Holly Cole & Susie Arioli @ eclassical

[phil023]

Just noticed some new 2xHD offerings from eclassical, including

- Holly Cole - Night

- Susie Arioli - Night Lights

- Susie Arioli - All the Way

and several other 2xHD remasters.

 

Unfortunately there is no information other than "24bit Flac" about download format, recording format, or transfer process of these albums which IMHO sound quite good in CD format already.

 

Any ideas what to expect?

[flatmap]

No experience with these, but will probably buy and listen. I have had a great experience with eClassical, and its become my number one source for high resolution downloads.

 

According to Holly Cole High Definition Audio Download Now Available | Holly Cole they say, "Mastered from the original 96kHz, 24Bits files by Rene Laflamme and Andre Perry at Fidelio Technologies’ mastering lab, using the 2xHD process. A modified high-end dCS Vivaldi clock with silver and gold cables was used to create a very transparent sound."

[Priaptor]

No experience with these, but will probably buy and listen. I have had a great experience with eClassical, and its become my number one source for high resolution downloads.

 

According to Holly Cole High Definition Audio Download Now Available | Holly Cole they say, "Mastered from the original 96kHz, 24Bits files by Rene Laflamme and Andre Perry at Fidelio Technologies’ mastering lab, using the 2xHD process. A modified high-end dCS Vivaldi clock with silver and gold cables was used to create a very transparent sound."

 

I have never heard a bad recording from Rene and his team at Fidelio.

[Musicophile]

Just noticed some new 2xHD offerings from eclassical, including

- Holly Cole - Night

- Susie Arioli - Night Lights

- Susie Arioli - All the Way

and several other 2xHD remasters.

 

Unfortunately there is no information other than "24bit Flac" about download format, recording format, or transfer process of these albums which IMHO sound quite good in CD format already.

 

Any ideas what to expect?

Could you post a link, I can't seem to find the Holly Cole on eclassical.

 

By the way, if these are really transfers from a DAT recording as the Holly link seems to indicate, I really wonder what the point would be of transferring that to highres.

[flatmap]

Update: Purchasing from eClassical,

Susie Arioli - Night Lights is 24/44.1

Holly Cole - Night is 24/96

 

A full listen will have to wait, but the Holly Cole album is lush, clear, and dynamic. Pretty much what you're looking for in a high res production, I think. This particular Arioli recording not as immersive, and a bit more 2D. Still clear and intimate sound -- but more like a good quality CD. IMO.

[flatmap]

Could you post a link, I can't seem to find the Holly Cole on eclassical.

 

By the way, if these are really transfers from a DAT recording as the Holly link seems to indicate, I really wonder what the point would be of transferring that to highres.

 

Link: eClassical - Night

 

But note it is also available from HDTracks and ProStudioMasters. Interestingly on the ProStudioMasters website, the say (for Holly Cole's "Night") that

Recorded in 48kHz/24-bit PCM

Mastered in 96kHz/24-bit PCM

2xHD Mastering in DXD / DSD

They also offer the choice of downloading in 48 or 96 kHz.

 

Really don't know about the conversion from DAT, but this seems to be all about their

2xHD process.

[Musicophile]

Link: eClassical - Night

 

But note it is also available from HDTracks and ProStudioMasters. Interestingly on the ProStudioMasters website, the say (for Holly Cole's "Night") that

Recorded in 48kHz/24-bit PCM

Mastered in 96kHz/24-bit PCM

2xHD Mastering in DXD / DSD

They also offer the choice of downloading in 48 or 96 kHz.

 

Really don't know about the conversion from DAT, but this seems to be all about their

2xHD process.

I don't doubt that eclassical and others are selling a 24/96 file.

 

However, the link you posted clearly states that the original recording (in 1990) was made on a DAT recorder. I always thought that DAT, especially at the beginning of the 1990s, recorded in 16/44, so I'm just questioning if the "2xHD process" makes any sense with this kind of master.

[phil023]

Could you post a link, I can't seem to find the Holly Cole on eclassical.

 

link eClassical - Holly Cole Trio: Girl Talk

[Musicophile]

link eClassical - Holly Cole Trio: Girl Talk

Thanks

[flatmap]

I always thought that DAT, especially at the beginning of the 1990s, recorded in 16/44, so I'm just questioning if the "2xHD process" makes any sense with this kind of master.

 

Reflecting on Musicophile's worthy question: Reading between the lines on the Fidelio website Fidelio Technologies, it seems like they are playing the original DAT master through some spanking hot equipment, creating an analog output, and then re-digitizing (remastering) from that analog signal. Sorry if it turns out that I'm not reading correctly. If true, they are getting the best playback of the DAT master they can get... and then sharing that with us via the 24/96 'remaster.' I certainly don't have the kind of setup, and knowledge, they have, so I think for me it's likely to be a win.

 

If I did have their level of equipment and knowledge, then I could go directly to the original DAT master with the same results. I think that's the idea.

[drofgnal]

Arioli 'All the Way' is listed on HD Tracks as 44.1/24. I assume it's the same way at eclassical. I had it sort of targeted to buy, but I'll go over to eclassical, it's 11.87 there vs the HD Tracks standard 17.98.

[phil023]

Reflecting on Musicophile's worthy question: Reading between the lines on the Fidelio website Fidelio Technologies, it seems like they are playing the original DAT master through some spanking hot equipment, creating an analog output, and then re-digitizing (remastering) from that analog signal. Sorry if it turns out that I'm not reading correctly. If true, they are getting the best playback of the DAT master they can get... and then sharing that with us via the 24/96 'remaster.' I certainly don't have the kind of setup, and knowledge, they have, so I think for me it's likely to be a win.

 

If I did have their level of equipment and knowledge, then I could go directly to the original DAT master with the same results. I think that's the idea.

 

If that's is the idea and the process I find it confusing that the Arioli comes in 24/44.1 while the Cole comes in 24/96.

[flatmap]

If that's is the idea and the process I find it confusing that the Arioli comes in 24/44.1 while the Cole comes in 24/96.

 

Right, you'd think that they would always redigitize at the highest sampling rate.

[phil023]

Here is the Audacity spectrum of Holly Cole Night track 1 (2xHD version sold as 24-96).

Not very convincing, IMO.

 

[Boris75]

Reflecting on Musicophile's worthy question: Reading between the lines on the Fidelio website Fidelio Technologies, it seems like they are playing the original DAT master through some spanking hot equipment, creating an analog output, and then re-digitizing (remastering) from that analog signal.

 

This sounds similar to what Esoteric people are doing to master their SACDs.

[Musicophile]

Reflecting on Musicophile's worthy question: Reading between the lines on the Fidelio website Fidelio Technologies, it seems like they are playing the original DAT master through some spanking hot equipment, creating an analog output, and then re-digitizing (remastering) from that analog signal. Sorry if it turns out that I'm not reading correctly. If true, they are getting the best playback of the DAT master they can get... and then sharing that with us via the 24/96 'remaster.' I certainly don't have the kind of setup, and knowledge, they have, so I think for me it's likely to be a win.

 

If I did have their level of equipment and knowledge, then I could go directly to the original DAT master with the same results. I think that's the idea.

Did DAT exist in multitrack? In this case, they could have done a proper remix. Otherwise, the only thing they could have done on top of the 16/44 DAT master would be stuff like compression, EQ etc.

 

As much as I like Holly, I think I'll pass on this one.

[flatmap]

This sounds similar to what Esoteric people are doing to master their SACDs.

 

Given what they're starting with, creating an analog rendering and then redigitizing, is the only thing that makes sense to me. But the website doesn't, for whatever reason, make it clear.