HDTracks issues

[animalwithin]

I downloaded an album composition of Wagner off of HDTracks and multiple songs within the album are full of really bad static. The song will start out fine but then suddenly the volume will drop and all I get is ear-shrieking static. I've now identified at least half a dozen songs within the album that do this. I've redownloaded the album multiple times, played the files from different sources, etc. and I get the same result.

Anyone have this issue with them?

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

Wagner wrote songs?

 

[animalwithin]

Wagner wrote songs?

Pardon my faux pas, certain scenes within certain acts within the larger composition (in this case it's Parsifal) are producing horrible static, rendering them unlistenable and all attempts to fix it have yielded no success.

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

Pardon my faux pas, certain scenes within certain acts within the larger composition (in this case it's Parsifal) are producing horrible static, rendering them unlistenable and all attempts to fix it have yielded no success.

Just with this download file or on others? If just this one, I'd try re-downloading and if that one is bad too, I'd get a refund. This has happened to me once.

Wagner did write 'songs' but they weren't called that in every streaming music application in the 1800s, and millenials of the day were wiser.

 

[animalwithin]

Just with this download, although I've only ever downloaded twice from HDTracks. Re-downloading hasn't worked unfortunately, looks like I'll have to spring for a refund.

To be a wise millennial in the 1800s, one can only dream

 

[Katji]

[iirc] HDTracks does not have a good reputation. Try this: https://www.google.com/search?q=hdtracks+(legit+OR+reputation) ...and this is a typical example: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hd-tracks-is-so-bad.706424/

 

[animalwithin]

[iirc] HDTracks does not have a good reputation. Try this: https://www.google.com/search?q=hdtracks+(legit+OR+reputation) ...and this is a typical example: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hd-tracks-is-so-bad.706424/

I will stick to ripping from CDs and then using a converter to go from MP3 to FLAC.

 

[NiagaraPete]

I will stick to ripping from CDs and then using a converter to go from MP3 to FLAC.

Why would you do that? RIP to flac.

 

[mansr]

I downloaded an album composition of Wagner off of HDTracks and multiple songs within the album are full of really bad static. The song will start out fine but then suddenly the volume will drop and all I get is ear-shrieking static. I've now identified at least half a dozen songs within the album that do this. I've redownloaded the album multiple times, played the files from different sources, etc. and I get the same result.

Anyone have this issue with them?

What format did you download, and how are you playing the files?

 

[Katji]

Yes, I was going to say, for this genre, better to buy CDs and rip. [Assuming shipping/post is ok for you.]

No way rip to MP3. Lossy compression (data lost, it cannot be re-created, magic does not exist.)
I think you are confused about it because the ripping program you know is designed or set up to produce MP3.

Ripping extracts, decodes, data from CD. The output format is WAV or maybe AIFF Apple equivalent.
The next step done by the ripping program is compression to whichever compressed format. Which are available depends on the ripping program. Apparently most of them have the audio compression codec/s built-in.

EAC (which you should use unless you want to purchase dbPower) ...EAC calls [or invokes or runs] the flac.exe program [or LAME for MP3]
You can configure EAC so that it does not delete the WAV file/s after creating the flac file/s. So you cam keep the WAV files on backup storage if you like.
And then create flac files or MP3 files from them whenever you want.

I prefer that way because I can control the version of flac.exe and options, instead of whatever the developers of whatever ripping software developers/s chose to do.

When you get to doing it, we can help you, I can post pics/description to illustrate.

 

[animalwithin]

@Seeker-Smith I'm still new to all this audiophile stuff so I'm probably doing things the hard way. I have a software that rips to WAV but I can get higher bit rate, sample rate, etc. using another software.

@mansr The other music files I have that are downloaded are MP3 which I then converted to FLAC. I'm playing these on my Sony (which is not a loved DAP on this forum, I know).

@Katji If by EAC you mean Exact Audio Copy, this is the first I am hearing about this and will use it for CD ripping. With respect to MP3 downloads (from iTunes or Amazon for example), is it recommended to spring for something like dbPower?

 

[NiagaraPete]

But there is literally no point in converting. You gain nothing. You can’t improve a file, all you’ve done is wasted time and created an identical copy but in a different format.

 

[animalwithin]

But there is literally no point in converting. You gain nothing. You can’t improve a file, all you’ve done is wasted time and created an identical copy but in a different format.

So in terms of audio quality, there is no difference between MP3, FLAC, WAV, etc.? Is all that just more audiophile myth?

 

[NiagaraPete]

So in terms of audio quality, there is no difference between MP3, FLAC, WAV, etc.? Is all that just more audiophile myth?

Yes there is but remember a couple things.

1) may the source be with you
2) garbage in garbage out

With iTunes I believe you can now buy hi rez files. I don’t know about Amazon. HD Tracks sells hi rez files.

The point is you can’t make a file better. The best you can do is not make it worse which you’ll likely do.

 

[danadam]

So in terms of audio quality, there is no difference between MP3, FLAC, WAV, etc.? Is all that just more audiophile myth?

MP3 is lossy format, FLAC is lossless format, so:

• it makes sense to convert FLAC to MP3, if you want to save disk space by sacrificing quality, e.g. if you want to store more music on SD card for you phone,
• it doesn't make sense to convert MP3 to FLAC, because you cannot regain quality that was lost. All you get is just inflated file size, nothing more.

 

[animalwithin]

This is all very interesting. I was under the impression that in terms of sound quality, FLAC is almost always superior to MP3. So it would behoove me to get rid of all my FLAC files and go back to the original MP3?

I think I'm trying to address discrepancies between audio files through means of conversion, although according to you all, conversion isn't really doing anything, possibly even making things worse. Apparently I've also been trying to make a file "better" as @Seeker-Smith eluded to, which isn't doable.

 

[NiagaraPete]

Now you’re getting it. If you rip a cd to mp3 you have a lossy compressed file, the same cd ripped to flac gives you a lossless version or an exact copy.

 

[rkbates]

This is all very interesting. I was under the impression that in terms of sound quality, FLAC is almost always superior to MP3. So it would behoove me to get rid of all my FLAC files and go back to the original MP3?

I think I'm trying to address discrepancies between audio files through means of conversion, although according to you all, conversion isn't really doing anything, possibly even making things worse. Apparently I've also been trying to make a file "better" as @Seeker-Smith eluded to, which isn't doable.

Depend on the source. If you have a CD, ripping to FLAC loses no quality. Ripping to high bit rate mp3 such as 320 kbps (arguably) produces no audible quality loss. Ripping to lower bit rate mp3 produces audible quality loss. If your original source is mp3, no point converting it as the original data has already been lost

 

[animalwithin]

So if we can generalize, one should just stay away from native MP3? Original source should be hi rez or CD?

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

You'll be best off if you banish MP3 from your mind and think no further of it. It is a lossy format from the days when storage was more limited; that's not true now that storage is plentiful. FLAC is lossless and is my preferred format for ripping from CDs. If some of the files you have are already MP3, the damage has already been done - depending on the bitrate, some audio information has been thrown away and no conversions will be able to retrieve that information. MP3 might not have audible consequences at its higher bitrates, but why throw information away if you don't have to? Just use FLAC or another lossless encoding from this point onward.