I was recently cleaning up some Iomega Jaz disks and came across a folder with stuff I used to keep on my Pocket PC devices. In there was a bunch of music I had ripped from CDs to store on Compact Flash drives from 32MB to 256MB as my devices progressed from the HP 430se to the Jornadas and iPaqs. For some reason I decided to listen to some of the music, and it sounded AWFUL! The undersampling was atrocious, and the lossiness was readily apparent. Of course, the compression schemes used by iTunes, Amazon and others is much more faithful to the source material than in the past – but it is still a lossy technique that compromises the audio quality.
HDTracks seeks to be “the premiere online music store for audiophiles who demand the best sounding music”. And today they are announcing a leap forward, bringing new audio formats to their store along with an easier-to-use downloader. Together they will make great sounding music easier to buy and download for everyday users looking for the best sound quality possible.
Head to HDTracks to check it out, and for new users the code “NEWDM10” will get you 10% off your first purchase!