h_h,

I just realized that EasyNews has 1142 days of NNTP retention (as opposed to only about 200 using the website), so I downloaded Belbucus' '93 mix, listened to it, and it turns out that I was wrong. The Death Star sound is, in fact, exactly the same as in your mix. I just listened the DS explosion in your 5.1 mix on DJ's V3 (folded down to 2.0 by VLC) and then played the uncompressed '93 mix, and they sound identical - meaning that the reason I wasn't hearing it was because the stereo '93 mix on the V3 did have DialNorm and compression, just as you said.

So disregard everything I've said before, there is absolutely nothing wrong with your mix, it's not even an upmixing flaw. It's exactly the same as in the '93 mix.

I guess it just felt weird because 1.) those low-end sounds probably aren't as prominent when listening through speakers as opposed to headphones, and 2.) I've never actually watched the film on laserdisc, or listened to any of the lossless LD audio rips before now, so I guess I was just not used to how it's supposed to sound. (And FWIW, Mallwalker's lossless of the '85 is also louder and fuller than the DD2.0 version on the V3.)

Case closed. Excuse me while I eat my hat...