SWL Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 Looking for some recommendations on sites for downloading Hi-Rez files. For me, HDTracks sucks......they have next to nothing as far as what I'm looking for. Anyone else have a bigger selection than HDTracks? Thanks, -Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 Pono has some that HDTracks does not and vice versa. I don't know if a Pono player is required to access the site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWL Posted October 17, 2015 Author Share Posted October 17, 2015 Pono has some that HDTracks does not and vice versa. I don't know if a Pono player is required to access the site. You still doing the Pono thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWL Posted October 17, 2015 Author Share Posted October 17, 2015 That's good to hear.....might go that direction some day soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Admittedly I'm shooting in the dark here but, I'm not sure so-called Hi-rez files from download sites like HDTracks actually do anything more than license the ability to re-sell the music in various formats/resolution. I seriously doubt they are "remastering" anything considering the rate that new releases appear. As far as I can tell, there isn't any difference between ripping a CD to a high sample rate/bit depth FLAC or WAV file or just ripping it at standard res and then using your computer to upsample to the higher rez verses paying up the ying yang for a Hi-rez download. I can always find the actual CD available for far less $, often brand new on eBay or Amazon, and then have a physical backup copy that's far less susceptible to destruction or accidental loss than a digital file. Some of the older analog recordings transferred to Hi-rez digital files for download from HDTracks still sound kind of crappy. No sense paying for the extra Hi-rez (like 192/24). 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWL Posted October 18, 2015 Author Share Posted October 18, 2015 Artto, I believe everything you said is true. Now, I just rip cd's to my computer and go from there......but I was hoping there might be a lossless store that would let me purchase one or two tracks at a time. Not the case with HDTracks....you have to buy the whole album and it's a rip-off. I'll probably just keep doing the cd thing....no big deal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bracurrie Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 High Def Tape Transfers www.highdeftapetransfers.com has some good stuff that is not in the CD or digital domain. As far as HD tracks you have to be selective. There are some things remastered well and at higher resolutions than CD. Then there are some remastered, at higher resolution that have been ruined. (IMO). I have some luck on Acoustic Sounds http://store.acousticsounds.com/ . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 HDtracks is hit or miss. Check out the DR database to compare as a guide. Some high rez versions sound no different. They really need to start telling us more information about the recording... is it a remaster or what?? HDTT has the Klipschtapes which are great and the Duke Ellington: Indigos is really something special!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bracurrie Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 HDTT has the Klipschtapes which are great and the Duke Ellington: Indigos is really something special!! Indigos is IMO the finest DE recording there is. The version from HDTT is way better than the CD and other digital downloads. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 HDTT has the Klipschtapes which are great and the Duke Ellington: Indigos is really something special!!Indigos is IMO the finest DE recording there is. The version from HDTT is way better than the CD and other digital downloads. Oh yeah! I went on a bender for Duke Ellington recently and another one I found that I really like is Duke Ellington - All Star Road Band, Vol 1. Recording isn't great but has decent dynamics and between the sound and the performance it made the hair on my arms stand on end! YMMV. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted October 19, 2015 Moderators Share Posted October 19, 2015 Admittedly I'm shooting in the dark here but, I'm not sure so-called Hi-rez files from download sites like HDTracks actually do anything more than license the ability to re-sell the music in various formats/resolution. I seriously doubt they are "remastering" anything considering the rate that new releases appear. As far as I can tell, there isn't any difference between ripping a CD to a high sample rate/bit depth FLAC or WAV file or just ripping it at standard res and then using your computer to upsample to the higher rez verses paying up the ying yang for a Hi-rez download. I can always find the actual CD available for far less $, often brand new on eBay or Amazon, and then have a physical backup copy that's far less susceptible to destruction or accidental loss than a digital file. Some of the older analog recordings transferred to Hi-rez digital files for download from HDTracks still sound kind of crappy. No sense paying for the extra Hi-rez (like 192/24). Arrto, Have you run across these people? http://www.prostudiomasters.com/topsellers#x There website claims masters direct from the record labels (whatever that means, they don't specify ) in either AIFF or FLAC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bracurrie Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 HDTT has the Klipschtapes which are great and the Duke Ellington: Indigos is really something special!!Indigos is IMO the finest DE recording there is. The version from HDTT is way better than the CD and other digital downloads. Oh yeah! I went on a bender for Duke Ellington recently and another one I found that I really like is Duke Ellington - All Star Road Band, Vol 1. Recording isn't great but has decent dynamics and between the sound and the performance it made the hair on my arms stand on end! YMMV. HDTT also has Ellington Live! which is a sonic delight. