That’s part of my point. Compared to today, how could a 1959 1/4" analog tape recording sound that good? It couldn’t because the technology and the hi-res audience didn’t exist back them.
No matter how well you faithfully recreated that original 1959 1/4" tape, its still going to sound like a 1959 tape. That means some serious editing had to be done and the remaster is no longer a renduring of the original production because the mastering engineer had his own interpretation of how it should sound.
I’m listening to “All Blues” right now and if you were to ask me if I was listening to the Masters, I really can’t tell you, it’s so clear and live sounding with all the textures and richness of the real instruments that it really doesn’t matter to me, and If they did some editing to restore the tape to original, they did a really good job because I don’t hear this editing at all. I’m not a collector, I just want the best sound I can get from a recording and right now this DSD 256 is it.
I realized HDTT (High Definition Tape Transfers) is the name of the company and the album clearly says ‘Mastered in DSD256’. HDTT was not a part of the mastering process so I find this misleading.
HDTT also goes on to say, “Our DSD releases which are marked “Pure DSD” originate from a DSD master with no PCM editing”
Probably just being stubborn, but I like to have physical media I can copy.
Maybe I’ll have a change of heart when I get my extra storage and back up drives figured out. I am pretty much maxed out with ripped files and copies of hi-rez files copied from data discs I have purchased at the moment.
Thanks for the additional info.
By the way, how is the “over driven” sax on the “So What” track with the HDTT DSD256 file? This is probably my favorite cut from the record but those moments when the sax “breaks up” make it nearly unlistenable when they occur.
Can’t literally re-do and fix the track but I wonder if this transfer mellows it or otherwise makes it a bit more listenable somehow…
I’m sorry, but I don’t seem to hear any sax breakup noise from from the 256 or 64 files. I just hear the vibration of the reed over the lips and the resulting air. What part of the recording are you taking about, when the sax is playing on the left or right side? I even played my Classic Record 45rpm single sided version and did not hear this distortion, only a little scuffing on the right side that sounded like a defective disc. By the way the DSD256 sounds remarkably close to this 45rpm record.
What I’ve heard of dsd256 so far to me seems like my format of choice. I will have to look at more albums. So far it seems quite better. Everyone pretty much says lower noise. I don’t know if my DS dac likes it better or if it’s the format or a little of both.
Generally the same recording in DSD 256 will sound better than the lesser rate formats, but that will have to do with the mastering and recording itself. For example I got the DSD256 of Sonny Rollins “Way out West” from HDTT and although it was clearer than my 64 copy, it also sounded leaner and more distorted. You really have to go by word of mouth and recommendation and pick your copies.
for lunch.