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For the purpose of this article, I chose Let it Bleed to represent the entire Stones library, now available on HDtracks. All were made from the excellent 2002 ABKCO re-issues. I never found much to complain about those hybrid CD/ SACD discs, which are clean and rich in both formats. As usual, the SACD is the less “digital” sounding of the two. How do the downloads fare? I confess that the 88/24 version disappointed me. There is plenty of detail here—listen to the opening choral notes on “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”—and a wider soundstage than the CD; however, it still sounds highly digital. Furthermore, Mick Jagger’s voice, as on “Love in Vain,” can be so strident as to be off-putting. Fortunately, the 176/24 version has no such failings—it sounds terrific, boasting all the ease of the SACD, along with a remarkable degree of naturally-rendered detail. The 176/24 downloads are truly archive-worthy versions of archive- worthy music.
By Alan Taffel
I can thank my parents for introducing me to both good music and good sound at an early age. Their extensive classical music collection, played through an enviable system, continually filled our house. When I was two, my parents gave me one of those all-in-one changers, which I played to death.
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