Herbie Hancock - Crossings HDTracks

[HiResSteve]

Has anyone jumped for this yet? I would really like to but I would like to know if it is a good transfer first. If anyone has it and could post a spectrogram that would be great.

[rwwjr44]

I downloaded it and will play it tonight. Sorry, but no spectrogram.

[HiResSteve]

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this.

[CatManDo]

Very interested in this too. My favourite Herbie era. The Hancock 24/96 transfers of Columbia albums on HDtracks I have heard all sound great (compared to previous CD releases), but this is on Warner of course.

[HiResSteve]

My favourite Herbie era as well. Love this album as well as Mwandishi.

[CatManDo]

I've had the Warner albums "Crossings" and "Mwandishi" on digipak remasters from the early 2000s and recently got the earlier 2CD "Mwandishi: The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings" from 1994. The 2CD collection has better sound than the remasters, with a more natural EQ and higher dynamics (although the remasters also have acceptable DR values).

 

I suppose the HDtracks download comes from the new "The Warner Bros. Years 1969-1972" collection. I haven't read any comments so far on how it sounds in comparision.

 

The Warner Bros. Years 1969-1972 - Herbie Hancock | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic

 

I've been disappointed with some other Warner remasters as well, such as the Miles Davis albums, which are a disgrace (flat sound with a heavy midrange boost), so I'm not taking any risks with this one.

[goldsdad]

I've had the Warner albums "Crossings" and "Mwandishi" on digipak remasters from the early 2000s and recently got the earlier 2CD "Mwandishi: The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings" from 1994. The 2CD collection has better sound than the remasters, with a more natural EQ and higher dynamics (although the remasters also have acceptable DR values).

 

I suppose the HDtracks download comes from the new "The Warner Bros. Years 1969-1972" collection. I haven't read any comments so far on how it sounds in comparision.

 

The Warner Bros. Years 1969-1972 - Herbie Hancock | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic

 

I've been disappointed with some other Warner remasters as well, such as the Miles Davis albums, which are a disgrace (flat sound with a heavy midrange boost), so I'm not taking any risks with this one.

 

 

The 2014 Warner Bros. Years collection on CD contains the 2001 remasters plus previously unreleased material.

[CatManDo]

Thanks goldsdad. Then I know I won't bother about this download. The 2001 remasters sound ok, but the 1994 CD set is clearly better.

[CatManDo]

Uhm, my reasoning could be wrong. I assumed the HDtracks was the same mastering as the new CD set, because both have been released this year.

 

But as the CD set has the 2001 mastering, it could be that the HDtracks download is a new transfer.

[rwwjr44]

I listened to it (192/24) once and it sounds good. The DR (according to JRiver) values are 10, 12 and 11 (Sleeping Giant, Quasar and Water Torture). The DR values for the original Warner Bros. set are 12, 12 and 13 respectively. The DR values for the Warner Bros. Masters CD (using the Dynamic Range application) are 10, 8 and 11. Past experiments indicate that the two company's measurements produce the same results.

 

So it seems that the download album may be somewhat equivalent to the Warner Bros. Masters CD.

 

IIRC the download offers more detail and air but the original Warner Bros. set sounds a tad more relaxed.