Norah Jones - Come Away With Me (24/192 HDtracks)

ted_b · « **on:** 9 Jun 2012, 03:30 am »

When I heard that two different groups were doing hirez remasters of Norah's breakthrough album I thought " Hmm, that's very different. Wonder which one will capture the magic", the magic that is hinted at in the quite compressed-by-comparison Blue Note redbook (and huge "swing-and-a-miss" by the 2009 SACD release, accidentally mastered from the redbook copy source). One was announced first, the Chad Kassem-funded Kevin Gray-mastered analog-direct-to-DSD Analogue Productions SACD release (pushed to July 2), and the later announced HDtracks 24/192 (and 24/96) release, coming directly from (Hdtracks quote):

"....New York’s legendary Sterling Sound by Norah Jones’s longtime mastering engineer Greg Calbi, Come Away with Me was remastered from the original analog mix tapes in 192kHz/24 bit, and 96kHz/24 bit audio"

Well, as a huge DSD fan, and with the experience and tools available to rip to DSD (

) I was waiting aptiently for the SACD. But I am a big Norah fan (especially her first 3 solo releases and subsequent jazzier side projects) so I couldn't wait.

For fans of Norah, or fans of great female vocal jazz/pop, run and buy this HDtracks release......NOW! it is revelatory. It makes the redbook sound like a 192k MP3.....everything is better. Tonality is way better, air is huge, it is quieter, it is wayyy closer (I think) to the master tape sound. i can't imagine it was NOT supposed to sound this way. Few Hdtracks remasters touch this improvement IMHO. Piano doesn't clip, Norah's voice is perfect and can be played as loud as one likes to hear natural vocals (same can't be said for every track of the redbook). And keep in mind that the redbook is a WONDERFUL album, just nothing like this.

I'm buying Feels Like Home too. Many folks didn;t like that album much, but I have an affinity to it. I can't wait to hear if it takes off like Come Away With Me does, and at lower gain even.

Now...do I buy the SACD? After first listen it is unlikely to get that much better than this......but prolly will.

golfugh · « **Reply #1 on:** 9 Jun 2012, 03:36 am »

Thanks for the heads up! Have the SACDs on preorder and will pick this up as well...but, back to work tomorrow.
Thanks Ted
Mark

jamesg11 · « **Reply #2 on:** 9 Jun 2012, 03:43 am »

Ted, let us know how this one comes up as well.

ted_b · « **Reply #3 on:** 9 Jun 2012, 01:09 pm »

Ok, well, you Norah fans should know that her second album, Feels Like Home, was slightly less compressed than the debut album. Greg Calbi (who once said, in an interview, that record execs want loudness cuz they want their song the loudest in a random ipod shuffle playlist!!) had slightly less work to do, and it is evident here. Norah's voice is perfect, no shouting, honk effects, etc. The result is just as musical as CAWM, but doesn't blow you away with the differences as much...cuz they aren't required. Results are the same as CAWM....an incredible ease, air, effortlessness, and millions of timbre changes and harmonics. What's nice, in both of these remasters, is that you get ease and yet you get weight and dynamics too (although these Norah releases are not full of huge dynamic swings in any event). They may sound lower in volume to the unaided ear, but that's easily fixed, turn them up.

In any case, a very worthwhile HDtracks purchase.

golfugh · « **Reply #4 on:** 18 Jun 2012, 07:02 pm »

Have to agree Ted, the HD Tracks CAWM is a revelation compared to the SACD 2 channel track (although the multi is excellent). Both of these new HD Tracks releases are exceptional!

Now just have to wait until Sept!!!! for my SACD box preorder.

Great heads up

Sonus · « **Reply #5 on:** 20 Jun 2012, 05:02 pm »

Phil A · « **Reply #6 on:** 20 Jun 2012, 05:15 pm »

Quote from: golfugh on 18 Jun 2012, 07:02 pm

Have to agree Ted, the HD Tracks CAWM is a revelation compared to the SACD 2 channel track (although the multi is excellent). Both of these new HD Tracks releases are exceptional!

Now just have to wait until Sept!!!! for my SACD box preorder.

Great heads up

Did they move back the box set release? I had it in my head as June 18 (have not looked) and was planning on looking in a couple of weeks and ordering it. I thought I saw June 18 as the release date somewhere but I could be mistaken

ted_b · « **Reply #7 on:** 20 Jun 2012, 05:19 pm »

The individual SACD's were moved back again to July 16, and the boxset to Sep 14th.

woodsyi · « **Reply #8 on:** 20 Jun 2012, 05:43 pm »

Damn you, Ted -- enticing me with these recordings to get a 24/192 capable DAC.

I got all her vinyl. If she sounds better in person (in a week) then the vinyls I have, then I will have to pull the trigger on the 24/192 - both the recording and a HiRez DAC.

