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It is sad that no one talks about it and it is very not clear what is going on. It looks like the companies that sell hi-res files feel that the phrase hi-res is automatically an assurance of some kind of “quietly”.  Well, they most likely deal with “audiophiles” – the sick breed that would eat shit with spoon then they were told that the small of shit is a new fashionable French perfume….

The Reference Recordings has a few 24/176.4 titles. Let take for instance their Exotic Dances disk. I do not know if I would buy it in 24/176.4 as it is old recording and everyone knows it and have it for years - I do not buy music to prove the stupid audiophile concepts.  Still let to take this disk as an example. The assholes from Tape Projects would scream that the RR masters were analog tape. The Reference Recordings say it was 24/176.4. Let presume that it was the 24/176.4, which is most likely. Then we go HDTracks.

http://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=catalogdetail&valbum_code=HD030911107123

take a look, the very same recording is now belong sold in 96khz/24bit format.  I am absolutely convinced that Reference Recordings would record in 48X, so the question is “What is going on?” Did the HDTracks sell their hi-res as upsampled 44/16 or they took the RR 24/176.4 and vandalized it from 4X of 44K to 2X or 48K. In either case what they do is semi-criminal crap that unfortunates discredit the whole hi-res notion.

Or for instance let take Linn Records. Linn Records runs probably the most advanced hi-res files operation. They record own music and have professionally implements site with properly done download service. Very good Linn! Still there are some “issuers”.

Let look at the following recording:

http://www.linnrecords.com/recording-gustav-mahler--symphonie-no--6.aspx

There is a product that they call “Studio Master” and it is FLAC 24bit 192kHz. Ok, I presume that 192/24 was the format it was recorded in – very good. Still, it was not recorded in FLAC! If they charge a bit more and allow to buy large 192kHz file and call them “Studio Master” then why do not sell the copies of the Masters. FLAC is armature stupid compressed format – who the hell need it? I understand if Lynn would sell budget-price file in FLAC format but to sell their top of the line files in FLAC is beyond me. Linn says:

“FLAC files can be imported into many media players, such as the Linn DS digital stream player, but unfortunately Microsoft does not yet support high bit-rate FLAC, so these files will not play in Windows Media Player. There are many other FLAC players available such as Media Monkey and Foobar. FLAC Studio Masters play in Play and VLC, but not in Cog or MPlayer. It is however very easy to transcode FLAC to several other lossless formats. “

I am sorry but the player of the level MediaMonkey and Foobar are crap – why Linn insist that their top of the line files to be played by inferior player? Then Linn suggests converting FLAC into other formats to play it – very smart move!!! With the stupidity like this Linn effectively kills own 192kHz businesses for the people who have brain and ears. I for instance decided to buy a few Linn files but I was tuned off with Linn FLAC agenda. Then they have WMA 24bit 96kHz “Studio Master”. It is imidetaly two questions pop up:

1)      How the files were converted to 96kHz from 192kHz?  At certain level it is a BIG question: I what to know how it was done in order to evaluate how much it was destroyed.  Why the hi-res companies failed to mention it. The files that are recorded in 96kHz sound much better then the files that were recorded in 192kHz and then converted to 96kHz. So, if I buy the hi-res file then it is my prerogative to know how they were processed.

2)      I am sure the files were not recorded in WMA, that is basically a sort of compressed format but most likely in uncompressed WAV or AIFF. The conversion from WAV/AIFF to WMA very dramatically reduces the quality of the file. Does anybody care about it in Lynn? Way do not sell the 96kHz or 192kHz original WAV files?

So, if to look at the hi-res files story then it very ugly picture – the companies- providers can go away with anything. It is not regulated and there was no critical reviewing voice that might be in opposition to the hi-res providers defending interests of better sound and hi-res purity. There are a few clowns out there who literally suck the hi-res providers’ dicks for each file they get from them. There are no critics, not decisive reviewing, not quality control, nothing and if the providers would sell sound of AM radio then as long it will have  hi-res sampling rate then the Morons would swalow it with no further question asked.

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