Getting better?...

[AlmaataKZ]

Check out hdtracks.com

https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=newest

In the last several weeks they had, in hi-rez:
Elton John
Eric Clapton
Rolling Stones
Paul Simon

Ok, tiny selection but -

Are things slowly, very very slowly, getting better for availability of mainstream music in hi-rez?

If so, - I like!

What I do not like is not being able to buy separate tracks! :O :O :O

 

[john1000000boy]

Hi there AlmaataKZ

Was wanting to dip my toe into high res audio, Looked at your website above and was going to give it a spin. Rolling Stones- Let It Bleed i think.... Anyway, was just wondering how you store your high res music. Is it on your Mac Mini?? Which software do you use? I too have a mac which i plug into my Pioneer amp via Optical and Hdmi converter. I also have a 1tb usb hard drive too which everything is backed up onto.

Any help appreciated

Thanks

John

 

[CnoEvil]

Thanks for the link - very useful.

My hi-res stuff is all Linn, so fairly niche.

Have you got any of it, or have any recomendations?

Thanks
Cno

 

[AlmaataKZ]

I download flac up to 24/96 (I am not bothered about 176 or 192 and macmini would not output it via optical anyway, although itunes would play those).

then convert to alac using max (free). very easy. max automatically adds the tracks to itunes as it converts.

i play using itunes. midi settings are always on 24/96 (not bohtered to change manually and not bothered to pay for software that does it automatically as I found it has not other advantages over itunes. one day itunes has got to sort that bit out!)

macmini (controlled from ipod touch and pronto 9400) plays via usb to benchmark.

there is also a squeezebox touch connected via homeplugs, sees all the library, playlists etc (with sb server soft installedon macmini) and plays up to 24/96

library is stored on macmini hd, macmini is bckced up to an external portable usb hd.

 

[CnoEvil]

AlmaataKZ

Thank you for the detailed reply..but I didn't make myself clear enough (often the case ).

I was trying to ask about the music you might have downloaded.

Cheers Cno

Edit. Just realized you weren't talking to me - sorry :~

 

[AlmaataKZ]

well, I find the selection of hirez is very thin. from each oft the 4-5 sites (linn, naim, hdtracks, b&w sos) I have maybe 4-5 albums to my taste.

try browsing their bestsellers, as these kinda reflect the less exotic music.

I want itunes store to go 24/96 or at least 16/44 alac.

 

[CnoEvil]

well, I find the selection of hirez is very thin. from each oft the 4-5 sites (linn, naim, hdtracks, b&w sos) I have maybe 4-5 albums to my taste.

try browsing their bestsellers, as these kinda reflect the less exotic music.

I want itunes store to go 24/96 or at least 16/44 alac.

Thx (now that you are speaking to me. )

 

[AlmaataKZ]

hdtracks now has Buena Vista Social Club and Eagles Hotel Califonia in 24/96.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, there is the small matter of the Terms&Conditions, specifically item 11. Wake me up when they deliver to EU. Until then, buying from them will be illegal. And I can get illegal for a lot less money.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

recently :

k d lang

lots of rolling stones

nina simone

metallica

drip by drip some mainstream music in hi-rez

 

[steve_1979]

Hi AlmaataKZ,

How do the Rolling Stones sound in hi-rez? I have their 40 Licks album on CD and I think that the sound quality of some of the original recordings are quite poor.

 

[TALON1973]

thought i'd chip in on this topic as i use hdtracks :-

atm i have 5 albums in 96/24 from the site

carla lother - 100 lovers

elton john - goodbye yellow brick road

eric clapton - slowhand + 461 ocean boulevard

rem - out of time

also paul mCartney - band on the run single track

my own personal opinion is these are very good quality downloads . ive down some testing listening wise with the clasption songs using complete claption on cd as a basis ...sound difference is huge

don't mind paying teh slightly higher price for better quality

 

[smuggs]

i may problems getting 96/24 i use an wd 1tb external harddrive to store my cd rips/downloads and then i use my squeezebox duet controller to control a squeezebox reciever and then that has an optical to my dac magic would that pass a 96/24 downloaded track to my dac-magic and can my dac magic deal with that quailty. I also use flac so i tag are these hd tracks in flac. many thanks

 

[TALON1973]

doesnt the squeezebox already support 96/24 ? dont see why you woudl need the dac magic

just done a quick look ( as dont know anythnig about s-box ) .........the squeezebox reciever already has a dac ... your feeding a dac into a dac ???

