Why do music DVD's sound so bad?

I actually like the music DVD's better than my cd's. Granted, my system is definitely not "high end" Bryston B60 B&W cdm1nt's Velodyne CT100 sub and an old Panasonic A110 dvd player for my only source. Recently, all I seem to look for are music DVD's as I think that the sound is noticeably better as do all my non audio inclined friends. I have many of the discs mentioned here including U2, NIN, James Taylor, Steely Dan 2 against nature, Madonna Videos 93-99, Beastie Boys Video Anthology, Led Zep, Grateful Dead (many), Smashing pumpkins, etc etc etc...in addition to all of the DVD's, I also have most of the cd's so I can actually AB the songs. I have been so happy with the sound of the DVD's that I wonder if this is a taste of what DVD audio or SACD is like.

I find that concert DVD's sound much better in PCM two channel, so play around with the setup menus on the discs and see if it helps. Turn your sub down, and make sure you leave a gap between the hi-pass to your mains and the roll-off to the sub to prevent any lumpy doubling in midbass. The best sounding discs in my little collection are Tom Petty's High Grass Dogs, Stop Making Sense, Stones to the Max (IMAX), and The Wall. The sound on these discs is quite good. I've heard Hell Freezes Over in a store, and it was good, too. James Taylor's concert DVD is also good, from the demo I saw. Don't get discouraged!

Thanks for the encouragement. Movies do sound great with my 2 channel system but I am not as critical. I will try a few of your recommendations.

I'm confused as to what you purchased - a "regular" DVD that is of concert/videos with associated music, or some of the special DVDs that were audio only but recording in 96/24 two-channel, or something else? I agree that it's probably just bad luck in the titles you've chosen, especially if it's the 96/24 DVDs - they were largely very good sounding but had a very limited catalog. If you're looking for really well done concert footage on DVD with excellent sound, I'd recommend the new U2 and the new Nine Inch Nails concert DVDs. You really need to have 5.1 channels for these - definitely not an audiophile experience, but the closest thing to a real concert I've ever had in my house. Obviously you have to like the music (and I like the U2 a lot more than the NIN), but they're great show pieces for the system. -Kirk

Hey Gold, assuming you are happy with your system when listening to cd's or lp's or whatever, it almost has to be the titles. I doubt if it is the player, the 9000's that I have listened to sound fine. I had the same problem when I first started buying music DVDs. I do listen in 5.1 sometimes, but usually prefer 2 ch. I have some that the audio is so bad on I can't stand to put them in. But others are very good. Check out Sting's brand new day tour live from the Universal Amphitheatre. It's hands down my fav. right now. The Eagles, hell freezes over, The Coors, live at Royal Albert hall, and Elton John, one night only, all have pretty good sound too. Hang in there, I'm sure you can find some that you will like. Hope this helps a little.
Good luck,
Jamie

Hi Gold, so long as you are not talking about DVDA, which your Sony is not designed for, it is probably the titles you chose. Which ones do you have? Tom