HDTracks News (part 7)

So I am thinking about the complete CCR set. I know that these have been released in Hi Rez before. My question is are these new PCM versions on HD Tracks, the same as the DSD-SACD versions done by Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman that can be purchased individually at Acoustic Sounds?

Thanks.

 

Trouble In Paradise is actually less-compressed than its predecessor, which was squashed-to-death.

 

I purchased Rush's The Spirit of Radio 96/24 last night. Sounds fantastic. I'm very new to computer audio and amazed how good it can sound. It's really dangerous having high quality music available for instant purchase though!

 

No..all but Mardi Gras were all newly remastered by Paul Blakemore. He is pretty well respected from what I can see.

Mardi Gras has a copy of the Wikipedia info for the album: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mardi_Gras_(album)).
So I'm not sure if they just sent the wrong info and Blakeman remastered it or if it's truly an older remaster.

 

Thanks, has anyone compared the new HD releases to the older Hoffman ones?

 

I picked up the QMS and the Canned Heats. The first Quicksilver sounds great, but not so sure the Happy Trails is any better than the Japanese remasters from a couple of years ago. Both Canned Heat albums are great, but I only wish that they had joined the epic Refried Boogie parts 1 and 2 on Living The Blues.

Neil

 

Will someone buy "Song About Jane" and post the dynamic range? The original CD from 2003 is DR6. I would buy this in a heartbeat if it were actually less limited...if it's "just" the 24/96 of a CD master, ehh...maybe....when money is more plentiful than this month.

I can't tell from their awful clips--they should simly turn those off. I DON'T buy things more for hearing their terrible clips...my 192 mp3 I made of my CD IN 2003 (with something like LameENC maybe?) sounds amazingly better than whatever those little clips are...

 

I've just done a quick comparison between two tracks from their debut. The HDTracks ones are a bit louder (and more compressed)

foobar2000 1.3.1 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2014-08-07 00:54:00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Creedence Clearwater Revival / Creedence Clearwater Revival
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR10 0.00 dB -12.22 dB 3:51 07-Gloomy
DR9 0.00 dB -10.83 dB 4:39 08-Walk On The Water
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 2
Official DR value: DR10

Samplerate: 192000 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 5278 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================

And the Steve Hoffman & Kevin Gray SACD:

foobar2000 1.3.1 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2014-08-07 00:56:21

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Creedence Clearwater Revival / Creedence Clearwater Revival
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR12 -1.00 dB -15.70 dB 3:52 7/12-Gloomy
DR12 -1.00 dB -14.83 dB 4:40 8/12-Walk on the Water
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 2
Official DR value: DR12

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 1593 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================

This goes for the rest of the albums as well. The Hoffman/Gray SACD's are less compressed (and less hissy) and more natural sounding.
I would recommend you buy either the SACD's or the vinyl. Skip the HDTracks

 

Has anyone bought any of the Monkees, especially "Greatest Hits"? I am interested but not sure how much better they are than regular 44/16. Thanks!

 

Thanks, actually the Grey/Hoffmans are available as DSD downloads at Acoustic Sounds

 

DR 7 from the DR Database. DR 9 is usually as low as I go unless the title is very compelling.

 

Nope. After having purchased a handful of different CCR mastering incarnations over the years, once I found the SH-mastered series on APO there was no going back. Since they're available as hi-res downloads from Acoustic Sounds, there was no reason to buy the ones on HDtracks. They will never sound better, IMHO.

 

Understandable. I loved the debut, but it's a chore to listen to. This one is actually much, much better to my ears - both the dynamic range and the EQ, which is deep-bass heavy (I don't mind that so much).

DR Database Values
La Roux- Min: 03, Max: 06, Avg: 05
Trouble In Paradise - Min: 06, Max: 08, Avg: 07

So the average here is higher than the max on the last record... I found it compressed, but not compressed to death.

 

Not good news on the Spoon as far as compression goes, above is the HDtracks version, below is the less compressed mastered for itunes. I listened to it via spotify in my car today and thought it sounded pretty good with really nice low end (and my car system isn't that bad) so I went and bought the vinyl. We listened to it during dinner and immediately I thought it sounded much more distorted and clipped at times. I thought maybe it was just the vinyl but I cleaned it on my VPI and I cleaned my stylus but nope, still clipped sounding. Hopefully the download card I have is the same as the mastered for itunes version. It's a great record musically but I'm really tiring of all this compression and clipped music, I want to hear the the vibration of the kick drum not some fuzzy sound. I blame Dangermouse for that crap. Oh well, at least I know I don't need the HDtracks version.

foobar2000 1.3.2 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2014-08-05 18:50:07

