Recommended 24 bit recordings

Bugger, I can't edit it now but please feel free to include DSDs too Wat 

Louis Armstrong, What a Wonderful World, 24/192 is an astonishingly good recording, almost spooky in how real it sounds. Whether that's because of the quality of the production or the 24 bit processing I don't know but I would recommend it to anyone 

hey guys, could you help with identifying the specific recording by adding the year / label / cat# / vendor just to be sure, especially on greatest hits and back catalogue items?

Inevitably no amount of restoration cab put back what was never there before. You need a decent master recording to create a superb digital "hidef" release.

The other Louis A- song from that time was, "We have all the time ..."

Enjoy!

Best from George

As a rule of thumb based on my experiences so far, anything produced/mastered/remastered by Steve Wilson.

It can still be a potential minefield in places. Jethro Tull's Aqualung in 24bit was a revelation. Such nuance, texture and detail that was never evident before. A masterpiece, perhaps with the exception of a somewhat prominent treble overhang which didn't intrude all the time and must have obviously been part of the original recording. But no. It later emerged that the album was post processed with a treble lift. We didn't get the proper Steve Wilson version until this year. 

The original, unmolested Steve Wilson version of Benefit was made available at the same time. It had similar billing to Aqualung but turned out in fact to be the version already in circulation on DVD-A, the reason for this being that (presumably because it was of less interest to the label)  it hadn't been sent off for additional polishing after Steve Wilson finished it. But if like me you already owned both Aqualung and Benefit on DVD-A, the billing which accompanied Benefit was designed to make you buy it twice.

This is why buying music is such a twin edged sword and always has been for me at least since I started buying records in the 1960s. I love the music and admire the artists but absolutely detest the greedy, grasping, interfering and arrogant people who have placed themselves between the fans and the talent. They overcharge for shit and when we don't buy it they assume we're pirating and try to make criminals out of us.

Anyway, back to Wilson. He's popped up all over the place and never left a turd behind (unless the label crapped on it post Wilson). Crimson, XTC, Hawkwind and my favourite, Yes. You can't download them. They are sold at very reasonable prices on DVD-A and BluRay and you get a repackaged box, booklet, and loads of versions and extras. What has been done of the Yes catalogue so far has been remixed. Can't say I'm a huge fan of Wilson's latter day interpretation but some do work well as alternative versions. And some don't. You also get a 16/44 CD, a 24bit flat transfer and 24bit  needle drop in the sets, meaning that most if not all wants will be catered for.

He's been working with Steve Hackett on his back catalogue. Too early to say what will emerge in HiRes (everything I suspect) but whoop diddly doo. I'm really looking forward to hearing the output. Us old tired Proggers have done quite well out of HiRes recycling and have on occasion even been treated to some really good stuff that it turns out we didn't quite know so note perfectly as we thought. We must be a good revenue stream. Another word for mug to the record companies. But we seem happy enough so that's all right.

Ella and Louis 24_96

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue 24_192

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (1xDSD)

Dave Brubeck - Time Out 24_88.2

Claire Martin - Too Much in Love to Care (have SACD - Linn Records)

Cassandra Wilson - Another Country (& many others) 24_48

Antonio_Forcione_Sabina_Sciubba-Meet_Me_In_London [24_192] (Naim Label)
Oscar Peterson Trio; The Singers Unlimited (24_88.2)
Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch 24_96
Eric Dolphy - Out There (RVG) 24_44.1

Lee Morgan - Cornbread  24_192

Rolling Stones - Let it Bleed (1xDSD)

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On 24_96

Aretha Franklin - Young Gifted & Black 24_96

Janine_Jansen-Vivaldi_The_Four_Seasons 24_96

Puccini - Turandot_Pavarotti; Sutherland; Mehta [Decca] 24_96
Raymond Daveluy_ Organ Recital (1xDSD)

Nidarosdomens jentekor & Trondheimsolistene-Magnificat (have Blu-ray) (2L label)

Peter Gabriel - So: 24/48Khz, remastered from original 24/192 recording.

