Nicks Choice (test DVD's)

So you’ve bought your new surround sound system and want to see what it’ll do? Or have some neighbours that you’re not particularly fond of? Well, let us entice you with a selection of movie DVDs for your aural pleasure! The movies listed below possess what we believe to be some of the best 5.1 and 6.1 DVD soundtracks currently available. There are many other DVDs out there with stunning audio that have no doubt been overlooked, but the fact is we’re truly spoilt for choice these days. We’ll add more to this list as we watch more movies, or feel free send us a list of the preferred demo material you use to wow your friends and family.

Please be aware that some of the soundtracks on these DVDs contain extreme variations in volume level and frequency range/response. If you push your speakers, A/V receivers, etc over their limits, soon enough something will go ‘BANG’, so be sensible with the volume control. The last thing we want is people ringing up complaining that the DVDs recommended below have blown their system! Our suggestion: try these discs at a medium volume for a start, and take it up notch by notch from there. You’ll know when you’ve reached your system’s limits – what you heard clearly a moment earlier will start to sound distorted and unnatural.

The movies listed below include: title, (year of release), (rating), (sound format)

Note: all movie DVDs containing a DTS soundtrack also carry a Dolby Digital soundtrack. Most DVD movies that contain a DTS soundtrack will start playback in Dolby Digital, not DTS. To enable the DTS soundtrack you need to select it from the ‘Languages’ option or ‘Setup screen and sound’ option on the main menu of the DVD.

Key for Sound Formats:
DD = Dolby Digital 5.1
DD EX = Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
DTS = DTS 5.1
DTS-ES Matrix = DTS-ES (Matrix) 5.1
DTS-ES Discrete = DTS-ES (Discrete) 6.1

Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) (M) (DTS) -
Currently at the top of our list for demonstration duties, this sea-faring saga is set during the Napoleonic era, where Britain is doing battle with the French. The complex and multilayered nature of this soundtrack ensures every splintering bit of wood and cannon ball fired is heard during the terrifying battle scenes between British and French war vessels. As the first ten or so minutes of the movie is restrained from an audio perspective, the first wave of cannon-ball fire at the start of Chapter 4 comes as a surprise. Actions scenes are mixed at an intensely loud volume, and the bass kick this soundtrack delivers is one of the deepest you’ll hear – if you’ve spent a small fortune on your subwoofer, this movie will prove it was money well spent. Rears are highly active throughout the majority of the movie, and not just during the turmoil of the battle scenes. When the British frigate and its crew is not being blown to bits by their adversary, the creaking of the ship and the quiet whisper of wind below deck surrounds you so convincingly that you could be forgiven for thinking you have actually been transported back to 1805 and are aboard a British Man o’ War. I’ve heard this movie’s name mentioned in the same sentence as ‘blown speaker driver’, so you have been warned! Won an Oscar for Sound Editing

Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Extended Edition DVDs (2001-2003) (M) (DTS-ES Discrete) –
Ummm…pick a scene, there’s plenty to choose from. Chapter 8 and 9 of the Fellowship of the Ring (on Disc 2 of the Extended Edition) will push any system quite hard. The battle at Helm’s Deep in The Two Towers is another, especially around the 65:00 mark (Disc 2 of Extended Edition). And Chapter 15 in The Return of the King is yet another great tester (Disc 1 of Extended Edition). The high pitch screech of the winged Ringwraith is mixed wonderfully into the surround speakers. Won Oscars for both Sound and Sound Editing

Open Range (2003) (M) (DD) –
The start of the movie includes a scene where it is raining heavily, and the sound coming from all five speakers is so authentic you’d think you were there. The gun battle at the end exhibits a lot of low end power and excellent directional effects. A very well engineered audio transfer, and a soaring score to go along with it.

Peter Pan (2003) (PG) (DTS) –
Live action adaptation of the J.M. Barrie classic. One for the younger kids, but deeper themes mean this one can be enjoyed by teens and mum and dad as well. One of the most dynamic soundtracks we have come across in a children’s movie. The Black Castle scene (44:00) is a great all-round tester, with deep powerful bass and excellent surround sound steering. Listen out for the crocodile in your surround left speaker at 48:50….‘tick-tock-tick-tock.’

Blade II (2002) (MA) (DTS-ES Discrete) –
A slick and gory flick with high production values, accompanied by an excellent soundtrack. Everything is loud in this film – the gunshots, the explosions, the music – and bass is served by the truck load. Check out the club scene at 35:00 that contains plenty of surround activity with a throbbing bass line supporting the dance music. As impressive as this scene is, it’s also the small sound details within this movie that makes it a joy to listen to. For example, during the club scene (around 37:35), when the camera moves down from the club dance floor to the sewers underneath, most of the music is muted and muffled, but you can still hear the bass pounding away (as you would expect in real life – ie - hotted up Hyundai Excels and their ‘doof-doof’ music ring any bells?)

