High-Resolution Downloads to die for…

[Boris75]

I have many recordings of Thomas Tallis' blockbuster, and the interpretation by the Magnificat ensemble is my favourite one. The quality of Linn's studio master is remarkable.

[Boris75]

Thanks for pointing me to this one! Will also investigate the Charlie Haden mentioned further above. Thanks guys!

 

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

 

You are welcome. The high-resolution download is available directly from Linn's website (www.linnrecords.com).

[Boris75]

As you know, only a few small audiophile labels (e.g., 2L and Channel Classics) record in DSD format.

 

Yes, but my understanding is that some major labels -- Sony at least -- have been archiving old analog tapes directly to DSD and sometimes released the result in SACD format : Miles Davies Kind of Blue 2007 Japanese SACD, RCA Living Stereo SACDs (in that case it is certainty - they tell it explicitly in the liner notes), Mercury Living Presence SACD, ABKCO Rolling Stones SACDs, Dire Straits Japanese SHM SACDs. There may be others.

[Boris75]

That is right. It seems to me a fair assumption that on HD Tracks material at 24/96 is native and converts from DSD would be 88 or 176. Those DSD conversions from Sony are pretty easy to spot as a result. Fair to assume that the EMI classical material is the 24/96 Abbey Road masterings.

 

This reasoning will work until someone at HDTracks or another outlet reads this forum and says: "mmmh, if I ask my contractors to rip SACDs in 24/96, my customers out there will think these 24/96 downloads are the source files, rather than SACD rips, and are likely to buy more of them from us. So let's do just that."

[Boris75]

Weren't the Mercury Living Presence SACDs based on 24/192 PCM masters?

 

Interesting - I hope they will be made available.

[Boris75]

F-dog, I'm confused by this comment. You know (and even mention) that they were released as SACDs. That's DSD. Those SACD's were not PCM transfers per se (although likely PCM edited, of course). Why do you say they were never released in DSD?

 

I felt as confused as you by this remark.

 

I have one ABKCO Rolling Stones SACD, which sounds very good. One day, when I have time, I'll compare it against the high-res Grrr download I purchased a couple of months ago. My impression is that any difference is going to be tiny, but this is a premature conclusion as there were a number of weeks, and gear change, between the time when I listened to Grrr and my first listen of the ABKCO SACD last week.

[Boris75]

I meant to write that the DSD Stones archive was made by ABKCO with the express intent of releasing the material as SACD. Only years later was it released as hi-res PCM.

 

(...) I'll call the DSD "released" when it is made directly available for purchase in DSD format, without having to resort to specialized and hacked hardware.

 

 

Thanks for the clarification. I get your point: indeed they have not been released as DSD downloads but only as SACD discs and PCM downloads.

[Boris75]

It's actually happened to me during live concert performances that I absentmindedly "muttered" to myself (silently, of course) that the orchestral sound "lacks transparency" - LOL!

 

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

 

It happened to me too that I found during live events that the sound lacked a real sense of soundstage - especially at operas and ballets where the orchestra plays in the pit. Sometimes, even with the orchestra on stage, I also played at closing my eyes and trying to localise instruments, and often failed, as if the "sound system" had insufficient channel separation '-)

[Boris75]

I have the Kunzel high-res 1812. It's probably the worst performance/recording of the piece I've ever heard. Sure, it gets plenty loud when they fire off the cannon, but sheer volume is no substitute for quality.

 

I share your view that Kunzel's DSD recording of the 1812 is plain musically, though it is very well recorded, and the cannon fire is excellent. My favourite version is Dorati's which is very well recorded BUT very poorly mastered on CD with huge digital clipping. I hope Dorati's recording gets re-issued properly one day, ideally by an audiophile label.

[Boris75]

POSTSCRIPT: There is a second 24/96 download of The Planets available from HDTracks, a DG recording with the Boston Symphony led by William Steinberg (of whom you'll be hearing more in this series). The Steinberg recording was my first introduction to this piece as a teenager, and I continue to hold a strong emotional attachment to it. While not quite as perceptive an interpretation as Boult's, it, too, is an excellent performance. The problem is the recording, which, while certainly fine for cutting to LPs in 1971, has DG's typical bass-shy sound (think the 1962 Karajan Beethoven Symphony cycle), which shortchanges The Planets dramatically when heard in a format capable of encoding powerful bass without risk of cartridge mis-tracking. Not a first choice; however Steinberg's recording also comes with a wonderful, idiomatic performance of Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra, highlighted by the characterful performance of the solo violin part by Joseph Silverstein. If you don't already have a Zarathustra, this would be a fine choice. and Steinberg's Planets, while not a substitute for Boult's, would certainly be a worthy supplement to it.

