HDtracks

[sirianni]

Hi I downloaded the free sample from the site to try, is anyone using this service? How does it compare to other download sites? I have not had a change to listen to the sample yet but thought I would get some info from the Karma crew.

Thanks

 

[dtb300]

Like all formats depends on the mastering used. There have been hit and miss titles on HDTracks. Computer Audiophile has a forum just for Music Downloads and how good or not they are.

 

[Unican_Eric]

I downloaded the sampler as well. I kept only 6 songs and trashed the rest. The deleted ones were just not to my liking and nothing to do with the quality of the sound.

I have not purchased any of the tracks available as of yet, most are not to my liking and the ones that I found I liked I already have the Flac files I ripped from CD myself. Would there be a big difference if I downloaded days Of Future Passed by the Moody Blues against my Flac rip from the CD? I really don't want to spend 20 bucks to find out.

In saying this, I would take a chance if they had something that I wanted that I didn't have. The samplers did sound good, but not having the source material to compare to I cant tell if its worth the price with these ears.

One thing I did notice though, be prepared to buy the full album as single tracks are few and far between.

 

[Yamaki]

I've purchased quite a few individual tracks and whole albums at HDTracks and my advice is to make sure you (1) get the highest resolution files available, (2) insure you have selected the format you want, and, (3) don't download the HDTracks Downloader more than once. Just park the first on in your Start menu or as a shortcut on your toolbar.

I find it difficult, sometimes, to find specific artists there as the search feature sucks but eventually you can find a lot of what you are looking for.

Also, for a change of pace, check out Linn Records for downloads. Different styles of music, mostly European artists but there is some very interesting stuff there.

 

[John James]

I have downloaded a few albums from them. The customer service is very user friendly.

 

[for_p1]

They were caught seversl times selling UPSAMPLED material rather than reall high resolution records. So do research before you buy.

 

[SPEC2man]

I have probably 15-20 full albums downloaded. They have sales fairly frequently (10% off-15% off) which is nice but even then, it hurts when you press "buy it now". As for sound quality, on the main system I have noticed improvement over standard CD rips. My Levinson DAC is old, but will decode 24/96 and they come through clear as a bell. No messing around with software. I have ripped several thousand CD's to FLAC and done a few A/B comparisons. My ears are not what they used to be and my system is nothing spectacular by today's standards but overall I feel it was worth the cash. That being said, my last 15% off code I used within a few hours of expiration and I never received the discount, even after two or three emails I never did get a response. I got kinda jacked about it - I have spent a few hundred on HDTracks, I would have thought they would have at least contacted me. I'll say this, I wont go out of my way to do business with them.

I see some ripple about DSD downloads and a small yet significant push to go in that direction. There is a lady in California recording in DSD and charging $5 a track. That's too rich for my blood but I read a couple of audiophile reviews of the tracks and the 128xDSD tracks beat even the HD PCM tracks hands down. Sales gimmick? Maybe ... I do see a some DAC manufacturers supporting DSD (Oppo, Benchmark, MyTek). The downloads are bigger but with a broadband connection and a tall glass of beer, it's not much of a concern. I did read that getting software to play native DSD tracks can be a major PITA for both Apple and PC.

Here is the link I was reading ... It started when I was looking for info on the new Modwright DAC, then I was looking at the modded Oppo which now supports DSDx128 (Darbee edition) which now supports direct streaming of DSDx128 files, no need for a PC or Mac. I'd never heard of DSDx128 so I started poking around a bit. Cookie Marenco is the lady's name who is recording in DSD - it's quietly gaining ground. I didnt make it to RMAF this year but I guess there were demos.

http://www.audiostream.com/content/dsd-ready-dacs-short-list

http://www.stereophile.com/content/news-flash-oppo-now-plays-dsd-files

http://www.modwright.com/blog/post.php?s=2014-01-15-oppo-bdp-105-darbe-edition-and-dsd



Anyone care to comment? I'm not an expert when you get deep in the DSD vs PCM technologies but there seems to be an interest in at least trapping music using DSD and some of what I read stated it was as close to analog tape as you could get. I see HDTracks has some DSD material but it looks like it's just SACD converted to HD PCM.

