Spring 1990 (The Other One) Box

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May 15, 2014 - 11:45am

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admin

Joined:
March 9, 2007

jq171(document).ready(function (jq171) { var covertArtDownloadMarkup = 'Looking for the digital cover art? You can download it here.'; setTimeout(function() { jq171('#digital_cart').append(covertArtDownloadMarkup); }, 500); });
What's Inside:
•144-page paperback book with essays by Nicholas G. Meriwether and Blair Jackson
•A portfolio with three art prints by Jessica Dessner
• Replica ticket stubs and backstage passes for all eight shows
•8 complete shows on 23 discs
      •3/14/90 Capital Centre, Landover, MD
      •3/18/90 Civic Center, Hartford, CT
      •3/21/90 Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, Ontario
      •3/25/90 Knickerbocker Arena, Albany, NY
      •3/28/90 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
      •3/29/90 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY (featuring Branford Marsalis)
      •4/1/90 The Omni, Atlanta, GA
      •4/3/90 The Omni, Atlanta, GA
Recorded by long-time Grateful Dead audio engineer John Cutler
Mixed from the master 24-track analog tapes by Jeffrey Norman at Bob Weir's TRI Studios
Mastered to HDCD specs by David Glasser
Original Art by Jessica Dessner
Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 9,000

Announcing Spring 1990 (The Other One)

"If every concert tells a tale, then every tour writes an epic. Spring 1990 felt that way: an epic with more than its share of genius and drama, brilliance and tension. And that is why the rest of the music of that tour deserves this release, why the rest of those stories need to be heard." - Nicholas G. Meriwether

Some consider Spring 1990 the last great Grateful Dead tour. That it may be. In spite of outside difficulties and downsides, nothing could deter the Grateful Dead from crafting lightness from darkness. They were overwhelmingly triumphant in doing what they came to do, what they did best — forging powerful explorations in music. Yes, it was the music that would propel their legacy further, young fans joining the ranks with veteran Dead Heads, Jerry wondering "where do they keep coming from?" — a sentiment that still rings true today, a sentiment that offers up another opportunity for an exceptional release from a tour that serves as transcendental chapter in the Grateful Dead masterpiece.

With Spring 1990 (The Other One), you'll have the chance to explore another eight complete shows from this chapter, the band elevating their game to deliver inspired performances of concert staples (“Tennessee Jed” and “Sugar Magnolia”), exceptional covers (Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece” and the band’s last performance of the Beatles’ “Revolution”) and rare gems (the first “Loose Lucy” in 16 years) as well as many songs from Built To Last, which had been released the previous fall and would become the Dead’s final studio album. Also among the eight is one of the most sought-after shows in the Dead canon: the March, 29, 1990 show at Nassau Coliseum, where Grammy®-winning saxophonist Branford Marsalis sat in with the group. The entire second set is one continuous highlight, especially the breathtaking version of “Dark Star.”

For those of you who are keeping track, this release also marks a significant milestone as now, across the two Spring 1990 boxed sets, Dozin At The Knick, and Terrapin Limited, the entire spring tour of 1990 has been officially released, making it only the second Grateful Dead tour, after Europe 1972, to have that honor.

Now shipping, you'll want to order your copy soon as these beautiful boxes are going, going, gone...

