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    The Q Sessions, Straight From The Studio Pure PCM Recording Available On Qobuz

     

     

    I just received this press release today and absolutely love it. Qobuz isn't messing around with unnecessary proprietary schemes, rather it teamed with real musicians to record AND deliver true studio quality music right to our ears. This is a pure PCM recording that requires no special equipment to hear at 100% full resolution, straight from the studio, and has not been dumbed down to meet the bandwidth limitations of the 1990s. 

     

    Check out this press release for all the juicy details and listen to one track here. The embedded version below streams at 24/192!

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Qobuz commissions seven time GRAMMY® Award-winning jazz artist Christian McBride for The Q Sessions Hi-Res exclusive EP out 4/30 (International Jazz Day)

    End-to-end creation proves the power of Hi-Res to put listeners “in the studio”

     

    Seven-time GRAMMY® Award-winning jazz artist Christian McBride and Qobuz, the Hi-Res streaming and download service, have teamed up to release The Q Sessions EP tomorrow, 4/30, just in time for International Jazz Day.

     

    McBride visited NYC’s Power Station earlier this year to record three start-to-finish Hi-Res songs commissioned by Qobuz. The project was created with top-notch equipment at 24-bit/ 192kHz quality, and the final product streams and downloads with the exact same sound, tones, and touches, in which it was first recorded.

     

    With no digital compression or downgrading involved, The Q Sessions is the first in a new series of Qobuz exclusives designed to transport listeners directly to the studio and show the difference Hi-Res recording, production, and listening can make.

     

    CMB_TQS 13 _1_.jpgThe EP features three McBride performances, played in a quartet with Marcus Strickland (saxophone), Eric Harland (drums), and Mike Stern (guitar). Comprised of one blues improv, one standard and one new original commissioned by Qobuz ("Brouhaha," a song inspired by the then-recent passing of Chick Corea), The Q Sessions was custom-designed for the jazz fans who turn to Qobuz for the best quality sound. This EP joins Qobuz’ already established catalog of exclusive content - expert penned “panorama” interactive essays, artist-created playlists, liner notes and lyric booklets - to add to the platform’s reputation for the best listening experience in the field.

     

    Read more about The Q Sessions and the McBride/Qobuz partnership HERE at WBGO, where you can take an exclusive Hi-Res listen to the new "funk-fusion workout" “Brouhaha” right now, in the same 24-bit / 192kHz quality with which it was captured in the studio.

     

    Christian McBride said, “What a pleasure it was to put together a special group featuring one of my favorite guitarists of all time, Mike Stern. It was a great day in the studio with Mike, Marcus and Eric not only jamming a couple of tunes, but to also record a new original of mine, 'Brouhaha.' I’m thrilled we captured these performances in Hi-Res audio and can deliver them to the listener without compromise, and I look forward to more with Qobuz.” 

     

    Dan Mackta, US Managing Director of Qobuz, said, “Seeing the guys create this incredible music right before my eyes in the historic Power Station Studio A was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Knowing that everyone can have that same studio quality experience by listening on Qobuz makes it even better."

     

     

    About Qobuz

    Founded in 2007, a pioneer of high-quality sound, Qobuz is the French music streaming and download service that meets the needs of demanding music lovers and audiophiles. Available in 18 countries around the world, in Europe, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, Qobuz offers an exceptional range of exclusive editorial content written by a team of experts. With its catalog of more than 70 million tracks, Qobuz also has the richest choice of high-resolution (Hi-Res) references on the market. Qobuz is the only multi-genre platform to achieve Hi-Res certification - a label awarded by the Japan Audio Society (JAS). For more information: qobuz.com 

     

    About Christian McBride

    Christian McBride is a seven-time GRAMMY® Award-winning bassist, composer, and bandleader. McBride is the Artistic Director of the historic Newport Jazz Festival, New Jersey Performing Arts center (NJPAC) and the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. Christian is also a respected educator and advocate as the Artistic Director of Jazz House KiDS, and the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions. In addition to consistent touring, McBride hosts NPR's “Jazz Night in America” and "The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian" on SiriusXM. Whether behind the bass or away from it, Christian McBride is always of the music. From jazz to R&B, pop/rock and hip-hop/neo-soul to classical, he is a luminary with one hand ever reaching for new heights, and the other extended in fellowship—and perhaps the hint of a challenge—inviting us to join him.

