: A unique addition featuring a pristine 24-bit / 96 kHz transfer of an original UK vinyl A1/B1 pressing. Tracklist Close To The Edge (18:43) I. The Solid Time of Change II. Total Mass Retain III. I Get Up I Get Down IV. Seasons of Man And You And I (10:09) I. Cord of Life II. Eclipse III. The Preacher The Teacher IV. Apocalypse Siberian Khatru (8:57) Purchase & Streaming Options
Warm, compressed, and iconic, but often suffers from "frequency crowding" in dense sections. 2013 Wilson Mix:
Close to the Edge is a cornerstone of progressive rock, structured as a single 18-minute title track plus two shorter pieces. Its dense, multi-tracked production—featuring layered vocals, organ, and tape echo—benefits from high-resolution transfer, which minimizes intermodulation distortion during complex climaxes.
The 18-minute title track occupies the entire first side of the original vinyl. It is a multi-movement suite inspired by Hermann Hesse’s novel Siddhartha . The piece moves from chaotic, avant-garde jazz-fusion intros to serene, organ-driven spiritual climaxes. It showcases a band operating at the absolute peak of its collective powers. Side Two Gems
: Open-back audiophile headphones (like the Sennheiser HD600 series) or high-fidelity studio monitors will best reproduce the expansive soundstage and deep instrument separation of this master. The Verdict Yes - Close To The Edge -2013- -FLAC 24-192-
Given the album's legendary status, a "definitive edition" was a high-stakes project. This task fell to the renowned producer and musician Steven Wilson, a modern prog icon in his own right, who was brought in to remix the album from the original multitrack tapes.
Before dissecting the bits and samples, we must acknowledge the source. Close to the Edge is not background music. It is a singular, 38-minute suite split into three movements: The Solid Time of Change , Total Mass Retain , and I Get Up, I Get Down . The 1972 recording was famously complex—Eddy Offord’s production involved punching in tape edits so intricate that the master reels looked like a jigsaw puzzle.
This acoustic-driven track highlights the acoustic guitar transients. Steve Howe’s 12-string guitar introduction sounds crisp, with the ring of the steel strings resonating naturally. When the Mellotron enters, it expands the soundstage wide past the boundaries of your speakers. 3. Siberian Khatru (8:56)
The track opens with the sound of flowing water (a field recording of a English creek) before Jon Anderson’s ethereal “A seasoned witch...” In standard MP3 or CD, this water sound can feel like a flat noise floor. In , you hear the texture of the water—the separation of droplets, the spatial positioning across the soundstage. : A unique addition featuring a pristine 24-bit
The ultimate test. The frantic guitar/bass interplay and Bill Bruford’s jazz-influenced drumming require high resolution to decode. On the 192 kHz sampling rate, the transient attack of Bruford’s hi-hat and snare rimshots is razor-sharp but natural. The complex stereo panning of the backing vocals (the “To be able to love...” round) is vividly disentangled. In lower resolutions, this section turns into a wall of noise. In , it is a kaleidoscopic ballet.
To truly appreciate the scale and nuance of this masterpiece, we recommend listening to a of the album’s opening section. A short clip does not capture the full dynamic range or the precise stereo imaging of the 24/192 mix, but it provides a glimpse into the unparalleled clarity and immersive soundstage that define this release.