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 (edited) I think that a lot of people that invest in these kind of music files would like to believe that: 1) Someone found the original stereo mixdown safety copy of these old recordings--many of which are analog tape recordings, and 2) A new re-mix is made from that (analog) mixdown copy at a higher digital sampling rate than 44.1 kHz (22.05 kHz per track). that duplicates the sound of the original releases, but that retains more dynamics of the original mixdown without limiting or compression being used to the extent of the original releases. What I've found from my remastering effort on my CDs, hybrid SACDs, and DVD-As is that, while "1)" may be true, and "2)" may be partially true, most of these Hi-Rez releases aren't really recapturing any more fidelity than the original master tape or digital files, other than perhaps resampling an old analog master (the master before remastering for RIAA and transfer to record pressing plant) at a higher rate. For the prices that I see, this isn't a lot of value for money. I've actually seen instances where the "Hi-Rez" versions were significantly limited (i.e., clipped) by several dB relative to the highest dynamic range CD tracks--usually CDs made before 1991--in order to make the result louder. This is usually clipped by another 3-5 dB. I'm sure that there aren't a lot of people buying these tracks that really want to know that. Not that limiting is as bad as a lot of people here would otherwise believe since hard clipped tracks can be reconstructed back to their original unclipped forms without a great deal of audible loss occurring from the clipping in the first place. It's actually brick-wall compression that is used to too great extent that is the real killer--which is typically used most of the time on popular music tracks. The wholesale use of heavy multi-band brick-wall compressors are a death knell for a track. More on that subject, later. I've also found that Hi-Rez files do sound different, more "solid" or natural on the decays, but that effect may not translate into what I'd call more realistic or natural sounding, but merely different than "red book" 44.1 kHz, 16 bit tracks. What I'm finding is that by remastering to remove the really bad EQ of virtually all music tracks, my new favorite tracks aren't necessarily "Hi-Rez", but rather the neutrally mastered tracks that restore the clipped peaks. These have balanced EQ that restores the highs, mids, and lows...especially the lows below 50-500 Hz, and removed droning line noise usually below 100 Hz (line noise can also be found on the Hi-Rez tracks). I now know that truly remastered tracks (i.e., remastered at home) are the best sounding, regardless of sampling rate, and that selection of the highest dynamic range source tracks is the most important step. These high dynamic range tracks can come from Hi-Rez tracks, but are usually found in red book CDs produced before 1991. I don't believe that anybody who hasn't actually heard these tracks in A-B fashion can imagine just how much difference there is. Here are some examples of the Hi-Rez files that may beat their much older CD counterparts: http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list/dr/desc?album=HDTracks YMMV. Chris Edited October 19, 2015 by Chris A 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 To date, I have been fairly underwhelmed by online transfers in comparrison to some of the VERY LIMITED high res disc's I own. I am sure my sample of what is offered is extremely limited to this point, but its been enough to know I dont really want to start a new plethora of buying old favorites. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 High Def Tape Transfers www.highdeftapetransfers.com has some good stuff that is not in the CD or digital domain. As far as HD tracks you have to be selective. True. I did, for instance, buy a Sophia Gubaidulina recording from HDTracks that is hard to come by on CD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Admittedly I'm shooting in the dark here but, I'm not sure so-called Hi-rez files from download sites like HDTracks actually do anything more than license the ability to re-sell the music in various formats/resolution. I seriously doubt they are "remastering" anything considering the rate that new releases appear. As far as I can tell, there isn't any difference between ripping a CD to a high sample rate/bit depth FLAC or WAV file or just ripping it at standard res and then using your computer to upsample to the higher rez verses paying up the ying yang for a Hi-rez download. I can always find the actual CD available for far less $, often brand new on eBay or Amazon, and then have a physical backup copy that's far less susceptible to destruction or accidental loss than a digital file. Some of the older analog recordings transferred to Hi-rez digital files for download from HDTracks still sound kind of crappy. No sense paying for the extra Hi-rez (like 192/24). Arrto, Have you run across these people? http://www.prostudiomasters.com/topsellers#x There website claims masters direct from the record labels (whatever that means, they don't specify ) in either AIFF or FLAC. Thanks, I'll give that a try. That's the "problem" ~ what they mean by "masters". There are usually, especially in the analog/LP days, different "masters" used for the LP that have RIAA correction. Many of the early CDs were made with these "masters" which why they sound so thin & tinny. They need a lot of bass boost to sound right. Many of the original masters are often retained/held by the producer. Unfortunately it's not a case of simply going to the record companies (many of which no longer exist) and getting the original master. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bracurrie Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Here are some examples of the Hi-Rez files that may beat their much older CD counterparts: http://dr.loudness-w...?album=HDTracks That's a great list. I have several of those and without measuring have enjoyed them very much.The cleanup seems to be often more important than the resolution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted October 20, 2015 Moderators Share Posted October 20, 2015 To date, I have been fairly underwhelmed by online transfers in comparrison to some of the VERY LIMITED high res disc's I own. I am sure my sample of what is offered is extremely limited to this point, but its been enough to know I dont really want to start a new plethora of buying old favorites. Do you have a "top pick" or reference high res disc you would recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 (edited) There are usually, especially in the analog/LP days, different "masters" used for the LP that have RIAA correction. Many of the early CDs were made with these "masters" which why they sound so thin & tinny. This is a myth...in my experience, apparently to cover for some exceptionally bad mastering EQ practices that occurred in the 1980s on CDs. Of all the CDs that I've remastered to date, I've not found one that actually had a problem with incorrect or "forgotten" encoding RIAA curve still left on the CD. One would easily recognize the presence of the RIAA curve: it's 40 dB end-to-end. Chris Edited October 20, 2015 by Chris A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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