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December 11, 2014 - 7:57am

#71

wjonjd

Joined:
January 24, 2011

One Man - Peaks

Not really, no. When dynamic range compression is applied, not only do they reduce the difference between the loudest and softest amplitudes, they also then have room to increase the amplitude over the entire range, so that at a given volume setting on your volume knob the volume of the music is louder than it would have been - the loudest sound is louder, the softest sound is louder, and the average sound is louder, than it would have been compared to the same signals prior to dynamic compression and raising the amplitude. This is why dynamic range compression is important in the "loudness wars" in commercial releases for radio. They compress the range, and then have room to make the whole range louder without going over peak and clipping. When you look at the visual representation of the sound from the HD file compared to the 16-bit file, the HD file is "smaller" from top to bottom - it is not as loud, but if you were to analyze it, you would find that the DIFFERENCE between the highest peaks and smallest peaks are, relative to each other, greater. So, while the -10db peak of the CD is louder than the -15db peak of the HD file, it is the CD that has had dynamic range compression applied so that they can then raise the amplitude of the entire signal by some percentage, making the peak volume of the CD louder than the peak volume of the HD file (and the average, and the softest sound as well). When the dynamic range compression is applied the DIFFERENCES between the amplitudes of loud and soft are made smaller - the percentage change is not the same across the spectrum of amplitudes, as the "average" amplitude will not have a change applied (that's a simplification, not exact, and also I'm not sure if it would be the mean or the median or some other midway point that remains unchanged). When they subsequently make the entire signal louder, the amplitude increase is percentage-wise the same across the board. THAT transformation DOES raise the average amplitude. Does that make sense? Obviously, none of this is inherent to either 16-bit or HD 24-bit. It could be applied to either. For some reason they apply it to the 16-bit file, probably because a lot of people don't like it when a CD seems like the volume is too low compared to other CD's they have. In other words, I expect they have to cater to consumer expectations.
December 11, 2014 - 2:59am

#72

One Man

Joined:
May 17, 2011

Peaks

Isn't a peak of -15 dB lower than -10 dB? Doesn't that suggest the HD file is more compressed than the CD? Actually, they probably both have some amount of light compression on them because that's just how it's typically done in the world. It's bizarre that one would be that different from the other. You can hear as little as 1 dB, maybe even less. The first S90 box had lots of audible compression, at least on the individual tracks. It sounds way too smooth to be au naturel, even if the mix of the various signal levels is not always great.
December 10, 2014 - 9:29pm

#73

TN Dead

Joined:
November 7, 2013

pono is a player

Is it possible that a pono player has better components than another portable playback device ? It was designed with this in mind.Same files, different players, different playback results.
December 10, 2014 - 7:04pm

#74

wjonjd

Joined:
January 24, 2011

FourWinds - my apologies

I did a comparison of the CD version of Wake Up To Find Out (actually the one from the full box) and the 24/192 download. I used the first 15 seconds of Estimated Prophet (the software I'm using only lets you start at the beginning, and I didn't take the time to lop off an equal amount from the beginning of both files in order to get to the middle of the file). I chose Estimated Prophet because it begins right away having been transitioned into from the Eyes. The results: The average levels (left/right) on the CD are -17.42db/-16.19db the average levels on the HD file are -17.96db/-16.72 the peak level on the CD is -10db the peak level on the HD file is -15db The Stereo Balance on the CD is -2.14db (diff between L and R) The Stereo Balance on the HD file is -2.43db And the peak frequency on the CD is 14,685Hz the peak frequency on the HD file is 14,109Hz (that's a surprise) So, it appears that they HAVE INDEED applied some dynamic range compression to the CD version, although not a lot. I have NO IDEA why they wouldn't just convert the 24/192 file to 16/44.1 using noise-shaped dithering. The resulting files would be VIRTUALLY INDISTINGUISHABLE from each other. This still says nothing about the inherent equivalency to the human ears of 16/44.1 versus 24/192, but THAT'S IF THEY'RE FROM THE SAME SOURCE. My humble apologies FourWinds as you are indeed correct that they created a master for the 16-bit file that has had some amount of dynamic range compression applied to it. WHY???? Who knows. There is NO (good) reason to do this!!! The 24/192 is not better because it 24/192. It's better because they didn't apply dynamic range compression to master used for it. However, FourWinds, in your original post you wished they would just release the HD 24/192 file already!! WHY NOT wish that they convert the 24/192 to 16/44.1 and LEAVE IT ALONE to create the CD and 16/44.1 files?? That would serve the SAME purpose. And here are the file sizes for that one file: CD: 153,035kb HD: 998,784kb And, they have the same POTENTIAL for audio fidelity. Why not just wish for 16/44.1 files/CD's made directly from the 24/192's? Wouldn't that make far more sense. In any case, you were right - they're not the same. I have no idea why they chose to do this. One Man - Yes, for driving in my car (where I do a LOT of listening) files with more dynamic range compression make it much easier to hear all the music. You don't have to keep turning the volume up and down - up because you can hardly hear it and then BAM you get hit with the LOUD so you have to turn it down again. It is true that the range compression can pretty much fix that problem. Since we would never get two versions of everything with one purchase, my preference would be to get CD's/files that have NO dynamic range compression applied, and then I could apply my to create a set of files for travel (car/plane/walking, etc.)
December 10, 2014 - 6:21pm

