Hi Resolution audio revisited

Looking around, spotting the odd old Digital Audio Player seemed to be missing in action I was more concerned that the cards had content I didn't appear to have back ups for a whole batch of them that were downloads rather than copies "ripped" from my own extensive cd collection.

There was a buzz around 2015 around the idea of better than cd quality sound that would be played either at home over music players, possibly connected via servers to a Network or on Portable Digital Audio Players from SD card memory cards bypassing the issues that bedeviled attempts at popularizing higher quality physical formats such as DVD-Audio and the Super Audio cd as you needed no new hardwear as most digital audio gear can play them whereas the cd player can only play cds and to get the benefits a sacd has to be played on a dedicated player.

Any way a few of these Hi Res downloads were found on a external hard drive but in the meantime one site I had used no longer did downloads so there was no chance of redownloading but an accidental poke in my Profile details at a site I usually buy classical cds from I had bought many of them but because they didn't show up in the normal purchase history only via Downloads that doesn't have a clear seperate menu.

Having installed on a Windows machine the download manager for the site I've now re-established a folder with them and set that machine to play out using a USB-C to Coaxial digital adaptor to a spare input on the Rega digital to analogue convertor in their native resolutions.

While streaming is more popular with many classical HD downloads you get a PDF booklet that tells you about the recording and performers so while stream can be useful to get the feel of a particular work or performance, for everyday enjoyment the cd or especially a high resolution file can be more enjoyable.

Certainly after some ten years from when a number of these were paid for Tasmin Little performing The Lark Ascending in 24 bit 96hhz resolution sounds amazing.

Words best not said

We appear to be going through a period at one site where people seem to be more interested in pursuing agendas  than just saying what there own experiences are.

I've seen this at a particular music based site before where certain members who see themselves as followers of its owner talking in a ultra uber "Our Host said" way as if they were some music engineering diety, whose approach cannot be questioned.

One has a personal site devoted to this individual with lots of photos of them and in over 15 years I have seen him always without exception pile on any other audio mastering engineers work and labels they work for as if no one ever could do a good job and this other person never made a mistake at all.

Personally I'm not into Cults of Personality having bought a good number of records and cds over the years including those issues targeted at people with hifi system looking for the best available copy of an album.

Good people can and do make mistakes and even if they don't another person may of improved upon previous attempts so the most sensible approach is to just listen to them and set out why you favour one rather than the other.

Others promote very old copies of cds that just do not play well with modern cd players as they lack the ability to reliably tell if some older discs where the high notes were boosted and a signal to switch a circuit in the play to correct it that helped some very early players.

If they get that wrong they sound "tinny" and you can't manually switch it over so a really good modern copy without that makes sense for people in that situation.

Similar some older records were made to louder because some like a more "in your face" presentation where the actual recording may have a more subtle dynamic sound and that is what a new copy is trying to give people.

That can when matched with improved detail make for a much more enjoyable copy to sit and listen to rather than perhaps bopping along on the dance floor.

Ultimately it's really about what you feel makes for a great listening session with your favourite recordings and why these other people and labels have given you a new version.

Sometimes a new "flavour" of an old favourite really does it for you.