These two albums aren't my favorite surround mixes, but they are everything I love about DVD-A and why I (heresy alert) prefer it to SACD.
Nick of Time has a large, non discreet surround mix on most tracks (it works better for the blues numbers than the pop stuff), but a couple tunes like "Have a Heart" do have some dedicated instrumentation in the rears. Not the best mix I've heard, but not the worst either. What I really like about the DVD-A is that it most closely replicates the "vinyl experience" as any digital album I've found. The album lets you select a slide show, track credits or lyrics for each song as it plays. This, to me, mirrors how I generally enjoy a record. I look at the album art, read lyrics or see who played what as I listen to an album. That was the same thing I found myself doing with this disc.
Buena Vista Social Club did far more than just replicate the vinyl experience. It turned the whole thing into an interactive documentary. Since the album was a collaborative effort, with many people playing on different tracks, there are detailed credits for each track. In addition, there are extensive liner notes for each track which give background on the song, the performers and the recording. I found this to be incredibly helpful as I know almost nothing about Cuban music. If all of that wasn't enough, there is also a video documentary on the disc. If Nick of Time is like digital vinyl, this one is like a digital box set with a 30 page book included. The only down side is that Ry did the surround mix himself, which I think was a mistake. It is a basic three channel theater type mix, with only light ambiance in the rears. The good news is that you can also listen to the superior stereo mix in high resolution as you peruse the other features.
