Browsing Qobuz recently I bought and downloaded a Schuman Album and paid more for wav files. This got me wondering, and analysing the tracks more closely I realized that the higher resolution versions are just CD quality resampled. In this case it was not very important because the tracks are all solo piano. But I have resolved not to buy any further downloads unless the method and quality of the original recordings is clearly stated. Unfortunately Qobuz and others provide little or no information.
I would much rather buy old analogue recordings digitally remastered to a stated standard but these are not so easy to find. Any tips?
Buying any music as a download is quite a risk. Thereâs virtually no information about where a hi-res master comes from. At least on a CD or record you can see the (c) date which gives you a clue, but mastering information is generally completely absent for downloads.
If you subscribe to certain Qobuz packages, hi-res is usually cheaper than CD quality, and Qobuz lets you download both if you buy hi-res. I use this for my Sonos system which doesnât play hi-res music, which is fine as itâs not used for serious listening.
Itâs an area that could really help sales I think if hi-res downloads were cut from specific master for audiophile quality and you could see which master you were actually getting.
Ive been out of the âbuying downloadsâ business for a few years now. Iâm pretty content to stream, or occasionally buy a good âvintageâ or new release LP.
Itâs a shame you are experiencing this as downloads are the most lucrative to the original artist / producer.
For some providers like Qobuz and Apple the download is typically the same as the digital master provided by the distributor for streaming prior to any down sampling/ decimation by the service provider.
If a hires download is questionable, itâs likely the distribution master is questionable, ie what is streamed as well. So you might want to look at the publisher/distributor of any content to see if they are reputable or not. That is normally available when you stream the equivalent = its usually in the album/EP/track meta data.
Iâve had a few occasions to suspect that Qobuz are a bit questionable.
Outside of the price for the Sublime deals (your choice), my prefered vendor choice is HighResAudio or HDTracks.
Quite a while back I had an issue with a Qobuz download. After complaining to them about it I was given permission to download any item I fancied free of charge, regardless of price!
I do purchase from prostudiomasters (with discount coupons) and prestomusic who have good prices. Both have good customer service.
This is why I still try and buy downloads or CDâs when I find music I like. I use streaming to find stuff, then tend to buy which is why I prefer Qobuz.
I havenât found any download service that gives any useful information on hi-res files. The main thing I would like to know is if it was specifically mastered for hi-res, or whether itâs just a higher res version of the master used for CD, etc. Quite often I find music mastered for CD, Apple, Spotify etc. is too loud (still) and in that instance I donât care what resolution itâs in as it will make no difference.
Surround music is a similar thing. A lot of the Atmos mixes popping up now because Atmos is on trend, tend to be little more than an automated process that just adds reverb in the rears. I can get that using my AV amp for free. Discrete mixes are far better, but again no clue in any of the info. It seems many are happy as long as it says Atmos.
For anyone wanting classical downloads, I can highly recommend eClassical. Once you are known to them they give you frequent â50% off this weekendâ offers and all their hi res tracks are directly sourced from the recording company concerned.
I had a download from HiResAudio which was clearly a needle drop - you could hear the snap crackle and pop.
When I raised this with them saying that it was far from High Resolution Audio they put me in my place telling me the download was produced at a top quality German recording studio.
Hmmm - I would certainly give them a very wide berth - unless they make it clear it is a phono cartridge copy.. which clearly is going to be a country mile away from the hidef master. I think in the UK if they didnât make that clear they would be breaching the trade descriptions act. I dont know what the law is in Germany. If they are trading in the UK directly I would demand your money back under your legal rights. Small claims court is always there if they dont oblige and you have the time.. but I doubt it would get to that⌠but it is quite rewarding so friends of mine tell me who have gone down that path tell me.. and yes it usually gets settled ahead of court. ⌠[To be clear those cases have not been with this product and company]
The hidef files are the original masters used for cutting the vinyl in the first place (for most contemporary vinyl releases) - albeit prior to passing through eq and compression necessary for the vinyl cutting process.
I do buy from eclassical, but get most of my classical stuff from Presto. But itâs mostly recent recordings so likely to be recorded in a HiRes format. Just listening to a download of choral music which came out a month or so ago and sounds superb.
The main reason is to support the artists. $12 a month isnât paying any artist anything of value. Itâs not quite free but it is as good as and I canât see that being sustainable for anyone in the long run. If I like an artist/album then I try to buy it either as a download or a physical copy.
A lot of the stuff I have bought and downloaded to my NAS from Qobuz, for example, is no longer there.
They had the license for the album which is now mine but their licence to sell the download or stream it expired so you can no longer stream or buy the album from Qobuz.
For me itâs about buying into the music. I find streaming a good way to preview but itâs like listening on the radio in days of old or borrowing an album from your mate. It is too transient.
While I agree that a primary reason to buy Downloads is to support artists, I occasionally buy those that are really special artistically and technically where playing them locally, usually via S/PDIF, is nicer than streaming from Qobuz or Tidal (my internet connection is certainly not optimized). Best indeed remains with playing native files. I have 16/44 files that are truly exceptional for that matter.
Audio streaming seems to be taking after films etc. where things appear on one service for a while and then move. I suppose on popular titles paying for exclusive rights may drive more sales. Quite a few hi-res downloads I bought on Qobuz are now listed as no longer available.
[To be clear those cases have not been with this product and company]
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