Scott, after I download the file, I go to Finder and to Downloads. From downloads I just double click the zip file and it automatically unzips the file. I’m using a Mac Book Pro.
That’s a no-go with my download for some reason. I got the Unarchiver App from the Apple App store and that seems to be working, as long as I rename the download file so that it ends with just “zip.”
But that application is hanging up and I am now getting this message:
Thinking about asking for a refund at this point.
Sigh.
Scotte1, sorry you’re having trouble with your download. That is the same file that I downloaded on a pre-release basis for my review (using Windows 11). Unfortunately, I don’t have any better suggestions than Frans’ reply to you.
I ordered a DSD256 on this album, also this in DXD352 (original recording):
I will download soon, but I am using Window11.
Edit: downloads and unzip were easy peasy.
Scott, you should call up @Paul about your problem. Maybe he could help. I sure hate for you to miss out on the convenience and higher fidelity that higher rate recordings can give you. It seems more new music are coming out in files than SACD’s.
Scott,
The problem you’re having is due to the fact that the download didn’t complete for some reason and is therefore truncated and not a valid .zip file. Safari appends “.download” to a file while it’s incoming and renames it, stripping that suffix, when the download is complete. You’ll have to contact Sound Liaison and let them know that your download didn’t complete, and find out how to download it again. It seems to me that you should be allowed to re-download anything you’ve purchased in the past, but I don’t know their policy.
— Chris
Thank you.
Review of Analog Tone Factory Pure DSD256 transfers for the analog master tapes is now posted.
"Saxophonist/producer Jerome Sabbagh and pianist/recording engineer Pete Rende founded Analog Tone Factory to pursue their shared desire to record music in a way that would draw listeners in, and to go back to the way records used to be made—with fewer manipulations and more directness…
"Their goal is to make their records “feel and sound closer to live music.” And to that end they record with the band all in the same room using very high end equipment. And that equipment is all analog, including a custom restored half inch tube Ampex 351 tape recorder and vintage Neve and Altec analog consoles. These recordings purist recordings. Simply miked, minimal signal paths, directly from the live performance, minimal to no post-production mucking about…
“If you love vinyl, you should check out their LP releases; if you love reel-to-reel tape, check out their tape offerings. Here I will be talking about those same releases as transferred to Pure DSD256 downloadable files.”
![[IMG]](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/psaudio/original/4X/4/c/d/4cd10e7c1c76b7c796ab9fa322aebfcad4e2f0b6.jpeg)
Voluptuous Sounds from Analog Tone Factory in Pure DSD256 - Positive Feedback
A link for a free sample download track in full Pure DSD256 resolution has been added to the Positive Feedback article about Analog Tone Factory. Because these recordings have such a distinctively different sound quality to them, I asked Jerome if he would be willing to share a sample. He graciously agreed, and he suggested we share with you the “ESP” track from the album Heart.
If you can play DSD256 files, I encourage you to download this sample track and listen for yourself.
This is the most true-to-life sounding recording of a string quartet that I have heard over many years of listening. It is just marvelous:
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Blink and you’ll miss the sale! Click here for their listing of Pure DSD albums.
Cobra Records’ 25th Anniversary celebration continues with the release of Producer’s Choice, Volume 2. And it is phenomenal. Earlier this year, I wrote with enthusiasm about the release of Volume 1 which included selected tracks recorded in DSD64, all from albums released before the introduction of DSD256, HERE, and with an early preview and free sample download HERE
For Volume 2 , Tom Peeters has selected from later albums, all of which were recorded in DSD256. Tom made the change to DSD256 when he switched to using a Merging Technologies’ Hapi A/D converter following the release of DSD256. But, it was not possible to mix DSD256 tracks at the time, so the originally released albums were mixed in DXD (PCM 352.8kHz/24-bit) and then converted to DSD256 after mixing. Now it is possible to mix purely in the DSD domain. And that is what we have here.
This Volume 2 will be released December 12 at NativeDSD, but in my article below, I have a link to a free sample download 0f the same track mixed and mastered in Pure DSD256-Direct Mixed versus mixed and mastered in DXD and then output to DSD256. Enjoy.
Looks interesting, thanks for the recommendation and links.
A collection of miniatures for solo piano, by a wide variety of composers, but with the music of Hungarian composer György Kurtág (1926) serving as the cohesive binding arc. Beautifully performed by Ksenia Kouzmenko.
Tom Peeters recorded and mastered this album in Pure DSD256-Direct Mixed. No PCM anywhere in the recording chain. The sound is, accordingly, very pure, with excellent capture of the timbre of the piano in the always excellent acoustics of the Westvest90, Schiedam, The Netherlands, recording venue. As I commented to a friend, the sound quality is stunning.
Available from NativeDSD HERE
And many thanks to @bootzilla for posting a reply to this thread so I can continue to update it with Pure DSD256 releases that are worthy of attention. Hopefully, this thread can be a resource for folks with an interest in the sound quality this technology delivers.
Later edit: My full review of Flowers We Are, Cobra Records, Pure DSD256, (see last post above) is now posted at Positive Feedback. You will find it here if interested:
Two violinists, recorded 11-12 September, 2025 in the Hunnia ProVibe Park Studios in Budapest using two Neumann M-149 tube microphones on the violins and ambiance pickup with DPA 4011A stereo pairs, and released in Pure DSD256 with analog mixing via a Studer 962 analog mixing console. The sound quality is outstanding. Very clean, very clear, and utterly transparent—it is a joy to hear. This is why we invest so much time and effort optimizing our audio playback systems.
This is a delightful album in every respect: the music selections, the performing artists, and the incredibly good sound quality. All come together to make this perhaps my most enjoyable listening session in recent weeks. Of the seven composers, I recognized only one name. And all of the music was new to me—a fresh listening experience with no expectations. Well…, no expectations except that it would be excellent because it is from Eudora Records and Gonzalo Noqué who never disappoints.
All the music is from the first half of the Twentieth Century, 1925-1958, a time of new musical expression and experimentation that I very much enjoy. And in these works, one hears quite a bit of “pushing the boundaries.” To realize that this music is coming from Spain completely took me by surprise. I have never associated Spain with music for string quartets, and certainly not with music pushing the boundaries of tonality and syncopation. What a pleasant discovery!
As with all releases from Eudora in recent years, this is recorded and released in Pure DSD256-Direct Mixed . No PCM and no analog mixing. It is recorded and mastered entirely in the DSD domain. Available in Stereo and MCh.
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This will likely be added to my Pure DSD256-Top of the Pile list when updated later this year. It is a very attractive set of music for violin and piano, very nicely played. The sound quality is outstanding, as one expects from Cobra founder and recording engineer Tom Peeters. Pure DSD256-Direct Mixed.
Excellent reviews. Thank you.
Recorded September 9 & 22, 2025 at Unitarian Church, Budapest, with DPA 4011A microphones on the guitar and 2 x DPA 4006 for ambiance capture, the sound quality is immediate and detailed, but with a lovely full, rounded quality that beautifully captures the woody resonance of the guitar body. Pure DSD256-Analog Mixed. Very nice!
As much as I enjoyed both the Purcell and the Bartok, it was the work by Hungarian composer and guitarist Dávid Pavlovits, Floating Islands, that really sat me up in my chair. Only 3:22, but what a mesmerizing piece that blends tonality, chromaticism, and extended techniques on the guitar to create shimmering, floating sonorities—just like Floating Islands.
