2015/2016/2017 Reissues Available as Downloads

Don't believe so.

 

@lswilson99 : Like Steve said...no, they wouldn't. At least, not automatically, like purchasing through their store. What you might try doing is reading up at FAQ | HDtracks - The World's Greatest-Sounding Music Downloads » and see if the lossless ALAC files will import into itunes, as it is their own proprietary lossless format. I have read of others doing this successfully, but I have no direct experience. (I've never used itunes on OSX personally, only JRiver.)

Whether it imports them directly without downsampling is what I would be concerned about. However, by keeping the original high-res download files around as your backup, and importing only copies into itunes, you would protect the originals and also have that original set for future use, when high-res becomes more commonplace.

HDTracks lets you download in the common WAV or FLAC formats (FLAC is simply like a type of "zip" file for WAV files, where no data is discarded to compress the files), or in Apple ALAC or AIFF (their walled-off equivalents of FLAC and WAV, respectively).

 

Wait until you hear that single undistorted and clean in its high-res version...

 

There really isn't much choice out there. It's either MP3 or M4A from the major download resellers. I don't know why they live in the last decade and don't offer at least CD-level lossless, for the prices they charge. Then we have the choice to convert them to MP3 or WMA (or M4A) for portable use, or burn it to CD.

Thing is, other than Tidal, there is no place to download the albums at CD resolution. And not many listeners are equipped to play high-res files as of yet, except from a computer. I wish more could hear how much better lossless is, but if you consider many of today's music buyers, who buy all the top-selling titles, quality is not even a concern--they wouldn't care how it sounded. And streaming is MP3 quality at best, so that doesn't improve matters either.

 

Deal alert!

At HDTracks:

 

Too bad payday is Tuesday! I may still grab a few more anyway.

 

I know I don't even need a good system to hear how compromised MP3s sound. I've had a few friends, non-audiophiles, who hear this easily. The files have a garbled, even "slurred" sound that is easy to distinguish, especially once compared to the original CD. And on percussion and other sharp sounds, there is a "chirp" artifact that is clearly audible. For car use, I stick to WMA which, like M4A, is way better at the same bitrate. Not ideal, but WAV files can't be tagged, and the car's deck won't play FLAC.

At least with CD (or better) on hand, you can create your own data-compressed files and still have the original to fall back on.

 

I believe that iTunes uses a default codec for their downloads called AAC whereas Amazon uses MP3 (at 320 kbps). Personally I can't hear the difference, but some of our golden-eared members might.

 

MP3--of all the compressed music formats, naturally the one that compromises the sound the most is the one that became the most popular. At least Amazon uses 320kbps for MP3 which helps, but the other formats (WMA, AAC, etc.) can get the same sound quality at a lower bitrate; likewise, at equivalent bitrates, the WMA and AAC files sound better.

I don't even see a need to support lossy formats--Tidal lets you buy true CD quality* downloads, and you can also get high-res versions at Acoustic Sounds and HD Tracks. At least with those, you can do the conversion yourself (to MP3, WMA, AAC, etc.) and still have an unmolested copy for future use. I use WMA since it is more compatible with more players than AAC, but I would use either one if I could not use FLAC.

*Don't believe marketing hype about anything called "CD Quality"--most of it is usually some lossy format that the marketing department decides sounds close enough to CD to fool some people. (This even includes HD Radio and satellite radio, both of which have billed themselves as "CD quality" at some point.) Rest assured that Tidal does sell lossless files at the CD rate (44.1kHz, 16-bit), and you don't have to be a member to purchase music from their store. The only thing is, we hope Tidal weathers the storm. Most of the general public does not "get" that Tidal is not Spotify, nor does it intend to be--it exists as a premium-sounding music service, not directly a Spotify competitor.

 

For music lovers in GB or Europe (about nine countries), you can order and download high-res and CD-resolution files from Qobuz. (Don't ask me how to pronounce it. )

Qobuz - Unlimited music and downloading in 24-Bit Hi-Res. »

Qobuz - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia »

It is not yet available to US users, due to licensing restrictions. But, they do have all of the Herb Alpert and Lani Hall titles available for streaming or purchase.

 

Amazon has deals with the music companies that get renewed or expire, and if they expire then whole catalogs of artists will be gone from Amazon's store. Same with iTunes. I have lots of "partial" albums that used to be available to "complete" but now are not anymore. The music I previously bought is still there of course -- if they lost THAT there would be hell to pay -- but it's irritating to think of a song I liked but hadn't bought, only to find that it's not available anymore.

This is why I still like to buy the physical version, unless there's a song I KNOW is the only one from that album that I want.