# Geezer tech question



## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

I go back to the LP era, switched over to CDs, loaded a lot of albums to an iPod 20 years ago using a now dead eMac,and haven't done much except purchase an occasional CD or listen to my iPod or Alexa since. I also have an android phone which I've used only for calls or texts. Just went onto Presto, and saw some interesting things. If I want to purchase a download, what format do I want and what do I download it to and how do I listen to it? (Am Mac and PC literate and currently have a Chromebook.)

(I have one foot in the grave and will not die if I can't do this.  )


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## progmatist (Apr 3, 2021)

Unless you have a Hi-Res capable player, the Hi-Res version on Presto would be overkill. You're better off with the CD quality. An iPod, Android phone, Fire Stick and/or Chromebook out of the box isn't capable of playing Hi-Res files at full quality. Convincing them to do so requires some expertise. Even then, only newer models are capable of Hi-Res at all.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

MarkW said:


> I go back to the LP era, switched over to CDs, loaded a lot of albums to an iPod 20 years ago using a now dead eMac,and haven't done much except purchase an occasional CD or listen to my iPod or Alexa since. I also have an android phone which I've used only for calls or texts. Just went onto Presto, and saw some interesting things. If I want to purchase a download, what format do I want and what do I download it to and how do I listen to it? (Am Mac and PC literate and currently have a Chromebook.)
> 
> *(I have one foot in the grave and will not die if I can't do this. * )


Do you mean: you _will_ die if you _can_ do it?

As a geezer myself, still steeped in vacuum tubes, vinyl, turntables, cassette tape, and wired components and speakers ... I wish I had the guarantee that I "will not die" if I couldn't do something. If such were the case, I could guarantee that I'd do everything I could to _avoid_ "doing" whatever it was that would kill me.

Hopeful news: I'm still alive, and I haven't started streaming, don't own an iPod, and have no interest in Alexa or downloads. Maybe there's a connection?

For now, count yourself lucky. Maybe you will fail at this. From what I understand, it's rather silent on the "other side", as in "no music". Better to keep on keepin' on, whatever it takes.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

SONNET CLV said:


> Do you mean: you _will_ die if you _can_ do it?
> 
> As a geezer myself, still steeped in vacuum tubes, vinyl, turntables, cassette tape, and wired components and speakers ... I wish I had the guarantee that I "will not die" if I couldn't do something. If such were the case, I could guarantee that I'd do everything I could to _avoid_ "doing" whatever it was that would kill me.
> 
> ...


I guess I meant I won't die any faster if i can't do it. 

(our first home record player my dad built the vacuum tube amp for, connected to a Radio Shack turntable and a home-built cabinet. I was perfectly happy with mono for a full decade after the advent of stereo.)


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## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

MarkW said:


> one foot in the grave


I'm surprised Art Rock hasn't replied yet.


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

progmatist said:


> Unless you have a Hi-Res capable player, the Hi-Res version on Presto would be overkill. You're better off with the CD quality. An iPod, Android phone, Fire Stick and/or Chromebook out of the box isn't capable of playing Hi-Res files at full quality. Convincing them to do so requires some expertise. Even then, only newer models are capable of Hi-Res at all.


I don't know Chromebook, so I wasn't going to comment, and now I'm going to get a little nerdy despite my own geezer status. Presto's CD quality downloads are in FLAC , a very popular format for everyone - except those who use Apple products or Alexa. A little research on the web suggests it is supported by Chromebook, but I saw some criticism. Even quicker research on Alexa suggests it is possible, but not straightforward. I would suggest you stick with MP3 files.

Other people may be able to provide more nerdy stuff.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Chromebooks have a cloud-based operating system and unfortunately due to limited memory and incompatibility with some of the popular sound-file editors (unless you’re techy enough to turn on Linux support on the Chromebook), IMO they aren’t all the practical for much in the way of sound-file editing.

I do a lot of downloading from Presto. I always download the FLAC (lossless) format because it’s only a few dollars more and regardless of what I do now, I want options in the future that may require the highest quality sound. I use the free Audacity to convert the FLAC file to a WAV file which I may use, as is, on my iPhone or convert to a 256 kbps AAC (iTunes) file for use on an iTouch that has limited memory.

Fwiw, I may also edit the WAV file on the Sony Sound Forge editor which has many more options than Audacity and which I’ve used for many years.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

MarkW said:


> ...I was perfectly happy with mono for a full decade after the advent of stereo.)


Of course there's nothing wrong with mono when recorded well and played back well. When playing records, utilizing a cartridge specifically fashioned for mono play rather than stereo play will help bring all the life out of a mono recording. A lot of the great jazz records from labels like Blue Note are mono, and even today you can generally find mono versions of newly pressed music. The discs in my box set of _The Beatles in Mono Vinyl Box Set_ (Limited Edition)) sound wonderful over my system, when I use my mono Soundsmith, which I purchased from Peter Ledermann who convinced me to go the mono route.

When I first wrote about the Beatles set in mono on this Forum* I hadn't a mono cartridge installed in my VPI Scoutmaster, which doesn't have an interchangeable head shell, which makes changing cartridges a snap. A couple of years back I purchased a used VPI arm wand and fitted it with a mono cartridge, so now all I have to do is change the arm wand (little more bother than switching head shells) to get the mono sound. It does improve the sound of the mono recordings. In fact, sometimes the mono is preferable.

Apparently John Lennon and Paul McCartney preferred their own early music played mono. I do too.

_______

* A list of really awesome mono recordings!

You'll find "A list of really awesome mono recordings!" from Forum member Albert7 in that thread.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

My first classical records were mono. When stereo appeared, I realized that I had 2 ears for a reason and never listened to a mono record again!


