I have a massive collection of flacs derived from 44.1 Khz CD's. I also have quite a number of HD tracks ranging from 24/48 up to 24/384. In many case I have the same album in both HD and 44.1. Most of the time, when comparing a HD track that was distilled from a HD master against the 44.1 version of the same track, the HD variant is better. Sometimes very much so. For HD tracks distilled from 44.1 or old analogue masters there is sometimes and improvement and sometimes very little perceivable difference. For tracks with wide dynamic range (typically orchestral stuff) distilled from HD masters there is a very considerable difference between the HD and 44.1. Anyone that doesn't hear that improvement should probably not spend too much on their audio systems.
Assuming the HD track is distilled form a HD master the most significant factor affecting the HD quality improvement is the dynamic range of the material. The physics behind the dynamic range improvement of HD recordings are widely published. If you have the gear and the inclination try comparing a standard 44.1 version of Cassandra Wilson's 'New Moon Daughter' album with the 24/192 recording from HD tracks. The improvement is astonishing. A number of other albums are similarly improved. For orchestral/wide dynamic range HD is almost always better when a HD master has been used ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SeanMiddleton's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=65522 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=108499 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
