Digital Download Reference Thread

Julf

New Member
Nov 27, 2011
613
0
0
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Linn Records is providing free 24-bit downloads each day until Christmas!

For those who have downloaded the whole series of Linn Christmas samplers, I have a "golden ears" challenge. One of the files is from 16-bit material, but zero-padded to 24 bits. Can you hear which one?
 

Migo

Well-Known Member
Aug 10, 2013
138
14
148
my favorite site is the small Label from Amsterdam, Sound Liaison.
Very small and only 5 albums so far, but in this case it is quality before quantity.
And it is 24/96 Wav only, true studio masters,one to one copies.
Highly recommended.
They are my new reference recordings.
http://http://www.soundliaison.com/
here is a quote from Rad Bennett's review in SoundStage!

hi 24bit and the rest of you guys,
I just saw these measurements on the Dynamic Range database of one of the Sound Liaison albums:The ''Thousand Shades of Blue'' from Carmen Gomes.
Pretty impressive,all tracks in the green zone.
http://www.dr.loudness-war.info/details.php?id=50137

BTW.What puzzles me is that an old favorite of mine Weather Reports ''Tale Spinnin'' in the 24 bit remaster also is in the green zone,I have to hear that.What did they do to achieve that,uncompress it manually or did that they have access to the old multitrack tapes?I am sure that my LP will not be in the green zone if tested or am I wrong?
 

24bit

Well-Known Member
Jun 14, 2013
172
30
333
After Silence

my favorite site is the small Label from Amsterdam, Sound Liaison.
Very small and only 5 albums so far, but in this case it is quality before quantity.
And it is 24/96 Wav only, true studio masters,one to one copies.
Highly recommended.
They are my new reference recordings.
http://http://www.soundliaison.com/
here is a quote from Rad Bennett's review in SoundStage!

And they have a new download available.
After Silence, with an incredible trumpet player who goes by the name of Andre Heuvelman.
The download is a 24/88.2 Studio Master file, with a gorgeously wide, warm, deep sound stage. The instruments sound lush but very natural and with such a beautiful decay of the notes.
Like the other Sound Liaison recordings there is a very vivid placement in the stereo-field, a ''reach out and touch'' feel about the whole thing.

The repertoire choice is very broad and goes from a big sounding 9 piece band to intimate duo with only piano or only percussion. Yet the album has a very cohesive feel to it, the flow of the music feels very good from song to song.
Mr. Heuvelman's trumpet sound is fantastic, he encompasses every emotional nuance possible. I have yet to hear a trumpet player with such a palette of colors.
Cellist Rebecca Wise has a few worthy spots of limelight on the albums more romantic tunes and Bandoneon player Santiago Cimadevilla is putting in a lovely performance on the album opener, Astor Piazzolla's, Oblivion and and on the albums absolute surprise Ave Maria.
The album closer ''Krakow'' has percussionist Joshua Samson laying down an intriguing rhythmic foundation for Heuvelman's last statement.
On the Sound Liaison site you can hear all the tracks in a reasonably high quality(mp3 256 ?) before deciding to download one track or the whole album.
To me this album is the surprise of the year, we are still only in March but this is going to be a tough act to follow.

Andre200v7.jpg

http://www.soundliaison.com/
 
Last edited:

Clugar

New Member
Dec 17, 2012
26
0
0
Germany
hi 24bit and the rest of you guys,
BTW.What puzzles me is that an old favorite of mine Weather Reports ''Tale Spinnin'' in the 24 bit remaster also is in the green zone,I have to hear that.What did they do to achieve that,uncompress it manually or did that they have access to the old multitrack tapes?I am sure that my LP will not be in the green zone if tested or am I wrong?

Hi, Migo,

You seem to know this old but good Weather Report Tale Spinnin'. I found two versions in Qobuz: One from "1975 Sony Music Entertainment Inc." with the same sleeve as your picture shows and one: "1975 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT" with a brownish frame around the picture. The latter says: "Digitally Remastered from the Original Analog Masters, Columbia Jazz-Contemporary Masters".

Which one would you recommend and what would be the difference?

Thanks
 

Migo

Well-Known Member
Aug 10, 2013
138
14
148
Hi, Migo,

You seem to know this old but good Weather Report Tale Spinnin'. I found two versions in Qobuz: One from "1975 Sony Music Entertainment Inc." with the same sleeve as your picture shows and one: "1975 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT" with a brownish frame around the picture. The latter says: "Digitally Remastered from the Original Analog Masters, Columbia Jazz-Contemporary Masters".

Which one would you recommend and what would be the difference?

Thanks

Sorry, I have no idea. I have the LP and an early, (1st?) Cd version.
I would like to know as well which download version sounds the best and which version it is that scores so high in dynamic range.
 

Migo

Well-Known Member
Aug 10, 2013
138
14
148
Hi res flac

my favorite site is the small Label from Amsterdam, Sound Liaison.
Very small and only 5 albums so far, but in this case it is quality before quantity.
And it is 24/96 Wav only, true studio masters,one to one copies.
Highly recommended.
They are my new reference recordings.
http://http://www.soundliaison.com/
here is a quote from Rad Bennett's review in SoundStage!
Sound Liaison, producing recordings available only in 24-bit/96kHz downloads that mirror the master recording. And man, are they ever sweet. I've seldom heard recordings that were so successful in both performance and sound aspects.

