Mickey1 Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 Hi everyone I'm looking for suggestions of what are the best sites to download/share Hi-Res audio files from? Thank you in advance for any recommendations made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hydrology Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 Most of the hi-res sites will require a VPN of some kind. I've been buying a lot from Qobuz recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey1 Posted December 26, 2019 Author Share Posted December 26, 2019 Thank you Hydrology, much appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pond44 Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 Two that I use, HDTracks and Bandcamp. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hydrology Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 Bancamp is great and I use it a lot as ambient and modern classical are big genres for me. However for more "mainstream" you have to look elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjs Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 I tend to stick with HDTracks, reliable, reasonable range for my interests, Jazz, blues, bit of rock, some classical. Have also used Acoustic Sounds. You will need a VPN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gypr1961 Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 best list I know of https://hifiwigwam.com/forum/topic/58018-a-master-list-of-lossless-download-sites/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbastin Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 (edited) This is a topic I'd thought about starting a thread on. More particularly, how to work around regional constraints. Some sites can see where you credit card or paypal account is based (eg. Onkyo). I am no expert at this, but some ideas I gained from my research and trial and error are ... Tunnel Bear is an easy vpn. Vpns can be a minefield of risk, so be careful. I've managed to buy from HDtracks, and noticed their regional constraints for artists/albums sometimes differ between their US and UK sites. Some artists sell albums directly from their websites. I'll dig up my notes and paste them here as an edit later. Ripped CDs and Tidal are still so sarisfying though, I'm not desperate for higher res downloads. My Devialet upscales to 192/24. Roon and various software can upscale too. These are just things to consider and I dont mean to derail this thread with debates about CD res v higher res or SQ of upscaled audio ... they are seperate topics. Edited December 28, 2019 by dbastin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewyuri Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 Pro Studio Masters has most (but not all) of the titles that are available on HDTracks. Pricing is very competitive and no VPN is required. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davm Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 I use Find HD Music as an indexer of sites: http://www.findhdmusic.com/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddyev Posted December 29, 2019 Share Posted December 29, 2019 Presto is very good for classical and jazz https://www.prestomusic.com/classical Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steffen Posted December 29, 2019 Share Posted December 29, 2019 I use HDtracks, Channel Classics and Presto. I don't have a VPN, but a squid proxy on a Linode in the US, that works just as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowbo Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 I might have rambled about this on another thread but i do the following when buying from HDTracks (the only site i personally use); I use the Opera browser (has a built-in VPN) when accessing HDTracks You have to have a US address when creating a profile - and HDTracks only want to make sure you use a 'real' postcode so google is your friend there, i believe i live in Alabama somewhere... Then i use PayPal to purchase as PP and HDT don't swap card detail info (as its an AUS credit card). Purchasing online is the easy i part i have found - incorporating the album/tracks into my library is where i can screw it up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hydrology Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 Qobuz allows various download file format options (as most do), however I choose AIFF as I never seem to have integration/metadata issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steffen Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 6 hours ago, rowbo said: You have to have a US address when creating a profile - and HDTracks only want to make sure you use a 'real' postcode so google is your friend there, i believe i live in Alabama somewhere... Then i use PayPal to purchase as PP and HDT don't swap card detail info (as its an AUS credit card). I use my real (Aussie) address and credit card details with HDtracks. Using my proxy in the US lets me bypass the geofencing, and I can buy and download anything I like. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birchgrovegold Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 I've been using Boomkat.com, a UK retailer, for some years now. It's very much about the esoteric underground scene and not mainstream. You will find the odd leftfield charting album but deffo not Taylor Swift. I have discovered heaps of great artists through this site. Very good on electronica, modern classical which I like. Hi res files are 24 bit where available which is generally most the time otherwise I guess they were never available in the first place. Generally most music is available through a global licence but that's a reflection of the indie labels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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