HD Tracks

Hi Mike,

I don't have too many 192/24 albums but here's a couple of my faves:-

Miles Davis - A Kind of Blue

Antonio Forcione & Sabina Sciubba - Meet Me In London

John Coltrane - Blue Train

The Eagles - Hotel California

The Eagles - One of These Nights

The first two are really special, especially in the way that they were transferred to 192/24, which you should be able to read about if you Google them.

Just depends if you like that style of music.

But you can't really go wrong with those two Eagles albums.

Enjoy!

Don't get too hung up on the big numbers,  24/192 should sound better than 24/96, but comparing 192 & 96 with the same album its hard to tell.  

Also comparing CD rips to some 24-bit recordings is another thing to get confused with,  some are remasters, some are not,  & in some cases a big 24-bit number is no guarantee its a remaster or sounds better.

Remasters do invariably sound better,  but its a personal choice on what better is;  the raw original maybe the making of the feel of an album & a remaster might knock off the rawness so its lost its appeal.

You mention one of my favourites that has got better with a remaster, Bob Marley's "Legend"; the 2nd track is the famous live recording of "No Woman No Cry",   on the CD is a mess, a poor recording on an otherwise good album. The Tuff Gong remaster in 24/96 brings the track into life,  its a real wish I was there music event, a real live band & crowd feel. 

Another favourite is one mentioned by ChrisH,   Forcione & Sabina - "Meet Me In London".  The difference between the original CD & te high def remaster is huge, but much of that is remastering,  not the high def.  

Another nice 24/192 recording is Norah Jones "Come Away With Me" if you like her smooth jazz style.

One of the Eric Clapton's .... a fav 24/192 for me is "461 Ocean Boulevard"

Have you heard DSD yet, simple small group native studio recordings in DSD are stunning.  David Elias "Crossing" is an outstanding example.  

Finally HDTracks are the top of the expensive range,  Qobuz are invariably more competive, also try HighResAudio who often beat Qobuz

I've always thought that you should buy a record because you like it, rather than because it's recorded in high definition. 

Mike, I have bought almost 400 24 bit downloads in the last year, many from HDTracks. 

In my view the sample rate is not of paramount importance. I have plenty of 44/24 which sound very good, and at this stage I will buy 96/24 over 192/24, where there is a choice. HDTracks charges $17.95 for 96/24 and $24.95 for 192, and, for me, the difference is not justified. Maybe my 62 year old ears are not up to scratch, but at least they are saving me money! 

In addition to those you mention, you could try Joni's 'Court and Spark' in 192, which I think is particularly good. 

I too bought the Carly Simon, but found it rather 'flat', in contrast to most of the rest. I didn't buy the Bob Marley, as I had already ripped it from a Blu Ray audio disc, which sounds very good to me.

Good hunting!