This album was originally released as a regular DVD-Audio. Later on, it was released as a DualDisc. I don't know if the DualDisc is exactly the same to the regular DVD-Audio version or not. However, here are the technical specifications of the DVD-A version:
96 kHz / 24-bit Multichannel
96 kHz / 24-bit Stereo
Both the stereo and surround tracks are found within group 1 so you should be able to toggle between the two versions by simply hitting the "audio" button. At least that's how it works on my Pioneer DV-563A. Unfortunately, a television monitor is required to select tracks directly. On the plus side, though, is that the menu navigation is attractive and easy to use---above average.
As for the actual sound? Let's focus on the surround mix first.
Basically, this is simply just a wonderful sounding disc---one of my favorites. Songs like "Candy Man" and "Ripple" all seem comfortingly familiar if not immediately recognizable. There is a warm, analog sensation to the entire recording; and the sound fills out the room quite nicely. The mix is just aggressive enough that the music doesn't go limp. Surrounds often contain rhythm guitars and what-not, but they don't suffer from heavy percussion. (This is where I point out my extreme dislike for heavy, repetitive percussion in the surround channels.) Overall, the surround mix is quite enjoyable. However...
Please note that you'll probably need to lower the surround levels quite a bit. (Note: On my system, I lowered the surrounds 6 db each - or at least that's what my receiver says. Regardless, it was significant.) I also lowered the sub's output level slightly to remove some boominess. With these adjustments the disc was perfectly awesome! Without these adjustments the disc was perfectly horrible. So take heed.
As for the stereo mix? I played around with that just a little bit. It sounded fairly nice with two speakers running hot, but I still preferred the surround mix. (Hey, I'm a surround sound type of guy.)
Overall, I think this is a pretty nice disc. Back in the early 2000s, when I first posted this review, I wrote "Go get it!" with a fair amount of enthusiasm and hope for the future. But now that we're on the back end of the 2000s (and finding fewer multichannel music discs on store shelves) let me amend that statement to read "Grab it if you find it!"
