A farewell to CD’s

[Old Listener]

Since it is a Back from the Dead Thread,

Anybody have changes in point of view, methods or gear to report?

Bill

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

What experiences have you guys had that make you reluctant to upgrade your players and install other software on your media PCs?

Tim

 

[Vincent Kars]

1. What is Vincent's web address? i.e. his computer audio site address?

http://thewelltemperedcomputer.com/

 

[Othersongs]

http://thewelltemperedcomputer.com/

Thanks. From memory of ~8 months ago, that's a good web site.

I'd still appreciate some site addresses, for download of some decent longer playing high rez music samples that are free. Thanks. Does Linn Records offer any? I know the site but am not finding any free samples.

 

[mep]

Did you try HDtracks.com?

 

[Othersongs]

Did you try HDtracks.com?

Per your suggestion I rooted around there (signed in, etc.), but didn't get anywhere with the "free" high rez download. So it wasn't free.

It did get me to amazon, where I got a used cheap CD of Verdi Arias with Hvorostovsky (baritone/Delos Records label). If I like it maybe I'll go back to HDTracks and pay for a high rez download of it.

FWIW the HDTracks download agreement is daunting. My one thought is that they should be careful what they ask for because with an agreement like that they may just get what they ask for.

Meaning I'll never order anything much from them with an agreement like that.

IMO they need to figure out something that at a minimum is simpler.

Do you have any other suggestions of sites that actually do free high rez download sample(s), without a nose bleed?

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Try this: http://www.2l.no/

Click on 2L brand store, then select Test Bench HD Audio Files

 

[Othersongs]

Try this: http://www.2l.no/

Click on 2L brand store, then select Test Bench HD Audio Files

Thank you very much.

Nice set of free high rez files with most having 3 choices each: 1) Stereo FLAC 24BIT/192kHz 2) Stereo FLAC 24BIT/96kHz and 3) Surround 5.1 FLAC 24BIT/96kHz

Nice music time lengths; nice broadband download speeds (1.9 MB/sec typically).

I got all of the all of the Stereo FLAC 24BIT/96kHz and some of the Surround 5.1 FLAC 24BIT/96kHz. My external DAC, Bel Canto DAC 3, doesn't handle 192kHZ; and with regard to 5.1 from my PC to my hifi system I'm not set up for that; my experience with 5.1 SACD has been interesting but not compelling, so for the moment I'm putting my time into stereo music playback from my several PC's.

If others thought 16/44.1 flac files are big, wow these 24/96 flac files are sizeable, with the 192 being slightly more than twice that of the 96 files.

I'll provide some feedback here in maybe a week when I've had enough time to get it to work and listen through several times.

By the way, for "Original Source ALL files" is DXD = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_eXtreme_Definition ?

Also, I wasn't aware that Simon&Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water was actually done in 5.1; or is that a modern 5.1 rendering of it?

Again thank you.

 

[Othersongs]

I'll provide some feedback here in maybe a week when I've had enough time to get it to work and listen through several times.

Also, I wasn't aware that Simon&Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water was actually done in 5.1; or is that a modern 5.1 rendering of it?

Got it to work. Some (all?) of these 24/96 flac files sound excellent!

Was using foobar2000 1.1.1 but just installed JRiver Media Center v.16 and that may sound even better. I clearly need to figure out if that's really true and if it is then why. FWIW I don't know what JRMC is doing nor if it's doing straight playback or altering the data sent out via coax S/PDIF to my external DAC. It'll take me a while to sort out JRMC and listen through these new 24/96 files from http://www.2l.no/ ( Click on 2L brand store, then select Test Bench HD Audio Files )

Disregard question on Bridge Over Troubled Water, as I just listened and it's a modern instrumental rendition.

One more question: how much space is needed on a HDD for an hour of 24/96 stereo music in flac format? Am I correct in thinking roughly 1.2GB?

Thanks again.