user wants a long article about the search term "Yes - Close To The Edge -2013- -FLAC 24-192-". This likely refers to a high-resolution audio release of Yes's album "Close to the Edge" from 2013 in FLAC 24-bit/192kHz format. The article should cover the album, the 2013 remaster or reissue, the technical aspects of FLAC 24/192, and the broader context of high-resolution audio. To gather comprehensive information, I will perform multiple searches covering different aspects: general information about the album "Close to the Edge", details about the 2013 release, technical information about FLAC 24/192, and reviews or discussions about high-resolution audio. search results provide a variety of sources. I will open several to gather detailed information. Result 0 from the first search seems to be a page about the HDTracks release. Result 1 is a Discogs page. Result 2 is a Wikipedia page. Result 3 is a discussion thread. Result 4 is a review. Result 5 is another page. Result 6 is a review. Result 7 is a streaming page. Result 8 is a discogs page. Result 0 from the second search is the official Yes page. Result 1 is a Wikipedia page. Result 2 is a review. Result 3 is a Baidu Baike page. Result 4 is a Rolling Stone article. Result 5 is a review. Result 6 is a Last.fm page. Result 0 from the third search is a Cloudinary page. Result 1 is a CNET page. Result 2 is a Baidu Baike page. Result 3 is a JD.com page. Result 4 is a Cambridge Audio page. Result 5 is a KEF page. Result 6 is a Yahoo Tech page. Result 7 is a Qobuz page. Result 8 is a Sound and Vision page. Result 0 from the fourth search is a forum thread. Result 1 is a review. Result 2 is a review. Result 3 is an eBay page. Result 4 is a review. Result 5 is a review. Result 6 is a review. Result 7 is a review. Result 8 is a review. Result 0 from the fifth search is a TechHive page. Result 1 is a Cambridge Audio page. Result 2 is a Sound and Vision page. Result 3 is a Superuser page. Result 4 is a forum page. Result 5 is a page. Result 6 is a forum page. Result 7 is a forum page. I will open these pages to extract relevant information for the article. have gathered a substantial amount of information from various sources. Now I need to synthesize this into a long article. The article should cover: introduction to the album and its significance, the 2013 definitive edition and Steven Wilson's remix, the technical specifications of FLAC 24/192, the listening experience and sound quality, and practical information on downloading and playing such files. I will structure the article with these sections, using citations where appropriate. intersection of technology and music has produced some genuinely transformative listening experiences, and for fans of progressive rock, few are as significant as the 2013 high-resolution release of Yes’s landmark album, Close to the Edge . This release is not just a nostalgia piece; it's a profound re-engineering of a classic, allowing listeners to hear the album in a clarity previously reserved for the mixing desk. The format specification— —represents a specific and sought-after pinnacle in the world of digital audio. This article will explore what makes this release so essential, delving into the history of the album, the technical aspects of the 24-bit/192kHz FLAC format, and why this particular version is considered a masterpiece of modern remastering.
Many Yes fans ask: Why buy the 2013 24/192 FLAC if I have the Blu-Ray or the Steven Wilson remix? Total Mass Retain III
| Component | Meaning | Relevance to Yes | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Free Lossless Audio Codec (compressed without losing data, unlike MP3) | Preserves every nuance of the master tape—no harmonic distortion or "swishy" cymbal decay. | | 24-bit | Bit depth (dynamic range: 144dB vs. 96dB for 16-bit) | Captures the whisper of Rick Wakeman’s Mellotron and the explosion of the full band without clipping. | | 192 kHz | Sampling rate (captures frequencies up to 96kHz, far above human hearing) | Ensures perfect temporal resolution for high-frequency harmonics—the "air" around Steve Howe’s acoustic guitar. |
The reception to this release was overwhelmingly positive. Mark Smotroff of Audiophile Review famously declared, "This is an essential release. Get it! It's great!". He went on to state that the 5.1 mix was so immersive that it might compel fans to upgrade their systems to a Blu-ray player and surround setup. Other listeners praised its "startlingly good" clarity and noted that the 45RPM vinyl pressing, mastered from the same flat transfers, was "absolutely stunningly beautiful". The combination of Wilson’s production skills and Yes’s timeless music was seen as an obvious and perfect match, finally giving the album the definitive sonic treatment it had always deserved.
: A high-resolution flat transfer from the original 1972 master tape, presented in 24-bit / 192 kHz .
The "Definitive Edition" of Close to the Edge , released on November 11, 2013, is a massive and ambitious box set. Wilson’s goal was not just to remaster but to completely remix the album, "faithfully retain[ing] the spirit & sounds of the original album mix, while applying modern mix techniques to bring further clarity to the individual instrument, vocal & overdubs". The result was praised for providing "a greater sense of space for each voice to be heard," with Anderson’s voice seeming "to join the listener in the room" and the solos from Howe and Wakeman "glisten[ing] with clarity".
Bill Bruford’s drumming here is highly syncopated. In this high-resolution space, his use of the cowbell and choked cymbals cuts through the mix with striking clarity.
This version is widely considered the definitive way to listen to the album due to its use of high-resolution digital transfers from analogue sources and the meticulous remixing by Steven Wilson. You can find these high-resolution downloads on sites like ProStudioMasters to the more recent 2025 Super Deluxe Edition
