Quote from: LFF on April 04, 2013, 02:43:57 PM

Hmmm...might I suggest...



BTW...I prefer the original first pressing for this one.

I have an original Countdown on German vinyl. It's too bright and too thin in the mids like the original CD, but it's the best that there currently is. MFSL's "original master recording" is a crock of shit. it's not an original anything. The original master tape shows up with 75Khz+ of FR on the vinyl. Both the MFSL vinyl and CD were taken from the 2004 remaster - the MFSL vinyl tops out at 48Khz, and it has the same crappy "drum machine" sound as the standard '04. Dave absolutely RUINED the sound of the drums.

Aside from that, and I assume this is MFSL's fault, in their versions they went too far in the other direction with the highs, they're too recessed.

It's been a LONG time since I have heard this album. I might have to revisit it with my good friend, Mr. Sontec, EQ. 

Quote from: DaveBSC on April 04, 2013, 05:11:37 AM

The day that the Loudness War hits high-res files in full force is the day that everyone will stop giving a shit about high-res and HDTracks, and go back to buying first press vinyl.

Yes, that's why I stopped visiting the site since last year.  I don't trust them anymore.  I've gone back to my transport despite the slight inconvenience.  The potential of digital media and improved quality is turning into a perverted mythology.  I'm not repeating my past errors of walking into a tower records, buying 30 classical cds and ending up with only 4-5 worth a damn.  Until I can track their releases, just No.  I have a very pessimistic view of the direction of digital music currently.

WADR, I think you're misapportioning the blame here.

HDTracks is a record store, not a record company.  They can only sell what they can buy.  The hi-res version of "Countdown to Extinction" is massively compromised because the label thinks that's what people want and the band didn't say "no."  I've always found it somewhat odd that people blame HDTracks for things that they don't blame Amoeba for.

You can argue that HDTracks, hiresaudio, Qobuz, and the rest of them should try to exert pressure on labels to provide better-sounding files if they want the additional margin that comes with premium pricing.  You can also argue that the distributors should exert more pressure on labels to provide more accurate information about provenance, dynamic range, etc., which they can then post so that consumers can make informed buying decisions. I agree with both of those arguments.

Blaming HDTracks for the poor quality of (some, not all, of) the files they distribute is analogous to blaming Ralph's when you open that box of Cheerios you bought there and find it half-empty.

Besides, Ralph's let's us return that half-empty box of Cheerios. With HDtracks, were are SOL.

Ralph's lets you return the half-empty box of Cheerios for three reasons, two economic and one legal.

(1) They value good customer relationships.

(2) They know that when they give you your money back, they're going to get a credit from General Mills.

(3) They are subject to truth-in-labeling laws, which they violate when the box says "11.5 oz." and the contents only weigh six ounces.

Certainly, (1) would apply with equal force to an on-line distributor of digital music files.  There are stories (perhaps apochryphal, perhaps not) of people getting refunds from HDTracks, and there are instances in which they have pulled product off the "shelf" when it was shown to not be what it purported to be.  As to (2), it's possible, but having never seen any of the agreements between HDTracks and its suppliers, I'm not prepared to make any assertion either way.  It's certainly true in the case of music on physical media: if you return a slab of vinyl because of non-fill, the company that sold it to you will get a credit from the label.  As to (3), who knows?  Not all marketing hype is illegal, and one assumes that HDTracks' website copy is vetted by competent lawyers.

Everybody's experience is different.  My experience with HDTracks, on balance, has been pretty good.  For the vast majority of what I buy from them, "first press vinyl" is unobtanium, and I'm willing to bet a couple of bucks on the proposition that the hi-res file I can get from them sounds better than the CD I can get from Amazon (when the "bet" is $14, as in the case of the new Tomasz Stanko album, not so much; I'm buying that on CD).

If you've been disappointed, I'm sorry to hear that, and by all means vote with your wallet.

But I don't see what's gained by focusing all of the blame for a flawed supply chain on the actor that's arguably least responsible for the problem.

There's a new "audiophile" 24/96 version of Countdown To Extinction on HDTracks.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Megadeth / Countdown to Extinction
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR         Peak         RMS     Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR5       -0.30 dB    -6.13 dB      3:15 01-Skin O' My Teeth
DR5       -0.30 dB    -6.94 dB      4:01 02-Symphony of Destruction
DR5       -0.30 dB    -6.82 dB      3:35 03-Architecture of Aggression
DR4       -0.30 dB    -5.92 dB      4:17 04-Foreclosure of a Dream
DR6       -0.30 dB    -8.18 dB      5:03 05-Sweating Bullets
DR5       -0.30 dB    -6.55 dB      3:42 06-This Was My Life
DR6       -0.30 dB    -7.20 dB      4:17 07-Countdown to Extinction
DR5       -0.30 dB    -6.70 dB      4:11 08-High Speed Dirt
DR6       -0.30 dB    -7.60 dB      4:42 09-Psychotron
DR6       -0.30 dB    -7.23 dB      4:14 10-Captive Honour
DR5       -0.30 dB    -6.68 dB      6:11 11-Ashes in Your Mouth
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks:  11
Official DR value: DR5

Samplerate:        96000 Hz
Channels:          2
Bits per sample:   24
Bitrate:           3244 kbps
Codec:             FLAC

This sort of thing should be criminal. The day that the Loudness War hits high-res files in full force is the day that everyone will stop giving a shit about high-res and HDTracks, and go back to buying first press vinyl. It's absolutely the master that matters. Unfortunately a proper master of Countdown doesn't exist. The original was done with a "smile" EQ and is all bass and cymbals, and the remasters are all godawful.

Yeah ive got the MSFL release which looks a bit better on the DR front

foobar2000 1.1.11 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2013-04-04 16:03:02

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Megadeth / Countdown To Extinction (Remaster)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR         Peak         RMS     Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR8       -0.37 dB    -9.47 dB      3:17 01-Skin O' My Teeth
DR8       -0.10 dB    -9.31 dB      4:08 02-Symphony Of Destruction
DR8       -0.42 dB    -9.82 dB      3:40 03-Architecture Of Aggression
DR7       -0.58 dB    -8.88 dB      4:23 04-Foreclosure Of A Dream
DR9       -0.10 dB   -11.05 dB      5:28 05-Sweating Bullets
DR8       -0.10 dB   -10.03 dB      3:43 06-This Was My Life
DR8       -0.12 dB    -9.63 dB      4:19 07-Countdown To Extinction
DR8       -0.10 dB    -8.39 dB      4:21 08-High Speed Dirt
DR8       -0.10 dB    -9.22 dB      4:42 09-Psychotron
DR7       -0.10 dB    -8.66 dB      4:15 10-Captive Honour
DR8       -0.10 dB    -8.98 dB      6:14 11-Ashes In Your Mouth
DR8       -0.37 dB    -9.16 dB      3:19 12-Crown Of Worms
DR7       -0.10 dB    -8.24 dB      3:56 13-Countdown To Extinction (Demo)
DR7       -0.11 dB    -9.03 dB      5:30 14-Symphony Of Destruction (Demo)
DR8       -0.10 dB    -8.99 dB      5:29 15-Psychotron (Demo)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks:  15
Official DR value: DR8

Samplerate:        44100 Hz
Channels:          2
Bits per sample:   16
Bitrate:           999 kbps
Codec:             ALAC
================================================================================



But luckily for me, its one of my least favorite Megadeth CDs, i pretty much only listen to Killing is my business, peace sells, and rust in peace...