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

foobar2000 1.3.7 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2018-04-13 01:57:32

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Analyzed: Steve Miller Band / Fly Like An Eagle
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DR Peak RMS Duration Track
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DR7 -0.42 dB -11.00 dB 1:16 01-Space Intro
DR8 0.00 dB -10.63 dB 4:43 02-Fly Like An Eagle
DR7 0.00 dB -9.27 dB 4:50 03-Wild Mountain Honey
DR8 0.00 dB -9.43 dB 3:11 04-Serenade
DR7 0.00 dB -8.95 dB 2:17 05-Dance, Dance, Dance
DR9 0.00 dB -10.83 dB 3:43 06-Mercury Blues
DR9 0.00 dB -10.67 dB 2:50 07-Take The Money And Run
DR8 0.00 dB -9.70 dB 3:07 08-Rock'n Me
DR8 0.00 dB -9.35 dB 2:43 09-You Send Me
DR8 -0.11 dB -13.80 dB 0:49 10-Blue Odyssey
DR11 0.00 dB -15.59 dB 4:22 11-Sweet Maree
DR10 0.00 dB -11.59 dB 4:21 12-The Window
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Number of tracks: 12
Official DR value: DR8

Samplerate: 96000 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 2697 kbps
Codec: FLAC
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foobar2000 1.3.18 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2019-08-02 13:20:36

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Analyzed: Steve Miller Band / The Joker
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DR Peak RMS Duration Track
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DR7 0.00 dB -9.19 dB 4:34 01-Sugar Babe
DR10 0.00 dB -11.74 dB 2:26 02-Mary Lou
DR8 0.00 dB -10.85 dB 5:41 03-Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma
DR11 0.00 dB -12.28 dB 3:23 04-Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash
DR8 0.00 dB -10.32 dB 4:25 05-The Joker
DR10 0.00 dB -11.27 dB 2:10 06-The Lovin' Cup
DR8 0.00 dB -9.77 dB 4:08 07-Come On In My Kitchen (Live)
DR8 0.00 dB -9.38 dB 4:34 08-Evil (Live)
DR11 -0.08 dB -12.92 dB 4:45 09-Something To Believe In
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Number of tracks: 9
Official DR value: DR9

Samplerate: 96000 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 2967 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================

Sorry, I don't have Book.

 

Thanks a ton for this. It looks like those 2 albums could be better, if I am understanding DR correctly. But I might give them a shot. How do you like them?

 

I haven't played them yet (I have a ridiculously large hr collection & am about 20 flash drives behind being current); but DR8 is awful. I did play Children Of The Futre & Sailor; they were loud & a bit screechy.......

 

Thanks Moo

I'll stick with my old discs

 

Ging back to the Jackson Browne Late For The Sky dl, I was looking at the metadata while editing some tags. Mine came from HDT.

 

I just listened to these on Qobuz and compared them with my early CD pressings. The glare is gone with these hi res versions. They sound fantastic!

 

They sound really good despite the lower numbers. Really good.

 

Thanks for the info, I did take the plunge and got the three I mentioned, and Circle of Love as well, which I've never owned or heard. Also picked up the 24/192 of Running on Empty, everything just finished downloading so I have a lot of listening to do!

Looking forward to all the albums, Circle of Love in particular, as it is new to me. Thanks again for the confirmation, going to get them loaded up on my Pono.

 

Please let us know how ROE sounds. The DR's are frightening. I'm wondering if it's an upgrade or a downgrade from the dvd-a?

 

Ugh . I gave in and ordered the whole Tool catalog. 20% off definitely helped.

Now to listen!

 

I did too. haha

 

I'm an old guy & bummed that there isn't more from the complete Woodstock (Can we at least have the CSNY??!)

 

Regarding the new 24/192 remaster of Running on Empty, I gotta say I'm disappointed. I don't know the DR values, I'm not great with the technical stuff, but it just sounds muddy. Not much separation if that makes sense, the guitars, fiddles, vocals, everything is just on the same level, nothing stands out. It isn't terrible, it is listenable, but I don't think I'd recommend buying it.

There are two versions of ROE on HDtracks, the new one, that I'm talking about is Running on Empty (Remastered). The second is just Running on Empty, and is only available in 24/96. That version sounds much better to my ears, I bought it well over a year ago. It has a bright, clear sound, everything pops out, the vocals don't seem as buried as the new remaster. IMO if you want a hi res version of ROE, go with that one. I believe it says it was released in 2005, which is when the DVD-Audio version came out, so I assume it is from that source.

