For fans of hi res - FLAC or MQA - a question

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Hawkmoon, Mar 10, 2021.

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  1. Hawkmoon

    Hawkmoon Eternal Champion, Master of the Universe Thread Starter

    Location:
    Surrey, UK
    If you have a friend around and you want to demo to them the virtues of hi res music - do you have any go-to tracks or albums that in your view really showcase the strengths of hi res - for example that in your view are noticeable improvements on a redbook version, or are native hi res and really show it off? Don't mind if its hi res FLAC, DSD, MQA, would love to hear more about your hi res demo tracks
     
  2. klockwerk

    klockwerk Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ohio USA
    Joni Mitchell - Blue 2013 release, a number of online music venders have this. If you want to demo the real truth about hires, buy the 24 bit/192khz files and convert them to 24/96 and 16/44, and play one 'format' against another randomly.
     
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  3. klockwerk

    klockwerk Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ohio USA
    If you include the CD mastering, you are invalidating any pronouncement you might make as to how different 'hi-res' formats affect the sound.
     
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  4. Stone Turntable

    Stone Turntable Independent Head

    Location:
    New Mexico USA
    Enjoying the brief quiet and the wind sighing in the trees and the gentle chirping of the birds before the disputatious interventions descend upon this thread and the popcorn munching becomes a deafening roar.

    :-popcorn:
     
  5. Vinyl Socks

    Vinyl Socks The Buzz Driver

    Location:
    DuBois, PA
    Yeah, I'm southbound!
     
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  6. Stone Turntable

    Stone Turntable Independent Head

    Location:
    New Mexico USA
    BTW my favorite SACD for sound quality is the brilliant Hoffman-mastered disc of Nat King Cole's Love Is the Thing, but I wouldn't presume to make it a high res demo exhibit by pitting the DSD layers against the Red Book layer.
     
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  7. Thoughtships

    Thoughtships Forum Resident

    Location:
    Devon, UK
    MQA is hi res? Uh, okay...
     
  8. Veovis

    Veovis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    My view is that if you have a great sounding hi-res version of an album its because of the mastering and not the hi-res thing. I do believe I can hear a tiny difference between Joni Mitchell in 24/96 vs. 24/192 but wouldn't bet too much money on being able to pick one out from the other in a blind test. And it's impossible to say whether or not the fact that one version sounds better than the other is because of what the DAC in question does with the signal internally depending on the original bit depth and sample rate of the file.

    Having said that I do have some great sounding hi-res albums. Some of the Magee Rush remasters (yes, I've heard about the supposed water marking) in 24/192, Some of the Black Sabbath SACD:s, Joni's catalog in hi-res to name a few.
     
  9. eric777

    eric777 Astral Projectionist

    If I were to do something like this (which I would not), I would create a 16/44.1 version of the 24 bit file I was using. I would then play both the 16 bit and the 24 bit version for the person to see if she/he could hear any differences. I would not point anything out for the person to listen for. After that I would simply let that person decide for themselves.
     
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  10. 16/44.1

    16/44.1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    With what kinda software can i detect watermark in the Magee Rush remasters?
     
  11. 16/44.1

    16/44.1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    ?????????????????????????????????
     
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  12. Veovis

    Veovis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    Not shure it's possible. The info on watermarking comes from people claiming they hear telltale artefacts when playing the hi-res files. It has never been confirmed afaik.
     
  13. Graham 12" Remix

    Graham 12" Remix Graham Sylvian, Graham Gedge or Graham from Felt

    Apart from the six Doors and eight Talking Heads albums, where I might be biased having played them to death:
    Cosmo's Factory - the 192kHz version of Ramble Tamble had me looking at my speakers with awe the first few times I played it;
    Tusk? - Either the title track or some of the slower songs from the album;
    No Woman No Cry from Legend where the organ in the background is bewitching;
    Some of the Irish or Bulgarian songs from Kate Bush - the changes of pace or volume are great.
    The keyboards develop a life of their own on Script for a Jester's Tear and Fish has never sung better
     
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  14. Vinyl Socks

    Vinyl Socks The Buzz Driver

    Location:
    DuBois, PA
    Streaming it now. Incredible.
     
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  15. Hawkmoon

    Hawkmoon Eternal Champion, Master of the Universe Thread Starter

    Location:
    Surrey, UK
    Interesting - I bought some of the Magee remasters as hi res FLAC downloads from Qobuz but I'm not sure I'm a fan of all of them - I grew up with the original vinyl (long since sold unfortunately as I moved to all digital in the '80s). Maybe it's just my 50+ year old ears, I don't know, but I find some of the Magee remasters EQ'd a bit flat for my tastes. Very system dependent of course, and I know that many love the Magee Rush remasters exactly for the reason I am not so keen on them - because they are not overly bright. I can appreciate they have more DR than some of the others, but I think my ideal remaster would have the DR of the Magee with an EQ that sits mid-way between the Magee and Sectors remasters. Again, a very personal preference.
     
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  16. Veovis

    Veovis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    I agree. Some of them are on the dark side eq wise, like Fly By Night and Permanent Waves. But I think most Sector stuff is too bright (apart from being compressed). The only album in that series (mastered by Andy Van Dette) that I prefer compared with other releases is the Vapor Trails original mix.
     
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  17. onlyconnect

    onlyconnect The prose and the passion

    Location:
    Winchester, UK
    Please post a short sample, some of us would love to hear the difference.

    Tim
     
  18. onlyconnect

    onlyconnect The prose and the passion

    Location:
    Winchester, UK
    My serious answer is that I tend to use the demo tracks provided by some high-res vendors; I have a collection from the likes of Linn, Blue Coast etc. These tend to sound excellent however in my experience they sound just as good in CD quality so it is more about finding great-sounding tracks than any hi-res or DSD thing. Read carefully: I'm pretty sure that if all CDs were produced to the same quality as these tracks show is possible, then the high-res thing would never have gained what little traction it has.

    Tim
     
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  19. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Feel the same with the Sector sets. Nice for collection reasons, for me though about it.
     
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  20. Anthrax

    Anthrax Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    There was lots of talk about it on the threads generally dealing with those remasters (going from memory, there were reports on artifacts and some spectral graphs), and there have been other shorter threads specifically dealing with the Rush watermarking. A search will yield plenty of reading material.
     
  21. therockman

    therockman Senior Member In Memoriam


    Yes, a Steve Hoffman mastered version of any CCR album. They really showcase the virtues of high rez.
     
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  22. ajax25

    ajax25 Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Are those sounds 16/44 or 24/192 ?
     
  23. therockman

    therockman Senior Member In Memoriam


    Yes of course, it is all about the mastering and not the resolution.
     
  24. Hawkmoon

    Hawkmoon Eternal Champion, Master of the Universe Thread Starter

    Location:
    Surrey, UK
    I agree that mastering is key, but if it really is the case that with a very well-mastered album, there is no point in going for a high res version, this is a fairly big deal isn't it, for those serious about something like streaming or digital playback more generally? It means, for example, that there is no point subbing to hi res tariffs on Qobuz or Tidal, or paying for hi res downloads where a 16/44 redbook download/CD already exists. Is this what a majority of people here on SH Forums feel then? And the same about SACD ?
     
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