#75

dantian

Joined:
August 6, 2013

Got to hand it to you, wjonjd

You have a lot of patience ;)
December 10, 2014 - 6:15pm

#76

One Man

Joined:
May 17, 2011

E72 Box

I'm not sure what is fatiguing anyone's ears, but I hear some kind of pervasive audio distortion in about the first half of the E72 box mixes. It clears up on one of the Paris shows. I have no idea what caused it, but it is obvious to me and I'm sure the mix engineer noticed it eventually but no one bothered to go back and fix those first mixes. It could be inherent in just those first tapes (very doubtful), some kind of A-D transfer issue (can't imagine what), something to do with the Plangent Process (again, no idea), or something else. It still bugs me that these mixes were so rushed. Thank the gods they did not do the same with the '72 Veneta show or the new Spring 90 box. Also, let's not confuse file (data) compression with dynamic range compression. Dynamic range can be severely squashed on ANY recording format if the engineer chooses to do that. The GD archival releases are generally lightly compressed compared to many commercial releases, and I'm sure that is intentional. I actually wish they had a touch more dynamic compression on them sometimes, just to make them sound less jumpy.
December 10, 2014 - 4:16pm

#77

wjonjd

Joined:
January 24, 2011

down mix process

There is no dynamic compression required when converting from 24-bit to 16-bit, and there is no reason to believe they just CHOSE to use any dynamic compression on the 16-bit file, but not on the 24-bit file. Your comment makes it clear (unless I'm mistaken, which I could be) that you believed that 16-bit is INHERENTLY more compressed than 24-bit, which is simply not the case in any way. Unless you have some reason to believe they just chose to compress the range of softest to loudest sounds on the 16-bit file and not on the 24-bit, I'd be interested to hear it. I think that's more than very very highly unlikely. Again, if you are experiencing ear fatigue from the 16-bit files, you have zero chance of improving that by buying the more expensive 24-bit ones except by placebo effect, unless they chose to reduce the dynamic range on the 16-bit files and not the 24-bit files for some reason. What possible reason do you have to suspect they would even consider going through the trouble of instituting dynamic range compression on the 16-bit files (CD's). They were NEVER going to be destined for mainstream radio play, and even if they were I don't believe Jeffrey Norman and his team do that even for releases that ARE destined for radio play. Of course, there is an easy way to answer this. Simply send DL an email to ask Jeffrey Norman (if you can't email Jeffrey Norman directly) if they compressed the dynamic range for the 16-bit release and CD's and not for the 24/192 (or 24/96) on any of their other archival releases where they have made hi-def available. I wouldn't promise my first-born, but I'd bet a lot that the answer will be no. In which case, as the links I posted point out pretty well, you will hear no difference between the two versions, nor experience a different level of ear fatigue or emotional connection - at least not due to the sound coming out of your loudspeakers. EDIT - I decided to purchase the Wake Up To Find Out hi def (24/192) download. I will rip from my CD version direct to 16-bit wav and compare them using a software audio package and should be able to easily tell if dynamic compression was used on one and not the other. I will let you know. I see no reason why they would treat the E72 release differently than the Wake Up To Find Out release as far as whether they chose to modify the dynamic range for the CD's. They both came from multi-track tape masters. Even if they didn't spend the time on the E72 releases that they did on the Wake Up To Find out release, I would still bet they treated the CD's the same in terms of how they transferred the original 24-bit files they mixed/mastered with to the 16-bit files they used to create the CD's. I will report back with the results.
December 10, 2014 - 2:58pm

