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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2014 22:58:33 GMT -5
Looks great. I'd be interested in your impressions of the interface/screen and it's viewability/ease/scrolling of use etc. Love the Pass stuff!
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novisnick
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Post by novisnick on Feb 7, 2014 23:14:57 GMT -5
i picked this up about a week ago to help break in my new Oppo 105 which i use exclusively via the dedicated 2 channel RCA analog output to my UPA-200 amp. if you love Big Band type music from the Bossa Nova era, with that sweet Latin flavor, then this is the disc for you. first and foremost, it has big sound, hugh soundstage. incredibly open and clear stereo seperation with a smoothly blended phantom center! for you Austin Powers fans, the first track on this blu-ray audio disc is from the opening sequence of the very first Austin Powers movie with Quincy Jones himself appearing in that movie. every string pluck, every drum and congo pound, every cymbol shimmy & every horn or woodwind instrument is very clean and flows together nicely. Mr. Jones really outdid himself with this one. it will be hard to not stop those toes from tapping and don't be surprised if you find yourself up on the floor doing a little cha-cha with your partner or by yourself! it's full of energy and life, well mixed and mastered. it's 2 channel only and offers several lossless flavors including 96/24 PCM. i've listened to this already at least half a dozen times and i expect at somepoint i'll wear the information off of the disc long, before i ever tire of hearing it. this might be the best thing i've heard of it's type. i higly recommend it. time to diversify, yeah, while it is your "fathers Bossa Nova", you'll get to understand why daddy loved it so; thanks pop! Nice, I've been thinking of getting this one,,,now I know I will. Thanks! Nick
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harri009
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Post by harri009 on Feb 7, 2014 23:54:05 GMT -5
Looks great. I'd be interested in your impressions of the interface/screen and it's viewability/ease/scrolling of use etc. Love the Pass stuff! I like the interface pretty well. I sit probably 13ft or so from the rack and while the screen is very crisp and colorful I can just make out the title, the album art is pretty easy to see from this distance though. I have yet to use the remote included, instead using the iOS app. The ipad app is really nice, the iphone one while similar is not quite as fun to use as the iPads. The functionality of the controls on the faceplate are very nice with all the knobs and buttons giving a very satisfying with heavy clicks when pressed or tunred. I have not uploaded my large music library to it just yet but that will be a big test for ease of use and functionality. Right now with a small selection it's very intuitive and functional.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2014 0:11:02 GMT -5
Thanks for that. I'm looking at the possibility of getting one but aside from build quality and ease of delivering /transferring music I 'm looking to solve the interface issue. I currently use a dedicated laptop direct or sit in my chair and use my HTC phone running the Splashtop app to link to the laptop via wi-fi. www.splashtop.com/ . Works very well so far - just a bit fiddly re HTC small screen size. I don't have a tablet yet but with the success of Splashtop which is VERY functional I may well get an ipad mini just for this job. If that works just as well then I can buy a HAP Z1es later on when I have the $ and use the featured app as you do. All very promising, please keep us posted.
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harri009
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Post by harri009 on Feb 8, 2014 0:19:21 GMT -5
Thanks for that. I'm looking at the possibility of getting one but aside from build quality and ease of delivering /transferring music I 'm looking to solve the interface issue. I currently use a dedicated laptop direct or sit in my chair and use my HTC phone running the Splashtop app to link to the laptop via wi-fi. www.splashtop.com/ . Works very well so far - just a bit fiddly re HTC small screen size. I don't have a tablet yet but with the success of Splashtop which is VERY functional I may well get an ipad mini just for this job. If that works just as well then I can buy a HAP Z1es later on when I have the $ and use the featured app as you do. All very promising, please keep us posted. For me this was what I had been waiting on. A device that did all the processing, storage, and handled every format with an nice app or remote. No computer having to be left open
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2014 2:25:42 GMT -5
FYI... Dr Aix's (Mark Weldrup at: www.realhd-audio.com/ or aixrecords.com/index.html latest email post - re what is a Studio Master and the continuing issues around what is Hi Rez and are we getting ripped off or do we even care?.... (Note: for me the issue is actually being able to buy a redbook CD version of ANY of the stuff I like these days. I'm investigating 'Hi-Res' and evaluating what I can, not to actually get any supposedly 'extra' fidelity out of a recording but just to avoid having only mp3 as retail choice. Where I live there are now no (as in zero) 'good' record/CD stores left. Big chains concentrate on mass market hits and have little else and little interest in ordering somethin they haven't seen at the Grammys or heard on FM. I order CDs from the US or Europe when I can afford them (exchange rate plus shipping) but mostly now I'm buying flacs of new release 'experimental' and such from sites like Warp, Boomkat or Bleep and Beatport.. This supposedly gives me downloadable files directly transferred from CD level releases - fine for this type of music but if I want archive jazz or classical I'm being headed off at the pass - hard to do. So, HD downloads promised much and even if they aren't real 96/192 files and simply re-rips from 44kb masters, it's still at least letting me access that level of quality that I can't elsewhere from my location. Alas, I now find that due to geo restrictions (something you in Nth America don't have much of an issue with) I cannot effectively use HD Tracks and a few others anymore. I used to use a VPN to bypass the restrictions or even Tor but as of this month they to are now blocked (temp setback - I shall find a way to circumvent this). Anyway, I'm rambling on, but the thing is, regardless of source or whatever, for many of us there are huge issues now with just about every aspect of getting music at a quality level and reasonable price) Dr Aix's post: What is a reference standard music experience and where can you experience one? Is it sitting in the sweet spot at a professional studio during the playback of a newly mixed Led Zeppelin or Foo Fighters album? Or do you have to wait until the same flat master is manipulated by a talented mastering engineer in a reference two-channel playback environment? Alternately, you might get the best playback in your own highly tweaked system with Wilson speakers, VTL monoblock amplifiers from a Clear Audio turntable? It might also be that the best playback you've ever heard was delivered from an automobile system.
