Fredrik Lundholm

Abroken frame. Likes my sacd 24/176 rip better even though spek and dr is worse. First song "leave in silence"is not the lp release but inferior 12" version. An uk release from original tape a la hoffman would be nice. Sacd release makes it easier for me to follow the baselines and is less muddled, better eq but slightly more compressed and artificially cutoff at 22kHz.

I have seen the same phonomenon when downloading large files over http without any download manager. Sometimes it works, but if there is a glitch there is no cheksum to verify the download. I suggest, try to download the files again Try to use another software for download (If you used Firefox, try IE, or better if the site offers FTP or a download manager which would actually check each downloaded piece checksum).

After further analysis it seems these tracks could be bootlegs created from the HDtracks source and "decompressed".

To follow up on my own post, I also bought the 94/24 during the sale and the early albums sounds absolutely fantastic. They are not the CD remastered versions but the earlier hi res masters probably. IE The DR does not match the CD equivalents. When you put these on its like having the guys in your living room. I am amazed they could be so real and alive. One album stands out, El Loco, how could ZZ Top release such a donkey? I have not listened to it before, but wow, the songs are country/pop? the lyrics are terrrible the production is terrible it sounds crap Recycler is 100x better to me.. Anyway, I really recommend the HDtrack collection of ZZ Top!

The Dr11 downloads are 24/44 files. They are not vinyl rips and sounds fantastic. If they are not available from HDtracks where do they originate? I have compared these to the CD version I used in my car and they sound absolutely fantastic in comparison. Given the resemblance to Vinyl DR it seems some music lover have shared the Vinyl master! If Only this was done for Daft Punk also! I ran them through foobar and here is the result: log date: 2013-07-23 19:22:44 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Analyzed: Depeche Mode / Delta Machine -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR Peak RMS Duration Track -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR10 -1.15 dB -14.10 dB 4:56 01-Welcome To My World DR10 -0.20 dB -11.86 dB 3:58 02-Angel DR11 -0.20 dB -14.13 dB 4:06 03-Heaven DR11 -1.07 dB -13.89 dB 5:12 04-Secret To The End DR10 -0.75 dB -15.24 dB 4:24 05-My Little Universe DR12 -0.20 dB -14.05 dB 3:46 06-Slow DR11 -1.37 dB -14.73 dB 3:58 07-Broken DR10 -3.63 dB -16.57 dB 4:16 08-The Child Inside DR11 -0.41 dB -13.71 dB 3:27 09-Soft Touch/Raw Nerve DR11 -1.21 dB -13.86 dB 5:05 10-Should Be Higher DR10 -1.46 dB -13.94 dB 4:30 11-Alone DR11 -0.97 dB -14.50 dB 5:22 12-Soothe My Soul DR11 -0.75 dB -14.33 dB 5:04 13-Goodbye DR11 -1.61 dB -17.23 dB 4:23 14-Long Time Lie DR12 -1.03 dB -14.53 dB 4:20 15-Happens All The Time DR10 -2.52 dB -15.16 dB 5:07 16-Always DR10 -1.33 dB -13.92 dB 3:24 17-All That's Mine DR10 -0.59 dB -13.46 dB 3:52 18-Heaven -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of tracks: 18 Official DR value: DR11 Samplerate: 44100 Hz Channels: 2 Bits per sample: 24 Bitrate: 1530 kbps Codec: FLAC ================================================================================ I ran Angel through Audacity and here is the result: Reference: Angel CD rip: Do whatever it takes to obtain these. For the Love of Depeche Mode!

Have now listend to both. The download sound less compressed and a little more laid back. Deeper and firmer bottom and more detailed voice stands out. Hoffman has interpreted the recording by highlighting certain musical elements, voice sounds "glared" and mid bass feels lifted without that last 5% bottom end of the hi res download. Given the challenges of the CD format I say he did a good job. (Hoffman). The download sounds flatter and the bottom end surprises you more each time the drum is struck. Musically Hoffman tries to make the recording as exiting as it gets, given the source material. Sometimes a little too much. I must say, given the difference in tonality, both are very good. Hoffman's sounds valve like, lots of harmonic distortion to brighten it up with a little weak bottom. Download lacks the lustre but has an absolute and commanding bottom end and Phils voice is absolutely present. Hoffman: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Analyzed: Phil Collins / Face Value -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR Peak RMS Duration Track -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR15 -0.28 dB -21.82 dB 5:36 01-In The Air Tonight DR16 -1.30 dB -20.00 dB 3:56 02-This Must Be Love DR14 -1.48 dB -17.97 dB 3:55 03-Behind The Lines DR14 -6.46 dB -25.68 dB 3:17 04-The Roof Is Leaking DR12 -3.99 dB -18.87 dB 2:49 05-Droned DR14 -0.10 dB -17.53 dB 5:33 06-Hand In Hand DR14 -2.25 dB -18.08 dB 3:46 07-I Missed Again DR11 -5.31 dB -22.02 dB 2:33 08-You Know What I Mean DR15 -1.28 dB -19.18 dB 4:13 09-Thunder And Lightning DR15 -0.43 dB -18.19 dB 2:35 10-I'm Not Moving DR19 -0.74 dB -23.80 dB 4:55 11-If Leaving Me Is Easy DR11 -1.64 dB -17.89 dB 4:49 12-Tomorrow Never Knows -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of tracks: 12 Official DR value: DR14 Samplerate: 44100 Hz Channels: 2 Bits per sample: 16 Bitrate: 762 kbps Codec: FLAC ================================================================================ HDTracks: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Analyzed: Phil Collins / Face Value -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR Peak RMS Duration Track -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR14 -4.11 dB -24.82 dB 5:36 01-In The Air Tonight DR16 -4.23 dB -23.95 dB 3:56 02-This Must Be Love DR16 -0.65 dB -19.37 dB 3:54 03-Behind The Lines DR13 -7.57 dB -26.12 dB 3:17 04-The Roof Is Leaking DR13 -3.53 dB -20.34 dB 2:49 05-Droned DR16 -0.01 dB -19.70 dB 5:21 06-Hand In Hand DR14 -2.27 dB -18.63 dB 3:45 07-I Missed Again DR11 -5.92 dB -22.47 dB 2:33 08-You Know What I Mean DR15 -1.45 dB -19.85 dB 4:14 09-Thunder And Lightning DR15 -1.69 dB -19.66 dB 2:35 10-I'm Not Moving DR15 -0.71 dB -23.95 dB 4:55 11-If Leaving Me Is Easy DR11 -2.93 dB -18.57 dB 4:50 12-Tomorrow Never Knows -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of tracks: 12 Official DR value: DR14 Samplerate: 192000 Hz Channels: 2 Bits per sample: 24 Bitrate: 5094 kbps Codec: FLAC ================================================================================ Both version are excellent but different. The High res download is mastered at a lower amplitude.

