HD Tracks Issues?

[mkimsey]

I'm wondering about the health of HD Tracks due to a few recent developments I found concerning. The first thing I noticed was the special pre-release of Brother's In Arms, which was quickly withdrawn due to technical issues.

 

Next is what I perceive to be a real slow down in desirable new releases, after a real surge in the last half of last year. Impulse! titles have sputtered out; the WEA catalog seems to have slowed way down, except for some second tier jazz titles from the 70' and I almost get the impression that the majors are either looking to launch their own programs or are pulling back due to lack of mass interest.

 

Then, I ordered three downloads in one day and they took 10 hours to complete. Just prior to downloading, I ran a speed test to ensure my connection was strong (12 Mbps)and I had just downloaded a Naim FLAC album, which ran in 15 minutes. Then, I go to play these downloads and they all sounded flat and un-dynamic.Stevie Wonder's Innervision sounded muted compared to the most recent CD reissue. U2's Achtung Baby had my wife commenting on the poor fidelity from across the room. Previously downloaded titles all still sound great, so it's not my system.

 

My set up is an iMac with Amarra Mini to an Ayre QB-9. I've never had a 24/96 file bettered by a CD played through my modest Oppo 95 before. Something isn't right.

 

My inquiries to HD have so far gone unanswered. If they do respond, I will gladly update this post with the results but right now, I'm looking to see if anyone else is noticing these same things.

 

HD Tracks is the only real viable source for non-specialist HD downloads and I'd sure hate to see them go away.

 

Any ideas?

 

[wgscott]

Maybe they are checking the veracity of their high-resolution claims.

 

[REShaman]

mkimsey,

 

Your results downloading are even worse than my own, I am sad to say.

My broadband connection is 35 down (actually approaches 43MBs) and 25 up (actually approaches 33 MBs). And for several months the few (very) HDtracks I purchased to download took a very (very but not 10hrs very) long time in comparison to the earlier days or even 6 to 8 months ago when HDtracks downloaded briskly. For me, those days are gone or need to return.

 

Both the slower speeds and questionable quality of recording have all but stopped me from patronizing their library of Hi-Res because the Hi-Res Disappointment factor makes it a crapshoot.

 

Granted other voices sincerely express the opposite. Not challenging that perspective; and, it's not my perspective.

 

In any case, appreciate the sharing of this experience so as to be further informed.

Good fortune,

Richard

 

[mav52]

I feel as more knowledgeable people move into downloading and know the difference between redbook and 24bit192kHz and have the tools to verify what they purchased, I feel sites like HDTracks will be monitoring their process closely. Nothing like bad press caused by a site pushing a product that is incorrectly stated to cause concern among the users.

 

[firedog]

I downloaded 2 24/96 albums last week and both downloaded quickly and without incident. And I'm overseas from HDT.

 

Even if your line does fine on a speed test, that doesn't necessarily mean you will get a fast connection to HDT or any other particular server on the net at that given time. Connection between you and any individual site on the net is typically 10-20 jumps. If any one of these is slow, your download will be no faster than the slowest link in the chain at that time. The only solution may be to stop the download completely and renew it at a different time.

 

But as far as posting and withdrawing files, I agree with you. I can't see any reason for this to happen any more at all. For some reason HDT doesn't seem to get the concept of "quality control" - i.e., checking the files before they make them available for download. I don't think they are trying to intentionally cheat anyone; they just seem to have some sort on mental block as an organization against even the most basic QC. Mystifies me.

 

[jf3011]

You might want to try to disable TCP window scaling. For me, when downloading from HD Tracks, it boosts the download rate about a factor of 10 or so. At least it saturates my 6 mbps DSL line.

 

On a Mac TCP window scaling is enabled per default. You have to open a Terminal and type

 

mac:~ user$ sudo sysctl -w net.inet.tcp.rfc1323=0

Password:

 

and enter your password after the password prompt in order to disable it until the next reboot.

 

Because I had several defective downloads form HD Tracks too I'd like to add to the points above:

 

- Users can't rate albums on the web site

- There is no hdtracks forum

 

Both features would help identifing defective albums much faster.

 

 

[KDinsmore]

My download last week took only about 15-20 minutes so I don't know what's going on with your slow downloads.

 

I too would like to see more available but I have to believe a great deal of this is just legal wrangling that no one could get past.

 

I would think the whole Doors catalog could be made available for instance since the 1st is already there.