#78

fourwindsblow

Joined:
October 13, 2008

Compression

If dynamic compression was used in the down mix process no further compression is needed.
December 10, 2014 - 2:26pm

#79

wjonjd

Joined:
January 24, 2011

Grammy Nomination

Yes, Congratulations to all involved. I also believe this box deserves the grammy nod - I believe it surpasses the music in the first box, and the package itself is simply exquisite (as was the first box).
December 10, 2014 - 2:21pm

#80

SPACEBROTHER

Joined:
June 4, 2007

Grammy Nomination

It's only fitting that a Brent era release got a Grammy nod. Congrats Bob, Phil, Mickey, Bill, Dave, Mark, Mary, Norman, Blair and everybody involved! This is the good stuff here.

John Perry Barlow

John Perry Barlow

Forums

Dead Store Products

jq171(document).ready(function (jq171) { var covertArtDownloadMarkup = 'Looking for the digital cover art? You can download it here.'; setTimeout(function() { jq171('#digital_cart').append(covertArtDownloadMarkup); }, 500); });

What's Inside:
•144-page paperback book with essays by Nicholas G. Meriwether and Blair Jackson
•A portfolio with three art prints by Jessica Dessner
• Replica ticket stubs and backstage passes for all eight shows
•8 complete shows on 23 discs
      •3/14/90 Capital Centre, Landover, MD
      •3/18/90 Civic Center, Hartford, CT
      •3/21/90 Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, Ontario
      •3/25/90 Knickerbocker Arena, Albany, NY
      •3/28/90 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
      •3/29/90 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY (featuring Branford Marsalis)
      •4/1/90 The Omni, Atlanta, GA
      •4/3/90 The Omni, Atlanta, GA
Recorded by long-time Grateful Dead audio engineer John Cutler
Mixed from the master 24-track analog tapes by Jeffrey Norman at Bob Weir's TRI Studios
Mastered to HDCD specs by David Glasser
Original Art by Jessica Dessner
Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 9,000

Announcing Spring 1990 (The Other One)

"If every concert tells a tale, then every tour writes an epic. Spring 1990 felt that way: an epic with more than its share of genius and drama, brilliance and tension. And that is why the rest of the music of that tour deserves this release, why the rest of those stories need to be heard." - Nicholas G. Meriwether

Some consider Spring 1990 the last great Grateful Dead tour. That it may be. In spite of outside difficulties and downsides, nothing could deter the Grateful Dead from crafting lightness from darkness. They were overwhelmingly triumphant in doing what they came to do, what they did best — forging powerful explorations in music. Yes, it was the music that would propel their legacy further, young fans joining the ranks with veteran Dead Heads, Jerry wondering "where do they keep coming from?" — a sentiment that still rings true today, a sentiment that offers up another opportunity for an exceptional release from a tour that serves as transcendental chapter in the Grateful Dead masterpiece.

With Spring 1990 (The Other One), you'll have the chance to explore another eight complete shows from this chapter, the band elevating their game to deliver inspired performances of concert staples (“Tennessee Jed” and “Sugar Magnolia”), exceptional covers (Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece” and the band’s last performance of the Beatles’ “Revolution”) and rare gems (the first “Loose Lucy” in 16 years) as well as many songs from Built To Last, which had been released the previous fall and would become the Dead’s final studio album. Also among the eight is one of the most sought-after shows in the Dead canon: the March, 29, 1990 show at Nassau Coliseum, where Grammy®-winning saxophonist Branford Marsalis sat in with the group. The entire second set is one continuous highlight, especially the breathtaking version of “Dark Star.”

