Comparison of old mp3 to flac

[RonM]

Years ago, in 2007 ro 2008, I got what became one of my favorite folk albums, Martin Simpson's Prodigal Son. It was one of my very first bought-for-the-squeezebox recordings. An excellent album, highly recommended.

But I got it from the old eMusic store, and it was a 176 VBR file. I didn't question the quality at the time, and have enjoyed it greatly over the years, but there has been a recent re-issue with supplementary live performances. I decided I needed to upgrade and bought the CD. Couldn't find an available non-lossy download source.

There is no mention in the liner notes of the original recording having been subject to remixing or remastering, so I assume the files are produced from the same source as the original CD.

Rather than removing the old files, I decided to keep both versions so I could do a comparison.

And wow, what a difference! The guitar playing crisply resonates on the new version, whereas on the old it was by comparison foggy and a bit muffled. Kate Rusby's backing vocals on the classic "Never Any Good" can be heard fully articulated in the background, whereas on the old one I could barely understand her words.

Well worth the upgrade cost!

R.