Quote:
Originally Posted by kool bubba ice /img/forum/go_quote.gif
This really is a great idea.. Reminds me of a calibrating disc for your TV. How do I buy the CD? 24bit/96 version.
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This is a download-only album. However, nowadays, it's very easy to burn a CD version in minutes (for most, it would probably take longer to download the high-res tracks than to burn a CD).
To burn a CD from 24/96, you'll have to use a utility that will convert the 24/96 FLAC files to CD quality (16/44.1). On my Mac, I use Max.
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Originally Posted by nnotis /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Fantastic!
This is a subjective matter, but I hope the work is still music first, test material second.
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Yes, this is definitely music first, with the liner notes explaining why each track was chosen, and what to listen for. There are a couple of dedicated test tracks, though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by R_burke /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Unfortunately it doesn't appear to be available as a CD
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Again, burning the album to CD is a breeze.
Quote:
Originally Posted by squid+ /img/forum/go_quote.gif
This is pretty cool. Everyone has a certain set of tracks that they like to test their gear with, maybe this will help people to communicate their opinions using a common denominator.
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Yes, while, of course, I do not expect or want this album to be the standard by which we all conduct our reviews, I think it's a great way for many of us to establish one more point of common reference and understanding as we write reviews and post impressions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tamahome77 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Very nice idea! I will make a purchase tonight. Hope there will be more albums like this.
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I hope so, too. It's certainly not out of the question.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kunalraiker /img/forum/go_quote.gif
My D4 DAC does not support the hi-res version, I will need to get the 16 bit version, is it any different.
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If you don't know how to convert the high-res version to a format compatible with your system(s), I'd suggest going for the 16-bit version. If you do know how to convert, then I'd go for the high-res version, as you can use that to essentially have both versions.
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Originally Posted by gknix /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I'm excited for this! How do these tracks sound?
Also, is there a huge difference between the 16/44.1 and 24/96?
My Dac dosn't support 24/96 either, but would it be okay to burn them on a cd and re-rerip them to 16/44.1?
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The tracks sound fantastic, which, given that we pulled from the Chesky library, should be expected.
Yes, if you have a DAC that supports 24/96--and a resolving rig altogether--you'll notice the difference.
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Originally Posted by Necrolic /img/forum/go_quote.gif
....It's a shame they don't have a broader selection of artists, most of the music I listen to isn't sold there, meaning I have no source of FLAC downloads and have to settle for my 320Kbps MP3 source in Millisong.
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HDtracks' selection of music is growing, as more labels participate.
Click here to see the growing list of participating labels.
Quote:
Originally Posted by carm /img/forum/go_quote.gif
It is wonderful idea !!
And who said that you do not benefit from being head-fi member
Just wondering is it worth to buy 24/96 tracks if DAC supports only 16/48 ?
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Again, if you know how to convert from 24/96, then I'd recommend going with the 24-bit version, and convert as needed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Deep Funk /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Is the album really worth it? It might not be expensive but if my own music collection is just as good, which has just expanded I need some convincing.
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You can't beat your own collection for your own familiarity and preferences. This album contains a few tracks I already had on other albums, a couple of which I didn't have in 24/96 until now.
One of the most fun and helpful parts of this album is the liner notes, where Steve Guttenberg (CNET Audiophiliac blog writer) explains why we chose the tracks, and what to listen for.
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Originally Posted by JaZZ /img/forum/go_quote.gif
....Finally I could get the first link to work! – Unfortunately the recordings are not adapted to headphone listening. These are normal, speaker-based recordings. That's disappointing and a gross flaw in my book.
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Glad the link is now working for you, JaZZ.
Regarding adapting recordings to headphone listening: With 22,000+ tracks ripped/downloaded in my collection (with seemingly countless more CD's left to rip), only a tiny handful that I have are binaural, or specially engineered for headphone use. This album was designed to help listeners understand what they're hearing in the types of recordings they'll currently encounter, which is still overwhelmingly
non-binaural, two-channel stereo.
As headphones continue to grow in popularity (and they definitely are), I think we'll likely see more adventures into binaural recordings and/or DSP'd recordings engineered specifically for headphone listening. I wouldn't be surprised if Head-Fi gets involved in projects like that down the road (
well down the road, at this point).