Is a digital conversion as good as the original file? Want to test your skills?

We don't know how long you'll be able to hear this comparison test, but for a short time you can test your skills and hear for yourself what can happens when a record label delivers its files. In good faith, a label delivers the best master possible. What happens after that is a crap shoot.

It happens in this case, the original 192WAV files were delivered direct to the DSP (digital service provider). A year later, that same 192 WAV files was given to a distributor with good intentions to promote HD music. What appears is a 9624 file. Since the covers were changed, it's easy to spot the difference by the cover. Look closely and you can see one file at 192 and one file at 96.

Someone did a conversion without telling the record label. Now, this is expected for Spotify and Apple who don't really put HD at the forefront. For HD streaming and download services, is this the future? We hope that the efforts spent by many HD stores to tell the provenance isn't blown out of the water by large 3rd party companies trying to bank on HD.

Many consumers won't care or won't hear the difference. We did a blindfold test with several non audiophiles. They all heard the difference. Some reactions were "But it' a really small difference"... to which we responded, "yeah, but to some audiophiles that difference matters and they pay for that difference".

Here are the files. Let us know what you think!

Kiss In A Shadow --
https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/kiss-in-a-shadow-art-lande/s0mvsxf778cxa

Kiss In A Shadow --
https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/kiss-in-a-shadow-art-lande/bs4dtetjqxqgb