HDTracks now offers Surround 5.1 FLAC and DSD downloads

[marpow]

Did they deliver the Beethoven Testaments compressed in a zip file or did you get playable files?

Very encouraging. HDTracks doesn't have DSD256 of that title available in surround like NativeDSD - but 24 bit 192k in surround is excellent and basically analogous to DSD128. It's about 10% cheaper at HDTracks too but you seldom get a booklet there. It's very exciting that they are investing in high res surround downloads. Let's hope they will eventually support more of the music genre!

They delivered playable files. Download, copy over to my NAS, import to JRiver and listen, no different than there stereo downloads, easy as heck.

 

[kamranv]

Would any of you all have interest in me getting Suzanne Ciani - LIVE Quadraphonic (and other future, new quad releases) up on HD Tracks?

After seeing this post, I reached out to them to see what was possible. They said that nearly all of the spacial releases come from the BIS (Naxos) and 2L... which is all classical, I believe. I reached out to them and have not gotten a response. It's likely because I'm not releasing classical music. I currently work with three digital distributors. HD Tracks only works with one of them... and that distributor does not support spacial releases.

I'd be happy to figure out getting the record(s) up there but it seems like it would have to be some sort of situation where it would be a "favor" or hear of overwhelming demand from you all to change how they work.

Let me know if you care here or not. If you do, I'll keep digging... or better yet if you're best friends with the HD Tracks people and can influence them to make this easier/possible, even better.

 

[ubertrout]

Well I thought I would take one for the team and purchased the DSD64 Beethoven. I don't know anything about Beethoven except he is some cat who has a lot of white statues of his head.
So I have no idea if it is a good recording or not, definitely 5.1, weak in the rears. If it was my kind of music, surround wise, not really that great.
View attachment 65421

It would be nice if 2L said what was on the disc a little more readily...it's the 8th and 9th Violin Sonatas; the 9th is the best-known of the 10 violin sonatas. Kind of weird that 2L only released this on SACD in stereo/5.1 - in a lot of their recent recordings they issued them on blu-ray with 7.1 and 9.1/Atmos mixes.

 

[ubertrout]

Would any of you all have interest in me getting Suzanne Ciani - LIVE Quadraphonic (and other future, new quad releases) up on HD Tracks?

After seeing this post, I reached out to them to see what was possible. They said that nearly all of the spacial releases come from the BIS (Naxos) and 2L... which is all classical, I believe. I reached out to them and have not gotten a response. It's likely because I'm not releasing classical music. I currently work with three digital distributors. HD Tracks only works with one of them... and that distributor does not support spacial releases.

I'd be happy to figure out getting the record(s) up there but it seems like it would have to be some sort of situation where it would be a "favor" or hear of overwhelming demand from you all to change how they work.

Let me know if you care here or not. If you do, I'll keep digging... or better yet if you're best friends with the HD Tracks people and can influence them to make this easier/possible, even better.

BIS sells their 5.1 mixes for half the price of HDTracks on their own eClassical site, and throws in a lot of good stuff in the bargain, including stereo and CD-resolution for free. It sort of feels like HDTracks is trying this out but only has material that was (1) easy to get and (2) not likely to sell well because people who want it already have it or can get it cheaper elsewhere. It would be great if more unique content like this could be on HDTracks.