For the 25th anniversary of the Homework album, Daft Punk’s first album has been reissued with 15 additional bonus tracks., as well as a vinyl reissue with the 16 original tracks.

The review includes 7 editions: Vinyl , streaming, Qobuz, Qobuz 25th Anniversary Edition, Tidal, Tidal 25th Anniversary Edition, Amazon, Amazon 25th Anniversary Edition.

You can also find the review of the Random Access Memories album here.

Below you will find the description of the different editions, as well as the measurements of each edition in the following chapters.
The synthesis of the review and the samples are available here.

This album includes 16 tracks reviewed:

1. Daftendirekt
2. WDPK 83.7 FM
3. Revolution 909
4. Da Funk
5. Phœnix
6. Fresh
7. Around The World
8. Rollin’ & Scratchin’
9. Teachers
10. High Fidelity
11. Rock’n Roll
12. Oh Yeah
13. Burnin’
14. Indo Silver Club
15. Alive
16. Funk Ad

First we will analyze each edition in detail (technical and qualitative analysis), then we will compare the successive editions with their dynamics and assign a final score, and you will be able to listen some samples.

The streaming versions may evolve over time, those presented here correspond to the version tested at the date of publication, or update of the review.

Review of the editions:

Part 1: Presentation of the editions

Part 2 : Waveform and dynamique comparaison

Parts 3 : Spectrum comparisons

Part 4 : Spectrogram comparaisons

Part 5 : Summary, scoring and Sample

Part 1: presentation of the editions

Ed1: Vinyl ref : 0190296611926 reissue 2022 – 1997

Presentation

This is the reissue vinyl gatefold sleeve with Daft Punk logo embossed .

Label	Warner Music
Reference	0190296611926
Format (speed)	2 x LP 33 rpm 180g
Type	Double LP with gatefold sleeve embossed with ‘Daft Punk’ logo
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Nilesh ‘Nilz’ Patel
Original recording	Digital
State	EU
Year original	1997
Year production	2022

Ed2: Qobuz – 1997

Presentation

This is the streaming Qobuz in 16 bits 44.1 kHz.

Label	Warner Music
Reference	Qobuz
Format (speed)	Streaming
Type	16 bits 44.1 kHz
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Nilesh ‘Nilz’ Patel
Original recording	Digital
State	EU
Year original	1997
Year production	1997

Ed3: Qobuz 25th Anniversary Edition – 2022

Presentation

This is the streaming Qobuz in 16 bits 44.1 kHz with 15 bonus tracks.

Label	Warner Music
Reference	Qobuz
Format (speed)	Streaming with 15 bonus tracks
Type	16 bits 44.1 kHz
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Nilesh ‘Nilz’ Patel
Original recording	Digital
State	EU
Year original	1997
Year production	2022

Ed4: Tidal Master – 1997

Presentation

This is the streaming Tidal Master in 16 bits 44.1 kHz MQA encoded.

Label	Warner Music
Reference	Tidal Master
Format (speed)	Streaming
Type	16 bits 44.1 kHz MQA encoded, decoded with Audirvana in 24 bits 88.2 kHz
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Nilesh ‘Nilz’ Patel
Original recording	Digital
State	EU
Year original	1997
Year production	1997

Ed5: Tidal Master 25th Anniversary Edition – 2022

Presentation

This is the streaming Tidal Master in 16 bits 44.1 kHz MQA encoded, with 15 bonus tracks.

Label	Warner Music
Reference	Tidal Master
Format (speed)	Streaming with 15 bonus tracks
Type	16 bits 44.1 kHz MQA encoded, decoded with Audirvana in 24 bits 88.2 kHz
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Nilesh ‘Nilz’ Patel
Original recording	Digital
State	EU
Year original	1997
Year production	2022

Ed6: Amazon – 1997

Presentation

This is the streaming Amazon in 16 bits 44.1 kHz.

Label	Warner Music
Reference	Amazon
Format (speed)	Streaming
Type	16 bits 44.1 kHz
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Nilesh ‘Nilz’ Patel
Original recording	Digital
State	EU
Year original	1997
Year production	1997

Ed7: Amazon 25th Anniversary Edition – 2022

Presentation

This is the streaming Amazon in 16 bits 44.1 kHz with 15 bonus tracks.

Label	Warner Music
Reference	Amazon
Format (speed)	Streaming with 15 bonus tracks
Type	16 bits 44.1 kHz
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Nilesh ‘Nilz’ Patel
Original recording	Digital
State	EU
Year original	1997
Year production	2022

Part 2 : Waveform and dynamic comparaisons

Waveform

The waveform represents all the 16 tracks of the album.

