Buying Hi-Res Digital Music

[ernstinen]

Hey All,

I just had a thought: I bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 cellphone specifically because it supports high-resolution audio files. My source online store has been HDTracks. The albums that I've purchased are at 96kHz/24bit. They sound great --- But maybe I've been fooling myself!

If the files I purchased were NOT remixed/remastered, couldn't HDTracks just take a CD of the music, convert it to 96/24, and sell it for a lot more than a CD!? If so, wouldn't the expensive music files still sound exactly like the source it came from, i.e. a CD!? Hmmmm....

Any ideas on this would be appreciated (except "Ern, you're a dumb ass!" LOL!).

Ern

[Len911]

We're looking to ensure all files sold on the site are true to the format they are listed as on the site. All 24bit is tested to have true 24 ACTIVE bits so 16 bit upsamples can be identified. We also test to make sure the freq extends to 1/2 the sampling frequency nyquist in order to identify they are not coming from lower resolution recordings (96khz will extend to 48khz nyquist).

For example, 96/24 albums are recorded, mixed, mastered all in 96/24 or above. Whenever any of these stages is lower than the encoded format we include descriptions on the album page to preserve the mastered quality as intended.

We also include any of the hi-res transfer, remixing, remastering information and source material used (original multi-tracks, eq'd master or copy) that can be obtained for 're-issue' titles.

https://www.hdtracks.com/about-us


I believe the dac on the Galaxy is a Wolfson?? I would think that the chip wouldn't be as important as the amp though, or the impedance matching of the headphone or speakers, and the quality of the amp, headphone and/or speakers?? I haven't focused my attention to the d/a as much as the a/d.

[waveheavy]

Ask yourself, what's the chances all those major record labels and artists are going to lease their 'studio masters' to another record company (like Chesky Records)?

You could pick a few record labels of music they are selling and call them to check if the original record labels have a contract with these guys to sell their master recordings. That's the only way you'd know if they were legit, they'd have to be getting the original studio masters of the music to create their high quality downloads. If they are not legit, and are simply copying the music right off of CD's, then they won't last long when the record companies learn about it, so I guarantee they'll be very interested.

[cosmicdolphin]

They could be taken from SACD masters

[Len911]

Ask yourself, what's the chances all those major record labels and artists are going to lease their 'studio masters' to another record company (like Chesky Records)?

You could pick a few record labels of music they are selling and call them to check if the original record labels have a contract with these guys to sell their master recordings. That's the only way you'd know if they were legit, they'd have to be getting the original studio masters of the music to create their high quality downloads. If they are not legit, and are simply copying the music right off of CD's, then they won't last long when the record companies learn about it, so I guarantee they'll be very interested.

You could do like they do, quote above, and check the bit rate yourself and easily determine if it was only 16 bit. If more than 16 bits, definitely not off a cd.
You could also read the info they have, also quoted from above, "We also include any of the hi-res transfer, remixing, remastering information and source material used (original multi-tracks, eq'd master or copy) that can be obtained for 're-issue' titles."
My guess is that most are probably "hi-res transfer" from the original mastered tape.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyle ... story.html

[waveheavy]

So you're saying there's no way to produce more bits by creating a higher resolution copy if the original was only 16 bit?

You could do like they do, quote above, and check the bit rate yourself and easily determine if it was only 16 bit. If more than 16 bits, definitely not off a cd.
You could also read the info they have, also quoted from above, "We also include any of the hi-res transfer, remixing, remastering information and source material used (original multi-tracks, eq'd master or copy) that can be obtained for 're-issue' titles."
My guess is that most are probably "hi-res transfer" from the original mastered tape.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyle ... story.html

[Len911]

Yes. I don't remember specifically which programs, probably Wavelab, Audacity, or a daw can tell you what bit your recording is.
I've only used it maybe once. For example, if you import a 16 bit recording into a daw set to 32bit float, it's 16 bit until maybe you add some processing, which may end up with a higher bit, and then at the end you dither your final mix to say 16 bit for cd. You can also take a 16 bit recording and change it to lo-fi or 8 bit, it sounds different.

Sound is 2 things, amplitude and frequency. It's usually represented on an x-y graph, amplitude the vertical, frequency the horizontal. Bit depth is the amplitude axis, and sampling frequency is the y axis or frequency. I know it's hard to believe, but it's true! The bit depth, measured in db's, an amplitude measurement, determines where your dot can be drawn, or the resolution. A higher resolution or bit rate allows you to draw more dots on the vertical (amplitude) axis, with more precision. The sampling frequency allows more dots to be drawn on the horizontal y axis, the higher the frequency, the more dots you can draw.
It doesn't matter if you are talking a/d converters or synthesizers, or anything to do with sound. Analog Devices used to have a video explaining it, I couldn't find it, but basically the a/d converters convert the analog sound wave into voltage points, they divide 5v, and plot points on the amplitude axis, with the resolution being the number of bits of the chip, and how often by the sampling frequency.

The daw and effects processors all basically are just drawing in the dots on the amplitude/frequency graph. They just use gui's and algorithms to do the binary calculations for you and format it into a wav, aiff, or whatever file. Who wants to draw in 44,100 dots for a second of audio in 44.1k sampling frequency?

[mojobone]

Hey All,

I just had a thought: I bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 cellphone specifically because it supports high-resolution audio files. My source online store has been HDTracks. The albums that I've purchased are at 96kHz/24bit. They sound great --- But maybe I've been fooling myself!

If the files I purchased were NOT remixed/remastered, couldn't HDTracks just take a CD of the music, convert it to 96/24, and sell it for a lot more than a CD!? If so, wouldn't the expensive music files still sound exactly like the source it came from, i.e. a CD!? Hmmmm....

Any ideas on this would be appreciated (except "Ern, you're a dumb ass!" LOL!).

Ern

This puts me in mind of those disclaimers you used to see on CDs that had an analog source.

[ernstinen]

"We also include any of the hi-res transfer, remixing, remastering information and source material used (original multi-tracks, eq'd master or copy) that can be obtained for 're-issue' titles."

HDTracks may give you that information BEFORE your purchase, but all you get WITH the purchase is a picture of the album cover and the music files... I've looked at their technical information that they "include," and it's varied (at best). I certainly don't remember reading anything about the "source material," which is my main point. Maybe it's there, and I just missed it.

Ern

[Len911]

I'm not defending them, but it sounds like they try to verify what their sources provide them to actually be hi res files, and take the sources at their word or what info they give them as to the unverifiable methods. It's like if Warner Bros. provided you with a hi-res
album at your request, you can verify if it is actually hi-res, but you have to take their word for it how they made it, from a remix, a transfer from the master tape...

What would raise my suspicions is if they could sell you hi-res files of any recording ever made.