I should point out that I listened to the new version of ROE on my Pono, in balanced mode, with Sennheiser HD 700 headphones. I know there are better ways, but this is my preferred method. I will be putting the 24/96 version of Running on Empty back on my SD card, as it just sounds better. Sorry for rambling, I hope I made a bit of sense. Also, I own the 24/192 version of Late For The Sky, and that sounds fantastic. Wish I could say the same about the new ROE. But that is just me, maybe I'm wrong.

 

Thanks! I'm 99% sure that the old one is the dvd-a master. What little I've heard about the new ROE agrees with you. If I remember right, I think it's a DR6 (terrible, & all the instruments would sound squashed together as you describe).

 

Anyone buying at Qobuz during there August sale on certain hi res titles? Not sure what I am buying yet. Seems the sale will change week to week. Some of the sale items are only if you subscribe to the yearly hi res plan.

 

I think all hi res titles are discounted if you pay for the yearly plan. That is its main perk. I have often noticed that the sale price on hi res titles is lower than the CD quality version.

I noticed the Madonna titles were discounted and might jump on those first three if they are still available at the sale price when payday comes around.

 

Yes, with the yearly plan they are dirt cheap (as is Neil Young on many titles). If anyone notices quality titles on the sale & would post, that would be great. There was just too much for me to browse.

 

They are but some are discounted even further with this sale. Seems hit and miss. Some you have to be on the yearly plan to get the low price others the regular hi res version with no subscription is on sale. With them saying it will change weekly it could be a great time to buy. See what happens.

 

THIS WEEK on HDtracks…

Slipknot - We Are Not Your Kind
As I Lay Dying Official - Shaped by Fire
King Crimson- Epitaph (Greg Lake Vox) [KC50, Vol 30]
Brooks & Dunn- Brooks & Dunn and Friends - Live from CMT Crossroads

plus much much more...

 

Doobie Brothers are up on the HR sites. Assume these are from the ok but not great 2016 remasterings?

 

Can I ask a dumb question about the Qobuz sale? Would these be the same as if the albums were ordered off of HDTracks?

Two titles I see on sale I have found lots of opinions on here: Garteful Dead's American Beauty (highly reviewed) and Joni Mitchell's Blue (not so well liked). But most posts refer to getting them from HDTracks (I didn't know if that was sort of the generic way of talking about hires downloads now, regardless of vendor).

 

In my experience 90-95%+ of the time they are the same. There have been some remasters of remasters without transparency (example: The Rush box sets SUCKED, the next years individual remasters of the same were great). Pono did do a few exclusives. I don't know if the other stores have them. Qobuz is European based. A small % of the Euro hr releases are at a lower sampling rate than the equivalent USA release. Finally, stay away from MQA; they are lossy.

Based on my personal experience, I appears that some of the stores have their own proprietary flac encoders. I have occasionally had issue with DT encoding, & had to decode & re-encode with freeware Trader's Little Helper. The files seemed defective until I realized that.

I got Blue from the Warner flat transfer series & am very happy with it. That was HDT based. Re American Beauty, make sure you don't get the dvd-a sourced master; the box set master is superior imo.

In general it would be nice to have a lot more transparency of source material. That said, I'd guess they are the same 90-95% of the time.

 

Many thanks. Quobuz has a release date for American Beauty that makes me think it is not from the DVD-A. I may give Blue a chance too.

 

I noticed in the lastest Prostudiomasters email that it had two versions of Van Morrison "His Band And The Street Choir". Both are available in 24/96 and 24/192, but one is listed as "2013 remaster" and one as "2015 remaster". Can anyone clarify the difference between the two? I have the 2013 version which I got from HDTracks years ago.

 

Where did you get the idea that the high-res Blue (at least the one HDTracks was selling) is "not so well liked"? I've seen quite a few positive reviews of it around here. Seems to be a flat transfer. Not terribly compressed. Detailed. A bit lifeless. Not as good as our host's DCC release from a couple of decades ago, but better than any other version I've heard, including the good HDCD remasters from around 2000. The EQ on those might be a little better, but the high res version seems to have a bit more presence. In an A/B comparison, you can definitely tell the two apart.