The graph below represents the vinyl version (Ed1). There is no sign of level limiting, this edition has a good dynamic.

The graphs below represent the Qobuz and Tidal versions (Ed2, Ed3 25th, Ed4 and Ed5 25th) , which are less dynamic than vinyl. The yellow area shows the effect of compression with dynamic range limitation.

The Amazon versions (Ed6 and Ed7) are identical to the Qobuz and Tidal versions with the same DR8. The yellow area shows the impact of the compression with the leveling of the sound level.

The curves below represent a zoom on the sample for streaming digital (at the top of the graph) and vinyl (at the bottom of the graph) with the same level of -17.5 LUFS. We can see the levelling of the sound level due to the compression on the digital version in streaming which does not present any more the peaks of the vinyl.

Dynamic

Dynamic represents the ability to reproduce a wide range of sounds from the softest to the loudest. The target is to compare the dynamics of the music and not of the media (CD, digital files or vinyl).

For our 7 editions we have obtained the following Dynamic Range (DR) :

	Ed1: Vinyl	Ed2: Qobuz	Ed3: Qobuz 25th	Ed4: Tidal	Ed5: Tidal 25th	Ed6: Amazon	Ed7: Amazon 25th
GLOBAL	DR14	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8
Min	DR11	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR7
Max	DR15	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10
Daftendirekt	DR14	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8
WDPK 83.7 FM	DR14	DR9	DR9	DR9	DR9	DR9	DR9
Revolution 909	DR13	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8
Da Funk	DR15	DR9	DR9	DR9	DR9	DR9	DR9
Phœnix	DR12	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR7
Fresh	DR12	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR7
Around The World	DR15	DR9	DR9	DR9	DR9	DR9	DR9
Rollin’ & Scratchin’	DR15	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8
Teachers	DR13	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8
High Fidelity	DR15	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8
Rock’n Roll	DR13	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8
Oh Yeah	DR11	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR7
Burnin’	DR13	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR7
Indo Silver Club	DR13	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR7
Alive	DR15	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8
Funk Ad	DR15	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10

We find 2 categories, the digital versions with a DR8 and the more dynamic vinyl with a DR14. These values are coherent with the curves of the waveforms.

As a reminder, the scale goes from 0 to more 20, but the dynamics are considered good from 12, quite good between 10 and 11, and deteriorate below 10.

Part 3 : spectrum comparisons

Spectrum

The Spectrum allows to check the tonal balance of the music (balance between treble, medium and bass sounds) and to detect process that may have been carried out during the recording, the mixing, mastering or manufacturing phases. It is also possible to detect frequency interference issues.

The curve represents the average frequency distribution over the sample “Around The World”.

The interesting features on this curve Ed1 Vinyl (white) vs Ed2 Qobuz (blue) are the following:

1. The two curves are almost superimposed from 40 Hz to 6 kHz.
2. The yellow area shows a small increase (3dB) of the high frequency for the vinyl, the sound will be clearer.
3. The greenarrow shows a decrease of 4 db below 40 Hz for the vinyl compared to the Qobuz digital version.
4. The yellow arrow indicates the 22 kHz limit of the Qobuz version due to the 44.1 kHz sampling rate.
5. The purple arrow indicates the area of distortion due to the playback of the vinyl and the noise.

The curves of the Qobuz (Ed2) and Qobuz 25th (Ed3) versions are perfectly identical.

The curves of the Qobuz (Ed2) and Tidal (Ed4) versions are perfectly identical up to 22 kHz (yellow arrow). Above 22 kHz, Tidal’s MQA decoding produces complementary frequencies up to 44 kHz due to spectrum folding (red area), find more details here.

The curves of the Tidal (Ed4) and Tidal 25th (Ed5) versions are perfectly identical.

The curves of Amazon (Ed6) and Qobuz 25th (Ed2) versions are perfectly identical up to 20 kHz.

The curves of the Amazon (Ed6) and Amazon 25th (Ed7) versions are perfectly identical.

The 6 digital versions are identical except for the frequencies above 22kHz for the Tidal versions.

Part 4 : Spectrogram comparaisons

Spectrogram

Spectrogram is another representation of frequency versus time of a track. For each channel (right and left), horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents frequency. The amplitude is represented by the intensity (brightness) of the color of each point in the image.

The spectrogram below represents the vinyl version (Ed1). The signal goes beyond 20 kHz (yellow arrow). The white arrow represents signal and the harmonics generated by the reading of the vinyl.

For Qobuz, Qobuz 25th (Ed2 and Ed3), Amazon and Amazon 25 th (Ed6 and Ed7)) below , we find the same representation with a maximum frequency of 22 kHz (yellowarrow) due to the 44.1 kHz sampling rate. The white arrow shows that there is no signal above 22 kHz (black area) unlike vinyl.