     

     

     




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    It is the soprano sax on track 2 that is fatiguing. I find the same to be true on the latest Emmet Cohen release even with a tenor. The tracks without the sax sound fantastic, but the ones with the sax are annoying. Must be those new horns. They are nowhere as good as the old ones. Too bright.

     

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    28 minutes ago, JoeWhip said:

    It is the soprano sax on track 2 that is fatiguing. I find the same to be true on the latest Emmet Cohen release even with a tenor. The tracks without the sax sound fantastic, but the ones with the sax are annoying. Must be those new horns. They are nowhere as good as the old ones. Too bright.

     

     

    Very subjective opinion, but to me all jazz based on simple and rigid rhythmic patterns seems tiresome. Therefore, I prefer the more atmospheric European approach (ECM, ACT, etc.) or the jazz of the 50s-60s, where everything was subtler and deeper.

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    If it's about the SQ, this is a step in the right direction. Very clear and lifelike. If it's about the involvement the musicians create by their virtuosity; it's very good. If it's about the music; it's not my cup of tea.  But, thank you.

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    Sounds so amazing.  Would like to know the actual ADC used here.  

     

    I know that my favorite 'true PCM' recordings are the Reference Recordings series done on the discontinued venerable Pacific Microsonics Ladder ADC at 24 bit 176.4Khz.  

     

    When we talk format wars DSD, PCM.. MQA, it really to MY ear comes down to the least amount of DSP and shifting between formats, sample rates, the multiplicity of filtering required for that, etc. etc is what makes the difference.  

     

    I don't care if it is DSD or PCM, if its a great source recording, especially if its actually recorded on a 1 bit converter like the Grimm which is unfortunately only at 64fs, or a true 24 bit no Delta Sigma PCM converter like the Pacific Microsonics, then played back on a DAC with minimal processing in that same format as recorded (that is PCM on a ladder with no DSM, or DSD at 1 bit with no conversions at all be it filtering done in the unary code domain or filtering done in 2s complement PCM.. the only DSP being the final analog filter DAC) will sound the best.  

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    On 6/10/2021 at 1:36 AM, Andy-HandyHifi said:

    Sounds so amazing.  Would like to know the actual ADC used here.  

     

    I know that my favorite 'true PCM' recordings are the Reference Recordings series done on the discontinued venerable Pacific Microsonics Ladder ADC at 24 bit 176.4Khz.  

     

    When we talk format wars DSD, PCM.. MQA, it really to MY ear comes down to the least amount of DSP and shifting between formats, sample rates, the multiplicity of filtering required for that, etc. etc is what makes the difference.  

     

    I don't care if it is DSD or PCM, if its a great source recording, especially if its actually recorded on a 1 bit converter like the Grimm which is unfortunately only at 64fs, or a true 24 bit no Delta Sigma PCM converter like the Pacific Microsonics, then played back on a DAC with minimal processing in that same format as recorded (that is PCM on a ladder with no DSM, or DSD at 1 bit with no conversions at all be it filtering done in the unary code domain or filtering done in 2s complement PCM.. the only DSP being the final analog filter DAC) will sound the best.  

    Shame you just bought it, I would have given you my copy for free. 

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    3 hours ago, Rexp said:

    Shame you just bought it, I would have given you my copy for free. 

    HA.  I didn't buy the album.  I did listen to a few minutes of first track streaming and found the sound quality outstanding.  I have no actual opinion on the music per se.  Not enough listening time.  

     

    Edit.  Going deeper in, on track 2 and 3 I do hear what could be described as a bit hard edgy or unnatural sounding in some spots.  Perhaps its a bit 'uneven'.  Certainly there are some outstanding moments from a SQ perspective.  

     

    More listening needed to form an actual opinion rather than impressions.  

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