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HDtracks download manager...


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Well, I downloaded 24/96 Waltz for Debby last night. Took 3 hours, 45 minutes! I'm going with a wired connection for my next download to see if that helps. I've read through threads here and it appears that this is not a rare problem. The night before, it took almost 3 hours to download 24/96 What's Going On. I had downloaded two files last year when I first signed up and each of them took no more than 15 minutes as I recall. Apparently this new download manager was released in response to the problems some were having with the previous Java-based download manager. Computer audio is supposed to be convenient...

Are you using the Windows or Mac version of the downloader?

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Are you using the Windows or Mac version of the downloader?

 

Mac.

*ANTIPODES CX--- Ethernet--->

*CARY DMS-600 STREAMER/DAC---> XLR ICs--->

*CARY SLP-05 preamp (Ultimate Upgrade ed.)---> XLR ICs--->

*CLAYTON M-300 amps--->

*MARTIN LOGAN Spire speakers.

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The slow-downs could be at the server end. There will be a new Mac version coming out in the next few days. Please post here whether this one improves your download times.

 

Will you be posting here to notify us when it becomes available?

*ANTIPODES CX--- Ethernet--->

*CARY DMS-600 STREAMER/DAC---> XLR ICs--->

*CARY SLP-05 preamp (Ultimate Upgrade ed.)---> XLR ICs--->

*CLAYTON M-300 amps--->

*MARTIN LOGAN Spire speakers.

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It works now. I took the following steps:

 

1) Connected the ethernet port and disabled wireless;

2) Upgraded from Lion to Mountain Lion;

3) Optimized ML for audio playback using these tips--http://mojoaudiofiles.wordpress.com/optimizing-os-x-mountain-lion-for-audio-and-video/ ;

4) Uninstalled and re-installed HDTracks Downloader.

 

Just downloaded Horace Silver-Song for My Father 24/96. Less than 5 minutes.

 

Thanks to all for your suggestions.

*ANTIPODES CX--- Ethernet--->

*CARY DMS-600 STREAMER/DAC---> XLR ICs--->

*CARY SLP-05 preamp (Ultimate Upgrade ed.)---> XLR ICs--->

*CLAYTON M-300 amps--->

*MARTIN LOGAN Spire speakers.

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  • 8 months later...
  • 6 months later...

OK, here we are 4 years after the initial post, and the issues still persist:

- downloads fail (I have to try at least 4 times till a single track download completes successfully)

- if the download completes, the processing of the audio files fails 50% of the time

- the app (version19.0.60) stalls and fails silently, and starts consuming all CPU (over 10 hang logs in the last 24 hours, all for one album download)

- the app reliably crashes on quit

- resuming downloads fails 80% of the time, and to attempt a resume you have to quit and relaunch the app

This is on the current release of OS X (10.9.3), firewall off, tried rebooting, re-installing the app, removing caches, removing settings for the downloader in ~/Library/Application support, removing downloader files in ~/L/Saved Application State, removing partial downloads, etc.

No problems with iTunes downloads, or any other apps, of course.

Apple has “Human Interface Guidelines” for developers, the downloader app breaks these guidelines in countless ways (menus, buttons, fonts, where prefs are stored, etc). This is yet another indication that the developers of the app have absolutely no clue what they are doing.

I will never buy from HDtracks again.

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Did you try working this out with HDtracks?

 

Your description sounds like a bad experience, but there are so many things wrong that it also sounds like something more basic going on. If you were running on Windows, I would guess antivirus software. On Mac, I don't know.

 

Removing partially downloaded files could cause a problem by itself.

 

Other possible problems:

 

Hardware, and yes I know you said other downloads work.

 

Network dropouts. If you're on a wireless connection, try wired.

 

The app doesn't crash on quit unless something else is going on. A hung network connection, for example.

Jim Hillegass / JRiver Media Center / jriver.com

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On Mac, I don't know.

 

Exactly.

 

 

 

Other possible problems:

 

Hardware, and yes I know you said other downloads work.

 

Network dropouts. If you're on a wireless connection, try wired.

 

The app doesn't crash on quit unless something else is going on. A hung network connection, for example.

 

 

If the networks actually drops out, you get a window prompting for your password (I tested by disabling Wifi..).

 

If a hung network connection can get your app to crash, you may want to consider giving up on developing apps altogether.

 

 

I use some professionally developed apps that connect to the Internet and download content (Safari, Chrome, iCab, Omniweb, Mail, Transmission, App Store, iTunes, Skype, FaceTime, iBooks, Reminders, Evernote, among others). No issue whatsoever with any of them.

 

If HDtracks requires an Ethernet connection, you should state that on the HDtracks homepage as a system requirement.

 

 

If you want to, I can email you crash logs (13 in the last 24 hours) and spin logs (another 13 in the last 24 hours). But if you're not familiar with basic Mac usage and troubleshooting, I doubt that this will help.

