I’m envious of the retirees…
Lately I seem to enjoy HDTT DSD256 more than others too! The SQ is so clean and clear! They do a great job in reviving these old treasures.
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He reads this forum or was he contacted by his rep?
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This has always been one of my favorite albums. Armstrong and Ellington performing together just sound so easy and natural with each other – it amazes me that this is the first time they’d recorded together. This transfer from a 2-track 15ips tape is just a marvel of excellence in it’s clarity, detail and frequency extension. The entire group of performers has simply come to life here in my listening room.
Some further listening and a further comment: If you listen to vinyl and you have the excellent original LP or one of the even better Classic Records reissues (either 33 or 45 rpm), you can pass this by. But if you listen to digital only these days, or you have any of a plethora of lesser LP reissues, this high resolution digital release from HDTT is a “must have.” I could go on and on about various aspects of the excellence of the sound quality, but I’ll simply stop and say: just get it—you won’t be disappointed.
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Yes. I really enjoy the sound quality/music of dsd256 from HDTT. I don’t have a ton of downloads, but really enjoy the music I do have, with jaw-dropping sound quality on multiple recordings.
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Early Decca - gorgeous. Just shows our recording technology has not developed a whole lot beyond this John Culshaw, James Brown & Gordon Parry recording of 1963. Another really nice transfer by HDTT from an original London pressing. The sound quality is just luscious – deep sweet lovely strings, excellent dynamics, superb soundstage, and dead quiet. This is one of the classic performances of the Sibelius Symphony No. 1 and should be in every serious classic music lover’s library. What a wonderful new addition to my library in this very excellent digital transfer. Thank you, HDTT!
Later Update… I’ve now had a chance to compare this reissue to the highly regarded Esoteric SACD which sells for crazy prices over on Discogs. If you have the Esoteric consider yourself very lucky because it truly is excellent. But, overall, I like this HDTT reissue better. Irrespective of the source for each, the HDTT sounds more open and resolved on my playback system, and the Esoteric has a bit of harshness in the strings that the HDTT does not have. If you don’t already have the Esoteric, buy this HDTT reissue. I can’t imagine anyone being disappointed in the sound quality of the DXD or DSD256 versions.
Bottom line… If you have been shying away from these Vinyl Record Restoration series releases from HDTT, you are losing out on some great music and some excellent sound quality.
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Indeed.
Recording technology has always been far beyond our ability to play it back.
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I came very close to buying the Esoteric disc earlier this year when it was a ‘reasonable’ $60 (in terms of Esoteric at least). Incredible to see it available through HDTT! Patience pays off yet again. Thanks for sharing.
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Pure DSD256 transfer from a 15ips 2-track tape – and it’s all pure goodness!
Notes: …released in 1962. The album features Evans’ new trio with bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Paul Motian. It was recorded shortly after the tragic death of Evans’ previous bassist, Scott LaFaro
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I agree, I have the ripped file of “Moon Beans” fron a SACD and this DSD256 is in another league! More analog and fleshed out than the SACD version. Beautiful music!
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Of the many different performances I have of this music for Romeo & Juliet by Prokofiev, this performance by Mitropoulos has always been one of my favorites. This is simply a superb reissue from HDTT – another in their Vinyl Record Restoration series. This from an original 6-eye Columbia LP and the sound quality is exquisite. See here.
Yes, I’ve heard the boo-birds cry out over the LP transfers. I continue to maintain that they’ve not listened to them. If you loved the LPs back in the day, these transfers should warm your heart and delightfully tickle your ears. HDTT is doing a terrific job with this series and they are tapping into a wealth of new content to give us better digital files sound quality from these recordings than the majors have provided.
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Come Dance with Me! stayed on the Billboard charts for two and a half years—longer than any of Sinatra’s many other great albums. It is a lively, bouncy collection of standards that simply dance. Sinatra’s is in great voice and that voice is perfectly captured as he swings with great backing from Billy May and his Orchestra. The key sonic value of this release is Sinatra’s voice—front and center, with a richness, depth, and detail that the thin, two-dimensional CD misses completely.
This HDTT release contains the 12 tracks originally released in 1959. It does not include the four bonus tracks that were added in the 1987 CD reissue. But, that’s a trade I’ll very happily make to get the superb sound quality of this Pure DSD256 transfer from the analog tape. Highly recommended to all Sinatra fans.
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I know some of you prefer to purchase the physical CDs from HDTT, so this is a PSA that HDTT is phasing out production of these CDs as physical discs for sale. See note below from today’s newsletter:
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That’s too bad. I generally eschew the purchase of downloads. Yeah, I am a bit of a Luddite in this regard.
Guess I should scrub the site and see if there are any “must have” discs I should consider….
If you don’t mind me putting you on the spot, would you consider listing a few favorites or posting a “Top Ten” list.
The subjective superlatives I am interested in are musicality and recording engineering/aural excellence.
Genre really does not matter if these boxes are checked.