Daredevil (2003) (M) (DTS) –
A great demonstration DVD that takes a unique approach to sound effects and placement. The soundtrack was engineered in an unusual way as the main character, Matt, loses one of his senses as a young boy at the start of the movie, and we often hear things through his ears. Check out the complex array of directional effects and bass extension in the hospital room scene at Chapter 4, and also during the fight at the bar around 21:30. A good tweeter test is the sound of Matt’s cane hitting the steel park bench during a playful confrontation with the scrumptious Elektra Natchios (Jennifer Garner) at 35:30. You just have to crank this movie up!

Final Destination 2 (2003) (MA) (DTS-ES Discrete) –
No-brainer movie, GREAT soundtrack. Gross-out movie, GREAT soundtrack. If you run a 6.1 setup at home, this is one of the best movies available that really makes use of all three discrete surround channels. You get a small taste of what’s to come early on in the movie as both the camera and the accompanying sound pans seamlessly around a traffic light at 4:30. Soon after at 9:45 one of the most realistic and horrific car pile-ups put on film occurs. Check out the car that literally flips over your head at 10:10. Really intense stuff.

Heat (1995) (MA) (DD) –
A classic cops and robbers tale that sees Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino battle it out in a lengthy, but intelligent and very satisfying story. The majority of the soundtrack is fairly subdued, but comes alive during one of the best shoot-out sequences you’ll ever see. Gunfire breaks when a bank robbery goes wrong at 103:10, and for the next 10 minutes all that can be heard is constant automatic gunfire. The gunfight is recorded at a very high volume level, but what makes the soundtrack accompanying this scene so unique is not only the gunfire, but the echo of the shots due to the high-rise buildings that surround the location of the shootout. The sound engineers literally place you in the middle of the gun battle. The man who directed this film, Michael Mann, also brought us Collateral (2004), and the sound of gun shots in both movies is very similar. Also check out the scenes in the grounds of LAX towards the end of the movie (153:10). It’ll give your subwoofer something to rumble about. Not an audio assault on the ears from start to finish, but a great sound mix none-the-less.

Saving Private Ryan (1998) (MA) (DTS) –
Many consider this movie’s soundtrack to be the yardstick by which all others are measured. And who are we to argue? As the 1998 Oscar winner for Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing, Saving Private Ryan provides one of the most aggressive and dazzling displays of a discrete audio mix on DVD. This movie does contain very disturbing content, and some may see it as insensitive to make comments regarding the sound of this movie, in what was a truly horrific time in history. The audio assault kicks off around 4:30 with the D-Day landing on Omaha Beach. The brutal and shocking carnage that ensues is….well, if you’ve seen the movie you know what I mean.

The Butterfly Effect (2004) (MA) (DD) –
Another heavy-going drama in terms of its controversial content. This movie exhibits a similar sound mix to Heat, in that it is fairly tame for the most part. However, during the memory blackouts and flashbacks that the main character suffers, the accompanying sound effects from all five speakers and subwoofer are extremely powerful. When I saw this movie the first memory blackout sequence almost scared me out of my chair. This movie exhibits great sound design without overdoing things.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day – Ultimate Edition (1991) (M) (DTS-ES Matrix) –
Hard to believe this movie is close to 15 years old DVD, but it scrubs up very well in the sound department. Where to start? Well, the THX trailer before the movie starts gets the ball rolling, and the laser gun at 2:35 will let you know your centre rear speaker is working just fine. Chapters 17 through 20 (of the theatrical version) are superb. The echoing sound of Arnie’s Harley Davidson in an underground carpark at 52:20 is also worth a mention. Won Best Sound and Best Sound Editing Oscars.

The Way of the Gun (2000) (MA) (DD) –
An interesting movie that will not be to everyone’s liking. Something that will impress everyone is the power and extremely high volume of this mix, especially the gunfire. Various firearms are used throughout this movie and each type has its own distinct sound, with the pistols guaranteed to test your tweeters’ power handling ability. Rear speakers also play a large supporting role, carrying ricochet and echo effects in a very localised and aggressive manner, especially in the climactic gun battle. Unfortunately no specific chapters can be recommended, as a copy of the movie wasn’t on hand at time of writing.

Finding Nemo (2003) (G) (DTS) –
Plenty of great scenes to choose from here. Check out the submarine moving at 29:20, the excellent channel integration in the front three channels at 61:00 as Marlin and Dory move around the screen talking, and the little girl tapping on the fish tank at 77:05.