Remastered to avoid the limitation imposed by the original 16bit reformatting for CD.

Weber Wind Concertos - SCO: 24/192

Excellent playing & superb recording.

I've used this to re-code to 24/48, 16/48 & MP3 to test the different formats, and the 24/192 wins by a clear margin when doing a double blind test with two friends (even easily winning over the 24/48).

Is that the one available through Society Of Sound? It doesn't seem to have been universally well received and this ultimately put me off because my CD sounds so good in the first place- but I could be getting it mixed up with another version. I think the original 16/44 UK release is one for the "Best of 16bit" thread.

Just three that immediately spring to mind.  While they're all analogue recordings remastered to 24bit, they're the three that invariably get played a lot round here...

Grateful Dead - Workingman's Dead 

Neil Young - Harvest 

Crosby, Stills & Nash - CSN

Joni Mitchell - Hissing of the Summer Lawns (24bit 192kHz) sounds wonderful.

(I'm looking forward to hearing it without dropouts once I've updated my NDS next Tuesday)

David Ellias, Crossing, DSD is a brilliantly recorded album and a good advertisment for DSD.  The guitar in particular sounds like it is being played in the corner of the room.  You can sample for free on line

CSNY 1974, live recordings, 24/192KHz files on a BluRay

Dave Brubeck - Time Out 24_176.4KHz

This Naim download is superbly recoded in 24/192

24/192 from Linnrecords.com as a download.

HiRes download from Qobuz

   Venus Records24bit Hyper Magnum Sound (what ever that is!?) but it sounds superb.

Mixed views on this but imho Rush 24 bit versions of Fly by Night, Caress of Steel  and Permanent Waves from 2015 are superior than the previous versions.  I also feel that the previous 24 bit versions, in general, are better sq than the 16 bit with usually more clarity and detail in the music. They are slightly different mixes though with the drums brought out on some which may not be to everyone's taste.

The 2015 24bit releases, currently up to Grace Under Pressure, have been widely well received.  There's always going to be dissent but I think that most people who have had ears on experience are glad the latest releases are happening. Which is not to say that the previously released HiRes stuff wasn’t any good. But for the most part they were derived from the Sector box sets and consequently contain many remixes.  For the most part this doesn’t bother me but some really do grate. Each to our own.

The 2015 releases were eagerly anticipated because they revert to the original mixes and have not been artificially loudened, thus preserving a more healthy dynamic range – ironic when you consider that Rush have been more guilty of this than many and have rendered their catalogue from Test For Echo onwards a triumph of sound effects over instruments which will be impossible to rescue and restore any music from. Such a shame.

I would say that all the 2015 releases have been good, some better than others, and the stand out so far has been Permanent Waves.  If you can’t sample in advance (very difficult if not impossible with downloads) I think the 2015 HiRes catalogue is the one to go for. But beware, because the forces of evil are still afoot. Coinciding with this new raft of 2015 releases are 24bit BluRay Rush music discs which are being released simultaneously with the downloadable albums. Except that the BluRay albums are the Sector remasters.  Misleading unless you do your homework.

It looks like 2015 will be their retirement year. One can never discount another studio project but I think the arc is ending. They are now well represented in HiRes. I have heard one live track from their R40 Tour footage (Roll The Bones) and it actually sounds like a band playing as opposed to a wall of loudness. It will be difficult if not impossible to balls it up any worse than the Clockwork Angel Tour audio and video releases and this sliver of hope at least hints at the tantalising prospect that by the end of the year Rush will also be represented by a tour movie and soundtrack of some quality and therefore a fitting farewell.

I'm still living in hope of a european tour next year.  I haven't enjoyed a live album since Exit Stage Left to be honest so a decent one and DVD would be welcome.  The Permanent Waves from 2015 is a revelation in my view and I enjoy it very much indeed

All Paul Simon

All Simon & Garfunkel

All Joni Mitchell

All Leonard Cohen

All Van Morrison

All Beatles

Karajan 1963 Beethoven Symphonies

All Bob Dylan

All Wilco

Any of the Maria Callas remasters I've heard (esp. Carmen)

All Bruce Springsteen

Cantate Domino

Jazz at the Pawnshop

All Emmylou Harris

All Fleetwood Mac

London Callng - The Clash

Wagner Ring - Solti

Buena Vista Social Club

Hot August Night - Neil Diamond 

The Gypsy Legend - Manitas de Plata

Haydn Creation - Sunhae Im

Haydn 4 Seasons - Davis

Marriage of Figaro - Teodor Currentzis

Misa Criolla- La Chimera

Shostakovich Symphony 7 - Petrenko

Etc. etc!!!

Where I say 'all' above, I mean all that we have so far been made available. There are some frustrating gaps, e.g. Bob Dylan 'Desire'. Also nothing from Lucinda Williams, and only one from Gordon Lightfoot. We can but hope.....

A wonderful prospect which I don't think we should hold our breath for. Last interview/feature I saw said they were pretty much shutting up shop. But who knows?

On the recording front I'm in two minds about which 24bit version of 2112 I'd take to the desert island, probably the 2015 one.  As for Grace Under Pressure 2015, I have never heard a more detailed, insightful rendition, which is a mixed blessing because I think it has been exposed more than ever for the rather bad production it is.

Power Windows will be a treat for me. I know that more than Grace, it is a poster child for all that was irritating about the big sounding, scrubbed clean 1980s method of producing records, but they carried it off with such aplomb. Like Tull's Under Wraps (which I'm sure will make it into a HiRes format at some point) it was very much a product of its time yet hasn't aged too embarrassingly. And as I've built my system over the years Power Windows has just kept giving out more detail, information and insight into the virtuosity behind the sheen and pomp. It might be multitracked to death but they're all well played and they can knock it out live just fine.

Which is the best version of Moving Pictures to download?

I'm also awaiting Marillion's Fugazi - c'mon someone, release it in hi-res PLEASE

I don't think there is anything significant to chose between 24bit versions of Moving Pictures. I would go for the 2015 version for it's good dynamic range. It is reasonably priced.

Jean-Michel Jarre

Electronica 1: The Time Machine vol 1

24 bit 48 kHz

From Highresaudio 

Released on October 16, 2015

This is a series of collaborations.

1 The Time Machine - Jean-Michel Jarre & Boys Noize

2 Glory - Jean-Michel Jarre & M83

3 Close Your Eyes - Jean-Michel Jarre & Air

4 Automatic, Pt. 1 - Jean-Michel Jarre & Vince Clarke

5 Automatic, Pt. 2 - Jean-Michel Jarre & Vince Clarke

6 If..! - Jean-Michel Jarre & Little Boots

7 Immortals - Jean-Michel Jarre & **** Buttons

8 Suns Have Gone - Jean-Michel Jarre & Moby

9 Conquistador - Jean-Michel Jarre & Gesaffelstein

 10 Travelator, Pt. 2 - Jean-Michel Jarre & Pete Townshend

11 Zero Gravity - Jean-Michel Jarre & Tangerine Dream

12 Rely on Me - Jean-Michel Jarre & Laurie Anderson

13 Stardust - Jean-Michel Jarre & Armin van Buuren

14 Watching You - Jean-Michel Jarre & 3D (Massive Attack)

15 A Question of Blood - Jean-Michel Jarre & John Carpenter

16 The Train & The River - Jean-Michel Jarre & Lang Lang

17 Continuous Mix (All 16 tracks played in one continuous mix).

Track 17 "Continuous Mix" not available on all download sites.

This is Jean Michel Jarre first album of new material in over 8 years and it has been worth the Wait, words fail me at this moment to describe how good this new music is, if you are a Jean Michel Jarre  fan will not be disappointed, just remember this is a collaboration an some songs will not quite be what you will be expecting.

Tantalizing, but not available for download in Canada. Grumble.