We are all music lovers here, and in this day and age, we only listen hi defined music. While sites like Pandora and Spotify are great for on-the-go music, where do you go to experience music just as the artiste recorded it? This is where hi-resolution music sites come in.
Here at BoomSpeaker.com, we really appreciate authentic music, so we went about creating a list of the best out there right now. So, without further ado, here are the top 15 high-res music sites to satisfy your craving for original music, including music from some of the best DJs in the world.
1. HD Tracks
As one of the best hi-definition music sites on the internet, HD Tracks was co-founded by David Chesky, a professional composer, producer, and musician.
The site has an extensive collection of high-res jazz, rock, pop, and classical music. The highest resolution is available at 24 bit/192kHz, which is way more than many major brands on the market offer.
All the musical files available on HD Tracks are available in multiple formats – you can find something that easily suits your taste.
These formats include AIFF, WMA, ALAC, and FLAC. More importantly, the content features a range of popular musicians from all over the world, so you can quickly enjoy your favorite songs in high-res audio.
2. iTrax
For us audiophiles who delight in natively recorded music, iTrax is the place for you. The content is available in three file formats, WMA, FLAC, and WMA pro, with every cymbal crash and note recorded at high bit rates. There are over 300 HD video files and 800+ HD audio tracks for you to enjoy.
Founded by a chief pioneer of high-res audio (Dr. Mark Waldrep), all the tracks at iTrax are recorded and delivered in HD quality.
The highest resolution is at 24 bit/96kHz for music offered in various genres, including acoustics, Blues, country, R&B, crossover, and classical.
3. Acoustic Sounds
Offering a bevy of rock and pop music from familiar artists, Acoustic Sounds is far more interesting than its title suggests.
You can expect to find world-famous artists like Louis Armstrong, Michael Jackson, and many others. This collection allows you to enjoy that HD feeling when listening to the music, with the best file offering 24-bit/192kHz resolution.
Aside from quality hi-definition music downloads from known artists all over the world, Acoustic Sounds allows you to choose from multiple file formats.
These high-resolution file formats include DSD, ALAC, FLAC, and DSF. More importantly, the site regularly updates the content.
4. Bowers & Wilkins Society of Sound
If the idea of having the London Symphony Orchestra and Peter Gabriel picking your HD music seems amazing, you will want to check out this site.
The B&W Society of Sound sends you two music albums every month, with the membership coming at an affordable annual rate ($ 60 per year). At $60 per year, you can expect a constant supply of hi-definition music, with the highest resolution reaching 24-bit/192kHz.
The B&W Society of Sound gives you music in ALAC and FLAC file formats from a vault full of high-def recordings.
The music archive is still growing, so most of the selections available are classical and eclectic recordings.
5. The Classical Shop
Boasting a massive collection of music from over 200 labels, the Classical Shop is the go-to music site for jazz and classical music enthusiasts.
There are millions of tracks for you to check out. Moreover, they promise to add 80,000 new tracks every month! This music is mostly available in CD quality, but the highest resolution is about 24 bit/96kHz.
The best part is that the Classical Shop comes with simple user tools that allow you to check out music samples and bit rates easily.
The high-definition music copies available are amazing – offered in a host of high-tech file formats such as WMA, WAV, FLAC, and AIFF.
6. Pristine Classical
Pristine Classical delivers a pool of past recordings that deliver a serious blast while listening.
The tracks date back to the early 1940s, but they have been re-mastered meticulously to offer high-res audio. Most tracks will cost you top dollar, though, considering the process they go through.
The best tracks at Pristine Classical have resolutions of up to 24 bit/48kHz, and you can stream them in FLAC file formats.
This site is definitely a must-check if you crave high-quality classical music featuring top music artists of the 1940s and 50s. This includes legends like Arturo Toscanini, Thomas Beecham, and Maria Callas.
7. Melba Recordings
If you want to catch your classical performance from the Melbourne symphony orchestra, then Melba Recording is where you should be.
This recording label is dedicated to giving you a fine selection of music in a range of audio file formats. The prices are also surprisingly competitive.
The recordings available at Melba Records have a higher quality than the standard MP3 files and they come in three choices.
The folks on this site allow you to download the tracks in FLAC, ALE, and Studio Master WMA files, with resolutions reaching up to 24 bits (96 kHz).
8. Pro Studio Masters
Offering only crisp and hi definition audio files, the Pro Studio Masters are serious about media transfers and offer a huge range of musical selections.
You can browse through a couple of musical genres, including Francophone, country, classical, pop, jazz, rock, R&B, and blues. The site is well set up, and you won’t have issues accessing music files.
Aside from offering a range of familiar music genres, Pro Studio Masters offers a range of hi-definition file formats, ranging from DSD to AIFF.
You can check out the top sellers list on the site, and if you want something new to add to your collection, you can check out the recently added music section.
9. Native DSD Music
Aside from having a catchy brand title, Native DSD Music offers hi-res downloads available in DSD files. This site is a leading provider of all sorts of musical genres, including gospel, classical, big band, classical crossover, jazz, independent acoustics, and much more.
The music available on this hi definition audio site mainly has a low amount of instrumental detail, and sound degradation is maintained at the minimum.
