Hi-Res Download News (HDTracks, ProStudioMasters, Pono, etc.) & Software/Mastering Part 12**

It is broken. Only accepts 2 releases at a time now. Also, the albums are showing in search as available as both 192 and 96/24, but the only option on the album pages is 192. Presumably, this is fallout from the watermarking scandal, and they're in the process of replacing files on the servers.

 

Just a little vent of a 1st world problem: HDTracks keeps dumping my wishlist!!! Think this is the 3rd or 4th time....ahhhhhhh!! If Pono even had a wishlist, I'd buy all my downloads there.

 

In the past, HDTracks has removed the 24/96 option on certain albums, only to bring the option back shortly afterwards. Don't know why.

Last time it happened, they had a rather good coupon offer, which I couldn't take advantage of because only the pricier options (24/192) were available at the time. I was not happy.

 

Slightly off topic, does anyone know of any valid coupon codes for HDTracks at the moment?

 

HDJAN08
15% off new releases and all soundtracks. Expires today at midnight.

 

Also,

FACEBOOK10
10% off, site-wide. Never expires. Can't be combined with other coupons, though; I use it when there's nothing else.

 

Here's an old thread on MQA that could be revived:

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/new-meridian-audio-format-creating-quite-a-buzz.398901/

 

HDTracks facebook:

ALBUM OF THE DAY SALE: FOR TODAY ONLY, GET 25% OFFCreedence Clearwater Revival. Pick it up at http://www.hdtracks.com/…/creedence-clearwater-revival-1735… using code CREEDENCEDAY and don't forget to check back each day to see what our sale of the day will be!

 

$14.99 at Pono...and you can purchase individual tracks...

 

Randy Leasure (PonoMusic)
This week's Album of the Week is the massively successful album Kick from INXS that spawned the hits "Need You Tonight", "Devil Inside" and "Never Tear Us Apart". Now available at 44.1kHz/24bit for a special limited time price in US and Canada!



https://www.ponomusic.com/ccrz__CCP...&artistId=of:dccc11d637994caea91ccf414fd37dbd

 

COMING TOMORROW to HDtracks...

Panic! At The Disco - Death Of A Bachelor
Smokey Robinson - Going To A Go-Go
Four Tops - Four Tops
Bette Midler - A Gift Of Love...

and many more...

 

I'm new to Musicscope, judging by the graphic does this mean that Neil Young's supposed to be 192/24 is actually 96/24 at best? I have checked lots of his Pono high resolution albums and 90% of them based on the graphic below are not true 192/24

 

Doesn't look like 192khz, first track from "Fork In The Road"

 

Supposed to be 192khz, Live At The Cellar Door 1970

 

Forum genius Archimago did a nice breakdown a few years ago of suspected sacd's...
http://archimago.blogspot.com/2013/07/list-suspected-44-or-48khz-pcm.html
For those you posted I think 96 should of been sufficient
Now if Pono were offering both at different price structures I would be ticked off...
Kind of why I think that 'Vote' for Hi-rez is kind of a marketing joke...
has anything voted been released yet? Not sure
Pono had good intentions and now with Bruce gone as the gate keeper not sure what the future holds, as for me besides the new Rush I've completely stopped buying hi-rez, I have no trust in the labels...

 

MPS titles are on sale for 20% off now at ProStudioMasters. They aren't available on HDtracks or SuperHiRez. "The Aura Will Prevail" is just awesome.

 

Nothing wrong here. These are analog recordings. Did you expect -30dB noise at 96kHz?

 

= Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds

 

You'll see this picture for a lot of albums (esp. non-classical), where this is no discernible difference between a 24/96 and 24/192 offering, assuming they are from the same mastering.

Some people will hear a difference between these samples rates - which may be due to their DAC performing better at a particular sample rate; may be due to their hearing; may be due to their perception - I don't knock any of it, because I'm not listening to their equipment with their ears.

If people can hear the difference, and are happy to (sometimes) pay extra for the higher sample rate, and have the storage capacity for the larger files - more power to them.

The best advice I can give, is, if you are able to, purchase your favourite album in both resolutions - and listen to it using your DAC/equipment chain.
If you hear a difference and have a preference for the 24/192 - you'll know to purchase 24/192 albums in the future.
If you are happy with 24/96 - save yourself the money, bandwidth and storage space.

 

But they compressed the hell out of it. What's wrong with these people?

 

Re: Izzy Stradlin, the compression isn't awful, but it wasn't necessary. It's not a distorted mess, but they cut it down to DR7 (24/192 version). The original CD was 10.8.

 

Oh, man...okay...you may have saved me some coin here...I was looking forward to this one...best album released from any of the original ex-GN'R alum, IMO....

I usually don't like dismissing a reissue outright due to DR, I'd still like a listen, but, I suppose that's not encouraging. Then again, I enjoy quite a few hi-res releases that others on here seem to dismiss simply due to some moderately applied digital compression. Louder is not always worse, in all cases, so long as there isn't unnecessary peak-limiting done to the point of causing audible distortions...

 

It doesn't sound distorted to me. In fact, I think it sounds pretty good on first listen. It reminds me a bit of the Aerosmith releases -- louder than they need to be.

My initial reaction was only to the DR numbers, not the sound itself.

 

It's funny that you happened to mention the Aerosmith releases, because I was listening to a hires download of Get a Grip the other day, and I thought it sounded atrocious...

Having said that, I haven't heard any of the older Aerosmith analog tape transfers, which people seem to enjoy, so, I don't really know if they all sound that bad.

Have you heard Get a Grip, by any chance?