HI-RES Audio Roundup:

Some random thoughts on the state of hi-res downloads and some titles I have picked up recently:

First, there is certainly a pickup of new releases appearing as hi-res downloads. In the Popular category, a lot are at 24/44 - showing that hi-res was not really a consideration in recording, as virtually all recording now is at 24bits, but often higher sampling is not even a consideration as the album is targeted at CD (and maybe vinyl). Quality rarely enters the equation in the music business.

And, unfortunately, all too often the mastering, even at 24bits, it the same as the CD mastering - brickwalled.

So unfortunately I tend to avoid new releases in hi-res, until the labels understand that it is entirely reasonable to provide a hi-res file that hasn't been squashed to within an inch of its life. The vinyl isn't brickwalled - so the uncompressed master exists.

Second, I still see tons of shots taken at HD Tracks about "provenance" and such other rubbish, and the usual paranoia about compression and so on. For the most part, these people haven't a clue.

Of course, HD Tracks usually have no idea of 'provenance' and those jumping up and down about this are either manic depressives or obsessive compulsive. Since the dawn of the record era, 'provenance' has been a complete non-issue. When people bought records, and then CDs, there was never any information or concern about who 'mastered' it, what the exact tape source was, whether it was a first generation stamper or not, or anything else. It sounded good or it did not, and particularly in the case of CD, such provenance was by far no indication of any sonic qualities. But regardless, no one in their right mind ever went to a record store and gave a seconds thought to whether it was mastered by some 'name' technician, whether any hint of dynamic compression was applied, or anything else. Hell, whole continents had vibrant record industries that never, ever received a master tape, and produced glorious sounding records. All that mattered was the music, and whether it sounded good or not.

Now the internet age comes along, and it enables those wankers who sat in their rooms obsessing over whether they had a first pressing or not, or scour the internet for any information that might validate or invalidate their compulsion (and listen according to what such dubious information tells them), and can connect in a forum with others similarly afflicted.

HD Tracks has no such information. We didn't go into a store in the 90's and ask the counter staff for who mastered the CD or what the tape source was. We bought it, and enjoyed it (or if it sounded ugly, we took it to the local used store and sucked it up). Why does anyone think HD Tracks should be any different?

And further, HD Tracks does get stuff that is way too compressed. That is unfortunate, and wrong. The much smaller HighResAudio out of Europe told me that they reject a full 30% of stuff the labels send them, as either too futzed with, too highly brickwalled, or where they suspect an upsample. Good for them. HD Tracks will offer that stuff for sale. I understand that, just as those record stores in bygone days had records that sounded fabulous and ones that sounded like crap. If they don't carry it, the customers interested in those titles will just buy it elsewhere, and that is revenue left on the table.

The Pearl Jam 24/96 are an example of hi-res files taken directly from the latest masters for CD, where the compression was added at the hi-res stage before being downconverted for CD. This is fairly typical, the likeliest is that the compressed 24/96 was what was sent to create the 24/44 glass CD master. But these were analog recordings and almost certainly a 24/96 straight transfer of those tapes was the first step by the mastering house. It is that file that should be made available by the label for hi-res download, not the compressed one.

On the other hand, The Clash remasters at 24/96 also have some compression added but not to the extreme of the Pearl Jam, and this clearly was a choice made artistically and it doesn't bother me a bit. Ditto the very excellent Rush 24/96 series. Fantastic.

On to some recent hi-res acquisitions:

1. Ella Fitzgerald - Sings The Cole Porter Songbook (24/96):

A  fantastic, classic recording. The hi-res transfer is robust and accurate. Crystal clear, with all the natural bloom and detail possible. Timbrally accurate. Ella's voice comes completely 'out of the box', immediate, alive, and the orchestra just rocks. Superb soundstaging. Everything is just right. A must-have.

So is the Ella - Ellington Songbook, which (at 24/192) might be an even better recording. Certainly, there is a very robust tonality here. The colours of the Ellington orchestra are superbly captured. And the music is timeless. A superb transfer. All the Ella transfers in hi-res are (except the Irving Berlin Songbook 24/192 which is a defective file yet to be replaced by Universal).

2. Paul Bley - Plays Blue, Live In Oslo (24/96):

A rare solo recording by Bley, actually a fairly rare late period recording. The first track is a very long improvisation that shows how Bley, advanced in years, has such a living history to draw on - and can bring it all together not as a history lesson, but as a statement of where he is today. The other tracks, also improvisations, are more self-contained and no less profound. Bley's playing is beyond technique and his conceptions are immediate and alive with intellect. ECM's live sound is beyond reproach, as this label has got the sound of a live piano to perfection. Close, with all the extraneous sounds of the performance intact, this is an essential document and undoubtedly one of the top jazz recordings of the year.

