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Affordable sites for Hi-Def downloads ?

post #1 of 17
6/19/08 at 7:05pm
Thread Starter 
Hi,

What are the best/affordable sites for Hi-Def downloads? Sites where you can download 24/96 formats (DTS, FLAC, WAV or others) ?

Thanks,
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post #2 of 17
6/20/08 at 10:12am
Affordable is questionable here, but Linn Records has 24/96 material for about $30 per disc. iTrax has 24/96 downloads. HDtracks will soon have 24/96 downloads and should be much cheaper.
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post #3 of 17
6/20/08 at 11:06am
"Affordable" is quite subjective. Some fid $100 to be a lot of money, while others find $1000 to be just pocket money...

Two suggestions:
Linn Records - specialists in Classical, Jazz and Celtic music
High Definition Tape Transfers
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post #4 of 17
6/20/08 at 1:53pm
Don't get too hung up on high-def, it won't give you any benefit over CD. Also, DTS is not high-def, it's the opposite, it's highly compressed using lossy compression!
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post #5 of 17
6/20/08 at 2:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gregorio View Post
Don't get too hung up on high-def, it won't give you any benefit over CD.
I hope your are just pulling our chain here with that statement.

I just got done reviewing the new Reference Recordings HRx albums with a resolution of 24 bit / 176.4 kHz. I've never hard anything sound better in my life. In addition I've ripped several DVD-Audio discs at 24/96 and the sound compared to the 16/44.1 version is so much better I can't even listen to the CD version anymore.
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post #6 of 17
6/20/08 at 11:23pm
Thread Starter 
These are perfect examples. The Linn promotion is very reasonable. The HDTT has samples that you can download free, if you want to test the difference. Thanks !
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post #7 of 17
6/22/08 at 3:50am
Hey I don't know what the hell 26/96 means but musicgiants.com has HD audio for about 15$ and album. Can someone explain what 26/96 is bc if its better than HD, i want to hear it lol.
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post #8 of 17
6/22/08 at 5:15am
You're welcome Headdie.
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post #9 of 17
6/22/08 at 6:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nycrob515 View Post
Hey I don't know what the hell 26/96 means but musicgiants.com has HD audio for about 15$ and album. Can someone explain what 26/96 is bc if its better than HD, i want to hear it lol.
I guess the real issue is that this site does not actually tell you what you buy when you pay for HD or even Super HD.

Just that fact would make me not buy from that site.

Cheers

Thomas
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post #10 of 17
6/23/08 at 2:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by thomaspf View Post
I guess the real issue is that this site does not actually tell you what you buy when you pay for HD or even Super HD.

Just that fact would make me not buy from that site.

Cheers

Thomas
True, Thomas. I thought the same before buying however the bitrate and file sizes are large and larger. I don't know too much, but it sounds good to me. Do you know what 26/94 means?
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post #11 of 17
6/23/08 at 2:53am
aahh nevermind I understand 26/94.....those sites dont have anything I'm currently into though
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post #12 of 17
6/23/08 at 2:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Headdie View Post
Hi,

What are the best/affordable sites for Hi-Def downloads? Sites where you can download 24/96 formats (DTS, FLAC, WAV or others) ?

Thanks,
Is free affordable?

You can get the new Nine Inch Nails album, The Slip, in 24/96 lossless.

nine inch nails: the slip

Enjoy.
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post #13 of 17
6/23/08 at 4:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cconnaker View Post
I hope your are just pulling our chain here with that statement.

I just got done reviewing the new Reference Recordings HRx albums with a resolution of 24 bit / 176.4 kHz. I've never hard anything sound better in my life. In addition I've ripped several DVD-Audio discs at 24/96 and the sound compared to the 16/44.1 version is so much better I can't even listen to the CD version anymore.
We covered this in the 16bit vs 24bit thread. In short, there is absolutely nothing to be gained using 24bit unless you are a recording engineer. There is no added resolution or quality to be gained compared to 16bit and this is true of both the theory and the practice. Unless you can hear sounds up to about 80kHz (normal human hearing is about 20kHz) a sample frequency of 176.4 is just as pointless.

If the recording sounds better it's because they have recorded, mixed and/or mastered it better, not because of the format it's in. In other words, take that recording and re-sample to 16bit/44.1k (using a good quality dithering unit) and it would not be possible to hear a difference.
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post #14 of 17
6/24/08 at 2:54pm
No doubt! The high def stuff is just recorded with better equipment, technique, and attention to detail.

I record vinyl at 24/96 because any editing or noise reduction benefits for the greater word length.

The prices on those downloads at Linn and other sites are overpriced.

On a mid to hi-fi sound system, CDs should blow you away, as will a great vinyl record.

DC
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post #15 of 17
6/24/08 at 3:50pm
The high def stuff is usually identical. Pretty much all music for the last decade has been recorded at higher bit depths/sample rates and then dithered down to 16/44.1.

Recording or processing is better using the higher rates because it allows for more headroom but for playback there is no advantage. If you can fool the public though it's a great way to generate some extra cash!
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