For those of you who are keeping track, this release also marks a significant milestone as now, across the two Spring 1990 boxed sets, Dozin At The Knick, and Terrapin Limited, the entire spring tour of 1990 has been officially released, making it only the second Grateful Dead tour, after Europe 1972, to have that honor.

Now shipping, you'll want to order your copy soon as these beautiful boxes are going, going, gone...

Merry Christmas Happy New Year!

I can't wait to hold this in my hand. Keep them coming, i am in! First box set is through the roof, sooooo well done, sound is amazing, keep the good times rollin. Jerry thank's you, i thank you. A great time to be alive.

Spring 1990 TOO

My copy arrived Downunder this afternoon (Tuesday) so glad I didn't pay extra for the express delivery. Another beautiful box, now for the music.

roos a strutting!

My big box arrived yesterday in sunny South Australia and in every which way, the total package and contents are just absolutely perfect!

Another Box Received In Australia

Thank you Dead.net A very beautiful box and I can not wait to start listening. While waiting for this I have been doing the rounds of 72-73 but this tour is my favourite. Only complaint is that the music is 'too perfect' hahaha. From Camden to Rydalmere I will be rocking these shows to and from work. Think I will start tonight though by putting 3/14 on my ipod. Thank you to all those who worked on this box set. Great job!

@mk81ting

Love Ryan Adams, and looking forward to the new album. I will try to get to my local shop today to pick up the wax.

Album art?

Does anyone know where I could find digital/.jpg versions of the "album art" for each of the individual shows in the Spring 1990 TOO box? Thanks for any help!

Box just arrived #5837

My box just now arrived at my doorstep in Tennessee. A day earlier than I expected! Box number 5,837 of 9,000.

#1244 in South East Germany

What a delight!How grateful I am! Thanks!

Ryan

Saw Ryan last night in DC for his record release show. He was in great spirits and the band sounded really tight. New stuff was pretty strong, if a bit poppy. Surprised, but I don't think he played anything pre Cold Roses/Jacksonville Nights. No covers, though people did holler out for Wharf Rat and Bird Song. Good time all around.

Yes I think wjonjd is right.

Yes I think wjonjd is right. Reading about the mixup "I know the packaging and shipping of these is probably outsourced..". I admit I buy a few CDs a month. Many come from ImportCDs. Same packaging, labeling, and return address in Shepherdsville KY as dead.net. Still waiting on a shipping notice for my TOO box.

WARNING DO NOT PAY FOR THE DOWNLOADS

I PAID 160.00 FOR THE DOWNLOADS AND THERE IS NOTHING TO DOWNLOAD. JUST EMPTY LINKS. EVENTUALLY IT TELLS YOU THAT YOU'VE EXCEEDED THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF DOWNLOADS. CUSTOMER SERVICE DOES NOT HAVE A CLUE. THEY TOLD ME IT TAKES 7-10 DAYS FOR THE DOWNLOADS TO ARRIVE.

Spring '90 TOO Going Fast!!

Rhino moved over 1,000 units this week. That means they will all be gone in about a week from now, so please, all of you true Heads, get them now while they are still available. I don't want to see anyone miss out and I certainly do not want this site filled for weeks with folks complaining that they didn't get it and that Rhino screwed them by limiting the amount sold. Anyone who wants this (and who wouldn't?) has had plenty time to get on board. You procrastinators out there, now is the time to pull the trigger or forever be quiet. I am counting the hours until mine hits CT. this Friday.Rock on

#2861

I'm shocked that this has arrived in Canada for the release date. I'm pretty rural and don't think i've ever received an official release within 3 weeks of launch. The box is beautiful looking - can't wait to get into it. Problem is, I'm still digesting DaP 11 which only just (finally) arrived a few days ago. $23.53 duty for you other canucks out there ...

