Holiday Music to Surround You
Monster Music’s surround sound music makes it easy to fill your home with great music
I know this year my home will not just be playing my favorite Vince Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown Christmas music…It will be absolutely FILLED with the sounds of dancing piano notes and angelic voices singing “Christmas time is here.” Reminding me of my late husband, Mario’s love for the album.
The other day I shared Monster Music’s high definition surround sound, music DVD with my friend who had given up listening to music. She felt music had lost its heart. She sat in my living room, feeling as though she was surrounded by musicians, the room alive with music and what the audiophiles call “musicality” (see blogs from June 6th & June 9th of 2006). The music was so true that the art and expressed emotion of the music touched my friend. Tears streamed down her face, she was so moved by the music.
True music has finally returned to our sound systems. This is the new Monster Music “super disc” “high definition surround sound.” It’s the kind of music you sit down to listen to…the kind of music you soak up with a glass of wine or tea. The kind of music that lifts your spirits and takes stress away. (Which I particularly need at this hectic time of year.) And unlike previous surround sound music (like DVD Audio or SACD), it plays in any ordinary DVD player. Simply be sure your DVD player is connected with a digital audio cable--an optical or coaxial digital sound cable to any digital surround sound receiver and 5.1 speakers (that’s your five speakers and the subwoofer).. You should already be have it connected this way to listen to surround sound for your DVD movies. Prior to the Monster Music discs, the only way to have gotten this kind of surround sound for music has been with DVD Audio and SACD formats --these formats required a more expensive DVD that could decode the formats and 6 analog line audio cables to connect to the a/v receiver.
So far Monster has 5 titles. Each comes with the high definition super disc and a separate CD for CD players. The high definition super discs have bonus videos as well as digital files to be put on your iPod or other portable player. Even these digital music files blow away the sound of your typical digital music. These MP3 or iTunes songs,will FILL your head with sound because they are encoded with “Dolby Headphone Surround.” When using headphones, this premium format creates an experience of the music coming from distinct areas of the room around you. You might even find yourself looking over your shoulder for that piano solo!
Two of Monster’s DVD collection are actual music video DVDs, that is there is a video to watch along with the music. Watching and listening or just listening, the sound is magnificent. Again, the way music was intended.
Treat yourself to what feels like a “live performance” this holiday with the Vince Guaraldi Charlie Brown Super Disc or a compilation of Charlie Brown and other Christmas music on the Charlie Brown 40 year Christmas disc now with acclaimed pianist David Benoit and incredible artists like Vanessa Williams, Chaka Khan, Brian McKnight, and Norman Brown,
Or buy a disc for a jazz lover with the George Benson/Al Jarreau Super Disc called “Givin’ it Up” (it’s absolutely exquisite sound) that features artists like Herbie Hancock and Sir Paul McCartney, or Ray Charles duets with everyone from Elton John to Norah Jones to Latin great Poncho Sanchez.
Be sure that you are buying the Monster Music version of these CDs.
Believe me, if you don’t have a musician in the house these holidays, Monster Music is the next best thing.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
