Impressive DXD downloads

[Darryl R]

If I recall, most if not all of mine are from NativeDSD (like some earlier posts here), and all classical.  The product manager for that site told me they didn't always make them available because of server space requirements, and to let them know you wanted them.  Here are some of mine:

 

Honeck/Pittsburgh Beethoven 5 & 7

" Beethoven 3

" Bruckner 9

T. Fischer/Utah Mahler 8

I. Fischer/Budapest Mahler 7

" Mendelssohn MSND

Petrenko/Liverpool Shostakovich 7

Honeck/Pitt Shostakovich 5/Barber Adagio

" R. Strauss Elektra & Rosenkavalier Suites

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Darryl R]

6 minutes ago, pdvm said:

 

I can second the Honeck/Pittsburgh Beethoven 3 and the Strauss album! 

 

Honeck's other Strauss recordings (Don Juan, Tod und Verklärung, Till Eulenspiegel) are also great btw.

 

Right, I keep an eye out for anything they do.  I'll admit to a little bias though, as I went to college with the principal percussionist Andrew Reamer (a phenomenally talented musician).

[Darryl R]

This just out:

 

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 - NativeDSD Music

[Darryl R]

57 minutes ago, firedog said:

It's a winner. Available at Qobuz, also.

 

Though Honeck/PSO seem to be recording in DSD256 these days, the audio engineer who produces the downloads on NativeDSD always recommended the DXD versions to me, which I've only seen on NativeDSD.

 

I just saw this simple but very cool webpage from the PSO timpanist.  The principal percussionist Andy Reamer inherited a drum shop from his father, and perhaps those could be considered "period" percussion replicas:

 

New Pittsburgh Symphony Recording of Beethoven 9! — Shawn Galvin

[Darryl R]

23 minutes ago, Kal Rubinson said:

For what is it worth, according to the booklet that RR included with the commercial SACD release:

"This recording was made and post-produced in DSD256 on a Pyramix workstation to give you, the listener, the highest sound quality possible."

 

 

 

And it's Tom Caulfield (seen around these parts before) who does that post-production, and who always recommended the DXD.  At these levels of resolution it may just be a matter of preference, though they seem to up the charge based on the larger file sizes.

[Darryl R]

19 minutes ago, Kal Rubinson said:

Personally, I have not heard any difference between the ".dff DSD Edit Master" and NativeDSD's .dsf files at the original recording bit/sample rate.

 

 

Have you had the opportunity to compare the retail DSD256 and DXD of any recent RR?

 

Switching back and forth between recordings has never been my thing.  I have both and both sound marvelous, though the MSB Select 2 DAC favors PCM at lower rates.

[Darryl R]

2 hours ago, tailspn said:

Hi,

 

Reference Recordings Fresh series are recorded by Soundmirror, and all but a portion of one album are recorded in DSD256. All these recordings are subsequently post processed, including editing, in DXD on a Pyramix DAW. The resulting DXD file is the album's edited master, which is uploaded to NativeDSD's ftp label server. 

 

The two stereo and surround DXD edited masters are in the form of proprietary continuous 32 bit WAV files known as an MTFF (Merging Technologies File Format), which includes the track timing markers. These 32 bit PCM interstage edited masters are then run through Pyramix Album Publishing, producing the individual separate tracks in PCM 352.8KHz/24 FLAC, DSD256, DSD128, DSD64, plus a PCM 352.8KHz/32 WAV copy. I use that DXD/PCM 352.8KHz/32 WAV to produce the DSD512 in HQPlayer Pro.

 

SInce the edited master IS the original generation of the assembled/edited takes and post processed sweetened recording, the Pyramix Album Publishing process of producing the deliverables is the most direct and least invasive process available. Whether the DXD FLAC, or the highest bitrate DSD that a customer's DAC can support is chosen, it is IMO, completely dependent on the customer's DAC type and conversion process. For DAC's who directly convert a PCM sample based stream of digital values, like a ladder DAC, then the DXD FLAC is optimal. For DAC's with Sigma-Delta modulator conversion, by and large, the DSD format is optimal.

 

Regardless of the format chosen, I believe for now, this is the definitive Beethoven 9 reading for both artistic value, and certainly sound quality. I say for now, for while delayed from session recording in November last year, I'm hopeful the Budapest Festival Orchestra recording of this Ninth Symphony will occur yet this year. 

