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High-Res downloads - Better than CDs


GA Russell

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Something I can already do on my computer, or PS3 connected to a media server, play hi res files. Aren't people like us and the Hoffman clan the target audiences? This doesn't mean anything to the average listening public, most people I know would be like, what? If it comes down in price, I'll buy one.

Edited by CJ Shearn
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Only 1 TB for $2,000?

That remote has fewer buttons than my Marantz's, but I fear this machine might make things too complicated for me. I prefer playing an album to be on the level of turning on a water boiler. If that LCD screen fails, this machine will become useless. The same goes for that 1 TB hard disk drive. Connecting my setup to a computer or television screen would cause me even more unrest. I no longer even own a television and hell will freeze over before I buy one again. I love the 24bit/192kHz Blue Note FLACs that reside on my iMac, but I can't see them making their way into my living room any time soon.

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You're all late to the party. According to something on the radio the other day we are now expected to rebuy our collections on something called Bluray Audio (it's been around a while but classical companies seem to be getting rather interested in it).

Will it ever stop?

Edited by A Lark Ascending
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You're all late to the party. According to something on the radio the other day we are now expected to rebuy our collections on something called Bluray Audio (it's been around a while but classical companies seem to be getting rather interested in it).

Will it ever stop?

The beauty of vinyl is that one does not need to be constantly upgrading. :D

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To see why that 1 TB is a joke, consider the following. Hank Mobley's No Room For Squares is 1.8 GB in it's 24bit/192kHz FLAC incarnation. That's a six tracks 40 minutes album with no bonus material.

Considering the human ear isn't capable of discerning between 44.1kHZ and 192kHZ, I'm somewhat befuddled as to why you're storing such absurdly large files. Why not resample them to 24/44.1 and save yourself a TON of space while losing absolutely no discernable resolution?

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As this point, I have no interest in hi-res downloads, so I have no horse in the race. But, given that Sony failed to make SACDs a commercial success, it doesn't seem that the general public has any real interest in better sound. The general public seems to be interested in portability and easy access - not to mention music which is pap and which doesn't need to be presented with better sound quality.

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To see why that 1 TB is a joke, consider the following. Hank Mobley's No Room For Squares is 1.8 GB in it's 24bit/192kHz FLAC incarnation. That's a six tracks 40 minutes album with no bonus material.

Considering the human ear isn't capable of discerning between 44.1kHZ and 192kHZ, I'm somewhat befuddled as to why you're storing such absurdly large files. Why not resample them to 24/44.1 and save yourself a TON of space while losing absolutely no discernable resolution?

You bought one such file, Eric Dolphy's Out To Lunch, yourself at HD Tracks last year, remember? ;)

I just keep the stuff I obtain through bittorrent in storage on an external drive. I haven't run out of space yet. I only use them for background music while on the internet. But you're probably right these files are too large/contain too much information for the human ear to benefit.

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Yeah, and doing an a/b test between the high res version and the cd version yields no difference. But, I wanted to make sure that was the case which is why I downloaded an album I already had and was familiar with. And were I to rip that cd to ALAC, there would also be no difference except for a absurdly smaller file size.

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As this point, I have no interest in hi-res downloads, so I have no horse in the race. But, given that Sony failed to make SACDs a commercial success, it doesn't seem that the general public has any real interest in better sound. The general public seems to be interested in portability and easy access - not to mention music which is pap and which doesn't need to be presented with better sound quality.

Not to mention the fact that everything mastered these days is so squash and loaded with digital distortion that even the highest quality aduio equipment is of no help. Actually, it only gets worse the better the equipment.

Let's also not forget about the Sony Minidisc, as well as DAT players/recorders. Though the latter was somewhat popular amongst professionals in the music business. But not enough to consider it a success.

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Unless you go for the late superGAZILLIONmegaextremANALogREMASTERing pressed on the most pure vinyl on the planet, thou I heard Andromeda's vinyl is way better in term of transparency and bass frequencies.

