HDTracks Binaural+ downloads

[DuncanS]

I got an email from HDtRacks with a link to the Binaural+ section for headphone listening, HDTracks Binaural+ downloads
there is no information on them, has anybody heard them?

There were a few that looking interesting to me, and I suspect the SM2 (in Involve mode) would do a good job of spreading the music around the channels via speakers

 

[Steve Bruzonsky]

I'm playing "Interplay" by Kenny Barron and Mark Sherman right now, using Involve Surround Master v3, and WOW! I have many of these Chesky binaural downloads.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

I also have a sizeable collection of Chesky titles; very well recorded music and generally decode/up-mix great in my experience. Even though somewhat austere, I might check out 'Explorations In Space And Time'.

A lot of those titles may be smaller Jazz band titles, which limits what they'll do decoded; but I'd also like to know if any of them have more expansive musical arrangements?

But this stereo DVD is one of my all time favorites by Chesky (which decodes great with an Involve SM or up-mixer like Penteo):

https://www.discogs.com/release/3509268-Sara-K-Hobo

 

[stoopid]

I've tried "binaural' mixes and really can't say for sure I heard any improvement. My dedicated headphone listening is a good set of headphones or my nice Sennheiser earbuds, so it's possible they're already providing such a good experience the changes are lost on them (only so much you can polish what is already 'awesome'). I'm not intimately familiar enough with a single one of those HD Tracks titles to be able to A/B the binaural mix. My cynical side thinks that might be by design, or else maybe people could catch on quickly to the differently labeled snake oil(?) if they knew the material really well and thought like I did "I'm not hearing a lot of change here".

I would think all well produced material should upmix effectively.

 

[humprof]

I can recommend the Macy Gray and the Wycliffe Gordon--for the music and the recording quality, anyway. Binaural headphone listening has never really made much of an impression on me, and I can't speak to how these sound through a SurroundMaster.

 

[barfle]

I have the Chesky binaural demo CD, and I’m underwhelmed by the surround non-effect. Might just be my ears - I know some people think it’s pretty cool stuff.

That’s not to say the music is bad or anything. I just didn’t feel the “haircut” experience was anything like the real ones.

I’ll have to give that site a shot.

 

[esimms86]

I can recommend the Macy Gray and the Wycliffe Gordon--for the music and the recording quality, anyway. Binaural headphone listening has never really made much of an impression on me, and I can't speak to how these sound through a SurroundMaster.

I have several Chesky binaural recordings. While they sound great and I enjoy the music, my experience of binaural headphone listening is similar to that of @humprof(i.e., underwhelming).

 

[BPWingN]

I too own the Chesky binaural demo cd. I've had it for years.I have listened with a few different headphones. Each and every time I close my eyes and wanna believe. Each and everytime I am dissapointed.

 

[esimms86]

For live recordings Chesky uses a dummy head. I don't know of anybody whose actual anatomy matches that of the dummy head (I suppose that's a good thing). Interestingly, physicist Dr. Edouard Choueiri is listed as a consultant on Chesky's binaural recordings. You would probably need to have an HRTF (head related transfer function) measurement taken suited to your own unique anatomy and then inputted to Dr. Choueiri's very expensive BACCH SP system for it to really work for you. That would cost you at least 7,000 USD assuming that you already had a Macintosh computer system. Or you could visit Dr. Choueiri's lab at Princeton University to have his team take an HRTF measurement and then give you a listening demo. I know that this has been done for some audio industry journalists, but then they are also publishing text or video pieces that effectively work to sell his system.