They also sell Flac files. The new Batik album (highly recommend Btw) and the above mentioned Carmen Gomes files and Andre Heuvelman are all availble as Flac.

 
  • Love
Reactions: brudge

24bit

Well-Known Member
Jun 14, 2013
172
30
333
and DSD, but converted. They sell one ''native'' DSD;
tony-bert-300v1.jpg
http://www.soundliaison.com/
DSD

Our original idea was to only provide one to one copies of the original studio masters.
But we have had a number of requests to provide DSD downloads of our recordings.
We have been consulting various experts as well as conducting our own experiments on how to transfer our recordings to DSD.
What we finally arrived upon was that, in order to make full use of the sonic qualities of DSD, we would need to create new masters especially for the DSD medium.
After a full year of trial and error we finally found, what we believe, is the ultimate DSD conversion method. We transfer the PCM files via an analogue signal chain, using the best possible outboard gear to create a new DSD master file, and in so doing, embellish the unique qualities of DSD.

So just to clarify; Our DSD masters are not original studio masters.
We record in PCM, so if you want a native one to one copy of the original studio master, without any kind of conversion, choose the PCM download.
With one exception, Impromtu (Tony Overwater & Bert van den Brink), was recorded direct to PCM and direct to DSD with two seperate recorders.
 

Mario Martinez

Well-Known Member
Aug 17, 2016
59
3
90
www.playclassics.com
May I add my own site to the list:

PlayClassics: http://www.playclassics.com

We make our recordings at 24bit 96kHz.

We offer all our downloads in four different formats:
- Flac 24bit 96kHz (that would be the masters copy)
- Flac 24bit 48kHz
- Flac 16bit 44.1kHz
- LAME mp3 VBR

You can try downloading the demo song on any of our albums. We have been working on the development of a new technology for the past 8 years and we are now trying to get people to hear the results. If you like what you hear please tell us, I will be happy to send you a Gift Code to download the full album.
 

APP

Well-Known Member
Oct 1, 2014
455
108
273
I just want to ad that I find that Play classics is an excellent little company. Great sounding recordings, highly recommended.
 

APP

Well-Known Member
Oct 1, 2014
455
108
273
New Sound Liaison release!

Startas Orkester.

I listen 2x through the whole album and I agree with the opinion of the drummers Grandmother, grandma Kitty that
‘'In general I do not like modern music but this I truly enjoyed‘' - :DGrandma Kitty
it is very melodic and very fresh. I understand from the liner notes that this is their first album and that makes it even more impressive.
And Sound Liaison has given the album a wonderful transparency but with a majestic sounding double bass. Highly recommended. http://www.soundliaison.com/
 

audioguy

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
2,794
73
1,635
Near Atlanta, GA but not too near!
For those of us who were/are worried about the long term health of Tidal (streaming service), a new kid is coming to the US this fall. It will support 16/44, 24/192 and both downloads and streaming. I, for one, am excited as I am a big Tidal user and have been worried about their financial health. If this new service undercuts Tidal's pricing, it could well mean the end of Tidal.

Go Here for more specifics.
 
Last edited:

Alrainbow

Well-Known Member
Dec 11, 2013
3,189
1,387
450
By accident I have found a website that seems to have the best sounding red book cd,s I ever has played. I own SHM , super cd,s and the like .all very good spend quality . Maple shade is beyond this signiifcly to play one is the heir the full potentioanl of your system.
Andy McKee total track top hat is a free mp s download , yes MP3. The cd is red book. Download it and play it and then comment .
http://www.mapleshadestore.com/
while they sell many products and I have no affiliation or own any products except music . The sound is amazing a word many use in audio but rarely is this word needed. In this case it's not a good enough word.

One last thought and it's not meant to hurt them but it must be said. I feel HDtracks shroud be removed from any music download list . They subpar music that is noise infested above music so badly it effects the music. The fact yes fact that mAnybof there hi Rez is ups sampled is just one reason . The money I spent on them for far and few good sounding recordings.
Not sure if listed but acoustic sounds is a great download website.
 

brudge

Well-Known Member
Jul 13, 2021
301
111
45
May I add my own site to the list:

PlayClassics: http://www.playclassics.com

We make our recordings at 24bit 96kHz.

We offer all our downloads in four different formats:
- Flac 24bit 96kHz (that would be the masters copy)
- Flac 24bit 48kHz
- Flac 16bit 44.1kHz
- LAME mp3 VBR

You can try downloading the demo song on any of our albums. We have been working on the development of a new technology for the past 8 years and we are now trying to get people to hear the results. If you like what you hear please tell us, I will be happy to send you a Gift Code to download the full album.
Well, who knows what the recording is actually sampled at... 24/48 is good, but whats actually in your ear?
You have some sort of certificate that this recording is up to this standard all the way from the garage?`

I'd say - that is just impossible to know. And irrelevant to the music itself. Stuff like Bruce Springsteen and Iggy Pop are tracked on a 4 track casette player... and have become legends already. So what do you have to offer that they dont have already`?
May I remind you that a casette player has an unlimited resolution - no limits like 24/48.
I think the problem with 96 compared to 48 is that you are not capable as an human beeing to hear the difference, and it takes up so much more space on your hard drive...
 
Last edited:

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing