I did not like them either. I should mention that you and I are in the minority with that opinion. To me they sounded thin with an annoying top end. I prefer the sound of the Rhino vinyl releases way more than those initial HdTracks. So....I was prepared to buy the new 2015 hi res files but must confess to being utterly confused with some of the reports of different masterings 24/96 vs 24/192 etc etc
Just buy the 192/24 and you are fine, if you like how the org-cd's are eq'd i think you would like these as well. There are similarities but the new ones are more detailed in an A/B comparison. The biggest problem as many have pointed out is the production making these sound kinda weird.
Yes, I seem to remember hearing that. I like it - the human element. Something that future VH records didn't have as much.
The original HDtracks albums sounded almost exactly like all my original vinyl and like the original CDs but because of the hi res it had a better 3dness to it. That being said these new ones sound similar to the original masters and the previous HDtracks versions but they are less harsh in the high end and they have a touch more bass. I prefer these and are probably my go to versions except for the the S/T which my Hoffman vinyl and gold CD are preferable even thought the bass is cleaner and tighter on this version. The EQ on the Hoffman versions is definitely better though.
More VH? Seriously? ...I'd much rather just round out my vinyl collection. All I need is a good Diver Down, a Quiex 1984, and a big chunk of change for the German For Unlawful. And I'd still probably come out much cheaper than these.
bought the 1984 CD release and to be honest it doesnt sound much different to my ears than the box set previously released and it is too loud as well....
I'm not sure why people are not happy with the 2000 HDCD remasters, I enjoy the hell out of them. I'll avoid these new remasters.
1984 has the strangest EQ (to me) on all the formats I have heard of it. For that reason, I have always had trouble listening to it.
You make a valid point. To be honest I never knew they were HDCD until I got an Oppo player and all of a sudden they started sounding good LOL. I never played them much since I have original vinyl, but now that they are decoded properly, they sound great.
True. Not enough human element these days in many recordings. Too many things are so perfected and sanitized because of protools etc. As Ace Frehley apparently said when Paul Stanley told him to remove some of his jewelry that was clanging against the guitar, "It's rock and roll!"
I think you're right. If the mix he's working from has the bass too low (and it does, imo), there's only so much you can do mastering wise. You can't just add a lot of DB in the low frequency without making it boomy and affecting the way everything else sounds negatively.
My initial observations after downloading the 192 files from hdtracks, is that these are much more listenable than the previous 2013 192 files that I've had since they came out. Had never been too happy with those; the 2015 files definitely have more low end and a much less harsh high freq's to my ears in my system. I think I'll be happy with these. So far have only listened to the first songs from 1984 backward through Fair Warning, along with the 2 reunion tracks. Love those reunion songs btw. Pretty wild to now hear actual bass on the Kink's cover that leads Diver Down. Also, I can't detect much compression at all, sounds dynamic so far.
I'm curious how the new vinyl compare to the 24/192 downloads - heck if they sound the same and are the same price, well....
If you buy the whole hi res box set with the 15% off coupon the hi res will be cheaper and a more accurate representation of the music.