As with the vinyl, the Ed4 Tidal Master and Ed5 Tidal Master 25th show an extension of the spectrum above 22 kHz (red rectangle) which is due to the Tidal MQA decoded sampling rate at 88.2 kHz which generate aliasing. The white arrow shows the no signal above 44 kHz. You can find more details here.

Part 5 : Summary, scoring and Samples

Ed1: Vinyl ref : 0190296611926 reissue 2022 – 1997

The Vinyl version is the most dynamic and open version. We find the softer sound of the vinyl with an extension of the low frequency less present. The engraving is of good quality with a reduced surface noise. The presentation with the Daft Punk logo embossed on the cover is very beautiful.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Surface noise: ●●●●o (4.0/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (4/5)

• Sample : “Don’t Know Why” 24 bits 88.2 kHz:

Ed2: Qobuz – 1997

Presented in CD quality (16 bits 44.1 kHz), the version offers a slightly compressed sound with present bass, but which presents less opening than the vinyl version.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●ooo (2.5/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●oo (3/5)

• Sample : “Don’t Know Why” 16 bits 44.1kHz:

Ed3: Qobuz 25th Anniversary Edition – 2022

Qobuz 25th Anniversary Edition is identical to the original version. This anniversary version contains 15 additional tracks with remix versions and a dynamic DR9, all tracks are between DR7 and DR10, except the last accapella track (DR16).

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●ooo (2.5/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●oo (3/5)

• Sample : “Don’t Know Why” 16 bits 44.1kHz:

Ed4: Tidal Master – 1997

The Tidal version is almost identical to the other digital versions, but the MQA decoding in 24 bits 88.2 kHz and its phenomenon of extension of high frequencies changes the signal that is sent to the DAC. So we have a different sound, between the vinyl and the 16 bits 44.1 kHz versions. The impact of MQA decoding is more or less important depending on the DAC used.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●ooo (2.5/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●oo (3/5)

• Sample : “Don’t Know Why” 24 bits 88.2 kHz:

Ed5: Tidal Master 25th Anniversary Edition – 2022

Tidal 25th Anniversary Edition is identical to the original Tidal version, with 15 additional tracks. We can note that the anniversary version is not more compressed than the original version.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●ooo (2.5/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●oo (3/5)

• Sample : “Don’t Know Why” 24 bits 88.2 kHz:

Ed6: Amazon – 1997

As for Qobuz, the Amazon version is in 16 bits 44.1 kHz with the same measures, so we are in accordance with the same sound.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●ooo (2.5/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●oo (3/5)

• Sample : “Don’t Know Why” 16 bits 44.1 kHz:

Ed7: Amazon 25th Anniversary Edition – 2022

Amazon 25th Anniversary Edition is identical to the original Amazon version, with 15 additional tracks.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●ooo (2.5/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●oo (3/5)

• Sample : “Don’t Know Why” 16 bits 44.1 kHz:

There are two personalities for the sound rendering. The digital versions bring a heavier sound with more extreme basses. If you prefer more dynamics, with more openness and a little less bass, vinyl will provide that listening experience.

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Detail of the ratings :

• Dynamic :
  1. Significant dynamic compression, DR less than 7
  2. Compression of the present dynamics, DR between 7 and 9.
  3. Correct piece DR >=10
  4. No dynamic compression (DR >12), dynamic rendering
  5. No dynamic compression, high DR and very dynamic sound rendering
• Spectrum :
  1. Spectrum cut and less than 15 khz
  2. Spectrum cut at 15 khz
  3. Spectrum not conforming to the original and cut (not HD) or original but limited bandwidth (but less than 20 kHz)
  4. Spectrum conforming to the original (but not HD)
  5. Spectrum conforming to the original with HD resolution (higher than 24kHz)
• Surface noise (only for vinyl):
  1. Continuous audible noise
  2. Audible surface noise except on passages with a high level of noise
  3. Reduced surface noise, barely audible on low level crossings
  4. Low surface noise, very good quality
  5. Very low surface noise, no defects, almost inaudible on the quiet passages (exceptional disc)
• Spatialization :
  • Between 0 and 5 for 5.1 or 7.1 channels configuration
  • Between 0 and 10 for Atmos configuration (7.1.4)
  • For more information on spatialization, you can read the article describing this parameter here.
• Restitution :
  1. Low quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments.
  2. Average quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments.
  3. Quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Good record.
  4. High quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Very high level disc.
  5. Maximum quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Exceptional disc.

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