Rush - new 2015 vinyl and hi-res reissues thread. (Part 2)

This will be the last comment from me on this as well. If the labels don't provide the information they can't put it on their site, simple as that. When the labels give them something they post it. To blame HDtracks and all the other download sites for not providing this information is just plain ignorance on the part of anyone who feels that way. These companies are retailers not private investigators or invetegative reporters which is what they would need to be to find most of this information out. Take a look at Pono. They have had to hire a industry insider to try to find information out and they still can't get that much information out of the labels.

Alright, rant over, sorry. Back to normal programming.

 

Got my LPs of AFTK and Hemispheres via Amazon Prime.

I had to play Hemispheres first....

Flat....dead quiet...sounds really good....sounds, well - like a CD.

I did a back to back playing of my noisy original copy - I dunno know.

The original LP sounds 'blacker' - more organic - more....analog - even if noisier.

Yes, the new release is clearer, more audible detail, but it sounds more 'mono' - soundstage is more centralized, and not as 'tall' from top to bottom.

It sounds like a CD - that is good - I guess.

Hmm....more time is needed for comparisons.

 

If they can't provide the real details, then they should provide real samples of the high quality downloadable FLAC files so we can determine what we like or don't. To provide compressed, lossy formatted samples for "Hirez" sites is unacceptable.

 

Can anyone tell me how to generate one of those spectrum analysis graphs in order to see if a hi-rez file is truly hi-rez or upsampled? Can it be done with either Audacity or Goldwave? I can't quite figure it out.

 

The files would be too big for most to instantly stream. There should be no reason you can't figure out what the tracks sound like with the files they provide.

 

In Audacity 2.1.0, after you load the file, you can click the dropdown arrow in the waveform window next to the filename and choose spectrogram.

E.g.,
(of the original Acoustic Sounds/SuperHiRez faulty upload of AFTK):


(And of the corrected upload):


Hope this helps.

 

Interesting, considering Sean Magee told me directly on Twitter that he mastered the album from the vinyl master tape.

To me, this is the warmest and most analogue-sounding of the vinyl reissues thus far.

 

I'll spend some more time comparing the LPs.

First impressions to my ears are that this new release on vinyl has a 'smiley' eq sound to it - clearer top to bottom but 'squished' dynamics and soundstaging.

 

If this has a smiley EQ I would hate to hear what it would sound like without the smiley EQ.

 

So, did it happen AGAIN--was a 24/44.1 file upsampled to 24/96 mistakenly sent to the hi-res sites for distribution?

I think someone might need to alert Sean Magee on Twitter that the same mistake that happened with AFTK appears to have happened with Hemispheres . . .

 

This is a spectrogram of Cygnus X-1 zoomed in at the peaks of the waveforms so you can really see what the extension is like. Even though it's not plentiful, there's stuff up to almost 30kHz and the roll-off in response after that is gradual, not the buzz-saw line you'd see if this had been upsampled. No need to get out the pitchforks and torches this time, boys.

 

Thanks, Crimsum, that does help. I'm still getting familiar with Audacity and haven't found all the options.

 

Eq and dynamics feel just right to me. The 80's CD is much brighter (but still quite listenable and has its appeal). The Sector mastering is dull and flat both when it comes to eq and dynamics. The 1997 remaster is hard on the ears. Don't have the SACD.

 

Agree with all those release specific comments. I don't understand the earlier comment that the new vinyl sounds like a cd. I have all the cds and this one walks all over them in every aspect. The SACD is a close second and a close third is my "HW" (Howie Weinberg) vinyl from God knows when.....

 

I don't know what's going on with your download, but I ran my 96/24 HDtracks Cygnus X1 through Audacity and had data all the way up to about 39Khz... Mine is good to go. I stated this a few pages back.

 

Very nice. What program is this?

 

It's a 24bit file, you're hiding data by cutting off the spectrum at -90dB.

 

Not sure what happened in Audacity, but I ran it through Spek and it looks better.
Doesn't look to be a need for 192, no information past the mid 40k's.

 

IMO there's never a need for 192, but we won't go there. Oh.
So what's that tiny blank section with no data about? 25% in or so.

Just kidding. I kid.

 

I was waiting for that! The missing 2 seconds, news at 11!

 

When you say "the 80's CD", which pressing are you referring to? I find the US "silverface" to be quite a bit brighter, but to my ear, the original Anthem pressing sounds relatively close to the new 2015 remaster. On another note, has anyone else noticed the slight dropout/tape damage during the first cymbal hit on "Circumstances"? It's there on the Anthem pressing as well, but much less pronounced...perhaps more deterioration after 30- odd years. Either that or I'm nuts, which is always a very real possibility.

 

Does the eight track have the two second gap?

 

I'm referring to the west german "Atomic" 80's CD.

Don't think it's a tape problem on Circumstances. Rather an effect used on the overhead microphones that happens to make that cymbal hit sound like it does. Forgot what it's called, but it has a slight "flanging" and smoothing effect. Neil and/or Terry Brown seem to have liked it those days since especially Caress of Steel and AFTK have the same kind of thing.

I think it's on all versions of the album I have, but you are right it's easier to detect on the 2015 remaster.

 

I'd say there are now more posts mocking people discussing "the gap" than posts about the issue itself. Seriously, if you can't stand people discussing a new mastering of a favourite album in detail, why are you here in the first place? Leave a gap will you! And preferably longer than two seconds.

 

Once more: 24 bits have a dynamic range of 144dB. Your Audacity plot went down to -90dB only, while your Spek plot cuts off at -120dB. In the latter program, use Ctrl-down to lower the limit of the dynamic range to uncover all information.