As a person that has spent my entire professional career in audio studios (both recording and mastering), I'd have to say that the engineers, artists and producers are making their aesthetic judgments in profession studios NOT the high-end consumer spaces that we have at home. It is true that standard operating procedure in music production includes a reference disc or file being played at home or in a car to make sure that everything that's been done to the sound will translate to the consumer environment. I can remember walking out to the parking lot with a cassette or CD-R of a particular mix to verify the sound of a work in progress.
But the music that we consume is deemed complete when the mastering is finished and approved by everyone involved with the project. The artists, the producer and the record company have to all agree that the album is ready for the target market...the commercial music marketplace. It has to be able to play on the radio, in your car, through ear buds and headphones as well as at home. Can you imagine how difficult it is to craft a single master recording that will work equally well in all those environments? It's very difficult and demands that sonic compromises be made. The master is NOT optimized for audiophile systems and golden ear listeners. We’re not getting all that we hope for.
As I discussed previously, there have always been multiple masters of the same record. And when people say they want the "Studio Master" they really don't know what that means. It assumes that there is a single ultimate quality analog tape or digital file that is the definitive statement of fidelity for an album or track. The music production world just doesn't work that way. But what if we could shift the model now that radio and compact discs are diminishing in importance? Maybe the high resolution digital download business can become the conduit for what we want?
It was a reader that suggested I tailor the refurbished iTrax.com site to be the "Reference" standard for delivering the highest quality digital music downloads available. Rather than simply be another site that offers the same digital transfers as other high-definition download sites, iTrax should continue to be a boutique shop that handles each project personally and without compromise. We've already seen that Qobuz and other sites don't really care about the quality of their downloads as long as you buy them believing that they are "Studio Masters" and high-resolution.
So here's my plan. I will reach out to the major labels and request that they license a few very highly regarded albums to iTrax. I won't allow them to supply the digital master but will require the flat mixed master. I will do the transfers to 192/24-bit AND prepare the tracks a couple of different ways. As an experienced mastering engineer, I will master the new transfers in my room to my own taste (which tends to avoid heavy processing and timbral modification) AND offer the flat mixed masters on the site. Customers can choose which version they prefer.
I believe in giving people that care about audio quality the choice as to which sound they want. Chances are you haven't ever heard the unmastered Sgt Peppers record. I have...and it's amazing! Now I have to see if what I'm proposing is possible.
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Post by garbulky on Feb 8, 2014 3:57:04 GMT -5
www.amazon.com/Schumann-Symphony-Concerto-featuring-Argerich/dp/B0031O7V0EI listened to this. The video quuality was excellent. The sound quality too was quite good. I've heard CD's with that good quality though. It has a large soundstage almost like you are looking down into an amphiteater from above or a balcony. It only makes sense on a massive screen like the one at B'zilla's. On a smaller 30 inch screen there was a disconnect. But when seen on a lifesize screen the audio makes a lot more sense and feels well recorded.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2014 12:04:17 GMT -5
I was thinking about making my first high res (higher than std CD) audio purchase. I was thinking about starting with the Rush collections released last year. The only thing that gripes me is that HD tracks want about double the price of the equivalent CD box set version I could buy on Amazon. Yes I know is 96/24 vs. 44.1/16 but shouldn't a digital download be less expensive than the physical CD?
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novisnick
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Post by novisnick on Feb 8, 2014 12:48:50 GMT -5
I was thinking about making my first high res (higher than std CD) audio purchase. I was thinking about starting with the Rush collections released last year. The only thing that gripes me is that HD tracks want about double the price of the equivalent CD box set version I could buy on Amazon. Yes I know is 96/24 vs. 44.1/16 but shouldn't a digital download be less expensive than the physical CD? And that's why I'll purchase Vinyl LP s instead all day long,,,,,even though a audiophile 200 gram vinyl is about that but I'll have physical ownership and a better sounding product! IMHO Nick : )
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geebo
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Post by geebo on Feb 8, 2014 13:17:51 GMT -5
Just downloaded the Diana Krall DSD version of The Girl in the Other Room from Super HiRez. Played back on an Oppo 103 decoding the DSF files direct to analog with no intermediate PCM conversion and it sounds very, very good.