Scott, give me a hint as to what music you prefer. I know you said genre doesn’t matter, but it would help me to focus on a list that might be more relevant to you.
Time to shop for HDTT releases to take advantage of the sale, I prefer DSD256 downloads since I am running out of storage space. 
There are always 18 and 20TB hard drives for the drive space challenged. 
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Scott, I can’t do a top 10 list without identifying some category because so many of HDTT’s releases have been outstanding. Bob Witrak is a great A&R person and his choices in music are always top tier. But, I gave this a shot by somewhat randomly going through and picking out the albums that I think are definitely “5 Star” both musically and sonically. This list is decidedly not definitive. But I don’t think anyone would complain about any of these albums, at least as heard in their highest resolution download formats. I can’t begin to offer an opinion on how the CD may sound, but hopefully some of what I hear and like about these will come across in the CD format. Have fun! Tell us what you selected and how you like or don’t like it.
JAZZ
Ahmad Jamal’s at the Alhambra Live
Miles Davis - Bags Groove
Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington - Together For The First Time
Coltrane - Live at The Village Vanguard
Miles Davis with John Coltrane Live at the Olympia
Charles Mingus -Mingus Ah Um (Redux)
Time Out - The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Getz - Gilberto Stan Getz & João Gilberto ( Pure DSD)
Chet Baker - Chet
Chet Baker - Chet Baker In New York
Dexter Gordon - One Flight Up
Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue - Includes Pitch Corrected Tracks
Sonny Rollins - Way Out West
Dexter Gordon - Go
Bill Evans Trio - Waltz For Debby
Bill Evans Trio - Sunday At The Village Vanguard
Sonny Clark - Cool Struttin’
Louie Armstrong - Satchmo plays King Oliver
Somethin’ Else - Cannonball Adderley with Miles Davis
Joe Policastro - Vibes Quartet IPI
Sonny Rollins - The Bridge
Gerry Mulligan Quartet – What Is There To Say?
Getz Meets Mulligan (Redux)
John Coltrane And Johnny Hartman
Bags & Trane - Milt Jackson & John Coltrane
The Fat Babies - Thumpin’ and Bumpin’ - International Phonograph, Inc. IPI
Night Lights - Gerry Mulligan
Monk/Trane - Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane
Dexter Gordon – Our Man In Paris
Cootie Williams In Stereo
CLASSICAL
Prokofiev Romeo And Juliet Ballet Excerpts - Mitropoulos NYP
Ansermet conducts Ballet Music with the ROHCG, Vol. 1 & 2
Bartók Music For Strings, Percussion And Celesta & Hungarian Sketches - Reiner CSO
Bernstein conducts his Symphonic Suites
Billy The Kid and Statements For Orchestra - Copland Conducting The LSO
Britten Nocturne - Four Sea Interludes - Passacaglia - Pears, Vocals - Britten Conducting
Chabrier Music - Paul Paray - Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Debussy Iberia & Ravel - Fritz Reiner Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Falla The Three Cornered Hat - Rafael Frühbeck De Burgos Philharmonia Orchestra
Grieg Peer Gynt (Incidental Music) - Oiven Fjeldstad Conducting The LSO
Hanson: An American Romantic
Herold-Lanchbery La Fille Mal Gardée - Lanchbery ROHCG
Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night’s Dream - Maag The London Symphony Orchestra
Music of Debussy, Franck, Ravel - Georges Prêtre The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Music Of Spain - Rafael Frühbeck De Burgos Paris Conservatoire Orchestra
Respighi Ancient Dances And Airs For Lute - Antal Dorati, Philharmonia Hungarica
Richard Strauss Also Sprach Zarathustra - Fritz Reiner, Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1954 Recording)
Rimsky-Korsakoff Scheherazade - Reiner CSO
Rossini Overtures - Pierino Gamba Conducts the London Symphony Orchestra (Redux)
Shostakovich Symphony No. 1 - The Age Of Gold - Martinon LSO
Stravinsky - Song Of The Nightingale and The Fairy’s Kiss - Reiner, CSO
Stravinsky Le Sacre Du Printemps - Ernest Ansermet & L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Stravinsky Petrouchka - Pierre Monteux - Boston Symphony (Redux)
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Complete Ballet) - Ansermet, OSR
The Reiner Sound
Vienna 1908-1914 - Antal Dorati, London Symphony Orchestra
Walton Façade & Lecocq’s Mamzelle Angot - Fistoulari The ROHOCG (Redux)
Beethoven Septet in E flat Op. 20 - Vienna Octet
Heifetz - Piatigorsky Concerts Schubert: Quintette (C Major)
Melos Ensemble & Osian Ellis, harp plays Ravel, Debussy, Roussel, Ropartz
Stravinsky L’histoire Du Soldat - Robert Mandell - Ars Nova (Redux)
POPULAR
Frank Sinatra - Come Dance With Me!
Balalaika Favorites - Osipov State Russian Folk Orchestra
Judy Garland the Greatest Night in Show Business History
BRASS, WINDS or ORGAN
Morton Gould - Doubling In Brass
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