works fine for me!!!
Anyone with HD Tracks download experience to share
I recently took the plunge into computer based music. I set up a system consisting of an Ayre QB-9 feeding into a Jeff Rowland integrated and, in turn being fed by a new Apple mac-mini with a 6 terabite Drobo hard disk. One thing motivating me was the possibility of higher rez downloads. The Ayre will process 24/96 downloaded material. I tried the two sources I knew of: Linn Records based in Scotland, and HD Tracks thru Chesky records. The Linn experience could not have been better. Unfortunately, the catalog is mostly classical and obscure jazz artists. The Linn service was easy to sign up on and included test tones and a free sample; the better to test system compatibility before forking over real dollars. I downloaded an album of 24/96 material in fifteen minutes. The HD tracks experience was a nightmare in comparison.
First, I made the mistake of paying with Paypal which HDT offered as an alternative. After paying, I carefully followed directions to perform the download. After hitting download, the process mysteriously froze in place. I backed out 3 times and signed back in. I confirmed that Paypal had sent the funds. Finally, some 18 hours passed and, unexpectedly the downloading commenced.
The conversion of the FLAC files to Apple MPEG 4 thru Max worked like a charm and I was soon enjoying 24/96 downloaded songs (The Persuasions) thru the Ayre. I quickly ordered 3 albums of music and began downloading songs about 27 hours ago. When i checked the progress of the downloads, I was about 66% thru the second album. I could not believe the glacial pace of the download! I closed HDT Download Manager, reopened, and signed back in. I then discovered that HDT had wiped out all the previously downloaded songs and began again with the first album. In a word. "HD TRACKS" IS NOT READY FOR PRIMETIME! The help and instructions are very spotty at best. They have an extensive catalog but I caution any audiogoners to wait for a months before looking to buy high rez download from HDT.
One other note: IS CHESKY RECORDS OUT OF BUSINESS? I tried numerous times during the past days. All calls were made duing their stated work hours. The voice mailbox was full and not taking new messages. It seemed a strange way to communicate with the public for a healthy ongoing concern. My experience with HD Tracks and the inability to call or even leave a message for Chesky Records makes me think that not all is well with that organization.
First, I made the mistake of paying with Paypal which HDT offered as an alternative. After paying, I carefully followed directions to perform the download. After hitting download, the process mysteriously froze in place. I backed out 3 times and signed back in. I confirmed that Paypal had sent the funds. Finally, some 18 hours passed and, unexpectedly the downloading commenced.
The conversion of the FLAC files to Apple MPEG 4 thru Max worked like a charm and I was soon enjoying 24/96 downloaded songs (The Persuasions) thru the Ayre. I quickly ordered 3 albums of music and began downloading songs about 27 hours ago. When i checked the progress of the downloads, I was about 66% thru the second album. I could not believe the glacial pace of the download! I closed HDT Download Manager, reopened, and signed back in. I then discovered that HDT had wiped out all the previously downloaded songs and began again with the first album. In a word. "HD TRACKS" IS NOT READY FOR PRIMETIME! The help and instructions are very spotty at best. They have an extensive catalog but I caution any audiogoners to wait for a months before looking to buy high rez download from HDT.
One other note: IS CHESKY RECORDS OUT OF BUSINESS? I tried numerous times during the past days. All calls were made duing their stated work hours. The voice mailbox was full and not taking new messages. It seemed a strange way to communicate with the public for a healthy ongoing concern. My experience with HD Tracks and the inability to call or even leave a message for Chesky Records makes me think that not all is well with that organization.