 

Thanks,

Tom   

 

And who could've said it better?  I think it finally sunk in for me this time Tom. ;)

 

Regarding the Opus 125, the challenge, at least in my several versions, is to have a clean delineation of the chorus with all of the simultaneous orchestral excitement.  My current favorites, Szell, '77 Karajan and Wand, all now in excellent DSD64, still suffer from this to some extent.  The I'd heard most recently that had what I was looking in the choral part was the new Kirill Petrenko/Berliner 24/96.  I'll certainly be getting the Honeck though.

[Darryl R]

I received an email response today from my undergrad classmate and friend, principal percussionist Andy Reamer:

 

Hi Darryl, ... I loved playing Beethoven 9 with Honeck.  I think he gets the passion and emotion.  I had the BD [bass drum] played on a 28” drum I made because that would have been similar in size to what the Turks carried and what Beethoven heard.  Tighter head too.  Cymbals 15” approx old K zildjians pretty thick - also quite “ Turkish “ 

[Darryl R]

13 hours ago, tailspn said:

Reference Recordings inquired of Soundmirror about the recording and post production processes listed in the booklet, and found the Pittsburgh Symphony (who owns the recordings copyright) wrote the booklet. It appears they worked from notes from Soundmirror, who only specified the recording format. Reference said they would correct the booklet in conjunction with the PSO to show the recording was post processed in DXD, and reissue.

 

NativeDSD has decided to also offer the 32 bit BroadcastWAV version of the DXD, which I produced from the Soundmirror supplied 32 bit source, and have uploaded it to native's AWS delivery server. It will take a few days to appear on the site for selection, as the site is not currently programmed to offer multiple DXD deliverables.

 

Tom

 

Thanks Tom.  I think the booklet correction will be very helpful, as that question comes up from time to time with RR.

 

On the wav files, I seem to recall one of the reasons I went with all flacs on my server is because of those large tracks on the Honeck Strauss Elektra album.  Even though in reading now I see wav can be up to 4GB, something kept me from saving large wav files (>2GB) on Linux or Windows (I can't test it now because we're having these wonderfully "green" blackouts in Texas).

[Darryl R]

Disregard the above post.  The format of this new version is a proprietary extension anyway.

[Darryl R]

47 minutes ago, tailspn said:

Hi Darryl, hope you got your power back!

 

BWF (Broadcast WAV) is simply a WAV file with the ability to support metadata:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadcast_Wave_Format

 

It's not proprietary, but it is produced from a Merging Technologies packaging format transporting PCM (in this instance WAV) files. The MTFF file I receive is one continuous WAV file, like a DSD ISO file on a SACD, where the track timing information is a separate data block that runs the players display. The Merging Album Publishing application I use simply slices the continuous WAV file into Tracks, and adds the data buckets in each track that will contain the metadata. Metadata is added later from a file made by Ted Brady.

 

In this instance, the only reason for offering these BWF tracks in addition to the FLAC tracks (created through the same Album Publishing application) is to offer the full 32 bit PCM file depth of the edited master.   

 

Tom

 

It's been a "managed" off-on in my area for the last 3 days.  Many, esp. in the Houston area, have it much worse.  The power infrastructure management in Texas does not plan for severe winter events like this week.

 

So this is interesting.  Once I'm confident power is stable again, I'd like to compare the 24-bit and 32-bit on the MSB and report back my impressions.  It does then bring up that earlier question of why I wasn't able to work with wav files larger than 2GB, but that shouldn't be an issue with Beethoven.

[Darryl R]

52 minutes ago, danadam said:

Depending how long ago it was, you might have been lacking Large File Support in your OS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large-file_support

 

It was a wav thing; I could do it with flac.  And as I recall, I only exceeded 2GB with the tracks from the Honeck Strauss Elektra album in DXD.

[Darryl R]

On 8/5/2017 at 4:22 PM, tailspn said:

...

 

DXD is however as you state the primary post processing format for high definition DSD recordings and delivery media,  with alternative pure DSD processing some time in the not too distant future.

 

Tom

 

Zuill Bailey's new release of the Bach Cello Suites appears to be the latter.  I haven't listened to all of them yet, but No. 1 is very nice.

 

Octave Records Releases The Complete Bach Cello Suites by Zuill Bailey – PS Audio

 

and a more personalized review:

 

Zuill Bailey's 'The Complete Bach Cello Suites' released (elpasoheraldpost.com)

[Darryl R]

 

I posted this on the "Album of the Evening" when it was released a few weeks ago, and I can't think of a release I've enjoyed more this year.  I was always partial to No. 4, but the MacMillan was a very pleasant surprise.  So nice to hear a new modern orchestral work that is melodic and beautiful.  I think it's up there with the Barber Adagio (but with a gorgeous dash of brass).