- Headphone Dust is a new platform to buy audio with your choice of mix
- Songs mixed in Dolby Atmos, 5.1 surround, available in MKV and FLAC
- Far from a full platform yet, but shows how it can be done
A new music download platform called Headphone Dust shows has been created by Grammy-nominated Porcupine Tree frontman and solo artist Steven Wilson to show the major music services how it could be done – giving users a fantastic selection of audio formats.
Wilson is, relevantly, known for remixing records for Dolby Atmos and 5.1-channel mixes. He has upgraded Elton John, Black Sabbath, King Crimson and Guns N’ Roses tracks in this way.
Headphone Dust is a platform for these kinds of tracks, like a storefront to buy music mixed to such audiophile standards – not only in these formats, but also in full uncompressed audio quality (unlike the biggest streaming services).
Each album is available in two-channel stereo or spatial Dolby Atmos, or mixed to 5.1 surround sound, or in a special headphone-specific version – and sometimes also with accompanying 4K video.
You don’t stream the tracks from the site; you can download them in FLAC and it uses the MKV format to allow you to choose which of the above formats you want to listen in.
The albums cost £14.99 or £18.99 (roughly $20, AU$30 or $26, AU$36), so it’s a cheaper option than physical releases tend to be. For now, though, there are a few catches.
Limited offers
At the time of writing, there are six albums available via Headphone Dust: four remixed Steven Wilson albums, a newly remixed live album from the artist, and an album from Wilson’s solo project Bass Communion.
This is not a case of Wilson confirming that Headphone Dust will initially be for his own catalog. He claims he uses it to release works he’s mixed for other artists and bands, but that will likely depend on various deals and arrangements being made later.
It is obvious quite a limitation to its popularity, but we feature it because it stands as a lifeline for audiophiles, offering a way to download high-resolution music that will sound as close as possible to the original master, but with the potential for more interesting mixes if you have the equipment to make the most of them.
But that’s also the other limiting factor for the idea right now: not only do you need the correct equipment, it needs to be connected to your PC if you’re relying on the MKV format to choose which version of the track you want to listen to.
Obviously plenty of people have one of the best headphone DACs plugged into their PC, so at least that’s one way to get your music out of it – but how many people have a laptop plugged into their Dolby Atmos system by default?
Here’s hoping that Wilson can find a way to deliver his idea of uncompressed music with selectable mixes through a more user-friendly system – and of course get other musicians on board – because that’s a good idea. Ownership of the medium, control over the format, maximum quality… even if this doesn’t pan out, at least it gives us something to point to and say ‘Look! It can be done! It is what we want!’
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