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

Agreed re: the stores. Also agree re: Kath. There are a couple acceptable options for CTA (HDT & MFSL, I'm 100% with you on the Wilson #2, & have the Quadrio #3 & #5 and that's it for me to other than a few Kath era live cd's. (If you can still find an official flac dl of Tanglewood 1970, it's excellent) I like this set, though I never understood why TK rolled back the distortion on his guitar so much. I found the dr6 on 25 or 6 to 4 unbelievable hrrid. You're right, it may be streaming: louder for the buds, + many of the crap headphones roll off the upper mids.

 

Correct. I sure hope LIB follows the pattern of WA & AR; as the digital ep is LOUD. Though having to buy vinyl to get the "bonus" of a blu-ray done right is just plain wrong.

 

Stereo versions running around 4:22 have been available for years:
Nipper's Greatest Hits - The 60's, Vol. 2 (released in 1988) - 4:19
Elvis 30 #1 Hits (DVD-Audio, don't have the CD) - 4:32
The Essential Elvis Presley - 4:22

The version on The Top Ten Hits was only 3:22.

 

Actually they do sometimes and then get very pissed off.

 

Thanks for the heads-up on Tanglewood. Just "found" a FLAC version - ran Lossless Audio Checker and looks clean. Nabbed a Chicago at the "Toronto Peace Festival 1969" as well.

The three SACD's I have - CTA, Chicago II and Chicago VI - are all by MFSL. I also have a multichannel Japanese Chicago V. So I think I'm just about done for the Kath era. I have a 3 CD-R Japanese Teichiku "Carnegie Hall" from years ago that I'll rip to see how it compares (haven't listened to it in years, perhaps even pre-Loudness Wars!).

 

Tanglewood was legally sold by Wolfgang's Vault in lossless before the corporate takeover & switch to mp3's & streaming only. I bought around 55 shows in the day from WGV; at $5 a show they were a steal.

I've never DR'd my Carnegie cd box, but I'm pretty sure it's pre- Loudness Wars.

 

Thank you and that's good to know. From what I've read about Elvis Presley releases, it can be challenging ferreting out the original hit versions of songs from alternate takes, remixes, etc. In the case of the song Suspicious Minds, it can be a convoluted and potentially costly process finding the true mix of the original hit recording if one doesn't have guidance from those in the know. Technically, I still don't have the true original hit recording in digital form because it was issued only in mono as a phonograph single. However, the versions I now have do mirror the mono, but in stereo except for the point where they fade out completely. I've read in these forums that there are versions of the song, which are remixes and that some versions are missing the horn section. At least one had the horn section digitally extracted from the mono mix and mixed into an already remixed version. Here's an example of a truly strange mix that sounds somewhat normal until bizarre phasing effects are introduced. It's this revisionism I wish to avoid when collecting and listening to music.

 

I missed out on the Wolfgang's $5 FLAC days. Too bad for me because they have some nice sounding soundboards on there (now many are $5 mp3 collections).

My 4-CD Carnegie Hall is the 2005 Rhino version. Ripped it to my JRiver library. Just eyeballing the individual song values, it looks like around a 10 overall. For a concert of that vintage, with a four-piece plus horns, it sounds pretty good to my ears.

 

The following is from Blue coast Records Newsletter. Despite the tone, they are currently wupposrting streaming for financial reasons.

"Are you prepared?

https://dsd-guide.com/what-happens-when-your-streaming-service-dies

An article in the New York Times presents an ugly picture of what might happen if Spotify goes away. But really, it applies to all streaming services. Are you keeping your entire music library on playlists and relying on big business to treat your music library as carefully as you would?

You might want to read this and prepare yourself."

 

Qobuz has regular CD quality Bob Dylan and Joni Mithell upcoming releases CD quality(44/16) release for $40, and their "HD" 44/24 for $50. Is there really a difference?

 

I've seen an ep from the Joni called "Joni Mitchell - Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 2 - Singles" with 6 new songs or versions at 192/24, & a 1 song single at 44/24. You may want to wait for release.

 

Are you talking about Joni's forthcoming "Reprise Years" Archive boxset? It's 119 tracks, 6+ hours of music. The CD quality (16-bit/44.1) version is $38.49 and the 24-bit/44.1 is $44.49. So I guess you're rounding up those prices? Even so, neither of these price points is prohibitive for the amount of JM music you're getting your hands on, IMHO; and also IMHO, yes, 24-bit/44.1 is almost always is superior to 16-bit/44.1, because for me, the real score-settler in the 16 vs. 24 bit wars is in the vocals. For my ears, the 24-bit is always clearer and easier to understand what the singer is singing. I have no experience with Bob Dylan at 24-bit so maybe he runs against all my experience and is just as good either bitdepth, I dunno.

 

The release date for Dylan Boot is next Friday. Joni is in October. If there is a true HD release for either , I cannot find a link. My question for this thread is whether there is any meaningful difference between 44/16 and 44/24 (and even more important is it worth $6 )

 

I agree that vocals is a big part of the difference, & even at 44/24 unless they used an inferior master for the 24 bit than the 16 bit (that wouldn't make sense even for the bean counters) IMO, the extra $10 is 100% worth it.

