Qobuz UK Restrictions Lifted If.....

Does this work for Decca studio masters too? I can't put any of them into my shopping cart.

The selection there looks good but if you can't buy even from within the EU...

I'll try later and see for you.  G

Beware of the French customer service. Few days ago Qobuz was offering an 8 Euros rebate if you purchase more than 40 Euros of the so-called Studio Masters. For some reason I did not got the rebate. I complained and was told that there was noting they can do for me, but offer a 6 Euros rebate if I purchase more than 40 Euros of red book quality.

Well, I just downloaded the 24bit 'Celebration Day' which I couldn't before asking permission and having qobuz alter my account settings.

Hope that helps.

G

Thanks, I asked them via the online form, in my best french. Perhaps this will work.

Cheers Graeme. Looks like that will be worth a try.

Also HDTracks works via PayPal in the UK, downloading fine from their site.

Best

Dan43

I managed 1 download from HDTracks before being blocked out.  I find qobuz has a better selection too.  G

Only $14 (euro) too.

Agreed, both are valid, it does seem though one has certain choices the other doesn't, both ways, so I buy from both. Choices though which is good.

Best

Dan43

Hi.

been following the forum re the French download site.

if I can use the site , is it possible to stream this through my sonos , and then into my naim system. I do hope the answer is yes !

Graeme. My thanks for giving us the heads up on this.

I've just been deristricted after sending them a polite inquiry.

My inner five year old is about to hit the sweet shop.....

Pleasure Harry.  Not to many sweeties in one go now. G

If you guys would not mind reviewing your purchases in the Music Room, that'd be great.  I have stopped buying from HDTracks because I find the quality very variable, and there are no returns.  In general I am more likely to be pleased with a redbook MFSL cd, it seems (and those can be purchased used).

Cheers!

A cherished MFSL Gold CD of mine is The Yes Album which in my view is a showcase for how musical 16/44.1 can be made to sound and the first iteration of the album on CD which (in my subjective opinion) at long last shows the vinyl a clean pair of heels. Of course I had to buy the HDTracks 24/192. What Yes fan wouldn't be tempted? I have to say that the 24Bit is sufficiently ahead of the Gold CD in separation and tonality to make it a justified purchase as opposed to a curiosity. This is not the case with Fragile, where (subjectivity clause again) the MFSL Gold CD seems to have hit a spot, a balance between roughness and communication that the 24Bit version can't quite match.

Another cherished MLSL Gold CD in this house is Rush's Permanent Waves. Much played and hugely enjoyed. Guess what Qobuz will be releasing on Friday? And Power Windows.

Even better for me is that the NDS and the DR'd and rebuilt 552 will be coming back some time next week. I'm going to be a very shit covered little piggy. And I'll be able to have a really extended listen to The Yes Album, although I think the 24Bit has already earned the gong. In my ears anyway.

And thanks again G.

I will relate.

Thanks Harry, I appreciate the reviews.  We too seem to look for a balance between revelation of information, and as you say, "roughness."  It seems a mixed bag this way with hi def, remasters, etc. etc. I do really like The Yes Album and it's been one of my favorite MFSL gold cd's; I will take a run at the 24/192 the next time they offer 20% off

Achtung Baby and Some Girls, from HDTracks, are way too rough and trebley for us.  I wish I could get a refund!

I will be away for a week later this month with one of my kids, and that will be the week that my 555PS finally gets the DR treatment.  Yay!

If the 24Bit transfer is available on disc I will get it in preference to download unless it's part of a ridiculously expensive box set. I got Achtung Baby on disc and did home made hires files with DVD Audio Extractor. That way, if it's pants I can wipe it and return the goods for refund. It is a bit sharp but it's OK for me.

Don't know if you're a Tull fan - the Aqualung 40th anniversary box set is a gem and the 24/96 files in it are breathtakingly good.

I don't know if it's planned or coincidence, but having something else to do while stuff is away for DR is definitely good for the nerves. I'm pacing up and down here. But tomorrow is 24Bit Rush day! That'll keep me occupied.

Hope your 552 comes back singing.

Or Monday - as it turns out. Either I read it wrong or the date has slipped. Not to worry.

Hemispheres has also turned up for release on Monday. Unless I missed that previously also.

Might be risky but I'll take a punt on all the remaining albums I want. I haven't heard a poor Rush 24Bit transfer yet. Well, apart from Snakes and Angels - nothing actually wrong with the files and more detailed than their 16Bit siblings, it's just that the sound quality is so awful in the first place.

Not having the facility to play or more importantly rip SACD, it's just Counterparts to go for me now. That's only going to be a matter of time.

With some more Yes stuff emerging, I have been particularly well catered for this year. 