1208 is home

My copy arrived today, very happy with it. Really nice box, solid sound quality. The coin is really a nice touch. If you are still on the fence, better get it now while you can. I'm sure the second they sale out they will be on Ebay for 40% more. Great release, now please tell us about DP12. Jam on! Peace

Box 8447

I got it! Rushed home at lunch to dig in to it (and a great ham and swiss sandwich). Anyone know how they decide who gets which box? I pre-ordered it on the first day, and I got 8447! Sound is incredible. Definitely thinking about framing the faux stubs and backstage passes - add a little Spring 90 to my music poster wall.

Box 8447

Digital Downloads

AAC is a lossy format, comparable to high quality mp3. ALAC (Apple Lossless) is…lossless. It says AAC above, but I have read these should be Apple Lossless files. Just wanted to clarify for any confusion that might be here. Carry on….CARRY ON...

WARNING DO NOT PAY FOR THE DOWNLOADS

until the bugs are fixed...The downloads are plagued with problems.

WOW!!!

The sound is amazing! Gonna be a long, long, crazy, crazy night Silky, silky, crazy, crazy night.

the number

So where's the number at as I can't find it on mine?

The Number?

It's on the coin under the lid.

Cool

Thanks fourwinds!

No Spring 1990 (The other one) here, in Brazil!

I'd like to buy this spectacular box. I'd like to touch and smell all the things inside this box and of course listen these HDCDs, but I live in a country named Brazil. Some people in Europe don't like to pay U$50 -U$100 in import taxes and fees. It would be a dream to me pay this. Do you believe that in my country I would pay over U$240,00 only in import taxes + fees? I'm not kidding! 100%! It's our goverment....The highest taxes and no hospitals, no schools... ok some new and beatiful soccer stadiums. Does anyone know a place on earth where the import taxes and fees are so high? I have U$ 240,00 but I don't have U$ 520,00 ( 240 - box + 40 - shipping to Brazil + 240 or more from import taxes and fees). Hey you from USA, buy it! Think in my case. The price is not so high. I need to move to USA, Europe or maybe the sunny Australia. It's sad to be a Dead head in Brazil...

a prosposal for Mr. Lemieux re: downloads

I don't know how to get a suggestion to David, so I'm going to post it here and hope that someone relevant sees it. Regarding the downloads.... since most people probably don't burn their lossless downloads to CD, is it possible to have the second sets made seamless for the downloads? I understand the fade-ins and fade-outs at the end of the discs, but if the files aren't being burned to disc it would be nice to have Drums>Space seamless, instead of "Drums>Space fade-out" followed by "Drums fade-in>Space". Just a thought! Aside from that... keep doing that awesome thing that you do!

downloads

If I'm not mistaken I read they would not be ready until the end of the month...?

....nevermind

I just read my mistake.

downloads

No, you're right. I'm just asking if, when they appear, they can be in that format (if they aren't already).

downloads

I am sure you will get it , even if there is a hiccup right now. I'm one of those (have to have it just in case people) I bought the box but it will be transferred to my pc and burnt for the car or whatever. I just don't have the pc power to trust myself not losing it. I hope you get it the way you want. I know customer service must be inundated with problems right now. But they are good people.

tragedy narrowly averted!

1. We believe the technical issues with the downloads are now fixed. Please speak up if you experience an alternative reality. 2. Apple Lossless, CD quality audio are available now. The HD FLAC files will be along soon. 3. Cover art is now available on the download page. Sorry for the issues, but hope all is good now. Thanks and happy downloading!

1990

does anyone know if spring vol one downloads are going to be the 24 track or 2 track

Can I let it go?

Oh no!I told myself (and my wife) that I didn't need this box especially after I saw the price... then I heard some of the music and saw the spoiler video... Can I let it go? It's going to be a tough decision. Don't have much 1990 in the collection... But it sounds so good!

