Thread: Channel Classics does DSD!

Great news--Channel Classics is now offering its recordings as native DSD downloads:

http://www.channelclassics.com/dsd.html

I've already got all of these initial titles (except for the Bach) on SACD or hi-res downloads (sometimes both!), and can vouch for their sonic excellence as well as for the truly great performances, the Mahler 2nd and 4th in particular.

Russell

For those of you unwilling to rip your SACD's (the discs are still much less $$ and include surround content) the folks at Channel Classics are beginning to offer some of their catalog in DIFF (DSD) format at $32/album. And Russell, I will 1000% agree that their Ivan Fischer Mahler's are sublime!!

I noticed my favorite Dvorak "New World Symphony" is available for DSD download.

Who cares about the price? a few extra dollars here or there for a DSD download is totally irrelevant when it comes to how much money we actually spend on our gear..

This is fantastic news because it finally puts DSD downloads on the map. And it gives us all a reason to switch to DSD capable DAC's

Linn and other labels will surely follow...

Great Stuff Channel C !! bring it on!

...are cynical and mean spirited. Remember, there isn't a physical product...no delivery, no courier charges, no boxes, no boxes loaded into trucks and sent out to distributors...need I go on..... I appreciate that there is a large amount of effort that does occur before this download but the download, itself, bypasses so many other steps which occur cost that we should enjoy some benefit....cynical and deserves to whither on the vine. WDW

Please don't forget, LINN and BIS do not record in DSD but upsample their files. So you will not be getting any better quality

Concerning prices. Downloading is not a SACD. Another animal and another world completely. It is for those that want the same files as the producer which has never been made available before. I also do not want to compete with the SACD as it is and I hope will be around for a long time to come. We are ready to also sell the multichannel files but there is no real DAC yet available to play these files so we will have to be patient.
Jared Sacks

Jared-

Can you give us any info about when and how much the DSD cataglogue is going to be enlarged?

IN the coming months I will get the whole hi res catalogue to include the DSD files. I have been uploading the ones on there now but I live in the countryside with slow speeds( 8 hours!). The Channel servers are in Amsterdam and someone needs to go there with a hard drive. I am not allowed in because of the high security issues at this data center.
greetings

Dear wdw
Here you have the audio DSD masters at 30 euros.Not a downsample or upsample. Good to listen to the rest of your life. Masters made from a good deal of sweat from the artists and myself having spent a great deal of money and time on the equipment and the producing.
And then you have your audio equipment that will have to be replaced let us say in three to five years time. What is expensive?
Jared Sacks

I really look forward to becoming one of your DSD download customers!!

Very exciting times Jared!

BTW there are DAC'S that should be able play your multichannel DSD files.

The Mytek 8x192 (the multichannel version of the Mytek Stereo DAC linked on your website) is one. There are a few very expensive others, but it so happens I have a Mytek 8x192 sitting here ready to fire up once I get the appropriate card and DB25 cabling happening... It will just be a matter of time before Michal and Miska and Ted and all the other fantastic DSD passionate guys on this forum (see the Mytek stereo DAC thread) get this happening. So why don't you put a couple of sample DSD surround tracks up on your site for us to try?

Cheers

Alex (Wap)

We should remember that Reference Recordings charges $45 for their HRx. We really don't need the disk.

Although I agree that pricing seems a bit too "arbitrary" I must applaud Channel Classics with their decision to make DSD downloads available to us. I'm a DSD believer and look forward to more hardware manufacturers offering native DSD playback support. I own some Channel Classics SACDs and they sound sublime, my only worry being the SACD medium itself with no way to secure a personal backup copy (and no, PS3 rips don't count as this not a simple option available to all of us).

And I agree DSD recordings converted to PCM just doesn't seem right (hello HDTracks!).

Jared

You are to be absolutely congratulated on providing these DSD downloads!

I've been waiting for this initiative for months! It's great to see your label offer your material in this way. I commend you Sir, for taking the necessary steps to make this happen.

Here you have the audio DSD masters at 30 euros.Not a downsample or upsample.

Surely that means less work to produce therefore less cost to the producer so should be sold at a LOWER cost. On that basis the 16/44.1 downsampled version should cost more!



Eloise

Lets hope there are options/incentives, and part album or even individual "piece" purchasing available (for Albums that may have some music not wanted by the customer)..

But if they don't sell at 30E, the beauty about direct internet selling/downloads is the actual label has full control, so they can discount the price very quickly...

Thanks, Jared, for your comments and for your participation in this thread. I love it when reps from the actual record labels get in on our discussions here!

I'm really happy that Channel Classics is the first major label to offer files in the DSD format, and I hope to partake in the near future. In the meantime, your 24/192 files will have to suffice. ;-)

Just a comment on your statement about BIS: I'm pretty sure they don't do upsampling. Most of their hi-res recordings have been done at 24/44.1 and the files are offered as such on eClassical.com--no upsampling involved. They did do a few original DSD recordings back in the day, and have only recently begun recording in 24/88.2 or 24/96 (and eClassical offers them that way). I'm not sure about Linn, but I'm pretty sure they don't upsample, either.

Russell

Prices are not people; they are numbers. Prices are not exclusively beholden to manufacturing costs. The only purpose of the price for any item is to discover the exact number wherein maximum profit can be had. There is nothing inherently mean or dishonest about making money.

I applaud this development. The artists and production staff should make as much money as possible from their work. There will be more and more labels making their DSD masters and/or master tape DSD transfers available. This will inevitably lead to lower prices.

@sidssp

There is no difference. The only difference may be the metadata. My point is that the "cost of production" is irrelevant to the price in this case. Not everyone wants to hunt ebay for the correct PS3 with the correct firmware and then go through the process of installing the firmware to rip SACDs. I personally don't think it's that big of a deal. But someone else that just wants download and play on their Mytek, DCS or Playback Designs DACs, this is an excellent way to go.

@dallasjustice - You are forgetting one thing, the price in relation to the exact same data on SACD. EUR 30 for the download vs. EUR 17 for the SACD. At that price point I would still be purchasing the SACD (and Jared please don't take that as an incentive to increase the price of SACD

So if we extrapolate your theory that Jared wants to maximize profit and assuming lower distribution costs for downloads he would price them at least on par so more folks would likely download...

I agree that it makes no sense for you to download more expensive DSD if your digital playback is an SACD player.

..you wrote:


What is expensive?
Jared Sacks

my reply:

your product! Far too expensive...if the price were more consistent with, say, HDTracks you'd likely sell two or three times the amount and, I'm certain, realize a healthy return.

The market will dictate if these downloads sell at 30Euro's or whatever.

He is offering a premium product/service, so if people see value in this (easy purchase of the download vs the DSD), then the downloads will sell..

In some parts of the world this DSD content is simply not available without a week long wait and physical shipping of the SACD..

So in summary, why bitch about the price? If you don't like it, then get then SACD...if you don't mind then buy the download. Either way you get the music. And the artist gets the royalty. Choice has been increased by this move. Not decreased.

The market will decide the price in the long run...if he doesn't sell any, he'll lower the price, or offer special offers to sell them....Simple as that...