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OK, here we are 4 years after the initial post, and the issues still persist:

- downloads fail (I have to try at least 4 times till a single track download completes successfully)

- if the download completes, the processing of the audio files fails 50% of the time

- the app (version19.0.60) stalls and fails silently, and starts consuming all CPU (over 10 hang logs in the last 24 hours, all for one album download)

- the app reliably crashes on quit

- resuming downloads fails 80% of the time, and to attempt a resume you have to quit and relaunch the app

This is on the current release of OS X (10.9.3), firewall off, tried rebooting, re-installing the app, removing caches, removing settings for the downloader in ~/Library/Application support, removing downloader files in ~/L/Saved Application State, removing partial downloads, etc.

No problems with iTunes downloads, or any other apps, of course.

Apple has “Human Interface Guidelines” for developers, the downloader app breaks these guidelines in countless ways (menus, buttons, fonts, where prefs are stored, etc). This is yet another indication that the developers of the app have absolutely no clue what they are doing.

I will never buy from HDtracks again.

 

i buy from HDTracks every week - have not had a problem in at least a year. OS X 10.10 DP.

John Walker - IT Executive

Headphone - SonicTransporter i9 running Roon Server > Netgear Orbi > Blue Jeans Cable Ethernet > mRendu Roon endpoint > Topping D90 > Topping A90d > Dan Clark Expanse / HiFiMan H6SE v2 / HiFiman Arya Stealth

Home Theater / Music -SonicTransporter i9 running Roon Server > Netgear Orbi > Blue Jeans Cable HDMI > Denon X3700h > Anthem Amp for front channels > Revel F208-based 5.2.4 Atmos speaker system

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I also buy from HDtracks pretty frequently and have not had any problems/issues with downloads, especially since they switched to the JRiver downloader. Have you tried downloads from other hi-res sites that use their own downloading software like ProStudioMasters, Linn Records, Hyperion Records, The Classical Shop, etc., and have they been trouble-free?

 

Russell

MacBook Pro 2021 16” (M1 Pro, 16MB RAM, macOS Ventura) > Audirvana Origin > Pangea Audio USB-AG > Sony TA-ZH1ES > Nordost Heimdall 2 > Audeze LCD-3

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IHave you tried downloads from other hi-res sites that use their own downloading software like ProStudioMasters, Linn Records, Hyperion Records, The Classical Shop, etc., and have they been trouble-free?

 

Russell

 

I haven't, thanks for the sites, I'll try. The format of the audio (AIFF, mp4, compressed or uncompressed) makes no difference whatsoever for downloads, apart from longer download times for larger files.

 

I have downloaded 96k Impulse Responses (.wav files) for reverb plug-ins in DAWs from various sources without issue.

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Exactly.

 

If the networks actually drops out, you get a window prompting for your password (I tested by disabling Wifi..).

 

If a hung network connection can get your app to crash, you may want to consider giving up on developing apps altogether.

No comment.

Jim Hillegass / JRiver Media Center / jriver.com

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Just got a response from HDtracks:

They state that they are currently not available internationally (I'm in Ireland).

When I ordered, I was able to select Ireland as country, and pay with an Irish credit card...

They will refund me.

I don't think they sell in Ireland yet. They added Germany recently.

Jim Hillegass / JRiver Media Center / jriver.com

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Some of the issues may be more a function of the company hosting HDTracks or their download volumes.

 

While the Super HiRez and HDTracks downloaders are both from JRiver, I rarely have any problems with Super HiRez downloads. On the other hand, when downloading a Stereo FLAC album today from HDTracks, it took multiple tries to get it to download all of the tracks. The word "failed" came up repeatedly. Oh well, it's still a new emerging market....

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Since the JRiver downloader became available, your experience is not typical. Look back through the thread and you'll see that most of don't have issues.

 

OK, here we are 4 years after the initial post, and the issues still persist:

- downloads fail (I have to try at least 4 times till a single track download completes successfully)

- if the download completes, the processing of the audio files fails 50% of the time

- the app (version19.0.60) stalls and fails silently, and starts consuming all CPU (over 10 hang logs in the last 24 hours, all for one album download)

- the app reliably crashes on quit

- resuming downloads fails 80% of the time, and to attempt a resume you have to quit and relaunch the app

This is on the current release of OS X (10.9.3), firewall off, tried rebooting, re-installing the app, removing caches, removing settings for the downloader in ~/Library/Application support, removing downloader files in ~/L/Saved Application State, removing partial downloads, etc.

No problems with iTunes downloads, or any other apps, of course.

Apple has “Human Interface Guidelines” for developers, the downloader app breaks these guidelines in countless ways (menus, buttons, fonts, where prefs are stored, etc). This is yet another indication that the developers of the app have absolutely no clue what they are doing.

I will never buy from HDtracks again.

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

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Since the JRiver downloader became available, your experience is not typical. Look back through the thread and you'll see that most of don't have issues.

 

Yeah, see the post from bmoura above yours :-)

 

I think he's right, seeing issues in Europe that you don't see in the US, and issues with specific file types only, points to server side issues with the hosting.

