[pphalen]

Hi,

To listen to music I've ripped to my server, I generally use iTunes ALAC -> M-Audio Audiophile USB -> Benchmark DAC1 and on from there.

I have all of Donald Fagen's solo music on 16-bit CD (which I've ripped ALAC). Now I see on donaldfagen.com that there is available a boxed set of all three of his solo albums.

http://donaldfagen.shop.musictoday.com/Product.aspx?cp=1134_11283&pc=6DAM03DVDSET

The description reads as follows: "Each title is on its own MVI disc featuring the entire original album along with DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital and Advanced Resolution PCM Stereo mixes ..."

I have a Sony S7700 CD/DVD transport (with DTS and Dolby). Would I hear a difference between that and my CD-ripped music (S7700 -> Benchmark DAC1)? And would I then also be able to rip any of these mixes listed above to my server, and if so how?

Thanks!

[JRace]

Looks like it could be ripped just like a DVD.

Many programs available to do that, no comment on potential sq improvement as there are too many unknowns.

[pphalen]

Thanks. I guess I'm unfamiliar with the term "Advanced Resolution PCM Stereo" as it might apply to audio recordings. I don't believe it is possible to capture straight PCM to CD or DVD, due to it's high bit rate. Perhaps they mean "recorded at a higher sample rate and with a higher word length than ordinary CDs"? (48KHz/24bit)? Anyone have an idea about that terminology?

[pphalen]

  reading further on Fagan's web site, I see that they do spell out "Advanced Resolution PCM Stereo (48kHz/24-bit)."

OK, so, can iTunes produce a superior Apple Lossless file from a DVD inserted into a SuperDrive in this PCM Stereo format? Naturally, I hesitate to spend $55 for this recording unless it will rip/sound better than what I already have.

[nathanm]

What a disappointment!  I thought for sure the first words of the first post were going to be

…a new one!

Following by a scathing review of his latest work.  Hmph.

[TONEPUB]

I bought this box, thinking they were DVD-a.
The sound quality isn't any better than the standard CD's out there...

Nice to have em all in one spot, but no big deal.

The LP's all sound WAY better than the digital mix.

[pphalen]

Thanks, Jeff! (Nice magazine BTW)

I went ahead and ordered it, since I only have "The Nightfly" in vinyl.

It's weird, because now I see in the fine print that the boxed set version of "The Nightfly" was recorded at 48KHz/24bit and the other two were recorded 96/24. Seems like that should surely produce more detail in the highs, more air, better imaging/sound stage or *something* perceptible, eh? I'm one of those that believes standard red book recording short changes us at the margins of the spectrum on masters that haven't been over-compressed.

I have a  very neutral system. Morrison Audio ELAD preamp. ATI 3002 power amp. Spendor S8e speakers. I look forward to A/Bing the two inputs.

Most likely, I'll also purchase the vinyl of Morph the Cat too. I still get more of a "holographic" sound from the Aja vinyl than from any of the CDs.

[ted_b]

I have all three of the trilogy on both cd and on DVD-Audio.  These were bought, not as a boxset, but as they were released over the past 10 yrs.  All three DVD-Audio stereo mixes are better than their original redbook counterparts, but the real value is of course in the 5.1 MLP surround mixes.  They are legendary surround discs; ask anyone who is into DVD-Audio.  One or more of them have won grammys and other surround awards.  They are excelllent examples of how to do discrete 5.1 surround without it being too ethereal/ambient and too ping-pong effect-like.

So...what's weird about this new boxset thread is that they didn't just rebox the awesome DVD-Audio discs but instead produced something less??  DTS?  Dolby digital?  Really?   I find it hard to believe that the 24/48 and 24/96 uncompressed pcm tracks aren't better than their redbook counterparts....mine are...but then again i'm comparing them to the older original cd releases too.  maybe the real value in the boxset is a better redbook version.  Dunno.

[pphalen]

Thanks, ted_b. Interesting additional data.

(Apologies to The Discless Circle. This thread has veered somewhat off-topic.)

Does anyone know if programs like Exact Audio Copy or iTunes Lossless (other?) are able to transparently capture the additional information in a 24/96 recording versus a 16/44.1? I'm new to enhanced digital versions.

[ted_b]

For dvd's, and as long as it's in the DVD-Video folder and not a compressed MLP hirez format (meaning the unrippable DVD-Audio folder) then a program like DVD Audio Extractor works great.   I have lots of 24/96 pcm stuff that I ripped to my hard drive and play on music streamers like the Logitech (in my case tube modded Modwright) Transporter.  Most of them came from HDAD's like Canonball Adderley's Somethin' Else, Muddy Water's Folk Singer, Pete Townshend's Who Came First, etc.....along with Neil Young's pcm tracks from Greatest Hits, Live at Massey Hall, etc.