 

[smuggs]

hi talon i got the squeezebox duet and thought i would sell the dac magic but after doing rca out of the reciever straight to my amp and the coxial out to the dac magic the dac in the sqeezebox was pretty rubbish to be honest. the dac magic was miles ahead in space and attacking wise was alot better. i have heard the touch is better.

but my dac-magic says it handles 96 on the from its the 24bit i need to check i know usb its limited to 44-16bit but im sure coaxial it can handle better

 

[AlmaataKZ]

Hi AlmaataKZ,

How do the Rolling Stones sound in hi-rez? I have their 40 Licks album on CD and I think that the sound quality of some of the original recordings are quite poor.

Hi, Steve. I do not have any of the Rollings from the site (I only need several tracks but they only sell albums ) - so I do not know. the other stuff I have from HDT all sounds good.

 

[TALON1973]

have you tried feeding a toslink conenction ( spdif ) from the motherboard into the dacmagic ?

 

[smuggs]

at the moment i use hdmi out my laptop to my denon1909 and that handles and films,you tube stuff i do.

the only thing i have into my dac-magic is a coaxial from the squeezebox reciever but i have had it confirmed that will accept 96/24 so im happy i only have rem-out of time on cd which is on that hd tracks so when i get paid i will no doubt but that album and see how it does on a a-b test against my cd ripped in flac using eac.

thanks for your time talon

 

[TALON1973]

i'm not sure a hdmi feed for sound into an amp for 96/24 works the same way as it does with dvd/br discs tbh ( no research on this as i type this ). i'd still try teh spdif connection on your mobo tbh ... you can toggle beween teh hdmi for moves and dpdif for sound in 96/24 then.

i also think your connecting it up wrong ... for the 96/24 sound anyway should be pc - dac - amp, not pc-amp-dac

i say this as i have it set up like that ......for screen duties the hdmi goes into my tv .... and then have a spdif conenction from mobo going into my mf-vdac , which in turn uses phono leads going ino my headphone amp.

know i know you have hdmi to av reciever , which i assume then send picture to tv, but i dont think it can do hi-def music unless a blu ray source tbh

 

[MajorFubar]

Are we actually 'allowed' to buy from HDtracks, seeing that they're a US-based company selling its products in US$

 

[TALON1973]

Are we actually 'allowed' to buy from HDtracks, seeing that they're a US-based company selling its products in US$

you can purchase songs via paypal... thast the only way to do it

 

[smuggs]

forget the hdmi out the laptop thats just for you tube,video stores on my laptop,photos ect to go through the denon av amp. music goes through my arcam which at the moment my laptops sends it wireless to my hub then to the squeezebox reciever which feeds via a digital coaxial to my dac-magic and then to my arcam. so i was just asking if i stored a 96/24 on my pc would it go my hub to my reciever. i know both the dac -magic and squeezebox can handle it. just unsure

cause if i go straight optical from laptop to dac-magic yes i would get 96/24 but how would get that to my squeezebox. there does not seem a way of going straight from my laptop to my sqeezebox reciever hard wired it seems to go either through my hub(sqeezebox server) or wireless

 

[MajorFubar]

Are we actually 'allowed' to buy from HDtracks, seeing that they're a US-based company selling its products in US$

you can purchase songs via paypal... thast the only way to do it

Yeah sorry I know it's technically possible, I was more concerned with whether it's circumventing tax/VAT/no idea what else, which we'd otherwise have to pay if it was a VAT-registered UK-based company selling its downloads in GBP. For us in the UK, purchasing from HDTracks looks to me like it's just one step up from an illegal torrent, although it still costs you $17 per album (or whatever). Essentially what you're buying is a virtual 'grey import'.

Maybe someone can clarify the position.

 

[TALON1973]

DescriptionUnit priceQtyAmount
$17.98 USD1$17.98 USDSubtotal$17.98 USDTotal$17.98 USDPayment$17.98 USDCharge will appear on your credit card statement as 'PAYPAL *HDTRACKSCOM'
Payment sent to contact@hdtracks.com From amount£11.64 GBPTo amount$17.98 USD
Exchange rate: 1 GBP = 1.54467USD

Issues with this transaction?
You have 45 days from the

 

[TALON1973]

now the money goes to the us company..... and paypal then charges that company handling fees i'd assume as its a business