 

Wait for Friday. While I like him, I'm not a huge Dylan fan, so no idea there.

 

I wish I could spell!

 

Are you prepared?

https://dsd-guide.com/what-happens-when-your-streaming-service-dies

An article in the New York Times presents an ugly picture of what might happen if Spotify goes away. But really, it applies to all streaming services. Are you keeping your entire music library on playlists and relying on big business to treat your music library as carefully as you would?

You might want to read this and prepare yourself.
---------
Very interesting articles! I began collecting CDs in the '80s and digital audio files in the '90s. I didn't get into the streaming thing simply because I thought / think it's cool to be able to play my stuff locally without being connected to the internet. I also had / have this unfounded sense that I get better audio quality when I play music locally. I like knowing that my favorite recordings will be available tomorrow and I have scads of irreplaceable unique one-of-a-kind audio files. I'm also one of those goofballs who enjoys collecting and listening to various masterings of particular recordings.

 

Does anyone know the source of the 24/96 and 24/192 downloads for Steppenwolf and Steppenwolf The Second on HD Tracks?

Are they similar in quality to the SHM releases? Any thoughts? Anyone done any comparisons?

Thanks

 

Prepping:
Water
Food
Medications
Fire starting kit
Sleeping bags
Local music library

 

Just my opinion, but.............. Unless the mastering is awful or your hi-res player is mediocre; 24 bit will always sound better than cd.

 

I personally never stream, though I am fully digital with my audio. I keep a carefully curated FLAC (16 bit & 24 bit) library on my PC that's now close to 10 TB of data. For portable I use a FiiO M11 with 2 SD cards to carry more than I need
This just convinced me I'm doing it the right way

 

The new Barry White Greatest Hits remaster (24/192 & 24/96 versions)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Barry White / Barry White's Greatest Hits
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR10 -0.20 dB -11.86 dB 3:40 01-What Am I Gonna Do With You
DR10 -0.20 dB -11.28 dB 3:26 02-You're The First, The Last, My Everything (Edit)
DR10 -0.20 dB -12.39 dB 4:05 03-Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe
DR9 -0.20 dB -11.24 dB 3:14 04-Honey Please, Can't Ya See (Single Version)
DR10 -0.20 dB -12.46 dB 7:04 05-Love Serenade
DR9 -0.20 dB -11.05 dB 4:01 06-Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up (Single Version)
DR8 -0.20 dB -10.74 dB 3:58 07-I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby (Single Version)
DR10 -0.20 dB -13.18 dB 3:39 08-I've Found Someone
DR10 -0.20 dB -12.03 dB 3:08 09-I've Got So Much To Give
DR8 -0.20 dB -10.37 dB 5:20 10-Standing In The Shadows Of Love
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of tracks: 10
Official DR value: DR10
Samplerate: 96000 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 3165 kbps
Codec: FLAC

 

WOW! That’s a mind-blowing amount of data. I hope you have multiple backups!

Speaking of FIIO M11, how does it handle gapless playback? I had a FIIO X1 (2nd Gen) that didn’t do well in that category. My X1 (1st Gen) handles gapless far more smoothly. I’ve read that many DAPs, and even the pricier ones from FIIO, struggle with executing perfect undetectable gapless transitions from track to track.

 

Honestly I've noticed a gap MAYBE once or twice, and I've had it over a year, in use for at least 4 hours a day every day.
I'd recommend it to everyone. Additional side effect: your actual phone works better and lasts longer cause you only use is for calls and texting and not for playing music

 

Hi again all. I listened to and enjoyed the HDtracks edition of From Elvis In Memphis. While I've heard several of its songs in the past, this is the first time I listened to the album in its entirety. There are some songs on it where Elvis seems to be having fun and not taking things too seriously, and that's a good thing! Then there are quite a few true gems here! One in particular, which is new to me, is True Love Travels On A Gravel Road. It's heartfelt and beautifully performed. As for Suspicious Minds, I had previously commented that it sounded a bit too bright. Well, I've changed my opinion and I like it as much as the different mastering on the 24 Karat Hits CD. The entire HDtracks edition sounds pleasant and un-futzed with. In a time when many people are obsessed with bass to the point of distortion, this is very refreshing. As for Kentucky Rain, it too sounds excellent in my opinion and is definitely the original hit recording. It's presented in stereo unlike the original 45 rpm single and has a very different sound. For example, the female backup singers appear to be further down in the mix and I think I know why. Firstly, they are isolated to the far right in the stereo field. Secondly, the dynamic range is far wider in the stereo mix than that of the mono single. Increased compression and narrower dynamic range always force quiet passages closer to the foreground. The EQ on the mono single mix is also focused more in the vocal range. The rain in my shoes line sounds almost ghostly and more convincing in the stereo mix. The stereo mix of Kentucky Rain is the original hit recording for certain. So, in my opinion, this is a worthwhile digital release and I give it two thumbs up.