Hi-Rez Download Reviews - Comments About Music You've Purchased (or want to purchase) *Only*, Please

Any comment on how Bad Company compares with the Audio Fidelity gold cd? These are mastered by our host and sound great. There are new deluxe editions with bonus discs. So I am wondering if the hi Rez is worth having.

This is the type of decision I have with many download titles especially since I have ripped all my sacd and DVD-a discs to hi Rez files

 

I bought the non deluxe versions and think they sound a bit better than the gold cds but not by much. You DO hear the hi res benefits but it's a fairly subtle difference.

 

I bought the 2015 Diver Down 192/24 and it sounds excellent. Apparently, and strangely, the 96/24 versions have a much lower dynamic range like the new 2015 CD's according to several members so make sure to get the 192 if you do.

I don't remember the thread title, but if you search, you can find a good number of comments about the other titles. For DD, I think the 2015 was preferred over the 2013.

 

Picked up "Coltrane Plays the Blues" from HDtracks last week. Great music and very nice sounding. Like it a lot!!!

 

New from HD Tracks this week:

Harry Belafonte - Calypso
Melody Gardot - Currency of Man
Willie Nelson + Merle Haggard - Django and Jimmie
Otis Redding - The Complete Studio Albums Collection
Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate / Songs from A Room / Songs of Leonard Cohen
An American In Paris on Broadway - Original Cast Recording
Red Hot Chili Peppers - By The Way
Bill Withers - Bout Love

and more...

 

Anyone have a complete list of "And More..." ?

 

The pono 24/44 of "To Pimp a Butterfly" and "1989" are both slight improvements over their redbook equivalents. Not sure if everyone would want them but highly recommended if you don't have the CDs yet.

 

Was this ever answered? I'm curious.

 

In my opinion, the improvement was so minuscule above placebo that you should save your pennies....YMMV

 

Bought Rush "Permanent Waves" and Monkees Greatest Hits last night. They both sound. Monkees is definitely better than the redbook cd and Permanent Waves sounds phenomenal!

 

Humble Pie - Smokin' (DSD download from Acoustic Sounds) -- this is a great sounding download. Dynamic, solid bass, great voices. Enjoy.

 

Has anybody compared the last Hi-Rez Permanent Waves download (HD 96Khz) from HDTracks from a year or two ago, to the 2015 HD192Khz Remastered Version? Is there that much of a difference?

 

All the 2015 Rush releases including Permanent Waves sound much better than the previous downloads. The Sectors set were better than the remastered cd's and the newest 2015 downloads take it up at least another couple notches due to the minimal compression.

 

New Pono code DADSDAYMUSIC15OFF for 15% off min purchase of $40.

 

Stay away from R.E.M.'s Monster on HDTracks. It's not an alt mix. Entire instruments are simply missing.

The Monkees albums are not as bright as their Rhino CD counterparts.

 

Has anyone compared the Wilson Pickett HD downloads to the recent CD box set?

What about Bill Withers HD downloads versus previous CDs?

 

Is it true that some/all of The Monkees downloads contain a mix of both stereo and mono tracks?
I found the Rhino CD's too bright for my taste - and I'd love to hear them in 24-bit...but this would be a dealbreaker (either/or please Rhino!).

 

The 88/24 version on Pono is great.

 

Hutch really doesn't like this. I really like this. Here is my take on the download:
(I posted this elsewhere a while back.)


After reading about the accidental (probably) remix (sort of) that is on HDTracks I had to hear it for myself. I bought the 24-96.

I think it is the result of a mistake.

I would be upset if I had thought I was buying the original mix.

I wouldn't want to be without the original mix.

I love it. I've listened to it a lot. I can't seem to get enough.

To me, it sounds like this:
Much more dynamic.
Much "smoother".
It features the lead vocals, bass guitar, drums and just the main guitar parts. Everything else is either greatly reduced or missing.
It becomes a bass and drums driven album.

It results in a completely different take on this album and it is a take that I like. (I am aware that I may be the only person in the world that will have such a reaction.)

If you really like Monster and would like a new take on it...

 

http://monkeesmixography.wikidot.com/2013-hdtracks-downloads

Click on each album to find out which mixes it has.

 

Not sure what you mean. Are you asking are the tracks a new mix of stereo/mono, or that both versions come with the download? Either way I don't know because I only demoed them. I didn't purchase them. (yet...) I'd love to have the super deluxe version this way though (less bright).

 

The link S. P. Honeybunch supplied above answers this. It was as I'd heard and feared: rather than full stereo releases or full mono releases - several of these have a combination of stereo and mono tracks within each release. To make matters worse, some tracks are the original 60's mixes, while others are 80's remixes. Headquarters looks to be the safest bet, as that one is apparently all stereo and all original 60's mixes.

 

Actually the only albums in hi-res with mixing and matching mono and multiple newer mixes are the 1966 debut and Pisces. Birds and Bees has the newer mix of "Daydream Believer", and the rest of the tracks are original mixes.

 

Anyone heard any of the Dean Martin downloads?

http://www.hdtracks.com/music/artist/view/id/5788/

 

Strangers in the Night from Pono sounds great. Definitely recommend it.