The 2003 and 2011 5.1 Surround Mixes of Dark Side of the Moon Are Actually the Same James Guthrie Remix

The short answer: yes, they are the same mix. The 5.1 surround mix of Dark Side of the Moon was created by longtime Pink Floyd engineer James Guthrie in 2003, originally for the SACD release. That exact same mix was carried over unchanged for the 2011 Immersion box set’s Blu-ray. If you compare them blind, the channel positioning, the panning of the footsteps, the way “Money”’s cash registers swirl around the room—everything is identical.

The only differences come down to format and authoring. The 2003 SACD uses DSD (Direct Stream Digital) at 2.8224 MHz, while the 2011 Blu-ray is stored as 24-bit/96 kHz LPCM. Some ears claim the SACD feels slightly warmer or more “analog” in the stereo field, and the Blu-ray might have a marginally tighter low end, but these are playback chain differences, not mix changes. The Immersion set also includes a separate stereo remaster, but the 5.1 track is just a repackaged version of Guthrie’s 2003 work.

So if you own the SACD, you don’t need the Blu-ray for the surround experience alone. The Immersion box scores points for the extras—photos, vinyl, Blu-ray documentary—but the 5.1 mix itself is a straight lift. Guthrie has said he was happy with it the first time and saw no reason to tweak it.