 

[REShaman]

To everyone who responded with a favorable download experience about speedy downloads from HDtracks, thank you for letting us unfortunate downloaders know we're alone.

 

My Mac Mini 2011 Thunderbolt downloads software through my broadband connection 35 up to 43 MBs down and 25 up to 33 MBs down and (there was a time when) rapidly from HDtracks until several months ago when it just hit the brakes (triggers?) I have not changed anything except to allow all the updates to install over the months many of which have broken stuff that worked before.

 

On my Mac Mini/Mac Pro, software downloads have not slowed down. The latest slow-down experiences are peculiar to HDtracks. No axe to grind! And as I have lost interest in their catalogue for sufficiently critical other reasons, the infrequent purchases while presently excruciatingly tedious is still bearable.

 

I envy those of you who do not suffer from HDtDD (HDtracks Download Dysfunction).

 

And thank you for the hints offered to cure my download dysfunction malady. But, for some changes, I am not prepared to start screwing around with what works 99% of the time. Still I appreciate the lessons.

 

Over and out,

Richard

 

[wgscott]

Is it possible your internet service provider is f-ing with you? They will do this, especially if they (in this case falsely) believe you are downloading illegally.

 

[mkimsey]

Not at all. I had just downloaded a full album from Naim (UK) that took 15 minutes right before these.

 

I've done plenty of HD Tracks over the past two years that took much less time (up until a few months ago) and even when the download was slow, I've never had a download (or 3 in this case) sound worse than the current CD version, as these did. (My USB DAC and associated cables are in the $5K plus range, the CD player is $995.)

 

They responded twice today with no useful help at all. Call me disenchanted and rooting for iTune to offer hi-def....yeah, right.

 

[wgscott]

Your ISP might be throttling downloads from specific sites, especially if it is provided by a cabal TV company.

 

[mkimsey]

AT&T DSL, 18mbps

 

[jf3011]

Exactly, until a few months ago HD Tracks was fast, then it suddenly became slow. Perhaps they changed the file hosting provider. Now it is some Amazon cloud service.

 

Try disabling TCP window scaling. This should help.

 

 

 

[mav52]

Downloads

 

Well the two times I downloaded music from HDT, it just set there, telling me it's in progress. The downloader failed to download. Numerous emails, which NEVER got answered so on a whim I changed from Firefox 10 to Google Chrome and tried again. "everything worked great". Being in the States I figured they would be more responsive to their customer service. My biggest complaint is their failure to answer their emails to help out a person that is paying money for a product.

 

[jtm]

My observations show the same - since HDtracks moved their services to the amazon servers the download speed has gone down to an inacceptable level.

 

I am on a 16mbits line and have fast downloads from any other site, except for HDT since they changed.

 

Audiophiles seem to accept this bag of hurt.

Premium prices for sometimes questionable quality and now hours waiting for a normally close-to-instant delivery.

 

[REShaman]

There seems to be divergent experiences, i.e., those who recognize the change for the worse and those who experience other than our findings of egregiously slow service. Coupled with hit or miss purchases of what is sought but not delivered, I have returned to buying hard copies and converting to AIFF files. I am no longer amazed at the slow response from a vendor like HDtracks to acknowledge by making changes. I never argue with perception so while I am not inviting arguments, I am encouraging a concerted effort to get the attention of HDtracks. I haven't stopped purchasing music, just stopped purchasing from HDtracks. Less disappointments this way. For those whose experiences are fine/acceptable/tolerable it's a big world, enjoy the music however you find it.

Just getting it out there. Not looking to refute others' experiences.

Above all, enjoy the music,

Richard

 

[mwheelerk]

I just downloaded my first title since late January and there was no change in download time for me, maybe 25 minutes to complete.

 

[REShaman]

mwheelerk, are you being humorous? 25 minutes? How many downloads in 25 minutes? In the good ole days one download containing 8 to 12 tracks would download in only a few minutes if that much. I am not attempting to contradict anyone, but for those of us who have been doing business with HDtracks for some time, downloads use to fly like the wind now, they crawl like a snail. There's nothing wrong with my system as any other service depending on their equipment (servers etc.) send downloads rapidly!

 

Whatever changes HDtracks has made, the download times have changed so dramatically as to persuade me to go elsewhere (there is no elsewhere for what they offer).

