Where can I download High Def Music from?

Are you looking for anything in particular?

HD Tracks have built a good collection but it's still early days. At the risk of stating the obvious it is prudent to triple check what you are downloading before you press the button because there's plenty of 16Bit material all mixed up with it.

Yes - thanks.  I was initially deterred by the site saying it was for US only.  But I soon found that I could download stuff anyway.  I assume that it will be something like agreement hasn't been reached in Europe about copyright for hi def downloads.

HDTracks

B&W

Linn

Naim

iTrax

are ones I know of....

90% of it is Classical, what I would call "Adult Contemporary", female vocalist, singer-songwriter, world, ethnic, pretty bad jazz, and classic rock/AOR, Clapton and Rolling Stones.  These aren't my go-to genres.

But I have bought a few and have been pleased.

It is coming folks.

Patrick - thanks - I think your summary of what's available is spot on!

Gmischol - great stuff - I think this will be useful for lots of people - many thanks.

It seems to me that you can find a few things that you like somewhere in these sites and try out 24 bit music.  I did - and I was happy with what I heard, especially with more complex classical music. 

But it's a pity its taking so long for more music to become more widely available, and it seems expensive too. 

What I'd like one day is to be able to subscribe to an on-line High Res music service and stream whatever I want to listen to to the system.  I guess that makes the NDX the way forward, with perhaps the CD collection archived onto a UnitiServe.

Yes, on 2nd hand vinyl (sorry Martin -couldn't resist!).

He said "good sources".

There was a letter in HiFi News this month about a non-profit making site which attempts to collate and list all legal high quality download sites on the 'net. The site is DreamStreaming (http://www.dreamstreaming.info) and its purpose is to lobby for higher quality content, whether streamed through the 'net or available for download only, free or otherwise. I had a quick look and it seems quite interesting.

Regards,
Frank.
All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.

Thanks Frank - I'll keep an eye on this.

I downloaded the demo collection and Hotel California off HDTracks onto a memory stick and played these through the nDAC. My first non-scientific impressions were that I am not sure I could immediately tell the difference between an EAC ripped copy of the CD and the 24 bit version of Hotel California, but the demo tracks sounded very good, and the impression I was left with is that complex classical music was more satisfying in 24 bit.

I remember an argument at work at least 15 years ago about whether records or CDs were better.  This was settled when we trooped around to a friend's house and plugged a NAD CD into the back of a black box with a glowing green badge that I had never heard of.  It sounded good.  Then the friend put on 'Thriller' onto the record deck and my jaw dropped.  I could not believe the sound coming off this piece of plastic.  He then put on a classical piece which was quite beautiful (and at one point you can hear a music stand fall over in the orchestra).  I have the CD version of this recording, and I have never heard that detail on my CD5.  The set up was a NAC/NAP 250 with Linn Kabers, an LP12 and all the right power supplies - and I've not heard anything better since..

I've only got a Rega Planar 3 - it's not quite in the LP12 class!  The nDac is in a different league - if I had a NAC/NAP250, it is perhaps comparable to the LP12.  But there is still something about vinyl - a sort of smoothness of sound, and a percussive quality - that I don't get in digital. 

But I also don't have to get up every 20 mins and carefully wipe clean the record either!  And it's tricky playing records on the iPod.

Agreed. And complex music in general. I have found HiRes to be considerably more listenable and enjoyable across the range but the usual caveats apply - you can't get out what wasn't there to start with. Where it seems to consistently score is with orchestral music, which may a case of good recording quality in the first place. Moving Pictures by Rush, for reasons I can't put into words, has come out a treat in 24Bit and the other so far stand out album for me is Days Of Future Passed which which takes us back to orchestral but the voicing and band instruments are goose bump life like. Band On The Run is perhaps the best pop/rock 24Bit poster boy I've heard so far. Not an album I'd cross the street for but pickings are still slim. can't fault the sound quality though.

I have a 1981 spec Pnanar3 3 which I bought new. For what it is I still can’t fault it although it no longer does regular duty here. When I look at what the LP12 cost then it’s laughable – but it was not remotely affordable.

The vinyl ritual was indeed complicated. Buy a record. Take it back for exchange. Take that back because it had more clicks and distortion than the previous one. Wait for a new batch. Not for nothing did many record stores have revolving doors.  Once home the rituals continued.

Of course, I was much more agile and fit in those days and I can see why. 

Harry, Tom Sawyer is fantastic.

Isn't Days Of Future Passed amazing?

Tommy is superlative as well.

All the best!

Dave

Damn straight on Tom Sawyer - and the rest of the album come to that. The space, detail, textures and driving cohesion have come alive. It's the old trick of spilling it all out but not allowing it to unravel. 

DOFP - what can I say? I've been listening to this since the early 70s and heard it for the first time this year!

Happy times.

I always liked the Moody Blues.  I quite liked Band on the Run, although as you say its not an album tocross the road for.  But I think I'll give them a try.   I love the bit where you rediscover a piece of music - or perhaps discover it properly for the first time.

Yes - sliding out the record and spinning it by the edges. Carefully wiping it clean with a slightly damp anti-static cloth.  Carefully setting up the dust bug. Lowering the arm, being careful to land the needle at just the right spot.  Hurrying back to start listening and rushing back to the record as to remove the hair that the needle is now skipping over.  Feeling slightly seasick from watching the arm rise and fall over the warp in the record.  Waking up a couple of hours later with the record going click, click click.

So much easier now lying on the couch with an iPhone App and deciding what to put on next.

Even within the twists and turns of personal taste and subjectivity, I am confident in saying that BOTR and DOFP will not disappoint. Have fun.

I got a Society Of Sound sub with my recently purchased B&W speakers. As is usually the case with the HD situation at present, little or nothing appealed but I did download Scratch My Back.  I don't really like covers. I have been meaning to listen to it when feeling particularly receptive but I can't get Moving Pictures off repeat

Possibly their best recorded album, certainly one of the best. I have been chasing the vinyl "something" for years. Don't know what it is but you know when it's not there. 24Bit seems to have that sorted out now.