Hi Rez downloads - how to play?

iTunes will play them but iPods and iPhones will not. They are limited to a max of 24/48 for some reason and also not well disclosed since they advertise that they can play ALAC but not that it cannot handle all ALAC files

I'm similarly disappointed with VLC on the iphone which I had hoped would allow for 24/96 playback but VLC for iOS dosn't even play audio files, only video files

 

+4 Thanks, MartyTem for the recommendation!

 

You can use Toast to author a 24/96 PCM music DVD. It's not a DVD-A, but will play on any DVD player or universal player.

 

Thanks for this info. The Edirol DAC has ASIO driver, which I installed.

So maybe this is a stupid question, but let's say I play a 24/96 download, and I still have my DAC set at 44.1. Is it the driver itself that downconverts? Or is it something in Foobar?

I don't have many 24/96 files, but I should flip the switch on my DAC to 96, and try it out. Then compare with with 44.1 setting. I bought the Beatles USB, which is mainly why I have it set at 44.1. That and the fact I was doing needledrops at 24/44.1 just like the Beatles hi-res files.

Sorry, but one more question. If I set to 96 and play a 44.1 file, I assume it will upconvert? Any advantage in this?

 

Looks like Barry beat me to it.

 

Hi duneman,

Yes. I have 24/96 .aif files as well as 24/192 .aif files in iTunes and it plays them all.

As long as the connected DAC can play them and Audio/MIDI Setup is matched to the native rate of the file, there is no problem going to 24/192. If you are using the Mac's internal D-A conversion, I believe the limit will be 24/96.

(If the rate set in Audio/MIDI Setup is not matched to the file you are listening to, the system will utilize its internal sample rate conversion during playback, which to my ears, brightens and hardens the sound. I always match the setting to the file.)

Hope this helps.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

I have been struggling with Tom Petty Damn The Torpedoes 24/96 downloads. After finally getting the uncorrupted files for the LP, I tried to burn the FLAC files to CD with Nero 10.1 and it burned a blank disc with indexing. Then I tried the Wav files and Nero doesn't recognize them. Had to use a different PC because FLAC wouldn't convert them. Other PC had same version 1.71 of FLAC. ? . Then tried Media Monkey to burn WAV files and disc was unreadable. Finally burned a copy from FLAC with Media Monkey.

I wish I had a program that would handle FLAC, 24/96 and burn CD and Audio DVDs (would like DVD-A) and was a decent player file manager. I have used Foobar 2000 (not sure what burning capabilities can be added) and Media Monkey (adding Files and management seem difficult to me).

 

All your answers appear earlier in this thread. Lplex or the circlinca program (or the not free DVD Audio Creator) will make DVD-V's with up to about 125 minutes of 24/96 LPCM per 4.7G DVD. Other programs can make DVD-A's, which AFAIK have no advantage for a 2-channel 24/96 program. Foobar, Winamp, iTunes etc will play them from a computer as music server.

Burning DVD's on Macs is a bit more complicated, Toast will put at least a one second gap between tracks, so you'd need to get a separate DVD authoring program in order to go gapless, if that matters.

 

I have been using the new program AyreWave which doesn't require back-and forth trips to Audio/MIDI Setup to change the sample rate. It is extremely simple to use and also integrates with iTunes.

http://sbooth.org/AyreWave/

 

That sounds like a very cool program

 

Buy a $99 AppleTV and stream it from iTunes on your Mac or PC. I streamed one of the 24/96 tracks from All Things Must Pass today and it sounded great. The best thing is that despite the name, you don't even really need a TV. You can control the music via AirPlay with iTunes, an iPhone, and iPod touch or an iPad.

 

You could use an Airport Express to do this, too.

In the past, the problem with AirTunes is that is downsampled hi-res to 16/44.1 for wireless transport. Now that AirTunes has been retooled into AirPlay, it is possible that hi-res wireless transport is supported. I am waiting to hear from Apple on this. I sure hope so.

 

Another user of ayrewave for the mac here. LOVE this app. I've simply linked the whole iTunes Music folder. Every time I open the app, it mirrors what's in iTunes. The on-the-fly sample rate change is awesome. No more manual switching necessary.

 

It might not play at all. The only way to know, is to try it. All DACs act differently. Foobar will not down or upconvert anything, unless you engage a resampling plug-in.

Give it a shot.

If you hear an improvement, then there is an advantage (assuming it plays at all, which it might not). I doubt you will, but I don't have your ears.

BTW I second the recommendation of LPLEX, a freeware program for authoring audio only DVDs (not DVD-Audios) with up to 24/96 rates

 

I totally just used circlinca to create a DVDA twofer of the ATMP and BOTR downloads. Best twofer ever? Yes.

 

IMO, the cirlinca program is great for the money and ease of use.

 

+1 on MediaMonkey. Milkdrop visuals rock, too!

 

My friend creates DVD-Audios for me from hirez files. Works well.

 

If you have a Sony Playstation (I think) or a Sony XA5400ES SACD/CD Player, you can make your own DSDs from hi rez downloads and DVD-Audios.

First, on your computer: create a hi-rez DSD disc (using blank DVD-Rs) and Korg Audiogate software (available for free but requires twitter account). Then, on your stereo: simply play the DSD disc that you just made. Unfortunately, not many disc players can play DSD discs but this method works great for me!

 

I used Toast (v.8) to burn the George Harrison/All Things Must Pass high res download (24/96) to a "music" DVD. Plays great (in high res) on my Yamaha DVD/CD/DVD-A/SACD player, and my old Sony DVD player. Toast does have that limitation of no less than 1 second between tracks, though.

Toast also made it easy to make a CD version for my car. I just dragged the high-res files into the Toast "audio cd" window and burned a CD. I think Toast did the downsampling on the fly.

BTW, Toast 8 works just fine on my iMac with OS 10.6.4. I thought about upgrading to Toast 10 the other day, but I didn't see anything that I really needed on the spec sheet.

Barry's tips here and elsewhere helped me figure some of this out. Thanks, Barry.

 

I'm going to try the J River software this week.

Till now, like mentionned before:

Mediamonkey
+ Direct USB connection to USB-port of my Marantz KI Pearl Lite.

(when you connect the cd player to the PC, it installs some kind of soundblaster driver on your pc including 24/96 hi-rez, for those with a "basic soundcard" that doesn't support hi-rez)

It really sounds incredible! (I don't know if it's worth to add an extra dac? - thinking of Benchmark USB dac or Northstar USB dac).

Many of my 24 bit files sound as good as sacd (some even better). Think of Beatles Stereo USB, Band On The Run (HDtracks without DRC), All Things Must Pass, Damn The Torpedoes and the free HDtracks sampler.

Can't wait for more "real" hi rez downloads ...

But real ones, no upconverted stuff like Steely Dan's "Gaucho" which I didn't bought.

It took some time ... but I'm finally getting into "digital hi-rez files". Sounds so much better than standard cd's, equal to 90% of my sacd's.

I think I will buy some kind of silent netbook or notebook to add to my stereo-setup for audio-use only.

Soon will give it a try to rip some concert dvd's and blu-rays, and play the 2.0 channel via my pc through the Marantz.

 

If it is FLAC then just download Winamp for playback. If you are using 2496 wav from the likes of BlueCoast...I use my Sony SoundForge Audio Studio recording program for playback. The new version will do 24192. If you buy that program then you could record your own needledrops at 2496 given you have dac support in your computer.

For all of $85 if you have firewire I/O card, I use 2 Behringer FCA 202 2496 firewire boxes, one for my laptop and one for my desktop. The audio out is balance if your preamp or integrated amp can take that output. The input is unbalanced. They also have a decent headphone out put for private listening. The only draw back is it will not do 88.2, but that is not a deal breaker for me for the money. Redbook and 2496 sound great to me.

Although I have given thought to buying a Benchmark usb model, I am most satisfied with this very inexpensive set up for now. I know USB has come a long way, but why the industry did not stick with firewire is beyond me. But, what's done is done.

I have not heard of others talk about the Behringer FCA 202 on this forum, but I don't think you can do better 2496 I/O for $85 anywhere else. IMHO I'm guessing it is to cheap to be taken seriously.

I should also add that if you record 2496 wav files you can buy the$40 Audio DVD Creator Program download and burn (with your own DVD burner) your own 2496 files on DVD+R for playback in any dvd player.

 

So, with this product, I can easily burn the Harrison and McCartney hi-rez files to create a hi-rez DVD-A? Works fine in Windows 7? Will my Plextor PK-7555A DVD burner be all I need hardware wise to get this done?

 

...or you could get a Logitech Touch and play them directly.