Pounce!

Jump on it man! Less than 1500 as of yesterday. Better to grab it while ya can than regret it down the road...

Lossless files

Just a note about the lossless downloads. Since the ALAC files are lossless, this means they can be easily converted to wav and flac (and back again) with zero change in sound quality. So you can create your own flacs from alac. Now, since the flacs are listed as "HD FLAC" I,m going to assume that they will probably be 24bit 96khz files as opposed to 16bit 44.1khz (cd quality) or at least something over what they are encoding for the alac files. However, (and what I'm about to discuss frequently upsets audiophiles), I urge you to google studies concerning people's ability to distinguish 24bit 96khz from 16bit 44.1khz recordings. There have been several from top universities, and their results and methodology have been extensively scrutinized. These are all scientifically designed studies, some using surprisingly large sample sizes. Most of these studies are fairly similar to each other. Double blind - no one participating in each listening session knows at the time which recordings are hd (24) or sd (16). They used multiple audio systems ranging from top end systems and speakers designed by audiophiles, down to basic systems. They used professional headphones down to basic equipment. They chose many different types of music. They checked to make sure that hd recordings were from the same source/mix as the sd recordings. That is frequently not the case, by the way, and is one reason many people are sure they can tell the difference. They usually chose large numbers of participants who self identify as audiophiles or not, musicians or not, a large range of ages, backgrounds, etc. The results of all studies recognized as scientific (that I am aware of) have been basically the same. The rate at which each user can correctly pick which recordings are sd or hd is about 50%. A coin toss. Audiophiles fared no better than others, with highest percentages being around 52%, and some studies then when back to people like that and found that the more music samples they tried the closer the success rate approaches 50%. Some of the write ups go into great detail into methodology of the studies, and if you read them you will begin to see how hard it is to try to duplicate doing tests like this at home (although it can be done). Some of the things that can bias results are NOT obvious. Many will always disagree, but so far as I know NO study has found ANYONE, who can, under their controlled environment, distinguish 16 bit recordings from 24 bit recordings from the same source at anything significantly over 50% (same as guessing). Btw, this doesn't mean things like SACD don't sound better than their cd counterparts. But they use more playback tracks than stereo (like 5.1), are almost always special mixes, etc. it's not apples to apples, and these studies indicate the great improvement is not due to just the difference between 24 bit and 16 bit or 96khz and 44.1khz. Just something to think about before you spend extra for hd when the source is identical.

Studies flawed

If they would have had them listen to 24/96 flies on a good system for a period of say a week or so and then switched back to 16/44 files then I think they would have heard a difference.

HD FLAC

Now what we need is Fillmore West '69 and Europe '72 available in HD FLAC.

#763 / 9000

THIS is the box set. I have everything the band has ever put out...This outdoes the original 1990 box set for sound and it out does it for quality of the box set. I LOVE THE TIGER COIN IN THE COVER! OMG! It nearly brought tears to my eyes.... Jerry would have loved this. He really would have. Listening to disc 1, song 1 as I type... *sigh* can't wait til I get to the shows I was at. This is so nice. THANK YOU DAVE LEMIEUX.

Seven come eleven, boys!

#711 has arrived in Denmark. Really cool number, just like #710 would have been. Anybody here got that?This box is a work of art, and I've not even started listening yet. Thank you, David & Rhino!

Here's an idea

Since Spring 1990 (The Other One) is now available digitally, why not do what you did for the Europe '72 box set and offer the shows individually as well? Not every Head has that sort of spare change lying around, and it would be nice to have the opportunity to hear more of this truly great era. Anyway, I went out and picked up Wake Up To Find Out as a consolation prize (but what a prize!), and am not interested in paying for a show I already own. Anyone else out there think this is a good idea?

#352 Arrived in Chicago Yesterday

It's real and it's spectacular. The box looks and sounds amazing.