JohnR · « **Reply #9 on:** 20 Jun 2012, 06:04 pm »

Rim, I thought you were looking at all that awhile ago? No luck?

mgalusha · « **Reply #10 on:** 20 Jun 2012, 06:40 pm »

Downloading now and looking forward to hearing this.

ted_b · « **Reply #11 on:** 20 Jun 2012, 07:01 pm »

By the way, her debut (Come Away With Me) is much more improved as a 24/192 remaster than the 2nd or 3rd albums (Feels Like Home, Not Too Late) although all three are improvements, and pretty much in that order. I'd say you'd have to be a huge fan to shell out for the 3rd album redo.

woodsyi · « **Reply #12 on:** 20 Jun 2012, 07:21 pm »

Quote from: JohnR on 20 Jun 2012, 06:04 pm

Rim, I thought you were looking at all that awhile ago? No luck?

I have not pulled the trigger yet. I am vacillating between several choices. I will do some more research during the Capital Audio show and perhaps even wait for a show special at RMAF if I am still looking.

Ted, where is the Meitner review?

Phil A · « **Reply #13 on:** 20 Jun 2012, 09:11 pm »

Quote from: ted_b on 20 Jun 2012, 05:19 pm

The individual SACD's were moved back again to July 16, and the boxset to Sep 14th.

Ted, thanks!! I was debating what to do and what to get but just decided I'd take the whole box set. For the most part these days, when I get SACDs, they are SHMs from Japan or other expensive choices anyway.

oneinthepipe · « **Reply #14 on:** 4 Jul 2012, 05:09 pm »

I downloaded the FLAC file, and both my roommate and I think that the HiRez recording is superior to sound of the CD that I burned to my computer and am playing through Pure Music. Does anyone know a way to play FLAC files through Pure Music? I can't get iTunes to accept the album into the music library.

And Ted, thank you for your post about the recording.

ted_b · « **Reply #15 on:** 4 Jul 2012, 05:22 pm »

Quote from: oneinthepipe on 4 Jul 2012, 05:09 pm

I downloaded the FLAC file, and both my roommate and I think that the HiRez recording is superior to sound of the CD that I burned to my computer and am playing through Pure Music. Does anyone know a way to play FLAC files through Pure Music? I can't get iTunes to accept the album into the music library.

And Ted, thank you for your post about the recording.

http://www.channld.com/support-troubleshooting.html

Scroll about halfway down, to FLAC file playback (or look in the user manual). PM uses proxy files to store and flac, and there is an "add flac" button to start that process. You then simply load your flac files and PM makes small fake itunes files (proxies) that then point to your FLAC files. It's the same way PM does DSD files, since niether DSD nor FLAC can be plyed in iTunes. the proxy method makes it so you can browse iTunes (via remote apps, etc) and find the songs, but the actual FLAC files sits somewhere else.

PeteG · « **Reply #16 on:** 5 Jul 2012, 01:03 am »

Downloading CAWM and two more (not Norah) for tonight.

mgalusha · « **Reply #17 on:** 5 Jul 2012, 03:20 am »

I too found the sound of the 24/192 version to be a nice improvement over the redbook CD.

Davey · « **Reply #18 on:** 5 Jul 2012, 04:27 pm »

I always find it interesting to load two versions of the same thing into Audacity or Goldwave and take a visual look at the differences.

Here you go. (The redbook version ripped directly from the CD and the 24/192 FLAC.)

Dave.

Marius · « **Reply #19 on:** 14 Aug 2012, 09:37 am »

HI,

Ted, thanks for this. Have been twisting my mind over these releases for a while. Really love her music but was always thrown back because of the QoS on the cd's.

You have not exaggerated for one bit. Glorious sound in 24/192! Highly recommended. Piano still a bit 'grainy' here and there..

Have not dl'd her latest (not available as 24/192), because the strange distortion that is heard on the cd in several tracks, is noticeable even in the HDtracks interface. Must be intended by the artists ...

Marius

Quote from: ted_b on 9 Jun 2012, 03:30 am

For fans of Norah, or fans of great female vocal jazz/pop, run and buy this HDtracks release......NOW! it is revelatory. It makes the redbook sound like a 192k MP3.....everything is better. Tonality is way better, air is huge, it is quieter, it is wayyy closer (I think) to the master tape sound. i can't imagine it was NOT supposed to sound this way. Few Hdtracks remasters touch this improvement IMHO. Piano doesn't clip, Norah's voice is perfect and can be played as loud as one likes to hear natural vocals (same can't be said for every track of the redbook). And keep in mind that the redbook is a WONDERFUL album, just nothing like this.

I'm buying Feels Like Home too. Many folks didn;t like that album much, but I have an affinity to it. I can't wait to hear if it takes off like Come Away With Me does, and at lower gain even.