3. Billy Hart Quartet - One Is The Other (24/88):

This is a great working band, yet their last record impressed but didn't grab me down deep. Cerebral, and a bit precious at times. This new one follows from that, but forges a more immediate emotional connection. This is still a very cerebral outfit, contemplative, but within that, it has more fire. More blues underpinning, more post-bop, more of a Herbie Nichols aura in spots, even a bit of Ornette evoked at times. And a whole lot more fire from Hart himself makes this a superior album, and the usual fine ECM recording - and superb in hi-res form - makes it another early highlight of the year for me.

4. Pat Metheny Unity Band - Kin (24/96):

The last Unity Band recording was a pretty straight up Quartet date with Chris Potter up front, and it was very impressive.

This new one, Kin, does not do as much for me. Metheny, as he has a tendancy to do, tries too hard to be eclectic instead of being direct, and too often this record fells like it doesn't know what it wants to be or what it wants to say, being all too often a mashup of disparate instrumentation, often used for effect rather than purpose. A pleasant enough record, but I prefer Metheny in a more simple setting.

Sounds very good in hi-res without a doubt.

5. Mogwai - Rave Tapes (24/96):

Here is one of those cases where there is certainly a fair amount of dynamic compression applied, probably much more than  'audiophiles' will tolerate, especially if they have read some crazy "DR Database" numbers beforehand.

It actually sounds really good, better than the vinyl in fact. It is a very good record, less dreamy and abstract than the previous "Les Revenants", which is a superb and essential record. It is a bit more electronic-y, and a bit more of the club than the cosmic landscapes Mogwai have often painted. The compression probably suits the music well, and this is a download that can be highly recommended.

6. Bryce Dessner - St.Carolyn By The Sea (24/96):

This is a fascinating recording on the DG label that points to a new frontier - a true synthesis of orchestral/classical form with 'rock' instrumentation. Bryce Dessner, guitarist in The National, composes a classical work, St. Carolyn By The Sea, for orchestra which, unlike earlier attempts to blend rock with a classical orchestra (Deep Purple's Concerto For Group and Orchestra, for example) is not some lame attempt to integrate a rock band into an orchestra work - which usually results in a rather weak piece of orchestral music with a rock section grafted on - but a classical symphonic work that has modern instruments, an electric guitar particularly, organically part of the orchestral fabric. This is not a crossover or hybrid - it is a through composed suite, and one that works perfectly. It is a very tonal, somewhat hallucinogenic piece of music, a hint of lineage to Bartok and Hindemith, very emotionally direct, and sounds fantastic. Originally a DXD recording (32 bit 384k sampling) - it would be VERY interesting to hear the original DXD file!  The coupling - a suite by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood - is much more British in charachter, and much more 'in tradition', and is also a wonderful piece of music that feels like film music of the Gunning/VW/Korngold variety. Works perfectly. Completely recommended, not just for the adventurous.

7. Sibelius Complete Symphonies - Storgards (24/96):

Well, there is a hell of a lot of fine competition on this turf. Perhaps not complete cycles in hi-res, but still, there are classic cycles from the past that are interpretively hard to surpass. Karajan, for example (incomplete, though). The Kamu/Watanabe cycle on SACD from Tokyo FM is simply mind bogglingly revelatory, and in a league of its own as an interpretation. Berglund, particularly his Bournemouth cycle. Barbirolli, on EMI (and a very nice 24/96 transfer recently). Tough competition.

The Storgards is sonically fantastic, a very fine Chandos recording. Good start. The interpretations are broad and compelling, at times searching for a different point of view, overall fairly broad and leaning more to Tchaikovsky than Kamu does. No great revelations here, but a very solid, well thought out and well played cycle that is completely enjoyable. As an interpretation I prefer it to the Vanska cycle ongoing on BIS. Vanska may be more urgent, but Storgards goes deeper.

Problem is - there is a Kamu cycle on the horizon from BIS, and Kamu is not only a hugely under-rated conductor, his Sibelius, as we can see from the older Tokyo FM recordings, is probably a game changer.

8. Cecil Taylor and Grachan Moncur - Blue Note (24/192):

I can't say enough good things about the hi-res Blue Note transfers. That two Cecil Taylor titles have arrived - Unit Structures and Conquistador - is cause for celebration. They are challenging and uncompromising for sure, and guaranteed to clear out any dinner party that has gone on too long. There is no question that these are masterpieces of early free jazz - radical free jazz. The music is what it is, either one immerses oneself in this world, or one is repelled by it. It deserves to be played loud. The transfers are impressive. Taylor is percussive, horns bite. The bass is solid, and the angularity of the music has not been blunted. Grachan Moncur's Evolution is to some less challenging and is not free jazz, but it is post-bop and avant-garde, and a classic of the genre. Hi-res really brings out the depth and width of the trombone tone, as well as Jackie McLean's tart tone.

Apparently The Ultimate Elvin Jones is on tap along with Don Cherry's Complete Communion. Bring them on.

Ornette's New York Is Now is out now. Absolutely killer date and sounds fantastic. Believe it or not, two of the 5 tunes on New York Is Now have become standards. Name another Ornette album that you can say that about! 

9. America - Complete Warners Recordings (24/192):

Here is a case where hi-res causes a complete critical re-evaluation and brings music I have consciously ignored for decades onto the radar. "A Horse With No Name" is still one of those annoying songs that got played so much back in the day that it just sort of got stuck in your head, and you couldn't get it out, and it drove you crazy until you got a chance to put on some ELP or Zeppelin to drive it out of your head. Still is. But despite that, these absolutely wonderful transfers, which have such a fantastic golden tonality, and show exactly what true hi-res done right is capable of. These are not only competitive with anything recorded today, they blow most of it away.

In particular, later albums like Holiday and Hideaway are really great albums!

This is where hi-res does a great service. I would never have sought out these records, but they are a truly welcome addition to my growing collection, even if I still never need to hear "Tin Man" again.

10. Miles Davis - Jack Johnson (24/96):

This one has appeared a couple of places - HD Tracks, Acoustic Sounds. I liked the 24/96 Bitches Brew, and the 24/192 Kind Of Blue knocked me out. This one is unimpressive. Compared to the Japanese DSD version ripped from SACD, it sound dimensionally flat and tonally bleached. The DSD sounds rich, vibrant, dangerous. It roars, stomps, slices, none of which strike me as being the case with this hi-res file. If MOFI get to Jack Johnson, hold out until then, otherwise, track down the Japanese DSD.

11. Love - Forever Changes (24/192):

This is what hi-res is all about. Just a sublime knockout. Dynamics, timbre, dimensionality. This has a reputation, probably undeserved, of being a mediocre recording. That reputation was passed around on certain internet forums, most likely for self serving motives. Don't believe it. This is a completely natural recording with loads of tone and harmonics. And it is a great, great record. This hi-res transfer is just stunning.

I was looking forward to the MOFI DSD. Might pass on it now. Get this one, it is great.

12. Cream - Goodbye / Eric Clapton S/T (both 24/192):

Surprised that these appeared this week, and apparently mastered from the analog tapes at Sterling Sound.

Goodbye Cream is a mismash of a record, multiple recording dates, half live, half studio - leftovers. Another case where the internet experts have passed around the notion that one side's analog masters are MIA since the days of the MOFI gold CD.

Well, regardless, this sounds amazingly good, all the way though - with one exception. Sittin' On Top Of The World really does sound distinctly inferior to the other two live tracks, and of course the studio tracks. Very likely, this is a case of it is what it is - this track was recorded at a different venue on different equipment than the others, and it is a case of the raw materials to work with just aren't up to the hi-res treatment. Not that it doesn't sound good - that Jack Bruce bass is just so propulsive and driving, that big Gibson bass tone. Ginger Baker's double bass drums never came through so cleanly or so full of bottom end power. It is really Clapton's sound on this track that is problematic, recessed somewhat, and at the end - that final electric flurry - almost sounds like tape degradation. But overall, this is a fantastic sounding transfer that greatly exceeds any prior incarnation - even the MOFI.

On Eric Clapton's self titles debut problems, there are no issues stemming from the recording or master tapes. It sounds incredibly good. What I really like about transfers like this is that no 'audiophile' tinkering has been done - just a straight, honest mastering that preserves every nuance of the original tapes. Cut at such high sampling rate, the recording just breathes, sounds wide open with incredible depth and separation. Clapton assembled quite a 'choir' around him, and almost every voice comes through here with great clarity, and the inner timing of the music, and the beat, is just superb and completely natural. I forgot I was listening to digital - always a good thing.

I would say that these new Cream/Clapton reissues in hi-res may just set a new benchmark in the rapidly evolving high resolution marketplace, and if these indicate a new trend - going to the analog masters, using what is obviously top equipment at a top mastering facility, and avoiding any audiophile tinkering - hi-res is about to get a whole lot better.

By the way, I see a ton of new BIS titles appearing on The Classical Shop this week, as well as on Qobuz. These are relatively older recordings - i.e. before BIS started to record at 24/96, which is really only within the last year or two - so virtually all these are unsanctioned upsamplings of 24/44 recordings to 24/96, and although they sound perfectly fine within the confines of 44k sampling, this is a completely dishonest practice and these should be avoided at all costs. For acquiring BIS hi-res, there is ONLY one legitimate source - eClassical.