HD Streaming Comparison: Amazon, IDAGIO, Qobuz, Spotify Premium, Tidal

[firedog]

4 hours ago, matthias said:

 

I compared the available versions of "Kind of Blue" on Qobuz and Spotify.

 

The first discovery was that the original version from 1959 which I found in the past by far the best sounding one on Qobuz seems to be no longer available, at least not in Germany. Spotify seem to offer this one and from memory it sounds very similar to the Qobuz one when it was still available.

 

The remaining versions on Qobuz did sound far inferior musically than the 1959 Spotify version even when offered as 24/192.

 

Matt

I don't think there is a "1959 version" on any streaming service. Those original master tapes lost or were put out to pasture years ago.

Anything you are hearing on streaming is one of the digital conversions/remasters that were done for CD in the 80's (that no one thinks are especially good sounding and we aren't sure what the source actually is for most of them) or those that have been done since the mid 90's. There was a new mix from the original 3 track tapes done in 1997 for LP, you can get that on LP if you are lucky. But pretty much everything since the mid 90's is based on a digitized remastered or remixed version of the tapes. The original mono was lost long ago. Nothing has come directly from those old master tapes for years, the last time they were digitized was around 2005, AFAIR.

 

To get the 1959 version you need an old LP from the time or a digitized rip of the LP. That isn't what is being streamed on any streaming service. 

[matthias]

7 hours ago, firedog said:

I don't think there is a "1959 version" on any streaming service. 

 

You might be right but with "1959" I am referring to the description by Qobuz and Spotify.

 

The Qobuz "1959" which sounded very good is no longer available, the Spotify "1959" is for me the best sounding version in the offerings of both streaming services.

 

Matt