 

[prerich]

Great post indeed! I am and will always be an analog enthusiast, however there is a certain allure and ease of access that only digital can provide. I still cannot bring myself to download music, when I have a CD as an alternative. I keep an open mind though as you never know what tomorrow brings.

John, when theres a lossless alternative to me buy a CD, I will pay and download now. I'm converted.

 

[microstrip]

John, when theres a lossless alternative to me buy a CD, I will pay and download now. I'm converted.

For the last few days I have been re-listening to several great recordings of Jordi Savall on his AliaVox label. I do not know how people could fully enjoy his music recordings without its careful and extensive inner-notes, booklets and even books.

I have bough a few HIREZ recordings and the supplied inner notes information is miserable compared to the equivalent CD. Industry still does not have an answer for this question and does not seem to be affected by it. Do they think that people just want music servers for easy listening?

 

[LL21]

I also read that these downloads on itunes are only licenses...you cannot transfer the license to someone else...obviously to avoid pirating. Probably not a big issue...but not being able to hand down 2,000 albums to your kids someday is going to be a pisser. Particularly when some of these downloads cost as much as the original CD....AND you can buy a second hand CD on Amazon for anywhere from 0.01 to 3 bucks.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

I also read that these downloads on itunes are only licenses...you cannot transfer the license to someone else...obviously to avoid pirating. Probably not a big issue...but not being able to hand down 2,000 albums to your kids someday is going to be a pisser. Particularly when some of these downloads cost as much as the original CD....AND you can buy a second hand CD on Amazon for anywhere from 0.01 to 3 bucks.

As far as I'm concerned...once I buy it I can do with it whatever I want for my own consumption. I hear the same thing about CD's....it's only a license and I don't own it.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

For the last few days I have been re-listening to several great recordings of Jordi Savall on his AliaVox label. I do not know how people could fully enjoy his music recordings without its careful and extensive inner-notes, booklets and even books.

I have bough a few HIREZ recordings and the supplied inner notes information is miserable compared to the equivalent CD. Industry still does not have an answer for this question and does not seem to be affected by it. Do they think that people just want music servers for easy listening?

http://www.classicstoday.com/soloist/jordi-savall-3/

http://www.allmusic.com/album/harmonie-universelle-ii-mw0001848095

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=13297

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/arts/music/02savall.html?pagewanted=all&_moc.semityn.www

I run into the occasional liner note that offers some insight or tidbit I can't easily outpace with a quick Google search, but usually, the liner notes don't stand a chance. My remote control (iPad) holds more liner notes than a casefull of CDs.

Tim

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

I also read that these downloads on itunes are only licenses...you cannot transfer the license to someone else...obviously to avoid pirating. Probably not a big issue...but not being able to hand down 2,000 albums to your kids someday is going to be a pisser. Particularly when some of these downloads cost as much as the original CD....AND you can buy a second hand CD on Amazon for anywhere from 0.01 to 3 bucks.

I could hand you my hard drive right now, Lee.

Tim

 

[LL21]

I could hand you my hard drive right now, Lee.

Tim

Yes, but someone suggested that, at least on itunes, a license user cannot legally transfer the file to any other person and in fact, when he dies, the license expires. Is this true?

 

[microstrip]

http://www.classicstoday.com/soloist/jordi-savall-3/

http://www.allmusic.com/album/harmonie-universelle-ii-mw0001848095

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=13297

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/arts/music/02savall.html?pagewanted=all&_moc.semityn.www

I run into the occasional liner note that offers some insight or tidbit I can't easily outpace with a quick Google search, but usually, the liner notes don't stand a chance. My remote control (iPad) holds more liner notes than a casefull of CDs.

Tim

Tim,

Thanks, but you must be joking. Comparing the extensive and studious documentation supplied with many Aliavox recordings with the comments and reviews in the sites you refer is ridiculous. The last one I got - Haydn : The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross - has 30 pages of inner notes, including texts written on purpose for it from the recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature. And I am not addressing the graphical quality and well chosen complementary pictures ...