scobek

Not so fussed about "Integer Mode". I just wish I knew what it meant.

As an app for the iPad? Fantastic idea. The only reason I'd get one.

Here's an extra vote for birdsong and conversation. Speaking of lower expectations, I took advantage of audible.co.uk's free download subscription offer to get myself Joyce's Ulysses (worth £53.09!). (Note: all their books are worth a single free credit for new subscribers, no matter what the actual cost, so if you're interested just sort their catalogue by price and choose from their more expensive offerings.) But here's to confirm why it sounded like complete shite: Bit rate: 32 kbps Sample rate: 22.050 kHz Channels: Mono And they're asking money from people for this kind of garbage? And how does this compare to some of my favourite podcasts? Radiolab = 128 kbps; 44.100; Joint Stereo; Free In Our Time = 64 kbps; 44.100; Mono; Free Dr Karl's Blogcast = 160/192/320 kbps (varies); 48.000 kHz; Stereo; Free Black Vault Radio Network: WeAreNotAlone = 192 kbps; 48.000 kHz; Joint Stereo; Free Cancelled my subscription soon after. However, I found out a little later I could download a free format upgrade, "Enhanced (AAC)" as opposed to the original "4 (MP3)" above: Bit rate: 64 kbps Sample rate: 22.050 kHz Channels: Stereo Needless to say, my subscription stayed cancelled.

Hopefully the main point of this excellent test will be for people to judge for themselves whether they really can hear the benefits of higher resolution material, and whether these then personally justify the higher prices charged by on-line retailers. Theoretically, given a good hi-res recording in the first place of what can only be real music recorded in real time in a real acoustic space (whatever the genre), 24/96 should be obviously superior to any lower resolution material (24/44.1, 16/44.1, take your pick) no matter what downsampling software is used, whatever your hi-res capable DAC, whatever your preferred audio engine, however extravagant or humble (within limits) your hi-fi system. The purity of the male voice, no instrumental distractions, no processing trickery -- I think the choice of music ideal for this kind of test. All credit to Robert of BIS for making it available. Maybe those complaining should spend less money on gear and more time widening their taste in music.

as my SCD-777ES.

I love the mono option.

But cheers for the SuperDuper info. Best, Bob

So your Celibidache Bruckner 8 will be more expensive than your Jochum. Why, as a classical retailer, are they selling "tracks" and "albums" rather than "works", and pricing these accordingly? Has anyone ever just bought the scherzo movement of a symphony? Surely one of the great advantages of buying classical downloads should be freedom from the 60-80 minute program limit of a disc. I adore my Brahms symphonies, but I have far more versions of the Haydn Variations and Academic Festival Overture than I really care to own. Price per second is just completely idiotic. Price per work makes far greater sense.

It's more a case of "converting" rather than "adjusting" or "correcting". Very simply, a 16 bit/44.1 kHz signal via SPDIF from a CD player will be treated differently (and sound different) to a 24/192 signal via USB from a computer playing a hi-rez 24/192 file. Chips, output stages, power supplies, parts quality, topology implementation -- lots of variables go into making up the sound of a DAC, just like any component. But I do think differences are usually subtle and often exaggerated.

SERGEI RACHMANINOV (1873–1943) A: Piano Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 28 B: Etudes-Tableux, Op. 39 Yuri Paterson-Olenich, piano Prometheus Editions EDITION007 (2xCD) 5037454798516 Not many recordings of the first sonata––perfectly understandable given how fiendishly difficult it is. (You'll probably never hear Lang Lang have a bash at this one.) Bit of competition for the Op. 39, but this one holds its own. Fantastic playing by the mythically reclusive Paterson-Olenich, and excellent sonics.

This will be of little concern to most, but worth checking out for all you audio antiquarians is King's College CHARM archive (Centre for History and Analysis of Recorded Music): http://www.charm.rhul.ac.uk/sound/sound_search.html There are heaps of digitized classical 78s that can be streamed (MP3) or freely downloaded. They're 16/44.1 FLAC files, but single channel only (left). I remember Songbird playing them as stereo, as will iTunes if you've converted to AIFF. But Pure Music, being the honest engine it is, will only play these through the left channel, so summon into use its bloody handy mono signal modifier. (Great for early Beatles as well, if you've only got the crap stereo versions like me.) Files go back to 1902, but some of the later 40s recordings aren't too bad. You need to dig around a bit to find the nuggets, but it's a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I might mention a real jewel: Solomon playing a Daquin/Severac double, "Le Coucou / Musical Box" from 1946 (HMV C 3509 2EA_10965-1). Just gorgeous. Happy hunting, Bob

Don't worry, it wasn't immediately obvious to me. I've only started converting flac files seriously in the last few weeks, so maybe it's a recent addition. Version 20111214 (138.1) is definitely the latest version. Good luck with the new install. Best, Bob

Go to "Open Folder As a Disc..." under FILE in the menu bar. You'll notice that rather than "Extract" you've now got "Transcode". Apart from that it's pretty much just as you'd normally rip a disc. This is what I use to convert FLACs to AIFs. Best, Bob

but surely you don't want to disable "Keep iTunes Media folder organised" as ideally you want to keep the default «iTunes Media/Music/Album Artist/Album Name/Track.aif» folder structure, which to me is perfectly sensible and logical. You could simply point the XLD output directory to «iTunes Media/Automatically Add to iTunes», stick to "Default" for "Format of filename", and disable "Add encoded files to iTunes if possible". This worked for me perfectly, but you can't keep both XLD and iTunes open when ripping discs. With XLD now able to snatch iTunes metadata, I just point to a separate holding folder and move it all manually in checkable chunks. Tedious yes, but gives me peace of mind.

Available from highresaudio.com coupled with Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra". http://www.highresaudio.com/artist.php?abid=44451 My first and only paid-for high-res download (the rest of my downloads are freebies). 24/96, supposedly, but cracking performances. And they do sound great. Best, Bob