I have been doing the same thing with DVD and Blu-Ray. For Rush I have 2112 and Moving Pictures CD/BluRay deluxe packs. CD for my iTunes/car library and BluRay for the Unitiserve.

DVD AE works really well and I get my 24/96 WAVs on the Unitiserve. Also have Nine Inch Nails DVD and BluRay plus many DVD-A titles that I convert this way.

Bought 24/96 Stone Temple Pilots 'Core' from HD Tracks and wasn't that impressed but the 192/24 TDKR soundtrack by Hans Zimmer is tremendous bought from HD Tracks and the 24/96 version of the Soundtrack on the Inception BluRay as an extra is also very good.

Thanks

Dan43

US,DAC-V1,NAP600,PMCDB1i

OK. Here we go. 

I had the opportunity to listen to Power Windows back to back with the Sector 3 CD version. Since the Sector box sets albums were "mastered in 24Bit" it was not surprising that 24Bit releases would follow - over and above the one DVD-A which is already included with each Sector box set, and the small selection of individual albums which are already out there. A down side is that in 24Bitting the Sector material, a small number of tracks have slightly different arrangements but that's purely a matter of personal taste. Personally I'm agin it.

So let's get all the excuses and apologies out of the way first. I don't know the providence of the material. From the limited information I can find, it is not clear from where they started and if the files were upsampled to 24Bit. Some will consider this possibility a blatant rip off (if it actually is the case). I'm pragmatic in another direction, as in, how does it sound?  I haven't heard a Rush 24Bit release to date which wasn't worth keeping and promoting to "reference version" in my collection. I should also point out that I'm still running through a bare HDX-SSD and 152XS/FC and until the DR'd and rebuilt 552 arrives (tomorrow) and the NDS is back in the rack with it's 555DR-PS (also tomorrow), my reference point is off. Not that the 152 hasn't been hugely enjoyable for what it is and the HDX is no mean player either. It is for this reason that I did two versions of one album back to back, in fact, a track at a time back to back. I also threw in three tracks from my Japanese SHM-CD version.

The verdict is much shorter than the preamble. It's good. 

No huge shift in musical enjoyment. No night and day changes. No sledgehammers to the head. So what's different? I'd say separation. Yet more space between point sources on vocal harmonies. More space still between instruments, the drum kit in particular sounding more realistic without being stupidly over staged (although they did pull out the stops maybe a bit too far when it was originally recorded - and this is not unique to Power Windows). 

The multiple guitar parts stand out better. The odd inflection and warble on vocals is obvious in places and certainly not heard by me before. There were plenty in there to start with but I can hear a few more now. What I can also hear at times are subtle (usually trailing edge) modulations in synth notes and pedals that I haven't heard before. And a particular background synth burst decay and downward modulation in frequency to silence which lasts longer on the 24 Bit version because it appears to occupy more of its own space.

I prefer to enjoy music as opposed to testing HiFi but we've all got a little catalogue of reference pieces that we use to get some datum to how we assess capability. This particular five second segment is one of many (some whole albums) that I don't go straight to but will listen out for - if I can remember. When we went from CD5/Hi to CDX2 I first realised how this note decayed and decreased in frequency long after I thought it did . And it seems that I may have not yet heard the exact point at which it ceases to be.

Overall it's still a very musical presentation. It hasn't been pulled apart to the point that you can't just sit back and go with it. Power Windows was a bit 80s excess although I think that for its time, it is a strong (and enduring) effort.  The 24Bit has allowed me a greater appreciation of the depth of effort that went into the recording (some might call it needless fiddling) without turning the musical integrity and flow into a messy operation. My optimism was not misguided. I don't know exactly how they've got here but to my ears it works.

I've got Hemispheres, Hold Your Fire and Waves to go. I will probably have some fun this evening but the next serious comparison is going to be when I have got used to the regular system back in place, warmed up and settled in with the DR effect. 

Bart. I know your preference for a subjective view on Waves 24Bit versus MFSL. I hope we can get some more comments and reviews logged. I have no reason to suppose that Waves 24Bit won't sound "better" based on experience to date. But it could be awful. We've all been there. I will chuck in my £0.02 worth in due course.

Does anyone know the current state of play re Qobuz in the UK? There a very interesting article in the new Gramophone re their pricing of studio masters - 24/96 or 24/192 - currently the same as mp3 and cheaper than cd quality. A mouthwatering prospect. But Andrew Everard writes that they're not available in the UK unless you can  fool them as to IP address.

Last time I checked, they planned to open in the UK on the 1st of November. See their blog post from June 25th here (in French).

Naim are listed an an implementer of the Qobuz API so there may be a new streamer update soon. There is a 29 euro per month / 290 euro per year FLAC streaming service.