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Spoon / They Want My Soul (HDtracks)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR5 -1.50 dB -8.87 dB 3:09 01-Rent I Pay
DR5 0.00 dB -7.18 dB 5:02 02-Inside Out
DR3 0.00 dB -4.91 dB 3:58 03-Rainy Taxi
DR4 0.00 dB -5.33 dB 3:33 04-Do You
DR5 0.00 dB -6.87 dB 4:39 05-Knock Knock Knock
DR5 0.00 dB -5.84 dB 4:22 06-Outlier
DR4 0.00 dB -6.06 dB 3:22 07-They Want My Soul
DR4 0.00 dB -5.34 dB 2:38 08-I Just Don't Understand
DR4 0.00 dB -6.35 dB 3:26 09-Let Me Be Mine
DR4 0.00 dB -5.86 dB 3:27 10-New York Kiss
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 10
Official DR value: DR4

Samplerate: 96000 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 3557 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================


foobar2000 1.3.2 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2014-08-01 04:29:01

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Spoon / They Want My Soul
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR5 -3.39 dB -10.71 dB 3:09 01-Rent I Pay
DR6 -0.63 dB -9.00 dB 5:02 02-Inside Out
DR5 0.00 dB -6.73 dB 3:58 03-Rainy Taxi
DR5 0.00 dB -7.16 dB 3:33 04-Do You
DR7 0.00 dB -8.61 dB 4:39 05-Knock Knock Knock
DR6 -0.17 dB -7.66 dB 4:22 06-Outlier
DR6 -0.07 dB -7.89 dB 3:22 07-They Want My Soul
DR6 0.00 dB -7.12 dB 2:38 08-I Just Don't Understand
DR6 0.00 dB -8.07 dB 3:26 09-Let Me Be Mine
DR6 0.00 dB -7.57 dB 3:27 10-New York Kiss
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 10
Official DR value: DR6

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bitrate: 271 kbps
Codec: AAC
================================================================================

 

Do you mean the 2005 Japanese mini-LP (CD) release? If so, the mastering is very similar, although the grungy sounds at the beginning of Who Do You Love are cleaned up better on the HDTracks, and the Hdtracks sounds a little more dynamic to me.
The first album sounds as good or better than I have ever heard it.

 

Here's what the Spoon download card file numbers look like, I wonder if I should buy the mastered for itunes version just to get a less compressed mess.

foobar2000 1.2.9 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2014-08-06 20:28:50

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Spoon / They Want My Soul
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR5 -1.69 dB -8.96 dB 3:09 01-Rent I Pay
DR5 0.00 dB -7.22 dB 5:02 02-Inside Out
DR3 0.00 dB -5.00 dB 3:58 03-Rainy Taxi
DR4 0.00 dB -5.41 dB 3:33 04-Do You
DR5 0.00 dB -6.93 dB 4:39 05-Knock Knock Knock
DR5 0.00 dB -5.90 dB 4:22 06-Outlier
DR4 0.00 dB -6.13 dB 3:22 07-They Want My Soul
DR4 0.00 dB -5.40 dB 2:38 08-I Just Don't Understand
DR4 0.00 dB -6.41 dB 3:26 09-Let Me Be Mine
DR4 0.00 dB -5.94 dB 3:27 10-New York Kiss
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 10
Official DR value: DR5

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bitrate: 320 kbps
Codec: MP3
================================================================================

 

Up to you but do you think there will be much of an audible difference between DR4 and DR6?

 

Are they still issuing coupons or having specials? I haven't received any in a while - I haven't purchased anything in a while either.

 

I bought the HDTracks "Songs About Jane" and, while I haven't done a dynamic range analysis, I can tell you that the waveforms look almost exactly like the CD version, that is, the dynamic range is equivalent (poor). I wouldn't bother with the HDtracks version.

 

I just listened to the vinyl and had the same impression: is my stylus cooked? Glad I'm not crazy.

I bought the HDTracks as well, and will listen tomorrow and report back.

 

The iTunes version is quite possibly just as compressed. Lossy files tend to register as being more dynamic, even from the same source.

 

Well, that is true. But what I've always found is that there's a dynamic range difference between tracks (lossless vs lossy, same source) which is a stop difference max...never 2 stops. As you can see some tracks of the Itunes versions have a DR difference of 2 stops (compared with the lossless versions). So I think the iTunes version is mastered differently.

 

Yeah, that sounds about right, actually.

So, the high res version has been mastered less dynamically than the Itunes, lossy version. Deeply not cool.

 

Yep. DR9 does seem to be the crossover point. Once you go lower things do tend to get ugly!