Noel Gallagher's Hight Flying Birds

2011-10-03 01:25:46

I'm looking forward to this album.
I bought "The Death of You and Me" Digital Single Bundle.
It came with 2 FLAC files made with "mutagen" tool, with poorly and upscaled to 600px embedded album art, plus a H.264/AAC video.

Nevertheless, it seems good FLAC is being distributed as a choice from some artists.

As for the ripping, my guess is that this is a non-corrected offset rip. But in the future, will this still be relevant or MD5 will be the default "AccurateRip" for this?
I may check when I get my hands on a proper EAC rip.

Noel Gallagher's Hight Flying Birds

Reply #1 – 2011-10-17 14:59:07

I have a suspicion that the three single bundles come with at least 3 FLAC sourced from lossy sources (MP3 V0 probably).

They are:

AKA... What A Life!.flac - (AKA... What A Life! - FLAC Single Bundle)
Let The Lord Shine A Light On Me.flac - (AKA... What A Life! - FLAC Single Bundle)
I'd Pick You Every Time.flac - (If I Had a Gun... - FLAC Single Bundle)

I've contacted TopSpin for explanations...

Noel Gallagher's Hight Flying Birds

Reply #2 – 2011-10-18 15:45:10

After contacting TopSpin, they deny any responsibility on the source files, alleging that they blindly believe the artist's management provided the true lossless sources.

I don't advise buying any FLAC or ALAC bundle from this store until those files are compared to the ones in the real CD Singles material.

Noel Gallagher's Hight Flying Birds

Reply #3 – 2011-10-23 02:15:16

Concerning the entire digital download FLAC bundle of "AKA What a Life", being sold from Noel's Official Store against the hardcopy of the same CD Single:

Both FLAC files (A-Side and B-Side) are sourced from MP3 320 kbps.

TopSpin claims that they have received WAV files from Noel's techies. However, now it is confirmed the source was lossy.

-

And also for your information:

I have compared the single "The Death Of You and Me" FLAC Bundle Digital Download vs. EAC CD Rip and...
The Digital Download is really lossless however it is unclear if it's a secure rip, and offsets are not corrected, so it's a shot in the dark.

Noel Gallagher's Hight Flying Birds

Reply #4 – 2011-10-23 07:15:36

A secure rip might be too much to expect. Is the label/artist rep obligated to supply the vendor with tracks ripped from the commercial Red Book CD? They could just as easily supply them from a promo CD, private CD-R, or even just copies of digital files. So I don't think you should worry about that.

Regardless, they can be expected to continue the practice of accepting lossy-to-lossless transcodes from the artists and maintaining their "not my problem" attitude until it costs them money. If I were you, I would demand a refund for the MP3-sourced material immediately. While the once-lossy FLACs are superior to the twice-lossy MP3s, it is still not what you reasonably expected to receive.

Based on TopSpin's BBB report and TrustLink reviews, it sounds like you may have an uphill battle.

Noel Gallagher's Hight Flying Birds

Reply #5 – 2011-10-31 13:18:54

Hi mjb2006,

I  have compared the purchased files with CD Rips and the files I mentioned are really sourced from lossy.
TopSpin have refunded me on 1 bundle, after screenshots were sent, and so on.
I am waiting for a next refund that may be happening just today.

Apart from Noel's management slack and unfair attitude, TopSpin has been replying me with kindness and refunding me after proof.

So my experience over this was acquired: It's still better to get hold of the CD, instead of downloading "FLAC" files.

Noel Gallagher's Hight Flying Birds

Reply #6 – 2011-11-04 21:28:12

I have been refunded by TopSpin for 2 bundles.
Guess my journey about on purchasing lossless music online is over, for now.