Sony's Hi-Res store backs Naim Records!

Posted by: likesmusic on 07 September 2013

Sony have a new High Resolution Audio download hub where they are advancing the virtues of hi-res, and their own players, but in the "Where to buy High-Resolution Audio-Music" section there is a nice link to Naim records, described as: "Devoted to the best musical talent and superb sound quality, you can download and savour the label’s artists’ music in Naim Hi Definition."  

 

So Sony are advertising Naimrecords! 

 

Amazingly, although Sony must have a fair few DSD masters in some cupboard somewhere, none of their own recording seem to feature!

 

Times are a changing!

 

 

Posted on: 07 September 2013 by Brilliant

Sony Music signed a deal with Acoustic Sounds in the US for their DSD hires downloads.

 

http://www.audiostream.com/con...nces-deal-sony-music

 

 

Posted on: 07 September 2013 by likesmusic
Originally Posted by Brilliant:

Sony Music signed a deal with Acoustic Sounds in the US for their DSD hires downloads.

 

http://www.audiostream.com/con...nces-deal-sony-music

 

 

I'm hoping for genuine DSD recordings - those that were issued on Sony SACD - rather than ancient analogue recordings such as those currently listed on audiostream. Time will tell I guess. Harmonium Mundi released some wonderful SACDs too - wonder what happened to those DSD masters.

Posted on: 10 September 2013 by Massimo Bertola

What I find interesting is that a major company has developed a whole site to the presumably future format (I mean, the kind of format that is called future until the moment it becomes the past), with full, detailed explanations in nice graphics, with glossary and suggestions, and, last, links to directly buy the equipment.

 

How nice if, say 40 years ago, Deutsche Grammophon had dedicated a magazine to the setup of turntables. Instead, it was - and is - always audiophiles talking about music and never the other way 'round...

Posted on: 10 September 2013 by JensFromBielefeld

Isn't it much more simple? Sony made a lot of mistakes in the past two decades. From being one of the most innovativ home entertainment and hi-fi companies they turned them self into an always late profit driven "this and that" manufacturer without a clear longterm strategy. They were among the first to drop their own SACD standard, they have lost their market leading position in portable audio players, there are almost no (or just a very few) top-shelf hi-fi audio components left in their product lineup etc. etc.     

 

It seems to me, that they are trying now to jump on the streaming wagon. And they are late again! DSD is what they use to make customers believe, that this is an advantage in competition with other manufacturers. IMO it isn't. I have listened to a lot of SACD (using a Marantz SA-KI Pearl player), DSD may sound a very little bit different, in my ears it doesn't sound better than high-def PCM.

 

Sending people to stores like Naim, Linn or 2L for high-def PCM (or DSD) isn't a risk for Sony. Potential buyers of relatively cheap Sony players won't purchase fine-art but expensive systems from Naim or Linn.