The site boasts of a large collection of 18,150+ tracks from 1340+ albums. This content is mostly recorded at 64 bits/ 2.8mHz, with the best DSD files reaching 11.2 MHz while streaming.
10. Naim Records
This UK-based independent music record label brings you artists like Yazz Ahmed, Gauthier Trio, and many others.
It’s the go-to audio site for pop, jazz, soul, electronic, alternative, blues, indie rock, and classical music enthusiasts all over the world. There is a nice collection of 24-bit audio files which are easily accessed.
Most of the music on this site is produced by the label, enabling them to ensure high-definition audio in various albums.
You can expect up to 10 music tracks on a single album, and the quality of the content is very lovely. More importantly, it will cost you only a few bucks to enjoy this quality content.
11. Tidal Music Service
If you don’t mind renting tracks at a monthly rate, the Tidal Music Service is among the top hi-res audio sites available on the net.
Tidal subscribers can stream music all day long and enjoy high-quality music playing at 24-bit/96kHz. Even better, you can pair your account with most hi-fi connections.
Tidal Music Service rivals major streaming brands on the internet – packed with exclusive music content.
The content is expertly curated, and you can even find HD videos in the collection on the members’ page. Their monthly rate is affordable, and you can find all types of music genres, ranging from souls to blues, acoustics, and many more.
12. Blue Coast Records
For those who are in the market for something eclectic, Blue Coast Records is a great source of pop hits and Indie rock music.
Many of the tracks are hand-picked from the works of Cookie Marenco, a Grammy-nominated producer. Upon sign-up, users can enjoy a few free downloads from the site before the paid subscription kicks in.
Most of the music tracks available at Blue Coast Records are not available on most audio sites, but they feature some cool artists.
These high-resolution files come in WAV, FLAC, and DSD formats, with the best film streaming at 24-bit/96kHz. That means you can enjoy the natural acoustic sound of all your artists.
13. ATMA Classique
Though not as popular as some of the best high-res audio sites on this list, the ATMA Classique hosts hundreds of high-definition music files.
This French-Canadian site has been around for over one and a half decades, and you can find tracks by artist, genre, or composer.
The ATMA Classique features distinctive performances from some of the finest musicians in the world, and you can browse through a collection of 500+ titles.
This site has a variety of music genres ranging from contemporary and medieval to baroque and tango. More importantly, their rates are competitive, and the resolutions reach up to 24 bits/96kHz.
14. eClassical
eClassical has over 18 years of experience in offering high-quality music that satisfies your listening needs and promotes world-class classical musicians.
Featuring hi-res classical music files, the eClassical brand site offers content in three formats at very affordable prices.
A single track will cost you just a few cents. You can download these in FLAC and MP3 files. The MP3 files play at 320kbps, while the FLAC files have multiple resolutions of about 16-bit and 24-bit.
The site has multiple familiar classical genres – you can expect to find contemporary jazz, choral, opera, instrumental, and chamber music.
15. Subradar
Founded in 2012 by the Norwegian musician Klaus Holm, Subradar is an artiste-friendly site offering a great platform for downloading high-definition music.
The folks on this site are constantly adding content. You can expect to find rock, jazz, electronic and contemporary music.
The Subradar music collection offers multiple formats, including FLAC, M4A, MP3, and ALAC files. These audio files have a lossless encoding to ensure that you get quality sound output.
The best of their collection is at 24-bit/96kHZ resolutions. You can also enjoy the mp3 files at 16 bit/ 44100 kHz.
FAQs
1. Where Do Audiophiles Get Their Music?
Audiophiles play music from a diversity of sources, including phonograph records, compact discs, and digital audio files that are either uncompressed or are lossless compresses, such as FLAC, DSD, Windows Media Audio 9 Lossless and Apple Lossless (ALAC), in contrast to lossy compressions, such as in MP3 encoding.
2. What Is The Highest Quality Audio Format?
A lossless audio file format is the best format for sound quality. These include FLAC, WAV, OR AIFF. These files are considered “hi-res” because they are better or equal to CD quality.
3. What is High-Resolution Music?
High resolution (High-definition audio or HD audio) is a term for audio files greater than 44.1 kHz Sample rate or higher than 16-bit audio bit depth. It usually refers to 96 0r 192 kHz sample rates.
4. What is HD Music?
HD audio is a universal term used to refer to digital audio tracks presented in at least CD quality. Unlike typical streaming music tracks LIKE THOSE ON SPOTIFY. HD audio tracks use lossless compression, so more data from the original recording is preserved.
What Is A High-Quality MP3 Song?
The highest quality MP 3 bitrate is 320kbps at 16-bit. You can encrypt MP3s as low as 96kbps. MP3s use a compression codec that removes the frequencies while preserving as much of the original recording as possible. This results in reduced sound quality and a considerable reduction in files.
Bottom Line:
High-definition music is about replicating the entire range of sound as the artiste created it. Audio files such as MP3 and MP4 lose essential quality due to lossy compression. With the websites above, you can really enjoy authentic music. It’s what we audiophiles crave…
Norvan Martin is the founder of BoomSpeaker.com. He is a professional Electronics Engineer and is passionate about home theater systems and AV electronics. BoomSpeaker was created as an online hub to share his knowledge and experiences as it relates to home theaters and home audio electronics.
My email: admin@boomspeaker.com
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