Hi-Res Downloads

Tord Gustavsen Trio
Seeing (88.2kHz/24-bit, WAV)
www.ecmrecords.com; ECM 2020

Read down the tracklist of this set by pianist Gustavsen, long-term partner in jazz Jarle Vespestad and bassist Steinar Raknes (who last worked with the duo on 2022’s Opening), and you’ll expect a reflective, hymn-like feel. After all, there’s ‘Jesus, Make Me Still’, ‘The Old Church’, ‘Beneath Your Wisdom’ or ‘Nearer My God, To Thee’. And quiet reflection’s almost what you’ll get, the Scandinavian trio delivering a gentle, well-considered 44 minutes of music with a serene calm to it, and a marked absence of ‘because we can’ jazz noodling or indulgent solos. Instead, we get influences from Bach to folk-hymns, all played with real heart and soul – and of course the three musicians recorded with the sympathetic gorgeousness that’s the hallmark of the ECM label. The musicianship here is as remarkable as the recording (made at Studios La Buissonne), and the sense of peace and tranquillity magical. AE

Sound Quality: 95%

Lab Report

This is an ECM recording so, as can usually be relied upon, dynamic range is excellent and peaks are not normalised but fall within –1d8Fs to –3.3dBFs. Sadly there is some ‘untidiness’ with possible flyback spuriae at 19kHz and 38kHz. PM

Anthony Inglis/NSO
Rimsky-Korsukov Scheherazade (192kHz/24-bit, WAV)
www.chasingthedragon.co.uk; Chasing The Dragon, n/a cat: no.

Whatever the maritime version of warhorse is, Rimsky-Korsuko’s 1888 symphonic suite is it: recorded many, many times – the first being in 1916 – and much used by ice dancers, it’s a staple of the orchestral repertoire. Room for another version? When it’s as good as this one, from Mike Valentine’s Chasing The Dragon label, the answer is definitely ‘yes’. Recorded at Henry Wood Hall, this release has quite staggering dynamics, detail and resolution, and an almost palpable sense of the orchestra before the listener that transcends the familiarity of the music. Yes, the price reflects the limited numbers likely to be sold – £35. In the stereo WAV version here, binaural or Double DSD binaural – but the cost of admission is worth it if you want to hear what your system can do with a remarkable recording. Valentine says it’s his best yet, and I’ve no argument with that. AE

Sound Quality: 90%

Lab Report

Recorded via eight vintage mics on a Studer A80 tape deck, dynamic range is well above average though the 4th Mov. peaks at 0.0dBFs. Spuriae is obvious on the L channel above the 30kHz tape limit during (digital) mastering [black]. PM

Trichotomy
Suite For Percussion (48kHz/24-bit, WAV)
www.trichotomymusic.com; Trichotomy Music n/a cat. no.

Nothing if not inventive, Brisbane-based trio Trichotomy seems always to be exploring new avenues down which to take their music, from collaborations with songwriter Danny Widdicombe to performances and a live recording with a string quartet. They also play gigs here in the UK, combining serious musicianship with wit and fun. This album is the culmination of a project with master classical percussionist Nozomi Omote, bringing to the band's already rhythmic-but-melodic sound delights including marimba, drums and more. And it works, wonderfully - aided by a crisp, punchy and weighty recording. The seven tracks here are intriguing, involving and just flat-out enjoyable, with convoluted rhythms to keep the feet tapping (almost) in time, while Sean Foran's piano and Samuel Vincent's bass sound out above the drumming of Omote and John Parker. AE

Sound Quality: 85%

Lab Report

The first five tracks here are normalised to a high -0.1dBFs - prompting fears of intersample clipping with DACs lacking any digital headroom - while dynamic range is merely 'average'. Otherwise this 48kHz rendering is very clean. PM

Agustin Maruri
Heitor Villa-Lobos, Complete Solo Guitar Music (96kHz/24-bit, FLAC to DXD; DSD512)
www.nativedsd.com; HR Recordings E-143-HR

As simple pleasures go, the sound of fine music, played superbly, and recorded to a very high standard, is going to take some beating. And that's what we have here in the form of a comprehensive survey of the guitar music of the celebrated composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, of what the liner notes tell us is 'modern Ibero-American' - for which read Brazilian - music. You can almost feel the heat and sunlight in these performances by Agustín Maruri, which are recorded close-up - the sound of fingers moving on the fretboard adds to the presence - but with plenty of space for the resonance of the instrument to be heard. With a generous running time of just over 78 minutes, this set nonetheless flies by in a wave of enjoyment. It will reward repeated listens, the better to appreciate the artistry of composer and performer alike. AE

Sound Quality: 85%

Lab Report

HR Recordings (a branch of EMEC DISCOS) records at 352.8kHz/32-bit, the file offered here downsampled to 96kHz. Analogue noise is higher than expected from an end-to-end digital recording but dynamic range remains excellent. PM

Sparks
No.1 In Heaven (45th Anniversary Remaster) (96kHz/24-bit, WAV)
www.store.allsparks.com; Lil' Beethoven Records LBRCD120

Atypical of Sparks' previous seven studio albums, this 1979 release could have gone either way. For a band that existed in the smart pop/rock sphere exemplified by 10cc, Blondie, The Cars, Todd Rundgren and other artists of that calibre, a co-production with Giorgio Moroder and the wholesale adoption of synthesisers must have choked the fans. That said, it turned out to be what many deem their masterpiece, influencing all manner of British bands (would you believe Joy Division?) but some might find the relentless artifice of high bpm drum machines and synths too much, eg, 'Beat The Clock'. In addition to dating this to the post-disco/early house music era, it's a brittle-sounding event: upon release, it was vinyl-only so digital is heard here in the raw. However, if you value transient attack above all else, add five points to the score. KK

Sound Quality: 75%

Lab Report

Your DAC will tell you this is a 96kHz file, and so will every media player and app, but it's an upsample of a 48kHz stream in a '96kHz envelope'. Peak levels fall within -0.1 and -0.45dBFs, and dynamic range is limited by compression. PM