The Beatles remaster via USB

The Beatles remaster via USB. Ok I think this is very cool because it has some fun factor. If I had known this was coming out I would have waited for it.

http://www.musicdirect.com/product/86601

That is cool and makes a lot of sense. With many new DACS today having a USB input it was only a matter of time before music being sold on a USB takes hold. This seemed expensive initially but 14 albums and 13 documentary videos and more, is a very large box set.

Any reason why a USB drive is not an excellent transport? It's to simple...there is no SPDIF cable, no power supply, no power cord for the transport and no spinning disc as it is a solid state drive. Even tough it's only 44.1 it could be better than redbook CDs. At 16gb, there's plenty of space and most DACs can handle at least 96k. Bandwidth is also not an issue with USB so why not include the higher resolution 96k or even 192k files?

Can you copy the files to a music server and then reformat the USB drive for other use? Or is there some sort of DRM scheme that would prevent such recycling and kill end-user flexibility?

Who's going to be the first to review the sound quality of commercial USB music? Anyone try it yet? Is USB the new CD/Vinyl?

This is what it will look like.

Hi guys,

Curious as to what you've read about USB.

Although this is quite cool, seems like this connection has some issues with audio quality.

GG

I was wondering about that too, Gordon. The problem is jitter. Now, I've read that the Ayre QB-9 DAC uses Wavelength Audio's asynchronous technology to minimize the jitter. That's good for music already on the computer, but what about loading music into the computer via USB? Hopefully, that should be ok and using asynchronous out should take care of the problem.

Of course, buying on USB doesn't have to mean playing via USB - but it is much easier to transfer to a music server!

There is no computer in the loop. You just plug the USB drive directly into the USB DAC. However, to do this requires that the USB DAC uses a Series "A" type plug and has the interface for navigating through the albums, titles and other tagged info.

Or you can simply transfer the files to your music server library. Either way you have the option and either way saves the step of ripping a CD and in the case of this box set, you'd be doing that 15 or so times.

Craig said:

There is no computer in the loop. You just plug the USB drive directly into the USB DAC. However, to do this requires that the USB DAC uses a Series "A" type plug and has the interface for navigating through the albums, titles and other tagged info.

Or you can simply transfer the files to your music server library. Either way you have the option and either way saves the step of ripping a CD and in the case of this box set, you'd be doing that 15 or so times.

Click to expand...

Hi Craig,

I think those that want good sound, vs. convenience, are better off ripping their music from the USB drive to their internal drive and then transfer the music to an external drive. When played with specialized software (such as Amara) and a good (or great DAC), the sound is SUBLIME. (A good cable helps a lot also!) I have heard a few demos and was very, very impressed.

It's one of those things like cables. No one knows why it works, but when one listens for himself, the difference is night and day.

I would consider something like this if it were less than the CD collection. At $240 it is coming in at the same price.

I have been transferring ALL of my CD's to FLAC and would consider this option. If they cut corners (i.e. it costs them less to make the apple USB than CD's) then it just should be cheaper.

Glad I didn't place my order for the CD box set yet! Amazon has the USB version listed for $230 as a limited edition pre-order (Dec 8 release), but I'm hoping the price will come down a bit after the release. Apple also said the Mono box was a limited edition, but we all know where that went! I think my Oppo BDP-83 can play the MPEG4 videos, but does anybody know for sure?

Just wondering if anyone picked this up? Is what are your thoughts?

Most sources were sold out of the initial run, but it looks like the secondary offering is now out. I hope they fixed the problem with the apple stems breaking off! Amazon has them for $270, with new stock arriving 2/5, but MusicDirect (also ElusiveDisc) has them for $240. I finally caved and ordered (from MusicDirect). From what I've read, the 24/48 versions are a tad better than the CD's, particularly re noise floor, and at the bass/treble frequency extremes. For me (with server based playback), the USB versions will save me from having to rip/tag the CD's.

Lookee what UPS just delivered!

Very nicely done, with the apple machined out of solid aluminum, with an embedded magnet to securely anchor the memory USB stick. Unfortunately, no time to listen until the weekend.

Finally had a chance to give the Beatles USB a "spin" (so to speak)!

First off, it was a breeze to copy all the FLAC albums directly to my ReadyNAS NV+ server. Took only about 20 mins to transfer all of them, which was a LOT easier than ripping and tagging them individually from the CD versions. That alone probably made the "premium" paid for the USB version worth it. My only complaint is that the album cover art is NOT included in each album folder, so I'll have to add it later.

Next up, I previewed a couple of the movies on my laptop. Lots of great footage from days gone by, and a nice addition to the set. At some point I'll see if I can play them on my large screen TV via my Oppo BDP-83 USB port.

As for the MUSIC... INCREDIBLE! I've never heard such musical detail and soundstaging with these albums. Just randomly browsing albums and tracks, Paul and John's vocals often floated magically before us, with guitar and drum riffs cleanly delivered. My wife even started dancing around and singing like she was a teenage girl in the late 60's (which, by the way, she was). We strolled down memory lane for about 2 hrs, and can't wait to do it again.

I haven't had a chance to really compare the 24bit/44.1kHz FLAC files vs. the 16bit/44.1kHz CD versions, but at first blush, the slightly higher resolution of the FLAC files sounds a tad quieter, with slightly cleaner bass reproduction.

One caveat, however, for anybody who buys the remastered Stereo set, whether CD or USB. These albums were recorded in the 60's and 70's, and in many cases, the limitations of the recording/mastering technology are clearly evident. The early "stereo" albums often have vocals on one channel, with guitars on the other, so don't expect this to be a "miracle" transformation. It's not.

The only downside to the USB stick (which, BTW, also comes preloaded with MP3 files as well, for easy d/l to your iPod), is that I can't sit down and physically leaf through the individual albums and art. However, as mentioned above, I think I'll be able to view it on my TV while listening.

Anybody else have the USB version yet?

Lastly, have you all heard that Apple/EMI has confirmed that the remastered set will eventually be released on vinyl! They say they are just starting to work on that, so it will be some time before it's done.