I thought I was on the Hoffman Forums for a minute when I read that.. :lol:

Gort_Firing.jpg

"Obey!"

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There is a discernable difference between different physical digital versions of Out To Lunch (because of the different analogue to digital transfers and masterings used). This seems stating the obvious. It's clearly audible. :shrug[1]:

Um, yeah. Of course.

That has nothing to do with the difference in formats, which is what we're discussing.

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Yeah, and doing an a/b test between the high res version and the cd version yields no difference.

There is a discernable difference between different physical digital versions of Out To Lunch (because of the different analogue to digital transfers and masterings used). This seems stating the obvious. It's clearly audible. :shrug[1]:

Um, yeah. Of course.

That has nothing to do with the difference in formats, which is what we're discussing.

Are we? Unless you meant reduced to 44.1kHz files, because there is no CD corresponding to the HD Tracks release.

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  • 5 months later...

HD Tracks "Jazz Specials of the Week" has all Blue Note titles discounted: 96/24 @ $14.10 (regularly $17.98), 192/24 @ $17.50 (regularly $24.98).

Plus, the FACEBOOK10 coupon results in an additional 10%.

I am generally quite skeptical about hi-rez audio, but was interested in hearing the newer masterings of "Speak No Evil" and "Unity". Plus, those titles include liner notes, which is nice.

Both titles sound fantastic.. big improvement over the RVGs.

Here's something I found "interesting": I wanted the 96/24 versions, and when I searched for them, both titles said "Sample rate(s): 96/24,192/24". But, when I clicked through, only the 192/24 option was available. I thought at first this was my mistake, but the 96/24 options are either accidentally or intentionally hidden.

A quick google search for "96/24" and each title yielded valid links on the HD Tracks site, and I was able to order those versions with no problem, for $12.69 each.

I shouldn't have had to work so hard to find the 96/24 options... it sure seems like they really wanted me to buy the more expensive versions.

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I just keep the stuff I obtain through bittorrent in storage on an external drive. I haven't run out of space yet. I only use them for background music while on the internet. But you're probably right these files are too large/contain too much information for the human ear to benefit.

my useage precisely.... you'll pry my cd collection from my cold, dead hands.

HD Tracks "Jazz Specials of the Week" has all Blue Note titles discounted: 96/24 @ $14.10 (regularly $17.98), 192/24 @ $17.50 (regularly $24.98).

does anyone else find this pricepoint exhorbitant?

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HD Tracks "Jazz Specials of the Week" has all Blue Note titles discounted: 96/24 @ $14.10 (regularly $17.98), 192/24 @ $17.50 (regularly $24.98).

does anyone else find this pricepoint exhorbitant?

Yes, the regular pricepoint is exhorbitant, certainly given the albums are stripped of bonus material (with the exception of Sonny Rollins' Complete Village Vanguard).

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I just keep the stuff I obtain through bittorrent in storage on an external drive. I haven't run out of space yet. I only use them for background music while on the internet. But you're probably right these files are too large/contain too much information for the human ear to benefit.

my useage precisely.... you'll pry my cd collection from my cold, dead hands.

HD Tracks "Jazz Specials of the Week" has all Blue Note titles discounted: 96/24 @ $14.10 (regularly $17.98), 192/24 @ $17.50 (regularly $24.98).

does anyone else find this pricepoint exhorbitant?

The special prices aren't terrible, but you could find CD copies for far less.

Or just download regular copies for even less than that. It's not like you're going to be missing anything.

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Are any "regular" downloads of those newer masterings available elsewhere for purchase? Sounds like these masterings are on the new Blue Note SHM discs?

I didn't really care about the 96/24 as much as I was curious about the different mastering. I was bored today, and it was instant gratification.

$12.69 for a lossless download, with liner notes, isn't bad. I will pay a premium for lossless files. But, I'd still rather have the CD.

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