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

I recently did a big deep dive between these two, and I was super on the fence between the original and that DE remaster. My first impression in fact was hey the DE is a little louder and I was drawn to the original for being a little more open and airy, but something said don't give up on this so quickly, and I came and went between the two for a while, and in the end I feel the DE is a bit better more on technical level and have come to appreciate the richness and relative heft of it; it's Chris Bellman and I find that is a particular trick/trait of his, getting it louder maybe but more often than not done so in the right ways. I was listening to it last night and frankly "Without You" alone always reminds me I make the right choice each time I pull it out.

With all of that said, has anyone bought the HDTracks that had the CD and are finding it much better than the CD of it?

 

Interesting - do you know what the download codes for the reissued 2018 vinyl provide? Are they the HD versions?

 

Did they even have non-album b-sides? Other than the 1978 Christmas/New Year single I can't recall any.

 

no. Redbook WAV. funny you mention it..just ordered Pop and ATYLB vinyl..and they come with DL cards for supposedly remastered WAV files.

All U2 albums from the late 90s on were recoreded digitally...more than likely at 44.1 K or maybe 48.

 

I have the WAVs from the remastered Pop, and I can tell you, the remaster is nothing short of a revelation!! Soooo good!

 

Not many. There is Get You In The Mood which is part of this set. It has the A & B side of the Please Come Home For Christmas/Funky New Year single. And Hole In The World was a stand along single prior to the Long Road Out Of Eden album. The single version of Take It Easy almost sounds like a different take to me, but I'm unsure. Same with Outlaw Man, though it may just be a different mix. The others on there are just shorter edits, and sometimes badly done. I kinda like the single edit of Lyin' Eyes, as the full song goes on a bit long imo.

In any case, its good this is available separately from the full Legacy collection.

 

Interesting. I'd be curious to hear that. Is that mastering available separately (digitally), or only with the vinyl?

 

good to hear..my shipment will be here tomorrow..

 

onky with vinyl...will compare wavforms with original 97 and 2000 CDS..

 

There's no brickwalling or clipping, a rarity with this type of remaster.

 

Thanks, I'm curious to see what you find. I really like the album, but the original CD is so boomy sounding. I do have the original vinyl release, but haven't played it in years. Always thought nothing short of a remix would really improve the sound of this one.

 

Sheesh, hard to keep track of what the subject is without any refer back in the quote a couple pages back.

24/96 will be fine for me

I have the UK vinyl, CD and the DE of Then Play On.
To me the DE is excellent and far better than the previous editions

You're referring to the Kate Bush downloads correct?
Thanks

 

correct

 

I agree. I wish people would take a second to make clear what they are replying about if it isn't listed in the post they are quoting.

 

Yep, they are only available with the new vinyl.

 

Thanks for the tip on this, and apologies for going off-topic (as these aren't "hi-rez"), but is the mastering on the digital files (the WAVs you download) noticably different than the original CD? I don't really want new vinyl, but might consider it for a better digital mastering of this album. Is the download code an insert with the vinyl, so you should get it if you purchase from any retailer?

 

i will be comparing the download wirh the original CDs in a day or two. the wavforms look very similar at first glance,
but i have not listened yet.

correct, you get a download card inserted into the vinyl package...i bought mine from Amazon.

 

Hopefully this review helps you out regarding the digital downloads of both 'Pop' and 'ATYCLB' that I posted in another thread:

Managed to grab both 'Pop' and 'All That You Can't Leave Behind' at the local record store today. Gave both a quick spin and I can easily say that they are the best sounding versions of both albums that I have heard. I do hear the slight whooshing sound at the end of the first two tracks on ATYCLB but it pretty much goes away once the next song kicks in. As for the digital downloads they are a bit of a disappointment. Even though they are supposed to be the 2017 remastered versions, it looks like they level matched them to equal the original cd releases. The only major differences I noticed between the two was that the 2017 releases seemed to boost the treble a bit and cut some of the bass to offer the illusion of more clarity. The major disappointment is that the tracks have digital clipping all over the place, basically put together in a very lazy fashion. If they backed off the compression/volume just a tad it would have made a huge difference and could have become the reference digital releases of both albums. For on the go listening I will stick to the original cd's.

 

Thanks to fellow Forum dweller jy3iix for mentioning (a few thousand posts ago) the two Blossom Dearie albums in 24/192. They are outstanding. Hope we get the rest of her Verve catalog in similar quality.

Give Him The Ooh-La-La | HDtracks - The World's Greatest-Sounding Music Downloads

Blossom Dearie | HDtracks - The World's Greatest-Sounding Music Downloads

 

Early impressions of Pop 97 CD vs Pop 2018 WAV download.

2018 a bit more refined, to me it sounds like they ran it through a tube compressor, to add some creaminess to
the midrange..the denser parts are more coherent. The 97 stands up surprisingly well however. Next: vinyl spin.

 

Listening to the Hi-Rez masters on Tidal. These are stunning!

 

you should here the 24.192 versions, way better than the losssy Tidal ones...

 

Tidal Masters stream in lossless

 

No it ain't. 24/192 is 17 bit max/48 Khz..

From your profile, you don't have an MQA DAC, which would then allow for 17 bit max/96 kHz.

Sorry.

 

At this point I prefer the LP download card version of ATYCLB, and I am leaning that way fore the Pop download as well...both as compared to the original CDs.

More refined..shows that WavForms can't tell you everything.