At this weekend's Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (RMAF), Acoustic Sounds owner Chad Kassem provided an update on the company's Super Hi Rez downloads site at http://store.acousticsounds.com/superhirez and hosted demos of the music from the site using Sony's upcoming HAP-Z1ES Stereo Hi Resolution Audio streamer (due out in November) which includes a server and a tablet based remote control. Some highlights:
1. Rolling Stones - ABKCO Records has approached Super Hi Rez about offering the Rolling Stones Remastered Series albums on the site. ABKCO owns the early Stones catalog and issued these albums as Stereo SACDs several years ago from direct Analog Master Tape transfers. The SACDs are now out of print and run for major prices on the Internet when found.
2. Creedence Clearwater - Analogue Productions issued the Creedence Clearwater albums as a Remastered SACD series from the Analog Master Tapes several years ago. These SACDs are also out of print today. Super Hi Rez is working on bringing these albums back as DSD Downloads in the near future.
3. Unreleased Sony Titles - Towards the end of Sony's release of major artists on SACD, several albums were mastered for release as Stereo and Surround Sound SACDs but did not get released. Super Hi Rez is working with Sony to add these albums to their downloads site.
4. Reference Recordings - Fans of FLAC and ALAC recordings will be happy to hear that on Friday, Super Hi Rez added albums from the Reference Recordings catalog to the Super Hi Rez web site as FLAC and ALAC stereo downloads.
5. Elvis Presley - Super Hi Rez has prepared and is waiting for final sign off on posting the 3 Elvis Remastered SACDs as DSD Downloads in the very near future. A track from one of these albums "Peace in the Valley" is being demoed at RMAF to show what is coming to the site.
6. 500 Downloads - Super Hi Rez currently hosts over 160 DSD and FLAC/ALAC downloads on their site. With the upcoming influx of titles from Sony, Universal Music, ABKCO and other record labels and independent artists, they are projecting a total of 500 download titles by year's end.
7. Annual Blue Heaven Blues Festival - Chad Kassem hosts an Annual Blues Festival in Salina, Kansas each year with legends from the blues world. Over 10 years of these concerts have been recorded in DSD Stereo and Surround Sound by Gus Skinas at the Super Audio Center in Boulder. Recordings from this series will be added to the Super Hi Rez downloads site later this year in both DSD Stereo and DSD Surround Sound. Several selections from these recordings were played at RMAF including a track from Singer/Songwriter Tony Joe White performing his song "Willie and Laura Mae Jones".
8. 3 Channel Stereo - Analogue Productions has issued a number of classic 3 Channel Stereo recordings from the 1950s and 1960s on SACD Multichannel discs. These albums, mastered from the original Analog Master Tapes to DSD, including titles from The Weavers, Nat King Cole and others are coming to Super Hi Rez as DSD Downloads. This category will also include DSD Remasters from the RCA Living Stereo 2 Channel and 3 Channel titles in the near future.
9. Surround Sound DSD Downloads - Super Hi Rez plans to expand its current Mono and Stereo only DSD Download catalog to first 3 Channel Stereo and then to 5.1 Surround Sound DSD Downloads in the near future. Actual availability dates will depend on clearances.
10. The Doors - Super Hi Rez is also planning to host the recent SACD Remasters from The Doors as DSD Downloads in both Stereo and Surround Sound.
All in all, the team at Super Hi Rez and Acoustic Sounds has been very busy. They are very excited about the initial growth of the site (from 35 downloads at launch to over 160 downloads today) and tell everyone that they are very anxious for music fans to have access to the many albums they have and are continuing to prepare for download in the very near future. I'm definitely looking forward to this, as are many who attended the Super Hi Rez update this weekend!
1. Rolling Stones - ABKCO Records has approached Super Hi Rez about offering the Rolling Stones Remastered Series albums on the site. ABKCO owns the early Stones catalog and issued these albums as Stereo SACDs several years ago from direct Analog Master Tape transfers. The SACDs are now out of print and run for major prices on the Internet when found.
2. Creedence Clearwater - Analogue Productions issued the Creedence Clearwater albums as a Remastered SACD series from the Analog Master Tapes several years ago. These SACDs are also out of print today. Super Hi Rez is working on bringing these albums back as DSD Downloads in the near future.
3. Unreleased Sony Titles - Towards the end of Sony's release of major artists on SACD, several albums were mastered for release as Stereo and Surround Sound SACDs but did not get released. Super Hi Rez is working with Sony to add these albums to their downloads site.
4. Reference Recordings - Fans of FLAC and ALAC recordings will be happy to hear that on Friday, Super Hi Rez added albums from the Reference Recordings catalog to the Super Hi Rez web site as FLAC and ALAC stereo downloads.
5. Elvis Presley - Super Hi Rez has prepared and is waiting for final sign off on posting the 3 Elvis Remastered SACDs as DSD Downloads in the very near future. A track from one of these albums "Peace in the Valley" is being demoed at RMAF to show what is coming to the site.
6. 500 Downloads - Super Hi Rez currently hosts over 160 DSD and FLAC/ALAC downloads on their site. With the upcoming influx of titles from Sony, Universal Music, ABKCO and other record labels and independent artists, they are projecting a total of 500 download titles by year's end.
7. Annual Blue Heaven Blues Festival - Chad Kassem hosts an Annual Blues Festival in Salina, Kansas each year with legends from the blues world. Over 10 years of these concerts have been recorded in DSD Stereo and Surround Sound by Gus Skinas at the Super Audio Center in Boulder. Recordings from this series will be added to the Super Hi Rez downloads site later this year in both DSD Stereo and DSD Surround Sound. Several selections from these recordings were played at RMAF including a track from Singer/Songwriter Tony Joe White performing his song "Willie and Laura Mae Jones".
8. 3 Channel Stereo - Analogue Productions has issued a number of classic 3 Channel Stereo recordings from the 1950s and 1960s on SACD Multichannel discs. These albums, mastered from the original Analog Master Tapes to DSD, including titles from The Weavers, Nat King Cole and others are coming to Super Hi Rez as DSD Downloads. This category will also include DSD Remasters from the RCA Living Stereo 2 Channel and 3 Channel titles in the near future.
9. Surround Sound DSD Downloads - Super Hi Rez plans to expand its current Mono and Stereo only DSD Download catalog to first 3 Channel Stereo and then to 5.1 Surround Sound DSD Downloads in the near future. Actual availability dates will depend on clearances.
10. The Doors - Super Hi Rez is also planning to host the recent SACD Remasters from The Doors as DSD Downloads in both Stereo and Surround Sound.
All in all, the team at Super Hi Rez and Acoustic Sounds has been very busy. They are very excited about the initial growth of the site (from 35 downloads at launch to over 160 downloads today) and tell everyone that they are very anxious for music fans to have access to the many albums they have and are continuing to prepare for download in the very near future. I'm definitely looking forward to this, as are many who attended the Super Hi Rez update this weekend!