2. music
  3. 126512-517

Hi Resolution download - question on authencity of the files

Hello all,
I have never downloaded a hi-rez album till date.
I recently heard samples of Norah Jones Day Breaks album and was thinking of purchasing the hi-rez album via acousticsounds.com or hdtracks.com or prostudiomasters.com. Question is - are these REAL hi-rez files or are these just up-sampled CD version? Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I am currently listening to "Celtic Woman - A New Journey" and the recording on this CD is superb. I wondered how much the "quality" of such a nicely recorded album can be improved. Hence the question. I am not sure if the FLAC 96kHz/24bit version is a real one that I would be able to distinguish from a CD 16/44 version.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
128x128milpai
dbtom2
382 posts
 
There is software you can download -Musicscope, for example - that will analyze the track and provide a visual summary of the ultrasonic - high-res - content of the file. There are others, I am sure.

I dont hesitate to purchase hires tracks from the growing number of reputable and visible sites who sell them. Whether I am able to actually tell the difference between a high-res file and a standard redbook version is another thing entirely. Recently produced music (last ten years or so) can sound very good in standard resolution. 

HDTracks has a free hires sampler that will help you decide if hires is for you. 

I am not associated with them. Just a customer sometimes.  



ahendler
416 posts
 
You can stream the new Norah Jones album on Tidal  16/44 and it sounds excellent. I have found Hirez to be very over rated
Alan
don_c55
1,025 posts
 
You have a right to be concerned.

The providence (original source of recording) is "hidden" in many cases from the buyer. It is a "shell" game IMO!

However, there are very good recordings in the plain CD format, and crappy high-rez recordings as well.

You have forums like these, to "call out" the fraud, if you can detect it.


More to discover