Sorry, I don't mean to go off-topic but I wanted to point out there might be other emerging alternatives to HDTracks and possibly even their technology.

 

[TerryO]

They were caught seversl times selling UPSAMPLED material rather than reall high resolution records. So do research before you buy.

Hi P1,

That's interesting. I happen to be well acquainted (for many years) with the fellow that processes the files for HDTracks. He has caught many upsampled recordings that have been sent to him. BTW, he sends them back and will not use them. I'll contact him and ask about the situation and the claim that you've made. Are there any particular ones (titles) that you specifically remember?

Thanks in Advance,
TerryO

 

[rbbert]

I probably have more than 100 hires downloads from HDtracks, and quite a few from Linn and Channel Classics as well. Those last two can be depended on to offer the best sounding versions of the albums they sell. HDtracks is more dependent on what the labels send them, and although they have gotten very good at rejecting the upsampled albums over the past 2-3 years, there might still be some stuff from earlier than that that isn't the full resolution advertised.

Many of their offerings are the best sounding versions around, sometimes even better than LP according to LP fans. Van Morison's Moondance and Astral Weeks, for example. Some of their Yes albums are revelatory.

 

[rbbert]

Hi P1,

That's interesting. I happen to be well acquainted (for many years) with the fellow that processes the files for HDTracks. He has caught many upsampled recordings that have been sent to him. BTW, he sends them back and will not use them. I'll contact him and ask about the situation and the claim that you've made. Are there any particular ones (titles) that you specifically remember?

Thanks in Advance,
TerryO

I think Bruce is only working on SACD > PCM conversions for HDtracks; that's a pretty small part of what HDtracks offers now, and even in the past wasn't a majority of their stuff.

 

[ToniCH]

Hi P1,

That's interesting. I happen to be well acquainted (for many years) with the fellow that processes the files for HDTracks. He has caught many upsampled recordings that have been sent to him. BTW, he sends them back and will not use them. I'll contact him and ask about the situation and the claim that you've made. Are there any particular ones (titles) that you specifically remember?

Thanks in Advance,
TerryO

http://www.google.com/#q=hdtracks upsampled&safe=off

 

[mnilan]

Careful, IMHO HDTracks is simply a distributor

They were caught seversl times selling UPSAMPLED material rather than reall high resolution records. So do research before you buy.

I believe that the quality of the material is completely controlled by the company who owns it. Issues with the quality are generally due to the recording studios not keeping good notes on the source of the material or being incorrect in their specifications. There may be some deliberate greed-based deception on the part of the recording studios but how are we going to prove it?

In any case, the worst that HDTracks can be accused of is not verifying the claims of the recording studios. I sincerely do not believe that they have any larceny in their hearts. Their customer service is excellent and they are doing what they can to further the availability of Hi Res music.

Mike

 

[for_p1]

I believe that the quality of the material is completely controlled by the company who owns it. Issues with the quality are generally due to the recording studios not keeping good notes on the source of the material or being incorrect in their specifications. There may be some deliberate greed-based deception on the part of the recording studios but how are we going to prove it?

In any case, the worst that HDTracks can be accused of is not verifying the claims of the recording studios. I sincerely do not believe that they have any larceny in their hearts. Their customer service is excellent and they are doing what they can to further the availability of Hi Res music.

Mike

I suspect this is really the case. This is why I try to buy records from companiew who actually make records like AIX, 2L etc. Selection of material is limited ther though. What seems to happen is that many well known records from late 1980 to early 2000s were not high-res even at studio masters level. Most you can expect is 24/44.1 and in many cases even 16/44.1. Now owners of these records want to make a buck selling them again as "hi-res". And find nothing better than just run them through upsampler.

 

[6v6coalbed]

I got the sampler and a few albums from HDtracks, and I believe it was worth it. I wouldn't repurchase my entire library (FLAC from CD), but I have not been disappointed with what I have bought (Yes: Fragile, Chicago II, LA Woman).

 

[withmusic]

Tried them a long time ago and didn't sound any different from low-rate MP3s if not a bit more fatiguing. However, that was years ago and I don't have an outboard dac that can really handle it, so it was not really a fair listen directly via PC.