HDTracks Rod Stewart and Esperanza Spalding

[firedog]

RS - The classic "Every Picture Tells a Story" - great album. Anybody heard the HDT version?

 

ES - Radio Music Society - new album should sound good in HD. Anyone heard it?

 

[latitude94941]

I'm also curious about "Every Picture." Don't think it's ever been issued on SACD so not sure what the source of this release is. Once again frustrated that HDtracks is not providing mastering info.

 

[Kevin_O]

How do you expect HDtracks to know when it's not even documented on the album??

 

http://www.allmusic.com/album/every-picture-tells-a-story-r19100/credits

 

[latitude94941]

Not sure what you're getting at here...

 

 

[Kevin_O]

How can they provide "mastering information" if it's not known?

 

[Jud]

Mastering information unknown as in not listed right there on the album, or unknown as in not possible to find upon reasonable inquiry?

 

[KDinsmore]

And both sound really great. I'll wait for someone to post the graphs before making a decision. I don't want this to be some marginally better issue for the $$. The Doors release was definitely worth it.

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

I listened to the new Esperanza Spalding via MOG this afternoon. It's eclectic and a good listen the first time through.

 

[ted_b]

a newly acquired, unique hirez (24/192 and 24/96) copy of a classic album like Rod's EPTAS, and yet does not disclose where the heck it came from (they've certainly spent lots of ad dollars on telling us all about the work done by Bob Ludwig on the ABKCO Stones stuff, etc) then we have the right to ask. I'll not pay $$ for a "brown paper sack that showed up on our doorstep". I mean, why the premium price if no premium features are disclosed. We don't even know if it came from Mercury (the label). And HDTracks has not exactly been without an upsampling faux paus or two, so I'd wait this out until we know more.

 

With selections like The Doors, Yes, etc it's easy to understand that hirez versions previously existed, and that HDTracks is now offering these in internet download form; it's a real value to those who don't already own the hirez content. But for an album, with no previous hirez buzz whatsoever, to show up, and the vendor offering absolutely no information??...weird.

 

[Kimo]

I can't really compare it with any other version, but I would say that added compression doesn't appear to be a problem. The sound stage is clean, open, and dry.

 

I bought the 24/96 version. This sounds like a flat high rez transfer to me. Now, let us watch someone post the graphs and show that I can't hear for crap.

 

[ted_b]

this wrong...but if you truly can't compare what you bought to any other version, how do you say it sounds like a flat transfer??

 

[Kimo]

1. I don't hear any added reverberation or compression. Nice cymbal splashes. Nice air.

 

2. There is enough variety between tracks, though subtle, to convince me that things weren't messed with much.

 

3. I read at the Hoffman forum that the tapes sounded excellent on their own. This sounds pretty good to me.

 

There may be a problem with track 4, however. Sounds like a lot of dead air at the end.

 

I can't believe that anyone wouldn't dig this very colorful and open presentation.

 

Note: I haven't bought a single HDtracks download that I didn't like, though I did stay away from several due to the comments on this board.

 

 

 

 

 

[Rob McCance]

ok

 

 

 

[latitude94941]

Kevin_O: information is known, just not listed on All Music. On CD, Every Picture has been mastered by Dennis Drake, Roger Wake, Suha Gur, plus Mobile Fidelity.

 

Ted: agree with you that this is weird. If it turns out this was done like HDtracks Warner Brothers "flat transfer" series I'd be very interested in buying.

 

[Kimo]

a question with respect to track 4. No reply. I have received replies from them regarding mastering questions before, but not this time.

 

 

 

 

[ted_b]

good friend and master transfer god, Bruce Brown, Puget Sound Studios, did the analog tape to 24 bit transfer, and it looks like a winner...all the way to 24/192k (bottom scale goes to 96k). Yeah!! Thanks Bruce!!

 

 

[Mercman]

Thanks Ted.

 

 

[latitude94941]

Thanks, Ted, for getting the info--and for vindicating Kimo's ears.

 

Intereresting that HDtracks has Bruce do the mastering. Wonder if he's been doing the Warner "flat transfer" series as well. Can't understand why HDtracks wouldn't want to give consumers this information.

 

 

 

[Kimo]

If I ever run for office, there is high level job waiting for you on my campaign committee.

 

Do you know if your friend has created any more masters like the Rod Stewart release, which we may be seeing soon at HDtracks?

 

[ted_b]

to pre-release info. That would hurt Bruce's (or anyone's) reputation.

 

And Kimo, thanks for the kudos, but you wouldn't want me on that campaign committee. I've run a few campaigns for my wife (State House of Reps, State Senate) and I've not won but one.

 

[Rambaud]

I might now be tempted to purchase it.

 

[InfernoSTi]

I've downloaded RS Every Picture and am hoping to give it a listen soon. I'm pretty excited!

 

John

 

[got tinnitus]

So has anyone download "Radio Music Society" from HD Tracks and checked it's not an upsample?

 

TIA

 

 

[firedog]

Got the 24/96k Rod Stewart. Sounds good. Compared it to a rip of redbook CD from the 90's and an LP (from 70's).

 

Download is better. Not a huge improvement over the Redbook, but better. Quieter background and cleaner overall sound, so details are more audible. You just hear everything a bit better. I hear more sustain on the cymbals, for example. But I think my CD is good too, and the difference isn't huge.

 

The DR (acc'd to Foobar tool) is 11 for the CD and 12 for the Download - every song on the download scored one db higher than the CD, but I guess this could be due to the format difference. (The CD actually sounds louder to me, btw.)

 

The original LP had a "live" feel to it. Several songs are basically hard rock played on acoustic instruments, and the players are working their instruments very hard on a lot of the tunes. The download captures this well.

 

Summation: this download is worth it, especially with the hd4 discount code (15%) that is good till the end of this month. But if you have the CD and aren't a huge fan of this album (as I am), you might want to skip it. The improvement is noticeable, but not dramatic.

 

BTW, thanks Ted, for letting us know that Bruce at Puget Sound did the conversion from analogue. When I heard that I felt confident that the result would be good. Bruce takes his work seriously.

 

[firedog]

See attachments. Just got this one, too. The attached spectrum plot appears to be typical of several I took at different parts of the album. So there appears to be real hires material, at least up to about 28hz. (Although that seems an odd "cutoff" point). The files aren't heavily volume compressed, either.

 

I'm just listening to the album for the first time. It is a fine sounding recording. Of course, I don't have the CD, so can't say if this is any better than the CD. But for $15 (with discount code hd4) it seems like a reasonable buy.