 

I listened to this recording yesterday and very much agree with your assessment. This recording of The Planets and Zarathustra is so bass shy that I was tempted to boost the level of my sub... It is one of these cases where I think that high res does not bring much to the table except highlighting the deficiencies of the original master.

[Boris75]

Just got the HDT Planets/Boult-LPO as a result of the discussion here.

 

Sound: very good. No, it isn't quite up to the standards of a really good modern recording, but it is very good. Lots of dynamics, lots of detail, you can hear the "hall" in the recording.

 

Performance: fantastic! very exciting, yet somehow still disciplined. Building of tension is great.

 

Firedog, I have the same experience as you: I bought the HDT high-res remaster of Host's Planets by A. Boult and am very pleased with this recording musically and sonically. For Mars, perhaps I prefer Levine's recording, which is truly terrifying, but for the other planets, Boult is now my favourite. But I am expecting to receive Zubin Mehta's recording on SACD soon, so my preference may change again, I'll see.

[Boris75]

I have the Steinberg, unfortunately, it doesn't rate on sonic grounds and the performance has easily been bettered (Boult, for example).

 

I fully agree. Even in high-res (which I got from Qobuz), the sonics are disappointing, with very little bass, and musically it is a bit too tame for my taste. Venus is beautiful, but Mars sounds as he retired quite some years ago from being the god of war. Another one that I would put up there with Boult at the top of the list is Levine. Even if not available in high-res as far as I know, his recording is extremely good musically and has decent sound: Mars is really terrifying, and Jupiter does sound like the king of gods. I prefer Boult for the more quiet other planets though.

[Boris75]

I did indeed see Karajan live, very near the end. Life altering.

 

There is a set of Beethoven symphonies with Karajan and the BPO recorded in Tokyo in 1977. It is so completely different sonically from the DG recordings it sounds like a different orchestra - much more like the one I heard live - and the performances just might be the best Karajan ever did - and since his 1961 cycle remains at the top of many peoples list and has not been out of print really in 50 years, that is saying a lot. It is only on SACD and I have the DSD rips.

 

Many thanks for this recommendation, upon which I ordered this set of SACDs from Japan. It cost me an arm and a leg, but I don't regret any penny: this recording is just fantastic. The sound is extremely natural, with no hint of dynamic compression; the soundstage is extremely realistic; audience noise and tape hiss are minimal; the performances are exceptional. This set easily tops my other versions of Beethoven's symphonies, even Kleiber's, even Furtwängler's. To give just one example, Carlos Kleiber's celebrated DG recording (which I have both in SACD and Qobuz 24/96 form, the latter being much better sonically) pales in comparison with Karajan and the BPO's performance in Tokyo in 1977. By the way, this set also exists in redbook form, also from Tokyo FM, but I did not get to listen to it, and there is no redbook layer on the SACDs I received.

[Boris75]

Do you have a link where I can purchase the Tokyo set.

 

I ordered it from HMV Japan, but they seem to be short one of the discs now. However, all 5 discs are on the website of offer at Amazon Japan:

Amazon.co.jp: karajan tokyo 1977 sacd

[Boris75]

Anyone know how to make an account as a foreigner (I am in the US) and not able to join amazon japan?

For those who order any combination of them, let me know how one compares to another. I would love to know since they are expensive.

 

There is no restriction on creating an account on Amazon Japan for foreigners: personally, using Google Translate, it worked very smoothly for me. What is annoying is that the cheapest shipping options is EMS, so it's quite expensive. So far I have listened to the 5, 3, 1, 2, 8 and 4 and liked them all. Frankly I recommend them all. However, they are analog tapes of live radio broadcasts: there are some slight imperfections on the tape that the high resolution of the SACD makes audible. Apart from that, the recording is excellent quality, with very natural dynamic range. I really have the feeling of attending the concert, in a good seat.

[Boris75]

Absolutely agree. A superb rendition of Sea Pictures in every sense of the word.

 

On a purely mercenary level, the five tracks comprising Faschingsschwank aus Wien can be downloaded separately from Qobuz for €1.94 each, so it's up to the individual to decide if it's worth the extra €5.29 for the other material. It's not as though the integrity of the album needs to be respected, given it is a hotch-potch of different performances.

 

These high-res downloads still show up in Qobuz but cannot be purchased, which frustrates me as I wanted to buy them. This is very strange. Perhaps is it related to rights issues arising in the context of the on-going EMI break-up?