High res file

the ability to move beyond the 16/44 resolution of "Red Book" CDs is only one of the many reasons to move to PC file replay or streaming.

Others that top the list are:

- Convenience

- Playlists

- Shuffling many albums/genres/artists

- Serving up music to multiple locations (including outside of your network/home) from one single place.

- Sharing music with family or other housemates.

- Saving space by putting CDs in storage.

- Smartlists or other media player features.

- The potential for artist slideshows, lyrics, album art(s) to be shown on your HDTV while listening.

- Control over everything with a iOS app or web browser

etc, etc, etc.

- No computer needed if you get a Server/Renderer/App from a single mfr, and potentially even if mixing and matching.

Until there are more hires sources, other ways to get hires files could be:

- Needledrops (vinyl rips)

- SACD conversions/rips

- DVD-Audio or DVDs from your DVD player into NDX or nDAC

- DVD-A or DVD rips

pcstockton..

I hear you.. and I'm agree.

my concernes are on the CONVENIENCE... 

on Linn records the HighRes Albums download cost a lot more then buying a CD ones

I think has no meaning.

Dear Simon

we are on the same page

I must say that I find the improvement of HiRes over CD rips to be marginal in most cases, perhaps due to the music I have bought.

However I found the change from CDS3 to streaming via Unitiserve/nDac/555Ps (+expensive cable)  to be massive, and I do not regret selling the CDS3 one bit, it would just be sitting there idle.

I think it varies 

Some re-masters are better than the the original, even the original vinyl - the Grateful Dead's masterpiece Anthem of the Sun comes to mind. The HDCD sounds wonderful mainly thanks to input from Phil Lesh, who I think deserves far more credit than he gets and seems a really great guy in to the bargain.

However, in support of your argument John, as I posted in the days of the old forum. I find the original Beatles records I have on vinyl better to listen to than the latest and greatest re-masters on CD. 

SACD kind of left me unmoved as apart from Creedence Clearwater and the Moody Blues, most of the stuff that came out in the format was the stuff of hi-fi shows - sorry I don't want to listen to Bothers in Arms or Rumours whatever format they are in: I'm sure they are both wonderful for those who like them and from sales I am firmly in a minority. Then again I'm not sure hi-res reissues of early HMHB recordings would do them any favours; the later recordings may benefit. 

So the hi-res things can be a red herring - it comes down to is your favourite music available and if it is does it sound better. I think the answer can only be answered for each individual release. Sometimes I wish there was only one format and no choice, as I spend far too much time worrying about whether Trumpton Riots sounds better on vinyl single, vinyl 12" single, elpee, CD or VHS cassette when I could be going out to see the new Green Lantern film   

All the best, Guy 

Agreed.  There is no rule written in stone that remasters as inferior.  It goes both ways.

RE SACD, the Depeche Mode aren't half bad.  Also the Genesis were pretty good, but not on par with the original Diament master in my opinion.  Different flavor.

-patrick

I've bought a few hi res downloads from Naim and Linn. I'm not convinced I can tell the difference with my unitqute but i will continue to buy them. Maybe in the future when i upgrade the difference may become more apparent. It would be nice if Naim players were able to play 96/192 files.

oops. I meant to say that it would be nice to be able to play 24/192 files.....

Depends on the difference. The important thing is that we have a choice and nobody has a gun pointing at them. So we should each do as we please.

Factors like convenience and the gateway to 24Bit are not to be underestimated but we should not put the cart before the horse. At the launch of the HDX Naim's position (at least to people like us invited to their UK road shows) was that a bit perfect rip could sound more musically enjoyable than a bit stream generated off the back of motors, servos, error correction and interpolation. 

In the case of the HDX versus the CDX2 that was the case according to my ears. Into a 555PS driven nDAC I was satisfied that that a move to CDS3 could be confidently struck off my "things to do before I die" list. Each will hear it different. As long as we are each happy with our choices.

After that, the sheer convenience factor was a thick layer of icing for me. Hi Res suffers from exactly the same ups and downs as CDs. You can't polish a turd. There's an ocean of 16Bit crap out there and some exceptionally superb recordings, floating in a large volume of very good ones. As is the case with Hi Res except that the total pool is small.  My findings track Simon's. There is some excellent Hi Res rock stuff (though not nearly enough) but I've found that orchestral recordings do have a certain body and realism about them which was novel to me.

Everybody seems to talk up the convenience and "lifestyle" (whatever the hell that is) aspects of streaming. I only care about one thing. Extra features may add to the appeal, although I haven't forgotten how to walk across a room and open a case. The fact that I don't have to is a convenient coincidence.  

I've made my choices based on listening. I'm content. It matters more that others who have made different choices are equally content, than what they have chosen. Who cares? Do what you like. I do. 

Bkkb,

I agree that there is much too few hi res material out there, although some progess has been made. E.g. some classic rock albums on hdtracks.com.

There was an interview in the July issue of "STEREO", a german audio magazine, where they interviewed the responsible manager for digital media from Universal Classics & Jazz. They are aware of hi res music, and see it still as a niche market. However, they have started a test program with selected ECM albums on highresaudio.com and if that is successful they consider to extend that to classical albums as well. We'll have to wait and see.

But even with standard 16/44 material, streamers can give much better results than CD players (in the same price league). And you have no moving parts that can fail or need service. And, if you are on travel, you can have your whole music collection with you on a hard disk. 

KR

Jochen

If you cannot hear the difference between a 16/44 and 16/48 then stick to a 16/44. I personally can hear the difference, when funds permit I will be purchasing a suitable streamer.

A 16/44 rip to a hard disk will sound better than played straight from the silver disk, why? Because when playing the CD the machine as well as the D/A conversion has to correct errors in real time. A CD that is ripped, can be read multiple times, if there are any errors on the disk, similar to the way the HDX works when ripping

Hi - yes I have. The dynamic range of hires is greater and vinyl does tend to compress and/or clip on transients  towards the centre of the disc - so there are more artefacts on vinyl with most LPs.

For me Vinyl comes into its own with 60's and 70s analogue recordings - especially Jazz and some rock. There is an appealing warm expanded upper bass - a bit CDS3 like with the XPS - but more so. However if I am honest I can listen into subtitles in music more on the NDX + 555ps/nDAC but where the media is only in vinyl I certainly still enjoy it immensely. Also of course some CD remasters are poor and the original vinyl is more enjoyable. But I suspect that is more down to mastering rather than the media itself.

Simon

+1.  Echoes my experiences exactly. 

But I like playing records also because......I like playing records. 

Hook

that's a good point Hook!

Most quality content (music) today comes on 16/44 CD:s so if you stream the bits from the CD or you stream the bits from an HD is really a matter of which you find more convenient.

As long as we have piracy I doubt the big companies are going to start release hi-res widely. 

Vinyl is to much maintenance for me. I decided to go HD with the HDX which I am very-very happy with. It just works. The iPad controller make it even better.

It doesn't stop the companies from releasing CD's so why should it stop them from releaseing Hi-Res material?

-
aleg

if piracy were a real issue to them, they would have bought us all SACD players and gone that route.