[LFF]

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For the few people that commented on not hearing the binaural effect, which headphones were you using?  It's long been said that binaural works best on very flat headhones, not colored ones.  I'd think this would work best on things like ER4, K70x, HD800, HE-6, etc.

 
 
As an amateur binaural recording enthusiast, I can confirm that the less colored (aka more neutral) your headphones are, the better the binaural effect will be. While I haven't heard the Chesky Binaural tracks on this album, I know there are many obstacles to overcome in order to get a great binaural recording that translates the best for the vast majority of the population.

 

[El_Doug]

The headphones used don't really matter, given that the first binaural album works flawlessly on the very same setup. 

 

[Rdr. Seraphim]

Yet, on my same setup, the difference is apparent with both albums. I suppose Chesky could release one or two  sample files in normal stereo soundfield. Maybe then you'd hear the difference?  
Quote:

The headphones used don't really matter, given that the first binaural album works flawlessly on the very same setup. 

 

[LFF]

Quote:

The headphones used don't really matter, given that the first binaural album works flawlessly on the very same setup. 

Read my comment again....
 
I can confirm that the less colored (aka more neutral) your headphones are, the better the binaural effect will be.

 

[jtaylor991]

Quote:

Anyone find the binaural severely lacking in this album?  Not sure if it is this particular recording, or this new "Binaural+" headphone/speaker technique, but the spatial positioning is simply 90% not there.  I bought Chesky's first binaural album (the percussion one) back when that was first released, and it had an incredible feel of being in the room with the musicians, truly amazing.  This one, on the other hand, simply sounds like very good stereo, but still with a side/side image only. 
 
Am I the only one disappointed with this?  Am I the only one experiencing this!? 
 
 
Don't get me wrong, the music is just as well recorded as always from Chesky, I'm just not getting the desired effect here.  I do enjoy the various tunes, though! 

 
I listened to a few of the samples on the page and I felt the same way. Good imaging, but everything felt a bit far away (from what I listened to, the singer on the first or second track was close up though, and the guitar was off to the left, so it sounded very unrealistic unless it was meant to show someone else playing the guitar, but this seems unnatural for a song like that in general to me)/distant, and echo-y..y'know?
 
Edit: I never heard the first one, but I was let down in the previews that I heard. Maybe my expectations were unrealistic but in a way so was the music. I was expecting to be surrounded by instruments playing music in an upfront, lively manner, but all I heard was an improved stereo soundstage that had good depth and was wider, making it feel a bit weird to me compared to what I'm used to. No extreme steps for music-lover kind IMHO. I'll go listen to the first one (Explorations In Space And Time) before I judge whether I even like binaural or if it just makes me feel awkward.
 
Edit 2: Are the online samples actually good enough though or do I need to buy it to get it all/absorb and take it in? Maybe I'll buy it just for the music (especially sicne there's a refular version).

 

[IEMCrazy]

Does anyone know if the 24/96 versions file corruption issues mentioned have been fixed yet?  I'd love to buy it, but I know HDTracks is a nightmare if the download is bad...

 

[rgs9200m]

Thanks Jude for this. By the way Jude, thanks for doing a great job-- Headfi is the best site around by far.

 

[Dave1972]

Quote:

Okay guys, has anyone run into this problem with this album like I did? I purchased the binaural album about a week ago actually, the 96/24 version. It was great, as many others have pointed out, but there were 4 track files that were heavily distorted and caused severe playback errors. They were track 10, 14, 15, and 26, to be specific. The remaining 22 songs all played OK without any issues. I addressed this problem to HDTracks, and they sent me those 4 tracks for me to download again, but the problem still persisted with those tracks. So I emailed HDTracks again, telling them that the problem isn't fixed, and later they replied that they too found out the problem, but were simply "waiting for instructions." I haven't heard from them since.
 
Am I the only one who noticed this? Did anyone else have problem with the 96/24 version of the above-mentioned 4 tracks? Since the rest of the 22 tracks play fine in my system, I'm pretty sure something's wrong with those specific tracks. I hope HDTracks does something fast to fix this, before more unaware buyers purchase the album to find out some of the files are messed up.

The problem is those four tracks (10, 14, 15, 26) have been put in 4-channel containers, not 2-channel stereo ones. There's obviously been a serious error at HDTracks. I have checked these FLACs in Audacity, and channels 3 & 4 are just silent. They are very easy to fix using your software of choice to dump those silent channels and re-convert to 2-channel FLAC losslessly. I used Saracon to split out the channels, dump the silent ones, then re-interleave them. It worked a treat!

 

[grokit]

Hmm... as 96/24 would be my preferred download I will hold off on this.

 

[Dave1972]

Quote:

Hmm... as 96/24 would be my preferred download I will hold off on this.

Please read my comment above - the problem with those four corrupt 24/96 tracks is very easily fixed.

 

[jude]

Quote:

Please read my comment above - the problem with those four corrupt 24/96 tracks is very easily fixed.

 
Chesky fixed those tracks a few days ago. I re-downloaded the 24/96 and 16/44 albums, and they work fine. Let me know if you guys are still having problems, and, if so, I'll give them a call.

 

[LemanRuss9]

a shame,i cant purchase this.since im outside of the US

 

[Jeff Graw]

Quote:

I think you can re-download any album you purchased by browsing your orders archives. I could be wrong though. I'm pretty sure there's a way though.

 
Nope.
 
Q: What if I accidentally erase my HDtracks from my hard drive?
A: We encourage you to back up all of your music files. HDtracks cannot be responsible for lost files. However, if you lose a file while the download is in progress, please contact us and we will help you to complete the process.
 
When combined with their overcharging for high resolution files, this is pretty lame, especially considering how cheaply one can pick up SACDs.
 
There is a definite niche for downloadable high resolution music, but with their high prices and backwards single download policy, HD tracks has failed to meet it

 

[Benjamin6264]

Quote:

 
Nope.
 
Q: What if I accidentally erase my HDtracks from my hard drive?
A: We encourage you to back up all of your music files. HDtracks cannot be responsible for lost files. However, if you lose a file while the download is in progress, please contact us and we will help you to complete the process.
 
When combined with their overcharging for high resolution files, this is pretty lame, especially considering how cheaply one can pick up SACDs.
 
There is a definite niche for downloadable high resolution music, but with their high prices and backwards single download policy, HD tracks has failed to meet it

That's quite disappointing. I suppose one could re-download them from file sharing websites. I don't think it would be prohibited, considering that they did purchase the music already.

 

[MorbidToaster]

Your ISP won't see it that way.
 
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That's quite disappointing. I suppose one could re-download them from file sharing websites. I don't think it would be prohibited, considering that they did purchase the music already.