During his 2023 residency at The Shrine in LA and pop-up shows in London, Fred Again sold limited-edition USB sticks containing exclusive live edits and alternate masters. These USBs contain 24-bit WAV files (which you can convert to FLAC). If you find a second-hand "Fred Again USB 2023," verify the bit depth. If it isn't 24-bit, it is a counterfeit. The true collector seeks the 24/44.1 Qobuz-verified rip of that USB.
If you are tired of "lossy" and want the definitive version, follow this checklist:
⚠️ No legit 24-bit version of the USB live recording exists. Any site offering “Fred Again USB 2023 24-bit FLAC” is likely fake or upscaled. fred again usb 2023 flac qubuz 24 bit 44 better
This is the container. Unlike MP3 or AAC, FLAC is mathematically perfect. It reduces file size without removing a single 1 or 0 from the original master. When you search for Fred Again FLAC, you are rejecting the "death of dynamics" caused by Spotify’s Ogg Vorbis compression.
Here is where the magic happens. Most CDs are 16-bit/44.1kHz. Most "High-Res" marketing pushes 96kHz or 192kHz. But Fred Again is a pragmatist. He produces in the box (using Ableton Live). His master bus rarely exceeds 44.1kHz or 48kHz. During his 2023 residency at The Shrine in
Blind test this:
For 90% of listeners, the difference is subtle. For the 10% who built the keyword above, the difference is religious. ⚠️ No legit 24-bit version of the USB
On Qobuz, you can find Fred Again..’s studio albums like Actual Life 3 in 24-bit / 44.1 kHz or 24-bit / 96 kHz FLAC — but not the specific USB live recording. Qobuz offers high-res versions of his commercial studio releases, which often sound technically better (higher bit depth, same sample rate) than the USB’s 16-bit WAVs.
So when people say “24-bit 44 better”, they likely mean: