Bill Evans - Waltz For Debby HDtracks remaster

Has anyone heard the new 24/96 or 24/192 remaster of this album being sold by HDtracks? Wondering how it stacks up against other versions.
Here is the press blurb about the transfer process:

https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=artistdetail&id=9559

 

Technically interesting...

however, misses the point that 'waltz' is already mixed down from the performance tapes (see Bill Evans Complete village Vanguard set for the performances from these, albeit CD only)

Don't let that small fact put you off, though. WfD is a great sounding record in all it's forms. Is this a new transfer for HDTracks? OOh. It is. Nice. Someone should let us know what this one is like.

This makes HDTracks far more interesting, more like The Tape Project.

 

I have the OJC mastered by Joe Tarantino and the Analogue Productions mastered by Doug Sax. I downloaded the 24/192 a week or so ago from HDTracks.

Sonically, the HDTracks is more revealing, the cymbals are clean with far more air and longer decay. The piano sounds like it's in your room. I don't get any sense of compression or EQ tweaking. Smooth, warm, relaxing, as it should sound. Overall, it's not night and day differences, but on an open, revealing system it is quite noticeable and pleasant. This is my new go to version.


The sound level is a touch quieter than the OJC, much quieter than the Sax AP. The wave form resembles the OJC.

On the first track, My Foolish Heart, The OJC peaks at .58/.81 (left/right)
The Sax AP is .93/.93 and HDTracks is .60/.68. The piano is on the right, and as you can see, it's much louder on the OJC, pretty even on the AP, and slightly louder on the HDTracks. I think the HDTracks has it right.

I went with the 24/192 because...well, just because...but I think the 24/96 would be fine, and cheaper.

The sonogram shows an interesting line at 30k...I wonder if that's background noise, tape hiss, dolby marker?



YMMV, but I am happy.

 

THANKS FOR THE INFO & review ~

 

Good to know that, Steve. Increases the likelihood I'll be buying a fair number of HD downloads when I go Stateside in October.

 

I'd say that was recording bias signal. Nice to see it, if so. Shows a) all the signal on the tape is coming off, and being digitised and b) the tape has awesome HF response in all.

In another place, people with nice servers and even nicer vinyl rigs are preferring the 45rpm, the 24/192 liked a little less. YMMV, of course, depending on equipment. I find one's choice of d/a probably more significant than phono preamp here these days, and that's only at CD rez for me... and that's before we get into preferences and the like...

 

I wonder does it have the same tracklisting (all original tracks present) and running time (nothing is shortened) ?

 

That's a pretty low frequency for a bias oscillator. They're usually over 100k.

 

Is it easy to buy/download one of these files and transfer it at 24/192 to a DVD-Audio disc so that I can have this high resolution sound in my listening room?

 

10 Tracks, 1:05:53. Same track list as the OJC and Analogue Productions.

 

I purchased this download and think it's one of the best hi-rez transfers I've ever heard.
In my opinion I believe the transfer was done when the Tape Project was working on the same title. It sounds like a flat transfer to me. I hope we get more work like this because this is hi-rez done right.

 

I would love to hear about the results of a blinded A/B shootout between these downloads and the Tape Project.

 

Interesting to see if the upcoming shm-sacd uses this source...

 

Nice to hear the endorsement of his work. I know you've done a 45rpm vinyl remaster, but I haven't heard that (yet). I'm now itching to hear this new digital version.

 

Keep in mind HDtracks has nothing to do with the mastering... they just sell whatever labels give them. In my limited experience with buying their stuff, it's hit or miss (as you would expect with different masterings). Some of the stuff they sell is hot "hi-definition" at all..

 

This one I'll pickup. I've been very skeptical of the sources for some of HD Tracks titles. Since they are telling you on this one I get the 24/192. I really wanted to get some of the Tape Project tapes but at $500 a title a little to rich for me.

 

It remains a mystery, then.

 

Downloaded the 24/192, quite breathtaking, it definitely has the you are there vibe. The cymbals have a sheen that I haven't heard on any previous issues. The low level details of the crowd can be clearly heard.

 

Some of my more crazy friends have downloaded both resolutions. They like them both, but for different reasons. I appreciate the care Stubblebine has taken with the separate transfers, but as B. Diament has repeatedly pointed out, it's still quite difficult to do 24/192 right.

FWIW, some liked the 'lower resolution' sound better. All have non-pro 24/192 capable playback of mostly silly (as in d/a more than my system) price level.

 

I can't imagine liking the 24/96 playback better all things being equal. Every true 24/192 file I've played sound incredible.

 

Kevin

I think that it is fairly easy. I was able to transfer the Africa Brass download, although that was 24/96. I'll check the software that I used if you are interested.

Denis

 

Well, I'd mostly agree, but all things may not be equal.

I bet that if Paul Stubblebine got better sound by downsampling the 24/192 he would have used that one. It's tricky, as we all know from reading the shenanagins here.

I also suspect we're talking about small differences too.

 

The 24/96 files do indeed sound good. Haven't heard the 24/192 files yet but the 96k transfer compares favorably to the, up to now, best digital versions. Not "night and day" better but definitely nice.

 

I've heard the XRCD and SACD of Waltz for Debby may not have been transferred from the original work part source tapes. Is this true? Further, does this HDtracks use work part source reels (i.e. the tapes actually used on site at the remote location recording) and thus not evince the dropouts heard on the SACD and XRCD? Has anyone compared these with the HDtracks?