[Atlplasma]

HDTracks has Nina Simone (I Put a Spell on You) in 44.1/24 bit. The CD version is much less expensive. So are 8 bits worth the added cost? I imagine some will say it depends on how well your system "resolves" the music. Thoughts?

[ted_b]

I have found that in many examples the jump to 24 bit is bigger than the jump from, say, 88k to 176k.  In many cases the 24 bit master is also closer to the original recording and has much less compression than it's final redbook commercial release, so it's not just about the bit rate.

[catastrofe]

I have found that in many examples the jump to 24 bit is bigger than the jump from, say, 88k to 176k.  In many cases the 24 bit master is also closer to the original recording and has much less compression than it's final redbook commercial release, so it's not just about the bit rate.

+1

[Atlplasma]

Ted, thanks for the input.

I think I'll order the CD and download the HDTracks version. It will be an interesting experiment if nothing else.

Steve

[Don_S]

Steve,

Please post your findings. 

Ted, thanks for the input.

I think I'll order the CD and download the HDTracks version. It will be an interesting experiment if nothing else.

Steve

[Atlplasma]

Sorry for the delay. I received the Nina Simone cd (I Put a Spell on You) and played it repeatedly to get a feel for the overall sound. I then downloaded Feeling Good (44/24) from HDtracks and played it and the standard 44/16 cd track repeated. (I burned the cd to my mini music server and played everything back using Pure Music.)

In my setup, I have to say that the difference between 16 and 24 bit is subtle. (My wife agrees.) The higher bit rate sounds a little bit fuller. My suggestion would be to buy the 44/24 if you are a fan and have a system that resolves music well. If you're just curious about a performer (like Nina), it's hard to beat buying a used cd off Amazon.

[Big Red Machine]

Some hi rez isn't much better than the CD version in overall presentation.  Some are night and day difference to me.  24 bit matters more than 88 vs 96 in my experience so far.

Looking at the B&W site next to see if their music is worth the price of admission.

[simon wagstaff]

Lots of free 24 bit live recordings up on Archive.org.  some of them are very good. I highly recommend some of the recordings by Steve Kimock, Phil Lesh and Friends and Ratdog just to name a few but you will find many excellent 24 bits recordings there.

I also feel like 24 bit is more important than sample rate. It is good to get that nasty digital filter up and away from 20khz  but I think 16 bit sort of fades into a floor which 24 bit fades to silence more musically. I notice things like low level audience chatter are much more annoying with 24 bit, but that also shows the better resolution.

[GarfL]

I agree with the resolution issue, but its is pretty cool to pick up flaws in a recording, be it in ambient noise, room noise,  or trying to figure out if it really was Robert Plant or someone else coughing at the beginning of Whole Lotta Love.

More important than 24 bits is the quality of the recording, you need to be careful still. It is just as much fun trying to research the good 24 bit recordings as it is trying to find good redbook recordings that aren't brickwalled. It sucks to pay a premium for a 24 bit download that is compressed to the max.

 


 

[vhiner]

I totally agree that 24 bit is often more audible than the jump to resolutions beyond 96. While there are some great hirez recordings, we are in dire need of a database listing the good ones and the poor ones. Folks on this site are are doing a great job trying to educate, but I wish those selling downloads and those reviewing music were doing more to help us seperate the wheat from the chaff.

For example, I think that charging premium list price for something that is actually cheaper to produce and is objectively no better than redbook is a questionable practice at best. The market will bear what the market will bear, but I am very, very cautious when downloading hirez...far more cautious than when I think of whether to buy a 10 dollar cd or an officially sanctioned re-master on SACD.