High Res downloads

It seems by looking at the 'What is the last download...' Thread that 90% of  you download from either Qobuz or Bandcamp which means that most of you are downloading songs at CD quality and if that is correct then that means downloading is on the whole for convenience rather than sound quality.

Bob the Builder posted:

It seems by looking at the 'What is the last download...' Thread that 90% of  you download from either Qobuz or Bandcamp which means that most of you are downloading songs at CD quality and if that is correct then that means downloading is on the whole for convenience rather than sound quality.

try to enter a wrong adress in us, a mail with us adress and paypal with us adress. 

You have also highrez audio with a lot of 24/96 or more albums.

Try:

www.highresaudio.com

www.nativedsd.com

www.primephonic.com

All sites where you can download music in DSD format.

You can also use 'www.findhdmusic.com' to get an overview of the sites that have the music you are looking for. 

Bob the Builder posted:

It seems by looking at the 'What is the last download...' Thread that 90% of  you download from either Qobuz or Bandcamp which means that most of you are downloading songs at CD quality and if that is correct then that means downloading is on the whole for convenience rather than sound quality.

At Qobuz and Bandcamp I mostly download highres, but I also download cd quality as it is cheaper at Qobuz. I also download at the other mentioned sites ...

Bert downloads so many hi-res files, there may soon be none left for anyone else.

winkyincanada posted:

Bert downloads so many hi-res files, there may soon be none left for anyone else.

Who Bert the Thread Hog!

Bob the Builder posted:

It seems by looking at the 'What is the last download...' Thread that 90% of  you download from either Qobuz or Bandcamp which means that most of you are downloading songs at CD quality and if that is correct then that means downloading is on the whole for convenience rather than sound quality.

Although, like others, I tempted to be drawn to hi res versions when/if available, I have yet to be convinced that sound quality is necessarily better, and for some albums I have heard in both red book and high res, the hi res has sounded worse (of course, different mastering is very likely to be the cause of that)

Bob the Builder posted:

It seems by looking at the 'What is the last download...' Thread that 90% of  you download from either Qobuz or Bandcamp which means that most of you are downloading songs at CD quality and if that is correct then that means downloading is on the whole for convenience rather than sound quality.

Qobuz also have HR, and if you are subscribed as "Sublim" you get nice discounts.

Try also HDtracks. Compare pricing againts Qobuz, there are differences in both ways.

Presto Classical, Linn Records, Acoustic Sound, Naim, Sound Liaison...

Bob, there is no doubt in my mind that 24bit is better than 16bit, everything else being equal. 

You need to start with a system capable of replaying 24bit better than your 16bit CD (or streaming) recordings before you start buying 24bit recordings. 

Once you have cracked that, there is a reasonable (by no means comprehensive) supply of recordings available. Qobuz is a good place to start for you, with their 24bit offer, and no US type restrictions. Just buy some of their 'HIRES' offerings and listen. I have to say, though, that I hate their download process. 

It's like any other format. Provenance is paramount. There are some superb HiRes versions of well recorded and produced albums available. And tons of shit, because no matter what the resolution, you can't polish a turd. Loudness is the main culprit nowadays.  Qobuz have done me very well for good 24bit material.

Since I use a VPN for some work projects, I have also availed myself of the international possibilities available. But not many. I always hang back and wait for objective and subjective reviews and quality measurements. I was pondering Parallel Lines but the DR database just published the DR numbers and they are approximately half of the CD. No sale.

Downloads are not the only access point, although taste will dictate what you can get hold of. Being a massive Yes and Tull fan, Steven Wilson has made some of my HiRes dreams come true.  And as well as getting the new masters/mixes, you also get flat transfers of the originals. He's served us well for Hackett, Caravan and Hawkwind too. No issues with crap source material and low DR values here. Would that this was the norm though. New Gold Dream, released in HiRes last year has been maxed to shit. The original CD sounds superior and not by a small margin. So this was a case of something good that was made into a HiRes Turd. Nothing changes.

Same old. The fact that it's HiRes doesn't change the need to research and be cautious. But there is some breathtakingly good HiRes stuff out there - assuming it falls within your wants and taste. You could throw some titles into the discussion. Someone on here will probably have been there already and can share experiences.

Good idea Harry and a great post thanks, so some specifics.

Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong - Ella and Louis - Analogue Productions DSD

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue or In a Silent Way -  

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

Any Talking Heads

Any Rolling Stones 1970 - 1982

Any Who 1970 - 1978

Infact any High Res Soul or Reggae titles that people have downloaded and are impressed with. I did download a Carmen Gomez recording from Sound Organisation that was a live DSD recording which was great really nice sound so anything along those lines.

Mostly not in my scope. Although Kind Of Blue has been discussed extensively IIRC. 

I have Talking Heads 77 from HDTracks. It's loud. It doesn't sound awful but the original UK CD that I have sounds just as good.

Bob the Builder posted:

Good idea Harry and a great post thanks, so some specifics.

Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong - Ella and Louis - Analogue Productions DSD

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue or In a Silent Way -  

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

Any Talking Heads

Any Rolling Stones 1970 - 1982

Any Who 1970 - 1978

Infact any High Res Soul or Reggae titles that people have downloaded and are impressed with. I did download a Carmen Gomez recording from Sound Organisation that was a live DSD recording which was great really nice sound so anything along those lines.

hey bob, i would know if you prefer these albums on your lp12 or on downloads.  Personally i prefer the original analog sound.  I use my streamer only for music recorded after the late 80's...   I downloaded albums from the 70's like isaac hayes, aretha franklin, herbie hancock...but prefer these albums on vinyl.

Keler Pierre posted:

Bob the Builder posted:

Good idea Harry and a great post thanks, so some specifics.

Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong - Ella and Louis - Analogue Productions DSD

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue or In a Silent Way -  

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

Any Talking Heads

Any Rolling Stones 1970 - 1982

Any Who 1970 - 1978

Infact any High Res Soul or Reggae titles that people have downloaded and are impressed with. I did download a Carmen Gomez recording from Sound Organisation that was a live DSD recording which was great really nice sound so anything along those lines.

hey bob, i would know if you prefer these albums on your lp12 or on downloads.  Personally i prefer the original analog sound.  I use my streamer only for music recorded after the late 80's...   I downloaded albums from the 70's like isaac hayes, aretha franklin, herbie hancock...but prefer these albums on vinyl.

Yes Keler Pierre I do prefere the sound of my LP12 my ND5XS/2Qute is for casual/browsing listening.

I'm still finding Hi Res download sites a bit hit and miss I did find a recently remastered  copy of  'Still Waters Run Deep' by the Four Tops an old favourite that is a whopping  24.50 pounds, How is it then I have just bought an Analogue Productions vinyl remastered copy of 'Feels Like Home' by Norah Jones for 31.00 pounds delivered and a Mobile Fidelity copy of 'In a Silent Way' for 32.00 pounds delivered both in high quality packaging and sounding fantastic.  I cannot for the life of me see why a digital file can cost 3/4 the price of a high quality vinyl reissue,  admittedly since adding the Chord 2Qute to my ND5XS I have been very, very happy with the SQ of my Tidal and Internet Radio streams it is the best digital replay I have ever heard but purely on value for money and apart from the superior SQ I will be buying vinyl first.  

I'm not sure where you are searching for HiDef downloads Bob,  looks like you need to spread your wings.   I buy in Europe & USA & generally (but not always) find Europe has more choice & better pricing, notwithstanding the quirks of releases only in USA & not Europe & visa versa.

 'Still Waters Run Deep'  24/192  is £13.20 at HighResAudio.  But just to show the variables you can get & madness of HDTracks I see its $24.98 in USA & £24.50 in UK,  even worse I bought a Sinatra 24/192 from the UK branch for £10,  the same was being sold in USA for $24  

'Feels Like Home' is £15.40 at HighResAudio &  'In a Silent Way' is £10.69 at Qobuz

Try this for searching HiDef locations & pricing   ..........  http://www.findhdmusic.com/alb...ist=&srch_label=

Might be worth looking at Qobuz sublime yearly sub (not the new sublime+) where a hell of a lot of HD 24bit downloads are well under half price and on specials as well as 60% off full time.

I got REM 192/24 for £3.99 plus many many more and for me, I clawed back my £220 yearly sub in the massive download & keep savings offered for 24bit downloads. Am considering this again now for the sublime+ (I personally do like to keep my files of favourites and happy to pay to keep them)

Take a look, it isn't for everyone due to their catalogue but for me worked a treat. I bought Rolling Stones 176/24 albums for £5.99 (Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed etc)

Back in the day HD Tracks US site (which I VPN into) was so much cheaper for new 24bit downloads than any EU or UK site as it was a no brainer to use, nowadays it is pretty high, hence the Qobuz mention above. I have bought from HiResAudio also and they have some downloads I couldn't;t get elsewhere such as Red Hot Chili Peppers Mothers Milk 192/24 version

It pays to have a few sites and plough through them as some real deals pop up, like Digital 7 site had Radiohead cheap and Technics did Van Halen on the cheap, just need to find and dig out the deals.

I found Steve Hoffman site and forum great for such tips, real quick notices posted on latest cheap deals and where to find quirky bargains, like a recent Dylan back catalogue set of 24bit for under £20 (£14.95 IIRC) which flew out the door naturally then got taken down the next day, deals like this come up now and then :-)

Thanks mikeB for the heads up on the Four Tops at High Res Audio at 13.20 its a bit more affordable although how 2 sites can sell the same file at 24 and 13 pounds is ridiculous.  

Thanks DAN43 wierdly I had joined the Steve Hoffman forum this morning before your prompt.

Bob the Builder posted:

Thanks mikeB for the heads up on the Four Tops at High Res Audio at 13.20 its a bit more affordable although how 2 sites can sell the same file at 24 and 13 pounds is ridiculous.  

Thanks DAN43 wierdly I had joined the Steve Hoffman forum this morning before your prompt.

Bob, there is a difference between 'selling' and 'offering for sale' !!

As I no longer own any CD's I went to a local charity shop selling cd's 2 for a pound and bought a Norah Jones CD I have just uploaded it straight to a usb stick and then played it through my system and it sounded as good as most 'High Res' downloads Ive heard.

+1 with Harry and Bob on my HiRes experiences so far. So hit and miss as to make me not really care about trying to find HiRes versions unless it's on a specific recommendation from a source I trust.

for recent example, I downloaded several HiRes albums from the LSO Live website. Gergiev's Rachmaninov 3rd Symphony sounds great, but Colin Davis' Planets is worse than CD versions by Rattle or Dutoit. As of now, I just don't feel inspired to bother too much with HiRes.