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Post by roadster on Feb 8, 2014 17:36:25 GMT -5
I just received Led Zeppelin's Celebration Day DVD-Audio only concert disc and wow...what a major disappointment! For a DTS-HD pressing, this disc sound sucks big time. Barely any sound stage at all. Surround? What surround? Waiting to hear if the amazon seller will take it back, or I'll simply let my neighbor's dog have a run at it.
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novisnick
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Post by novisnick on Feb 8, 2014 17:54:30 GMT -5
I just received Led Zeppelin's Celebration Day DVD-Audio only concert disc and wow...what a major disappointment! For a DTS-HD pressing, this disc sound sucks big time. Barely any sound stage at all. Surround? What surround? Waiting to hear if the amazon seller will take it back, or I'll simply let my neighbor's dog have a run at it. The quality of,,,,,or lack there of,,,,,has been reported on this forum under the thread,,,," any Zep fans " sorry for your loss. Nick
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Post by roadster on Feb 8, 2014 21:47:56 GMT -5
Didn't catch that warning...
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Post by milsap195 on Feb 15, 2014 12:40:56 GMT -5
Found a used George Harrison live in Tokyo Sacd yesterday. The reviews are mixed on this. I thought that the vocals were a little weak, but then again Harrison was never a vocal virtuoso. Clapton and the band were very good with nice width and depth. This was a good step up from the red book that I heard. Not a bad pick up for $8.
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Post by drtrey3 on Feb 15, 2014 13:01:29 GMT -5
$8? Very nice! I paid more for that for my copy, and I have lost on of the discs!
In terms of recent high res downloads, I am enjoying Wise Up Ghost by Elvis Costello. He is playing with The Roots, a different band for him, and he seems to be jazzed by the switch. The dynamic range is nothing spectacular, this is a compressed pop recording. But his voice is clear and there is just a bit more space and detail then I would expect from a cd. The songs are good, the music is varied and interesting, and the sound a bit above par.
So I am glad a bought it for the product and for supporting the artist and format too.
Trey
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Post by Davecski65 on Feb 15, 2014 13:52:46 GMT -5
WOW!! I am amazed after reading a lot here,I have been hoodwinked by HD tracks,saying there stuff is hirez,I just started into this land of Audiophile music thinking this is the best sound I can get,Even got JRiver and a DC-1 so that I knew it was going to sound great,Only to see this thread and wonder,Did I just spend all this money and really not getting better sounding music then if I bought it on CD? Hmmm makes me wonder,was even going to try some of those Blu-ray audio discs,,seems like the $30 for them is a waste of time and money.
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harri009
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Post by harri009 on Feb 15, 2014 14:08:32 GMT -5
WOW!! I am amazed after reading a lot here,I have been hoodwinked by HD tracks,saying there stuff is hirez,I just started into this land of Audiophile music thinking this is the best sound I can get,Even got JRiver and a DC-1 so that I knew it was going to sound great,Only to see this thread and wonder,Did I just spend all this money and really not getting better sounding music then if I bought it on CD? Hmmm makes me wonder,was even going to try some of those Blu-ray audio discs,,seems like the $30 for them is a waste of time and money. Hi Dave, HDtracks.com has received a lot of bad press in the last year or so for 24bit files that were taken from 16bit source material. While I don't know exactly how to tell what is from the actual master and what has need up converted they received enough flac about it that I think they are doing their best to make sure they are the full 24/192 masters now. You can check out some other download sites like blue coast collections etc and they will demonstrait what is possible. The one thing you must remember about modern vinyl etc is that most modern music is recorded and mastered via PCM so you might as well buy the 24 bit files which are the actual masters rather than buying a vinyl copy of a 24bit file. Good luck with your research.
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Post by Davecski65 on Feb 15, 2014 14:12:54 GMT -5
Thank You harri009 ,will check out that site and start being more diligate when buyin files now.
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Post by yves on Feb 15, 2014 14:25:14 GMT -5
they received enough flac about it
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Post by milsap195 on Feb 15, 2014 15:08:58 GMT -5
WOW!! I am amazed after reading a lot here,I have been hoodwinked by HD tracks,saying there stuff is hirez,I just started into this land of Audiophile music thinking this is the best sound I can get,Even got JRiver and a DC-1 so that I knew it was going to sound great,Only to see this thread and wonder,Did I just spend all this money and really not getting better sounding music then if I bought it on CD? Hmmm makes me wonder,was even going to try some of those Blu-ray audio discs,,seems like the $30 for them is a waste of time and money. I have purchased 4 blu ray audio discs and all of them have been excellent!
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