the classics.

 

[Jean.Francois]

I don’t know about the Atmos mix, the the more “modern” stereo versions (from 2000+ and on) surely aren’t the best:

https://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list/1/year/desc?artist=Simple%20Minds&album=New%20Gold%20Dream

So this has been screwed up for more than 2 decades, as with many of the classics.

Indeed, this is what we usually find. But there are exceptions, such as the recently released blu-ray edition, which reproduces all the dynamics with a DR14.

 

[voodooless]

But there are exceptions, such as the recently released blu-ray edition, which reproduces all the dynamics with a DR14.

Yeah, and then they can say: “look, this high-res surround stuff is so much better, now give me
more money!”