I am sucker for old Hindi film music.
Though I have a fairly large collection of CDs including all the Classic Revival, I have to still rip them to listen to them.
I have been listening to Gaana as a subscriber for quite some time. Recently I came across a channel called Riya's Retro on Ganna. This is like a TV series - consisting of seasons and episodes. There are 7 seasons, each with roughly 35+ episodes. Each episode is roughly 1 hour long. That is some 210 hours of music for you. Of course, the songs are intermixed with Riya's chatter, her interviews, her commentaries, etc. She has based each episode on some title such as Intezar, Gussa, Nutty Love, Pyar Se Darr, etc. For each of these episodes, she chooses songs that fit the title.
What I liked best was the quality of the songs. All songs have the following quality:
1. No scratch noise of any kind.
2. Clear demarcation of vocals and instruments.
3. Good DSP on each song making them play quite well.
4. Same gain on each song so that the volume does not go up and down.
Gaana has taken even a song such as 'Aayega Aane Wala' from the 1949 movie Mahal and processed it as if it has been recorded yesterday. Lata's voice is clear, there is no sibilance, and you can literally hear the youth in her voice. Drums sound well, though they are not over emphasized needlessly. In one song when the lyrics mentions 'Shehnai' I could hear the subtle playing of the instrument in the background. Of course, songs from 1970s+ sound even better. I just loved to hear the songs of Rafi, Lata, Asha, Manna Dey, Kishore, Mukesh with such clarity. In some songs you can literally hear the singer breathing in.
Please do understand I am not talking about soundstage and other factors. Just that it is a pleasure to hear Rafi crooning, Kishore doodling, or Mukesh's nasal notes with such clarity.
More than worth the Rs.400 they are asking for a year. If I listen to Riya's Retro alone, the cost is justified. Saves me from scrounging for CDs, ripping them etc. Or paying a hefty price to download the legal versions.
All songs on Gaana can also be heard free. But there the songs are MP3 quality only. At full price you can listen to near wave file quality.
I am sure a lot of members here will feel I am over emphasizing the quality. Maybe. At the same time, getting such quality with such convenience is commendable.
Devices used:
1. Apple Ipad for streaming.
2. Lepai 1601s amplifier.
3. Van den Hul halogen free speaker cables.
4. Aperion Audio Bookshelves.
5. Edifier R1280DB with AptX.
6. Audire's Medical grade power conditioner.
Cheers
Cheers.
Though I have a fairly large collection of CDs including all the Classic Revival, I have to still rip them to listen to them.
I have been listening to Gaana as a subscriber for quite some time. Recently I came across a channel called Riya's Retro on Ganna. This is like a TV series - consisting of seasons and episodes. There are 7 seasons, each with roughly 35+ episodes. Each episode is roughly 1 hour long. That is some 210 hours of music for you. Of course, the songs are intermixed with Riya's chatter, her interviews, her commentaries, etc. She has based each episode on some title such as Intezar, Gussa, Nutty Love, Pyar Se Darr, etc. For each of these episodes, she chooses songs that fit the title.
What I liked best was the quality of the songs. All songs have the following quality:
1. No scratch noise of any kind.
2. Clear demarcation of vocals and instruments.
3. Good DSP on each song making them play quite well.
4. Same gain on each song so that the volume does not go up and down.
Gaana has taken even a song such as 'Aayega Aane Wala' from the 1949 movie Mahal and processed it as if it has been recorded yesterday. Lata's voice is clear, there is no sibilance, and you can literally hear the youth in her voice. Drums sound well, though they are not over emphasized needlessly. In one song when the lyrics mentions 'Shehnai' I could hear the subtle playing of the instrument in the background. Of course, songs from 1970s+ sound even better. I just loved to hear the songs of Rafi, Lata, Asha, Manna Dey, Kishore, Mukesh with such clarity. In some songs you can literally hear the singer breathing in.
Please do understand I am not talking about soundstage and other factors. Just that it is a pleasure to hear Rafi crooning, Kishore doodling, or Mukesh's nasal notes with such clarity.
More than worth the Rs.400 they are asking for a year. If I listen to Riya's Retro alone, the cost is justified. Saves me from scrounging for CDs, ripping them etc. Or paying a hefty price to download the legal versions.
All songs on Gaana can also be heard free. But there the songs are MP3 quality only. At full price you can listen to near wave file quality.
I am sure a lot of members here will feel I am over emphasizing the quality. Maybe. At the same time, getting such quality with such convenience is commendable.
Devices used:
1. Apple Ipad for streaming.
2. Lepai 1601s amplifier.
3. Van den Hul halogen free speaker cables.
4. Aperion Audio Bookshelves.
5. Edifier R1280DB with AptX.
6. Audire's Medical grade power conditioner.
Cheers
Cheers.
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