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

what I find off-putting is the conversions get made, and sources get released, and we are left to guess as to the process-no fingerprints, no source info.

 

To me, noise at more than double the frequency that I can hear, at a volume lower than than I could hear it if it was a a frequency I could hear, isn't a big deal, but I prefer it filtered because who knows what effect all that ultrasonic noise has on my equipment's ability to properly render what I can hear. So, I agree, it may well affect the sound (just not because I'm actually hearing it) and I prefer to have it filtered.

 

Just purchased Elvis Costello's My Aim Is True 24/192. I compared it to my 2007 CD remaster. My initial reaction is it jumps out of the speakers. I am hoping this is not all due to its dynamic range being much lower. I need to do more critical listening, but this will be my party version!

Analyzed: Costello, Elvis / My Aim Is True 24/192 [2015]
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DR Peak RMS Duration Track
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DR9 -0.70 dB -11.81 dB 1:23 01-Welcome To The Working Week
DR8 -0.67 dB -10.40 dB 3:32 02-Miracle Man
DR7 -0.58 dB -9.76 dB 2:40 03-No Dancing
DR7 -0.59 dB -9.42 dB 2:50 04-Blame It On Cain
DR8 -0.55 dB -11.60 dB 3:24 05-Alison
DR8 -0.73 dB -10.16 dB 2:10 06-Sneaky Feelings
DR7 -0.44 dB -9.90 dB 2:46 07-(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
DR9 -0.52 dB -11.54 dB 3:15 08-Less Than Zero
DR8 -0.80 dB -11.32 dB 1:37 09-Mystery Dance
DR9 -0.34 dB -10.72 dB 2:33 10-Pay It Back (\)
DR9 -0.36 dB -10.82 dB 3:00 11-I'm Not Angry
DR8 -0.56 dB -10.67 dB 3:22 12-Waiting For The End Of The World
DR8 -0.06 dB -10.86 dB 3:45 13-Watching The Detectives (Single Version)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of tracks: 13
Official DR value: DR8
Samplerate: 192000 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 6110 kbps
Codec: FLAC

Analyzed: Costello, Elvis / My Aim Is True [RM 2007]
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DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR11 0.00 dB -12.72 dB 1:23 01-Welcome to the Working Week
DR11 -0.27 dB -13.09 dB 3:33 02-Miracle Man
DR11 -0.52 dB -13.58 dB 2:43 03-No Dancing
DR12 -0.43 dB -14.11 dB 2:54 04-Blame It on Cain
DR11 -0.23 dB -14.43 dB 3:26 05-Alison
DR11 -0.23 dB -13.32 dB 2:12 06-Sneaky Feelings
DR12 -0.09 dB -14.38 dB 2:50 07-(The Angels Wanna Wear) My Red Shoes
DR12 -0.23 dB -14.07 dB 3:19 08-Less Than Zero
DR9 -0.23 dB -12.16 dB 1:37 09-Mystery Dance
DR12 -0.43 dB -14.47 dB 2:36 10-Pay It Back
DR11 -0.23 dB -13.05 dB 3:02 11-I'm Not Angry
DR11 -0.23 dB -13.47 dB 3:27 12-Waiting for the End of the World
DR12 -0.23 dB -14.67 dB 3:46 13-Watching the Detectives
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of tracks: 13
Official DR value: DR11
Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16

 

You just saved me some money. I have the two disc Rhino, and I just ran the offline DR meter to see where it stood. Looks like the '07 is pretty darn close to the Rhino. Dissapointing for the label to squash the dynamics when doing a hi-rez transfer.

Analyzed folder: /Volumes/1TB WD iTunes Drive/iTunes Media 1TB Drive/Music/Elvis Costello/My Aim Is True
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DR Peak RMS Filename
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DR11 -0.00 dB -12.66 dB 01 Welcome To The Working Week.m4a
DR11 -0.20 dB -13.16 dB 02 Miracle Man.m4a
DR11 -0.57 dB -13.58 dB 03 No Dancing.m4a
DR12 -0.46 dB -14.11 dB 04 Blame It On Cain.m4a
DR11 -0.23 dB -14.42 dB 05 Alison.m4a
DR11 -0.23 dB -13.31 dB 06 Sneaky Feelings.m4a
DR12 -0.21 dB -14.37 dB 07 (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes.m4a
DR12 -0.23 dB -14.07 dB 08 Less Than Zero.m4a
DR9 -0.23 dB -12.16 dB 09 Mystery Dance.m4a
DR12 -0.47 dB -14.47 dB 10 Pay It Back.m4a
DR11 -0.23 dB -13.08 dB 11 I'm Not Angry.m4a
DR11 -0.23 dB -13.46 dB 12 Waiting For The End Of The World.m4a
DR12 -0.23 dB -14.67 dB 13 Watching The Detectives.m4a
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of files: 13
Official DR value: DR11

 

We have been screaming this from the mountain tops for 5 years now.

 

Nothing wrong there, in my opinion. That looks just like the usual Columbia pre-20k cutoff of the era. I get it also when transferring vintage Columbia AAA vinyl to 24/96. It's probably on the tapes.

Or do you mean the noise band in the upper frequencies?

