New HiRes Download Site for European

[Lakefield]

Hey everybody,

 

there is a new Site from Germany coming (not only) for European. It's going to be something like HD Tracks with various quality downloads from CD-Quality up to 24/192 (2Ch and 5.1Ch). They say there will be all kinds of Genres from Pop-Hits, All Time Classics, and masterpieces of Jazz and Classical in WAV and FLAC. If you prefer a physical Medium they offer the files burned on a DVD. The Site is to be launched later this year. Check out www.highresaudio.com for more informations soon.

 

 

(Source: stereo.de)

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Lakefield - Thanks for the info.

 

[Trollbuster]

Recently I noticed Chandos have started releasing 24/96 hi rez downloads on both newish and back catelogue.

 

Up to now Ive converted 10 of these onto DVDAs and compared the sound to several of their SACDs.My system starts with a Denon 3910 heavily modiified and the rest of the system would be considered lunatic fringe designer gear.Not a cheap resistor,diode or cap allowed even in the same room as this 250 watt/passive preamp system.

Not suprisingly its very difficult to pick a winner between the two formats.

Previously downloads from many sources at 24/96 were quite variable.

HDTT in particular mThose obtained privatly (Im not in the USA and would love to get hold of more ) HD Tracks were poor to average plus and in some cases (Bis) only 44.1.

As regards 192 v 96khz. My half dozen DVDAs all show a slight smotthness and more detail when I listen carefully.Its certainly better but hardly worth megabucks.

Sonically I prefer Live music, then vinyl.Dont ask about how much that side has cost.

 

[tresaino]

they need to start with a spellcheck, english is also poor, still amateurish..

 

[Encore]

Trollbuster,

 

Thanks for the Chandos tip. Nice to see another big label entering the arena. Which albums did you get from Chandos? Can you comment on them, musically and sonically?

 

Best

Jens

 

[Trollbuster]

Dindy(2)Fabulous,Halvosen,Lizst,Elgar,Rozsa,Scott,Smetana,Arnold,with Matthews Herrmann to come possibly with some concertos but due to the even higher cost of buying seperate tracks so Im going to pass on some items I want.

Note I am not keen on many choral items.I was very tempted by Debussy Piano works. My funds are being stretched at the moment after trip to the Gewandhaus.

As Ive said elsewhere they compare with their sacd sonics and some are a real suprise.ie Arnold ballet music,The Lizst symphonic Poems can wear thin in places but that is the composers faultIMO?.

.

Generally my standards are considered extreme,ie almost 15 percent of sacds get rejected on sonic grounds alone.

I even download to a seperate PC and have my EMU soundcard switched off to reduce noise.Even though its on a seperate power supply for quality reasons.

Compared with HDTT they are a dream.No rebalancing or metalic tizz common on the HDTT 192 tracks.

I think you can download a sample from the site.Email me if you have a problem.

Trollb.

 

 

[Encore]

Thanks, Trollbuster. I'll give some of them a try.

Best

Jens

 

[.Sup]

I'm excited

 

[ted_b]

had upsample issues with. Not saying the whole catalog, but some selections were part of the HDTracks re-assessment (i.e pulled them cuz they were not native 24/88 or SACD's that were not originally hirez). Maybe they've fixed them and resent; I haven't heard that yet though.

 

[Trollbuster]

Hi Ted, Very Interesting, Can you please tell me more?.

I was involved in monitoring/testing these dubious downloads and the firm that was the main complaint were BIS who reverted from DSD to 44.1/24.The subject and subtefuge is all available to read under the bis thread on sa-cd.net.

I was one who reported and questioned this firm directly to no avail.

I published this fact on another website that led to another individual eventually getting it stopped.Quite a few emails were exchanged.

So,I personally know most of the background and history on this issue including all the attempted cover ups but I was not aware that Chandos had any problems.It may have just been an over reaction as Im sure at one point HDTracks asked their suppliers to confirm each items hirez authenticity.

Lets face it nowadays its so easy to make a mistake and even easier to be found out.

Could you please let me know the titles that were pulled?

It would be a major suprise as Ive checked Most of their sacds which are either DSD origins or 24/96.

Suggest you go to Chandos website you can actually search all of their releases and find the original native recording info.Chandos have never used 88.2 but did use 20 bit as far back as the 1990s.

If you were ever a member of their forum you will know that their MD (CEO) agonized over which what to go with hirez before opting for sacd.

 

 

[Encore]

If you search for studio masters, you only get 3 pages, whereas a search for standard lossless returns 88 pages. In other words, it's only a minority of their recordings which are available in hirez. So my guess is that they aren't trying to sell standard recordings as hi-rez ...

 

[Trollbuster]

If you read the thread from earlier you will notice that Chandos have only just started making their downloads hi rez.

They have been making the CD versions available for considerably longer.Hence the difference.

If you wait till next week I suspect their will be another hirez batch even making some of the cd level available.I certainly hope so even though Ive still a couple to get from last weeks batch.

If you want to search Chandos lists for original recording information I will make it easier by proving a link.

worked for me.

http://www.chandos.net/searchresults.asp?zoom_query=24+bit&zoom_page=2&zoom_per_page=10&zoom_and=1&zoom_sort=0&zoom_xml=0

 

[ted_b]

among the list of labels that had some level of failure with their native hirez nomenclature once they arrived at HDTracks. The re-assessment program may have already found your Chandos legit files and all is fixed, dunno. BIS was included in that list, as well (as you know and likely had some part in instigating....well done!). Bruce Brown, Pugent Sound Studios, HDTracks main "investigator" and engineer in charge of ripping DSD to PCM, said today on my public AC Hirez forum that he found "a Jamie Cullum (Verve) file to check and though it was hi-rez, there were over 1000 clips in some of the tracks. I told David that it wasn't a good transfer." This is a developing story.

 

These are growing pains, and due to the electronic nature of these files it is becoming evident that their DNA are now more easily identified, both at home and in the engineering lab. This sleuthing is good for the business, but will first create some confusion within the community. I'd rather not make broad "this label sucks" comments until we get to the bottom of all these transactions. We may find that incorrect electronic shipments (vendor to vendor) or poor metadata is to blame in 90% of the situations, not fraud! I only brought up Chandos cuz I wanted to fully disclose what all sides are saying.

 

[Trollbuster]

Well I know we have moved on quite a bit timewise but I have continued to monitor hi rez files from many sources and reported genuine failings back to their source.

Chandos are clearly well above the ligit borderline.

One problem is that I cannot access directly HDtracks files. They seem to have banned my USA contact after our earlier HDT disclosures with known BIS 44.1.

I have privately received a file of theirs which was reconverted from its original download source. I suspected this was a bit of mischief making so no comments on that particular HDT track.

It has been circulated on torrent sites as 24/96 and if you download it you will get a 44/1 spectrum.

At his point in time Dacapo have been identified as suspicious and I even suspect the original was 44.1/16 bit. This led me to ask someone for the development of a program as an add on to fingerprint such files. I even had to create my own hirez files from known cd originals and then work on these as a starting point.

It is still not perfect but better than 90% accurate.

Im spending more time now converting vinyl to 24/96 and it is interesting to observe the spectrums of so called early pure digital

LPs. I dont mean the digital remasters.

Amazingly some have wider that 44.1 sampling.Not by much but it indicates something was going on in certain companies around 1991 plus?.