Ice Age (2002) (G) (DD) –
Audio praise aside, the acorn-crazy saber-toothed squirrel that appears in this movie, called Scrat, has to be one of the funniest animated creatures I have ever seen.

Jurassic Park III (2001) (M) (DTS) –
You just know a movie is going to be good audio-wise when you’re impressed in the first forty seconds. There are many great examples of great sound design in JPIII. At the 7:00 mark, it sounds like you are in the auditorium where Dr Grant is delivering a speech, while the mobile phone ringing at 9:10 will have you reaching for your own. Skip forward to Chapter 5 where people are getting eaten, planes are crashing and the T-Rex is roaring, and you’ll be wowed by the weight and scale that this movie has to offer. From here on in JPIII never lets up. And of course the classic Jurassic Park score is there to heighten the whole experience.

Matrix Reloaded (2003) (M) (DD) –
Try Chapter 20 through to Chapter 25. Totally unbelievable but fun.

Black Hawk Down (2001) (MA) (DD) –
Another DVD that is considered by many to be of reference quality. Excellent example of surround sound integration appears around 33:00, with rotor blades from a helicopter heard from all five speakers, and a low rumble pounding from the subwoofer. However things really get going at 48:00 when a helicopter is shot down. For the best part of the next hour this movie impresses with the unrelenting sound of automatic gunfire, as well as RPG and grenade explosions. A very well timed and varying score accompanies the sound effects, exhibiting a significant ethnic influence. Throughout all the chaos, the dialogue still comes through clearly during all but the most intense battle scenes, which makes sense if you think about it. Won an Oscar for Best Sound.

Final Destination (2000) (MA) (DD) –
Want to see if your system can blow out your windows? Simple, just head to18:05. The soundtrack on this DVD is recorded rather low, so you may find you’ll have to turn up the volume +5dB or so.

Signs (2002) (M) (DTS) –
Is that an alien walking around on my roof (63:30)? By gee it sounds like it! This is quite an emotional movie that possesses excellent sound design, with an eerie and atmospheric score. Subtle overall but very effective. It will make you jump… more than once.

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) (PG) (DD EX) –
No prizes for guessing the best scene in this movie. What! You don’t know?! Head to Chapter 20, and have your flying goggles ready.

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) (M) (DD EX) –
Chapter 4 is primarily dialogue-driven, and often used in our demo rooms when comparing the differences between centre speakers. A range of voices are heard - several male voices, a higher pitch female voice, and several non-human voices such as Yoda and various other alien beings. This is probably the most restrained part of the soundtrack – you can skip to just about any other chapter to flex your system’s muscle.

Star Wars Trilogy –
Episodes IV, V and VI (1977 to 1983) (PG) (DD EX) – Digitally remastered, and so many scenes to choose from – take your pick!

Blade Trinity (2004) (MA) (DTS-ES Discrete) –
A disappointing movie, especially compared to Blade and Blade II. The audio mix is not up to Blade II’s standard either, but there are some good scenes non-the-less. The highlight for me is the fight scene in Chapter 5, where the gorgeous Jessica Biel does battle with a group of feral vampire thugs. Check out the bass weight at around 20:35 when a vampire is on the receiving end of a powerful head-kick. This scene is a decent tester for your centre speaker, as multiple effects come through this channel at a high volume level. It’s all finished off with a funky electronic beat that is mixed at a high volume level into the rear speakers. By the way – the vampire dogs in this movie are just downright creepy.

Steamboy (2004) (PG) (DTS) –
Supposedly the most expensive Japanese anime production ever, Steamboy is two hours of pure escapism from the director of Akira, Katsuhiro Otomo. The surround channels carry many effects and mechanical sounds, such as machine belts that snap at about 5:30, and the chase scene during Chapters 5 and 6 is also very well done. Minutes 88:10 through to 93:00 are excellent – surround activity, channel separation, bass – it’s all there. Voices are mixed into the centre channel a little low. It’s all supported by a great orchestral score that is well suited to this marvelous animated movie.

Some other noteworthy discs that will have your neighbours kicking up a stink:

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) (M) (DTS)
Hero (2004) (M) (DD)
Pearl Harbor (2001) (M) (DD)
Band of Brothers (2001) (MA) (DD) – TV Series
Fifth Element (1997) (PG) (DD)
House of Flying Daggers (2004)
The Fast and The Furious (2001) (M) (DTS)
U-571 (2000) (M) (DD)
Twister (1996) (PG) (DTS)
The Patriot (2000) (MA) (DTS)