 

Compared to my early Columbia CD it really is a travesty....

foobar2000 1.3.8 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2015-10-10 12:35:40

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Elvis Costello / My Aim Is True
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR13 -0.28 dB -17.12 dB 1:23 01-Welcome to the Working Week
DR13 -1.97 dB -17.70 dB 3:33 02-Miracle Man
DR12 -1.74 dB -16.54 dB 2:43 03-No Dancing
DR13 -1.76 dB -17.44 dB 2:53 04-Blame It on Cain
DR14 -0.77 dB -19.59 dB 3:26 05-Alison
DR13 -2.33 dB -18.51 dB 2:11 06-Sneaky Feelings
DR14 -4.50 dB -20.87 dB 3:48 07-Watching the Detectives
DR14 0.00 dB -16.84 dB 2:50 08-(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
DR15 -1.21 dB -19.01 dB 3:13 09-Less Than Zero
DR13 -0.06 dB -16.69 dB 1:38 10-Mystery Dance
DR14 -0.60 dB -17.72 dB 2:36 11-Pay It Back
DR14 -0.67 dB -18.23 dB 2:57 12-I'm Not Angry
DR14 0.00 dB -18.04 dB 3:22 13-Waiting for the End of the World
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 13
Official DR value: DR14

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 800 kbps
Codec: ALAC
================================================================================

 

Just the upper, Yeah my vinyl transfers never even look that bad...

 

My suggestion for anyone unsure about the Elvis Costello stuff is to go to Pono and buy a single track to compare. Will set you back 3 bucks and you can decide for yourself. I did that but have not compared yet.

 

I would bet my bottom dollar the difference between the 96 and 192 version ain't worth 11 sheckels..not on any day of the week.

 

I feel very confident that it isn't worth $3 for me to see if something that was original DR14, now squeezed to DR8 will sound better. 6dB of compression is a lot!

Please let us know how your comparison turns out, though!

 

Okay... Compared "Watching the Detectives"- the original Columbia cd to the 192/24 from Pono. Yes, the Columbia is quieter and there's obviously more dynamic range at the top end BUT that range can get annoying. Some of the sounds get high enough to cause wincing. The Hi-res version has much more of an even, warmer sound and holds together at all volumes. The bass has much more of a rich tone. Yes, you'd have to turn it down to volume match with the Columbia but to me this sounds obviously better. MEMS... You engineer types can take it from here.

Edit- Costello's vocals are also more present on the hi res

PS- run to Pono and buy the Heart stuff. Wow! You can even buy individual songs like I did and make your own greatest hits comp.

 

Well, I don't have an SACD player (and certainly not a method of ripping them), so I would love to have some of those titles available for download. I just want to know what I am buying.

 

How are the tracks from Little Queen? Compressed much?

Pat

 

I bought tracks from all the new albums and they're all better than their AF gold counterpart by a lot.

 

Hi, everyone. I check back every once in a while to ask what the best releases of the past few months have been.

Can you guys offer some of the best-sounding releases of the year? I'm looking for some suggestions of more contemporary music, as well as remasters of older music. Thanks!

 

Posted my comments. Will say that this is definitely a judgement call and would be wrong to call the 192/24 an ear bleeder or anything. I think the compression tames the dynamics without sacrificing anything. It's just more pleasing to listen to, especially at higher volumes. And it's more layered the way hi res normally is- more three dimensional. Definitely not a blow you away improvement though.

 

Hey Marc,
You turned me on by recommending the Sundown PONO download.
What other PONO hirez downloads (rock/pop/R&B) do you recommend that you can't already get on SACD?

Thanks in advance!

 

There's so many it's hard to answer. And sometimes you're better off buying from HDTracks if there's a sale. Also HDTracks takes PayPal, Pono doesn't. You'll find opinions all over here and also on the thread I started called Hi res stuff you've purchased (or something like that). You can do a search. There's also a thread devoted to stuff that Pono has that you can get way cheaper than Amazon. If you message me with particular stuff I can tell you if I have it or not and give you my opinion but that's just gonna be MEMS (my ears, my system)

 

which is something I still don't understand and the reason why I've bought maybe only one-tenth of my hi-res music from Pono. that they're an online store refusing to use PayPal in 2015 makes zero sense.

 

https://www.facebook.com/NeilYoung/posts/10156080248140317:0

Pono store opening in UK and Canada in November. Fantastic news.

 

HRA are only selling the 24/96 version. They tend to be a tad more discriminating when accepting files supplied by the record companies.
I should have listened to the head, rather than the heart - but I'm guilty of expecting/hoping for the best when it comes to my favourite artists/albums.

Not the first time I've been bitten, and I'm sure it won't be the last, either.
What with dubious provenance hi-res audio releases, poor/inferior mastering and the seemingly random quality of new vinyl releases - I kind of wish I could turn back the clock, when I would listen to music on a cheap 'hi-fi' stack and just enjoy the music...

 

I agree some are great, some are just a sideways move... and some are just flat out mastered poorly
The new Rush and Simon & Garfunkel masters are my most enjoyable
I guess it would be easier for someone just starting out, my problem is that I already have quite a bit of what's being re-released of bands I enjoy, so it's very frustrating doing research every damn time something is released...

 

Thanks for the comment!
Trying to get an opinion on the Darkness on the Edge of Town and early Paul Simon 24/96 downloads.

 

Don't have the Springsteen but like the new Simon remasters a lot. The ones from this year.