Exactly! I shunned away from the HDtracks download before realizing it was not the DR6 junk from the CD but respectable DR11 and sounds very much better I might add. I don't know where the original poster downloaded his files. Maybe he torrented some up sampled material?

Is this the Hoffman remaster? How does the download compare with Hoffman CD?

The previously released separate albums where highly regarded from HDTracks. How does the "collection" compare? Are they the same where available? Regards, Fredrik

Interesting, will consider the HD-Track going forward. A pity they don't disclose the source/mastering engineer.

Just released HDTracks: Depeche Mode - Black Celebration (24/44.1) As I have the SACD converted to 2 channel FLAC I would be extremely interested if this is a saraconed SACD title or different? If these masterings are any good and to be followed up by the rest of the albums, things looks promising! My SACD copy has the following DR: Foobar2000 1.1.2 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1 log date: 2013-06-07 15:13:05 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Analyzed: Depeche Mode / Black Celebration -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR Peak RMS Duration Track -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR10 -2.88 dB -15.59 dB 4:57 01-Black Celebration DR10 -2.78 dB -14.93 dB 5:19 02-Fly On The Windscreen (Final) DR9 -2.60 dB -15.14 dB 4:23 03-A Question Of Lust DR11 -3.29 dB -19.77 dB 1:54 04-Sometimes DR11 -3.28 dB -17.03 dB 2:51 05-It Doesn't Matter Two DR9 -2.98 dB -13.25 dB 4:09 06-A Question Of Time DR9 -3.03 dB -14.36 dB 4:17 07-Stripped DR10 -2.97 dB -14.79 dB 4:16 08-Here Is The House DR10 -3.13 dB -16.61 dB 2:48 09-World Full Of Nothing DR10 -3.27 dB -15.19 dB 2:34 10-Dressed In Black DR11 -2.95 dB -16.14 dB 3:46 11-New Dress -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of tracks: 11 Official DR value: DR10 Samplerate: 176400 Hz Channels: 2 Bits per sample: 24 Bitrate: 4427 kbps Codec: FLAC ================================================================================ Waveform (Track 4 - Sometimes): No real content above 22kHz. Some dither noise before the 40kHz filter. If this is the same source that HDtrack offers I understand why they label it 24/44.1 (and not something higher). BTW: It looks like all Depeche Mode SACD:s are up-sampled from a 44.1kHz source tape. There should be higher bitrate tapes somewhere in the vaults as for surethese old Depeche records probably where originally mastered to Analogue Tape. During the remastering in 2006 I bet the multitrack tapes where transferred / AD converted to 44.1kHz for some reason, then mixed and released.

My copy was fake and up sampled! No wonder it sounded different from my memory of the Vinyl 180g release! A more accurate graph from the 2004 Polydor SACD looks like this: Faint sound information shooting above 30kHz

Thanks for posting! It seems the HD-Tracks version is better than the original SACD B0003638-36 from which I have this lift. (Admittedly I don't know how this was converted to FLAC or even upsampled, owners of Polydor SACD please confirm..) DR14 The Japanese SACD release from the same songs shows better frequency byt has a lower DR12 comared to Polydor.. Maybe HDTracks is the best version, or my copy of SACD B0003638-36 is faulty/wrong layer ripped. I am interested in the best sounding release of 461, I already own Simply Vinyl SV-199 release from 1999 and the Polydor SACD should match that I believe but so far I have not heard anything as good yet. I am also not 100% convinced of Jap release.

The disc shows WPCR-14165, the same catalogue number as the Japanese Hybrid SACD.