** Audio**: Listen to this article.

This is what us crazy audiophiles always ask for, care in creation, provenance, sound quality, and good music. Much of the time we get one or two of these, and there is usually some question as to what really transpired before the music ended up on our hard drives. Now, we have all the information and even access to those who took so much care in creating and performing it. What more could we ask for? That’s a rhetorical question.

I’ve been a fan of @Jerome Sabbagh (website) for a few years, after seeing him at audio shows and hearing about his album Vintage. I’ve become a bigger fan over the years because Jerome is such a nice guy, who also participates in this community, and one who cares about his music as much as I care about mine. Albeit he can actually play while I can only press play.

I recently found out about Jerome’s albums being available as DSD256 downloads and my eyes / ears perked up. I always want to hear what artists believe is the absolute best reproductions of their works, in digital form. In this case the albums were recorded directly to two-track tape, so the original tape is of course the best. One can’t improve an original. However, I’m not into playing tape or tape transferred to vinyl (to stay in the analog domain), as it just doesn’t do it for me or how I listen.

Included with the DSD downloads is the following letter describing all the details.

“You are about to listen to a straight transfer made directly from the half-inch 30 ips analog master tape to DSD 256.

DSD is a great sounding format but it basically does not allow for any editing or mastering of any kind, contrary to PCM. A lot of times, DSD files are converted to DXD, which allows edits and sound manipulations, but really is PCM at 352.8KHz, then converted back to various DSD formats. As this record did not use EQ, we just made a straight transfer of it to DSD 256. The files you bought were not converted to DXD, except for the last few seconds of each song, when it fades out.

The Merging Pyramix soſtware, used a particular way, allows for fade outs to be done in DXD just for the duration of the fades, and leaves the bulk of the music untouched, in DSD 256. That is the method we used, the goal being to keep the music in DSD 256. We hired DSD specialist Andreas Meyer (Swan Studios) to do this work the correct way.

The analog to digital transfer for this record was made directly from the master tape by Jason Smith at Grey Matter Audio. We are using a Sony APR-5002 as a transport to play back the half-inch 30 ips master tape, but the sound is going through a Doshi Audio tube tape preamp instead of the stock electronics, and then to the Playback Designs converter, without limiting.“

After reading and understanding the technical information, the only thing left to do is listen to the music. Available from Analog Tone Factory are Jerome Sabbagh’s albums Heart, Vintage, and No Filter, along with Keepers of the Eastern Door from Chris Cheek.

I’m very familiar with Sabbagh’s album Vintage. It’s beautiful inside and out, and made even better with this latest transfer. The album I really got into, and one I hadn’t previously heard, is Sabbagh’s album Heart. I’ve now listened to this album at least 20 times, start to finish and I’ve had it playing on repeat while I write this article. The DSD256 transfer sounds fantastic, as does the music and musicianship. It’s superb.

All the tracks from Duke Ellington and Wayne Shorter covers to Sabbagh’s original material, were recorded live to tape. Listening at home is like a personal concert, as the tracks flow from one to the next with wonderful fidelity, air, bloom, and even more important to me, emotion. Perhaps the albums name, Heart, is more appropriate than I would’ve guess.

All of Sabbagh’s albums treated to new DSD256 transfers are sonic treats that should be tasted by anyone with even a passing interest. Sabbagh and the team at Analog Tone Factory have really delivered with these releases. Liner notes, recording studio images, file provenance, wonderful sound quality signed-off by the artist, music, and musicianship. Seriously, if this doesn’t thrill you, you may need a doctor rather than a new amazing album.

The albums are available individually for $35 and immediate download, or as DSD 256 Bundle No. 01, for $100, from Analog Tone Factory.

About the author - https://audiophile.style/about Author’s Complete Audio System Details with Measurements - https://audiophile.style/system