[Music Alchemist]

@miceblue
Thanks, Micey!
 
Here is a post I found on another site that may potentially shed some light on being able to tell whether audio was upsampled from 16-to-24-bit.

 

[miceblue]

@miceblue

Thanks, Micey!

Here is a post I found on another site that may potentially shed some light on being able to tell whether audio was upsampled from 16-to-24-bit.

Interesting. I don't really see how their points are valid though.

The spikes sticking out above the rest are distortion, the result of clipping.

I don't see that happening in my previously mentioned 24/96 file:
Down-sampling to 16/44.1

Spoiler: Terminal code

/Users/miceblue/sox-14.4.1/sox /Users/miceblue/sox-14.4.1/2-48\ Drum\ Kit\:\ Dynamic\ Range\ Uncompressed\ \:\ Test.flac -b 16 -r 44100 -o 1.aif
/Users/miceblue/sox-14.4.1/sox /Users/miceblue/sox-14.4.1/1.aif -n spectrogram -o 1.png

Up-sampling the 16/44.1 file to 24/96

Spoiler: Terminal code

/Users/miceblue/sox-14.4.1/sox /Users/miceblue/sox-14.4.1/1.aif -b 24 -r 96000 -o 2.aif
/Users/miceblue/sox-14.4.1/sox /Users/miceblue/sox-14.4.1/2.aif -n spectrogram -o 2.png

^ no weird spikes there at all, so that remark isn't very valid

A close examination of the end of the fade-outs of the tracks shows they drop in volume from about -90 dB directly to silence, indicating the original files were also 16-bit. If they had been 24-bit originally, the fades would progress from -90 down to about -140 before reaching silence.

I don't see how anyone can get those conclusions from the given spectrogram without knowing the scale bar.
Here's the very end of that 24/96 file so we can observe the audio "fade-outs," with a scale bar on the right mind you


Here's the up-sampled 24/96 version from the down-sampled 16/44.1 file

Spoiler: Terminal code

/Users/miceblue/sox-14.4.1/sox /Users/miceblue/sox-14.4.1/2-48\ Drum\ Kit\:\ Dynamic\ Range\ Uncompressed\ \:\ Test.flac -b 16 -r 44100 -o a.flac
/Users/miceblue/sox-14.4.1/sox /Users/miceblue/sox-14.4.1/a.flac -b 24 -r 96000 -o b.flac
/Users/miceblue/sox-14.4.1/sox /Users/miceblue/sox-14.4.1/b.flac -n spectrogram -o b.png

^ looks pretty much identical to the original 24/96 one but with more noise probably from the conversion process, so that remark isn't very valid either

 

[Sleuth]

Update on the Qobuz buy: After emailing their support, they told me that the file I bought was advertised as being "44.10" kHz, and send me the attached screenshot. According to them, everything was fine.
On the page where I bought the album the download is stated to be "48.00" kHz. (attachment two).  After no response for days, I've finally e-mail them with a last request to refund the full paid amount. (Otherwise I would report the transaction to MasterCard, asking the cancel the transaction). Within a day they refunded the transaction. Apparently they changed their mind...

 

 

[miceblue]

Update on the Qobuz buy: After emailing their support, they told me that the file I bought was advertised as being "44.10" kHz, and send me the attached screenshot. According to them, everything was fine.
On the page where I bought the album the download is stated to be "48.00" kHz. (attachment two).  After no response for days, I've finally e-mail them with a last request to refund the full paid amount. (Otherwise I would report the transaction to MasterCard, asking the cancel the transaction). Within a day they refunded the transaction. Apparently they changed their mind...

Wow that's extremely sketchy.
In Switzerland, Belgium, and France, they offer the album in 24/44.1
http://www.qobuz.com/ch-de/album/i-forget-where-we-were-ben-howard/3596973177827
http://www.qobuz.com/be-fr/album/i-forget-where-we-were-ben-howard/3596973177827
http://www.qobuz.com/fr-fr/album/i-forget-where-we-were-ben-howard/3596973177827

Everywhere else, they offer it in 24/48
http://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/i-forget-where-we-were-ben-howard/0060254704271