[matthewpartrick]

Every time I buy an album off HDTracks, it will download half the album and then say "failed."  I checked with company and they said it was one of two problems, either there isn't enough room on the hard drive (not for me, I have a 2TB NAS and it's not even close to full) or the internet connection is bad (also not true, averaging almost 30 mbps.)  When I delete the download installer and reinstall, it then sometimes works. 

Has anyone else had this problem and have figured a workaround?  I'm not married to HDTracks, I just don't know if there's a better site that has the same amount of variety.

TIA.

[dspringham]

"I'm not married to HDTracks, I just don't know if there's a better site that has the same amount of variety."

I had some problems in the past with HD Tracks downloads on Mac - not this particular problem though. Generally I don't care for HD Tracks and their download scheme. Also, being from Canada, the rotten current exchange rate on our dollar makes purchases a poor value proposition (not to mention the limited selection due to country copyright restrictions). Also, hate the fact that you can't purchase individual album tracks - required to buy the whole album.

My current go to site is 7digital (www.7digital.com). They have a native site for Canada with billing in local currency (not sure how things work from a US IP address). Decent selection of CD quality (16/24 bit 44.1/48kHz) selections in predominately FLAC format (also have some MQA). Not so much available in higher sample rate stuff.

The big feature for me is the option to be able to download individual tracks - rarely purchase the whole album. Downloads come in the form of a ZIP file (no proprietary download software here) and have worked flawlessly. Your purchases are permanently available under the "My Music" tab can be accessed at any time for a "re-download" should anything happen to your original file.

Here's a review; https://www.whathifi.com/7digital/review

Sorry I can't help with your HD Tracks download issue but I have moved on from my limited past experiences with them and highly endorse 7digital.

Regards,
Dave

[CanadianMaestro]

Gave up on HDT eons ago. Snotty attitude and poor selection.

My go-to is Pro Studio Masters. Comparing album prices, they are much lower than 7digital, after applying discount codes.

cheers

[matthewpartrick]

Thanks gents!

[dspringham]

"Comparing album prices, they are much lower than 7digital, after applying discount codes."

That may very well be, but in my case I seldom purchase a complete album. Usually end up pulling off a half-dozen tracks which makes the cost very reasonable. Same applies to iTunes - buying individual tracks gives the most flexibility. It's too bad Apple won't upgrade to CD quality downloads which would make it unbeatable regarding selection. As it stands, I will only use iTunes for non-critical applications (ipod for car etc.) and now only if the selection is unavailable on 7digital.

The only limiting factor is that 7digital has a very limited selection of hires (96khz and up) titles. For the most part I'm fine with 16 or 24 bit at 44khz.