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

RobertJTh said:


> I'm surprised Art Rock hasn't replied yet.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

OP

I am unclear what your equipment is. Are you limited to your Android Phone? Or do you otherwise have some kind of play back equipment?


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Triplets said:


> OP
> 
> I am unclear what your equipment is. Are you limited to your Android Phone? Or do you otherwise have some kind of play back equipment?


At this point I have my Android phone, an iPod with desktop playback player, stereo receiver/amp hooked up to a Blueray player, smart TV, Chromebook, and used to have a turntable but there's no input port to my new amp.


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## progmatist (Apr 3, 2021)

SONNET CLV said:


> Do you mean: you _will_ die if you _can_ do it?
> 
> As a geezer myself, still steeped in vacuum tubes, vinyl, turntables, cassette tape, and wired components and speakers ... I wish I had the guarantee that I "will not die" if I couldn't do something. If such were the case, I could guarantee that I'd do everything I could to _avoid_ "doing" whatever it was that would kill me.
> 
> ...


Ironically, tube amps and turntables are once again all the rage.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

progmatist said:


> Ironically, tube amps and turntables are once again all the rage.


It's a small niche, just like classical music.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

I have an Android phone that can play high Re Files (LG-it as on the cover of Sterephile Magazine a few years ago). Regardless, the OP will probably be happy with CD Resolution sound. So back to his or her question:
1) You can download from the Presto site directly to your phone. This will eat a lot of storage, but my Android has a second slot for 
additional SD Cards, that will store up to 2 TB. If you wish, you can connect the phone to your Amp with a mini cable. This isn’t elegant, but it will work, and save $
2) you can get a dedicated streamer, with some HD storage and a DAC. This can range in hundred from a few hundred to the stratosphere. 
3) consider a streaming service, either with a dedicated Streamer or if the Chromebook can be utilized here


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## progmatist (Apr 3, 2021)

Triplets said:


> 1) You can download from the Presto site directly to your phone. This will eat a lot of storage, but my Android has a second slot for additional SD Cards, that will store up to 2 TB. If you wish, you can connect the phone to your Amp with a mini cable. This isn't elegant, but it will work, and save $


A word of caution: don't store on an SD card as your only copy. Have a backup elsewhere. It's very easy to forget to properly eject the card, pull it out and wipe all data stored on it.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Triplets said:


> I have an Android phone that can play high Re Files (LG-it as on the cover of Sterephile Magazine a few years ago). Regardless, the OP will probably be happy with CD Resolution sound. So back to his or her question:
> 1) You can download from the Presto site directly to your phone. This will eat a lot storage..


Presto addresses this and it can't be done directly. According to a Presto, you need some kind of 'file management' app in between which can a mean a number of things. Presumably, a Presto music file can be downloaded in the Chrome browser and then maybe it could be transferred directly to some Android phones or even dedicated music players. But iPhones would be out unless you have iTunes installed and there you run into the limitations of Chromebooks. You have to activate the Linus option which may be beyond a lot of users' pay grade. Not to mention the limited memory of a lot of Chromebooks.


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

MarkW said:


> I go back to the LP era, switched over to CDs, loaded a lot of albums to an iPod 20 years ago using a now dead eMac,and haven't done much except purchase an occasional CD or listen to my iPod or Alexa since. I also have an android phone which I've used only for calls or texts. Just went onto Presto, and saw some interesting things. If I want to purchase a download, what format do I want and what do I download it to and how do I listen to it? (Am Mac and PC literate and currently have a Chromebook.)
> 
> (I have one foot in the grave and will not die if I can't do this.  )


I am a heavy Presto user. I download onto a Windows PC and listen through a Sony Walkman DAP, however.

As far as I know, you can download onto the Chromebook (files will show up in the Downloads Folder, which you can find in the Files app) and then just copy them over to your phone via USB-C, after which you may delete them from the laptop.

You do not need to worry about storing a backup. Presto maintains an archive of all your purchases if you need to redownload them in the future.

If you are truly a "geezer," 320kbps MP3 is likely sufficient for your needs from a hearing standpoint, _especially _since you are using devices without removable storage. But certainly CD-quality FLAC is adequate. It's what I download everything in, and my hearing tests quite well at 44 (and I admit to not being able to reliably distinguish between 320 and CD quality in double blind tests - but storage is not a limitation for me as I have a 1tb SD card in my player). The only reason I would go hi-res is if it's on a deeper sale than CD-quality.


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## progmatist (Apr 3, 2021)

MatthewWeflen said:


> I am a heavy Presto user. I download onto a Windows PC and listen through a Sony Walkman DAP, however.
> 
> As far as I know, you can download onto the Chromebook (files will show up in the Downloads Folder, which you can find in the Files app) and then just copy them over to your phone via USB-C, after which you may delete them from the laptop.
> 
> ...


But other sites like HDTracks don't. They give a 90 day grace period to re-download, then that's it.


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

progmatist said:


> But other sites like HDTracks don't. They give a 90 day grace period to re-download, then that's it.


Yeah, HDTracks is kind of trash. The are my last resort download store. I always check 7digital first for non-classical CD-quality FLAC. The prices are generally lower and they allow re-downloads.

For classical, there's basically never a reason to choose HDTracks. Their sale prices are Presto's regular prices (sometimes more), and both the Presto site and policies are far superior.


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## progmatist (Apr 3, 2021)

MatthewWeflen said:


> Yeah, HDTracks is kind of trash. The are my last resort download store. I always check 7digital first for non-classical CD-quality FLAC. The prices are generally lower and they allow re-downloads.
> 
> For classical, there's basically never a reason to choose HDTracks. Their sale prices are Presto's regular prices (sometimes more), and both the Presto site and policies are far superior.


There used to be a "buy American" component to HDTracks. But ownership recently transferred to an overseas company.


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