 

Best,

Richard

 

[mwheelerk]

No I am not being humorous. I have been downloading with HD Tracks since their beginning and only high resolution (24/88.2 or 24/96) full albums since they began offering them. The 25 minutes is very typical.

 

[wdomeika]

I use HDtracks...not exclusively, but enough to call myself sort of a "reg".

 

I've had a number of questions, issues...a few downloads that actually I messed up and had to have them reinstate the primary download. Have I downloaded a few files only to find that the sound wasn't as expected?...yep. Did HDT ever fail to give me a credit?...nope.

 

My questions have generally been answered in day or so. So while YMMV...mine in the main has been good.

 

btw...i have no vested interest in HDT other than as a customer. I'm a consultant and a chef. Which means I pretend to know everything even though i don't...and I eat well.

 

Cheers,

 

Bill

 

 

 

[Paul R]

Your download speed depends upon a lot of things, many, indeed most of which, HDTracks does not and cannot have any control over. Suggesting otherwise is not fair or reasonable.

 

Your download speed changes are much more likely to be your ISP prioritizing content (i.e. telephone calls) than anything else.

 

10 to 25 minutes to download a hires album is not unreasonable, as they are not streaming content,merely doing a file transfer.

 

Paul

 

 

[REShaman]

Paul, Not fair? Not reasonable? O.K. I never argue with perception. My ISP does not limit my download speed specifically from any particular website. As a counter example, I have downloaded 192/24 from other vendors on the internet and the downloads are 60% to 75% faster. Based on the disparity of download speed from different sites, I would adjudge my experience as fair and reasonable, not that I take your comments personally. I am reporting, as others, what I am experiencing that has significantly changed over time. With 35MBs down and 25 MBs up, and examples of speedy downloads, I beg to differ.

Thank you for your reprimand, anyway.

Best,

Richard

 

[Paul R]

Richard - I was not picking on you, I was attempting to share with you that in all probability, neither you nor HDTracks is at fault. I was also typing on an iPad, and so was far more brief than I perhaps should have been. If you wish to take that as I think your assumption is probably erroneous, then yes, that is true. But I did not mean that in the way you took it at all.

 

Let me explain in more detail. First let us assume (for the sake of simplicity) that your home network is up and running fine. This is most probable because you report high download speeds from other locations.

 

Let's also assume (again for the sake of simplicity) that HDTracks is not on an overloaded server and has a clean and fast connection to the internet. This is also suggested by the facts that one group has been able to get fast downloads, a second group sees about the same download speeds they always have seen, and yet a third group, including yourself, sees slower downloads than you have seen in the past. Were either condition above true, it would impact everyone.

 

If you take those two bits of information, which are clearly apparent in the previous posts of this discussion, there are several very likely possibilities that could cause your downloads to be slow. They are all more or less difficult to test without access to your network however.

 

First, depending upon your ISP, which at those speeds is most likely to be a cable company, there is probably a lot of priority routing for telephone and streaming access going on in the cable company's plant. That means that at at least some of the routers between your ISP and the greater internet, your downloads packets are probably being shoved into a waiting queue and only being passed when there is nothing more "important" to the cable company to pass.

 

Second, that same thing could be happening upstream of your cable company, at one of the companies like AT&T that peer with your cable company.

 

Third, your cable company could be in a bit of a conflict with an upstream peer and traffic to and/or from them is de-prioritized. Obvioulsy, HDTracks would have to be on the other side of that peer from you for anything like this to cause a problem.

 

Fourth, your cable company or an upstream peer may have limits set for whomever HDTracks is using for an ISP. (From here, that looks like "hostmysite.com" and they are connected through Level3. Don't know if it is different for the downloads site though. )

 

Fifth, It is possible, though unlikely, that your cable company or some intervening peer has decided that HDTracks (or traffic like the traffic from HDTracks) is unprofitable and is throttling it.

 

And there is a long list of other possibilities, descending in probability I think, from here.

 

Somewhere in there is the possibility that HDTracks is limiting transmission bandwidth intentionally, but I would rather doubt that. Anyone can get a business class internet connection with un-throttled access for a relatively little amount of of money these days.

 

Does that help a bit?

 

-Paul

 

 

 

[senmurv76]

Richard -- if you have access to a good VPN (e.g. WiTopia) give it a try and see if it improves your download speed.

 

[Jud]

Interesting. Why would the added overhead of a VPN improve download speed?

 

Another idea: See whether another DNS provider might help. I use and like OpenDNS.