 

Anyways, I looked at the HDtracks FAQ site, they state explicitly that the downloads are CD quality, they nowhere state explicitly that they used 24bit/96k masters (like Mastered for iTunes does). I believe they would state that if they actually used hi res masters, so what they are implying is that they use CDs and upsample them.

 

With all the delays with the downloads, I haven't even gotten around to listening yet (part of the album downloaded successfully before HDtracks cancelled the purchase).

Also, with AUlab (free download from Apple), you can do double blind comparisons between hi res sources and the compressed files that are used for iTunes. If I get around to do that these days, I'll report back..

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Well I did say "most". No download site of any type in any location is going to work well for everyone, everywhere.

 

By the way, I'm nowhere near the US, so don't assume that my good results with the downloader have anything to do with being in the US.

 

Anyways, I looked at the HDtracks FAQ site, they state explicitly that the downloads are CD quality, they nowhere state explicitly that they used 24bit/96k masters (like Mastered for iTunes does). I believe they would state that if they actually used hi res masters, so what they are implying is that they use CDs and upsample them.

 

This has all been discussed here many times before.That answer in the FAQ is badly written and dated. What they are trying to say is that they don't sell files with lossy compression.

The text is old and dates from their early days, when it was a big deal that they even had lossless files for download, as opposed to lossy. It's a shame they don't update it.

 

See http://www.hdtracks.com/about-us where they talk about selling master quality files.

 

They've publicly, officially, repeatedly, and explicitly stated for years that they NEVER upsample files and never knowingly sell upsampled material. They're a reseller/retailer. The get material from the labels and sell it to the public.

 

That said, they don't have the best quality control and have occasionally sold a file supplied to them by a label that has been upsampled by the label and given to them as "hi-res" (as have all the other hi-res download sites); but they've removed those from the site when made aware of it.

 

 

Yeah, see the post from bmoura above yours :-)

 

I think he's right, seeing issues in Europe that you don't see in the US, and issues with specific file types only, points to server side issues with the hosting.

 

Anyways, I looked at the HDtracks FAQ site, they state explicitly that the downloads are CD quality, they nowhere state explicitly that they used 24bit/96k masters (like Mastered for iTunes does). I believe they would state that if they actually used hi res masters, so what they are implying is that they use CDs and upsample them.

 

With all the delays with the downloads, I haven't even gotten around to listening yet (part of the album downloaded successfully before HDtracks cancelled the purchase).

Also, with AUlab (free download from Apple), you can do double blind comparisons between hi res sources and the compressed files that are used for iTunes. If I get around to do that these days, I'll report back..

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

Link to comment
OK, here we are 4 years after the initial post, and the issues still persist:

- downloads fail (I have to try at least 4 times till a single track download completes successfully)

- if the download completes, the processing of the audio files fails 50% of the time

- the app (version19.0.60) stalls and fails silently, and starts consuming all CPU (over 10 hang logs in the last 24 hours, all for one album download)

- the app reliably crashes on quit

- resuming downloads fails 80% of the time, and to attempt a resume you have to quit and relaunch the app

This is on the current release of OS X (10.9.3), firewall off, tried rebooting, re-installing the app, removing caches, removing settings for the downloader in ~/Library/Application support, removing downloader files in ~/L/Saved Application State, removing partial downloads, etc.

 

No problems with iTunes downloads, or any other apps, of course.

Apple has “Human Interface Guidelines” for developers, the downloader app breaks these guidelines in countless ways (menus, buttons, fonts, where prefs are stored, etc). This is yet another indication that the developers of the app have absolutely no clue what they are doing.

I will never buy from HDtracks again.

 

I'm having the same exact problem. After several emails attempts there is no response back from HDtrks. I have not been able to download a track from this site in over a year. At first I thought the problem was with the new Jriver downloader but having no problems downloading tracks from other site's who also use the Jriver downloader leads me to believe the problem may lye with HDtrks. OSX (10.6.8) snow leopard.

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I'm having the same exact problem. After several emails attempts there is no response back from HDtrks. I have not been able to download a track from this site in over a year. At first I thought the problem was with the new Jriver downloader but having no problems downloading tracks from other site's who also use the Jriver downloader leads me to believe the problem may lye with HDtrks.

 

Very interesting - I wonder why some of us have no problems at all, while others can't seem to complete a single purchase successfully :/

John Walker - IT Executive

Headphone - SonicTransporter i9 running Roon Server > Netgear Orbi > Blue Jeans Cable Ethernet > mRendu Roon endpoint > Topping D90 > Topping A90d > Dan Clark Expanse / HiFiMan H6SE v2 / HiFiman Arya Stealth

Home Theater / Music -SonicTransporter i9 running Roon Server > Netgear Orbi > Blue Jeans Cable HDMI > Denon X3700h > Anthem Amp for front channels > Revel F208-based 5.2.4 Atmos speaker system

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