FLAC in WMP

As stated in the digital download FAQs, FLAC files cannot be played in Windows Media Player. However, there is a plug-in which makes this possible, namely "Directshow Filters for Ogg Vorbis, Speex, Theora, FLAC, and WebM" from Xiph.org. The file (opencodecs_0.85.17777.exe) can be found here: http://www.xiph.org/dshow/

Smiling ...

... in Leeds, UK.

Shipping notice here...

....Spring TOO should arrive Saturday. Oh, happy day....

Studies flawed

@fourwindsblow - That may be. And it may not. Before sticking to your opinion on this go ahead and look up the studies that have been done on this, read them thoroughly, and see if you change your mind. Because in order for what you say to be true all of the studies would have to be flawed in just such a way to create the 50% success rate they all get. See what you think after you read them. Or don't. It's not my money. And, even if someone can't hear a difference, if they think they can and they're happier, that's fine too. You say things like "on a good system." Have you looked at what they used. Most of them didn't just use a "good system". The very purposely used severly "excellent systems" AND several "very good" systems AND several "basic" systems, etc. That's the whole point behind a truly scientific study. Address all known variables that might bias results. Not just the "sound system", but the people (audiophile, musician, other), ages (teenagers with young years, twenties, thirties, etc.), listening environment, kinds of music, and even factors that wouldn't necessarily seem relevent like educational background. They make as sure as possible that something as simple as "as is the system good enough" doesn't affect the ability of the study to be able to answer the question they are studying - can people hear the difference between A and B. Anyway, as long as people are happy it doesn't really matter.

just got it

wow its so nice. time 2 lock myself in my house and ignore the world 4 a few days

just got it

wow its so nice. time 2 lock myself in my house and ignore the world 4 a few days

HD Versions of Spring 1990 TOO

For what it's worth, whether you believe in the superior quality of high-definition recordings or not, HD-Tracks is advertising digital downloads of Wake Up to Find Out: Nassau Colisuem: Uniondale, NY 3-29-1990 at both 96/24 ($40.98) and 192/24 ($53.98) sampling rates. Presumably, it's available now for download. http://www.hdtracks.com/wake-up-to-find-out-nassau-coliseum-uniondale-n… It will be interesting to see if the rest of the set is listed at these higher rates.

24bit 96khz vs 16bit 44.1khz

I'm curious if this experiment were performed with a recording of a piece of music the listener was very familiar with. Could they pick up any nuances between the 16 bit and 24 bit versions? I have not read the study, so I don't know that info. But if one listens to a piece of music that person may not intimately know, I think the brain will be absorbing the composition as a whole, so it might not pick up the nuances between 16 bit and 24 bit.

Studies

What I was saying was have them listen to 24/96 files for a little while before doing the A/B tests.

@ Fourwindsblow - I agree

I'm in agreement. I was just curious if I could tell the difference with some of my "reference CDs": Darkside of the Moon, Aja, Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Revolver, DP3, DaP5, Orig LedZep Box, Babylon by Bus on really good audio gear. With that said, as I wait patiently for S90TOO (Friday delivery), I've autoripped the amazon mp3 of Wake Up set that I bought for my buddy's birthday in a couple of weeks and it sounds awesome on the office stereo - can't wait to crank it up from the boxset in HDCD on the big boy stereo! Since I only have a better than average stereo (far from an audiophile rig found on audiogon), I don't think I could tell a difference.

High Def again

I'm pretty sure that Dark Side of the Moon is one of the ones that had a complete remix/remaster than the CD. Here is a link that shows and describes the differences in the mastering of the CD and the SACD of DSM. When you are done reading it you will see than anybody would probably be able to tell the differenced between them, even if they had both been put out in 16/44.1 http://www.stereophile.com/news/11649/ You really need to read the studies to begin to realize how much went into trying to find out whether the human ear can detect those differences. The people looking had no agenda other than trying to answer the question. It can't be too much of a coincidence that all the academic studies come up with the same results.

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