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Editorial Reviews
The exquisitely crafted, apple-shaped USB drive is loaded with the critically acclaimed re-mastered audio for The Beatles' 14 stereo titles, as well as all of the re-mastered CDs visual elements, including 13 mini-documentary films about the studio albums, replicated original UK album art, rare photos and expanded liner notes. A specially designed Flash interface has been installed, and the 16MB USB's audio and visual contents will be provided in FLAC 44.1 Khz 24 bit and MP3 320 Kbps formats, fully compatible with PC and Mac.
Packaging:
Black lift-top box (3.59"Wx3.59"Dx2.87"H)
Green Aluminum Apple (50mm wide x 48.5mm high)
Product specs:
16GB USB stick housed in a green aluminum apple
Contains full contents of The Beatles' stereo box set
*Please Please Me
*With The Beatles
*Hard Day's Night
*Beatles For Sale
*Help
*Rubber Soul
*Revolver
*Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
*Magical Mystery Tour
*The Beatles (White Album)
*Yellow Submarine
*Let It Be
*Abbey Road
*Past Masters I & II
*All stereo songs in FLAC (44.1khz) and in DRM-free MP3 (320kpbs) with a one-click 'Export To Media Player' function
*13 mini-documentaries in MPEG4 video format
*Custom-designed FLASH player menu system with full booklet artwork, album cover wallpapers and photo gallery
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
87 of 96 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This really is the ultimate "The Beatles" collector's item. The photos hardly do this item justice. I was expecting a lightweight, hollow aluminum apple, and that's hardly the case. You could hurt someone with this thing. It's solid and heavy. The USB is magnetically "tugged" gently into its housing. The box is absolutely beautiful. It's a treasure!
It's tempting while admiring the object to keep handling it, just don't drop it! The stem is sturdy enough - it really "makes" the apple, too - but letting this thing drop to roll around is perilous at best.
You can browse album artwork and photos while listening to the tracks on the built-in player. The interface is very clean, straightforward and true to the original works.
The sound quality is absolutely phenomenal! The subtle, ticklish guitar at the beginning of "Honey Pie" is new to my ears. The vocals are truly remarkable throughout the "albums," every word comes through with perfect clarity.
The 24-bit FLACs are far above and beyond anything I've ever heard from any of the previous Beatles' releases. The MP3s sound remarkable, too. Note that burning MP3s from the 16-bit CDs will result in compressed 16-bit material. The most sonically astonishing MP3s can only be found on The Beatles Stereo USB - these files are compressed from the source material.
The quality of the audio and of the physical product is incredible. I highly recommend acquiring The Beatles Stereo USB while you still can. There is absolutely nothing I regret about my purchase of this product.
It's tempting while admiring the object to keep handling it, just don't drop it! The stem is sturdy enough - it really "makes" the apple, too - but letting this thing drop to roll around is perilous at best.
You can browse album artwork and photos while listening to the tracks on the built-in player. The interface is very clean, straightforward and true to the original works.
The sound quality is absolutely phenomenal! The subtle, ticklish guitar at the beginning of "Honey Pie" is new to my ears. The vocals are truly remarkable throughout the "albums," every word comes through with perfect clarity.
The 24-bit FLACs are far above and beyond anything I've ever heard from any of the previous Beatles' releases. The MP3s sound remarkable, too. Note that burning MP3s from the 16-bit CDs will result in compressed 16-bit material. The most sonically astonishing MP3s can only be found on The Beatles Stereo USB - these files are compressed from the source material.
The quality of the audio and of the physical product is incredible. I highly recommend acquiring The Beatles Stereo USB while you still can. There is absolutely nothing I regret about my purchase of this product.
155 of 184 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I bought one of these Beatles USB Apples today and all I can say is OMG!
I've been buying LP records since 1966, then audiophile half-speed master pressings in the late 70's/early 80's, (and every other type of audiophile vinyl) and then CDs in the early/mid 80's. I've always been on a quest for "the perfect version" (sound quality wise) of whatever I was into at the time. I know that vinyl LPs are having a bit of a renaissance at the monent, and nobody loved records more than I, but let's face it...unless you have major bucks to sink into a super high-end system, they don't sound all that great with a cheap phono cartridge on a (GASP!) belt-drive USB turntable. And even if you buy a gazillion dollar cartridge, and a multi-gazillion dollar phono pre-amp, you're still going to hear only half of the channel separation (or less) than you get from a CD. (Take THAT, vinyl heads!) Throw in all the surface noise, the pops, clicks and ticks, worn out grooves, and you're right back in 1968, listening to the "White" album or "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones Ltd" on a GE Wildcat Stereo in your bedroom.
All analog curmudgeons and their dinosaur opinions aside, (non-compressed) digital audio saved us from (adding any more) tape hiss or surface noise. Even vinyl fanboys have to admit that. I was one and I did. (I do miss the 12" x 12" artwork though!)
Ok...so I waited since 1987 for the Beatles CDs to be done right. Sure, "Please Please Me" and "With The Beatles" were recorded, meant, and intended to be heard in mono (by George Martin, anyway). But back in 1987 we were truly robbed when "A Hard Day's Night" and "Beatles For Sale" were only released in mono, when perfectly good stereo mixes existed (those albums were originally recorded in the studio on multi-track machines and mixed for both.) I remember the 60's...when you went into the record store and they had TWO racks of your favorite newest release...one rack was MONO and the other STEREO and GOD HELP YOU if you ever got the wrong one. You'd end up sterile. Or bald. Or insane. Your cattle and your crops would dry up. Your children would have eleven toes and three eyes and would turn out to be ax-murderers. The moon would leave its orbit. Jack, you simply tore a hole in the space/time continuum if you ever played a stereo album on a mono record player.
Back to 2009...for all the uninformed people who say the Beatles are "double dipping" by releasing these remasters, take this >>> many bands have already done 3 or 4 versions of their CDs (Doors, Fleetwood Mac, Rolling Stones and millions more) and they re-release newer, louder versions that don't sound any better every few years. The Beatles waited 22 (count 'em...TWENTY-TWO!) YEARS to re-do theirs. So shut up and go play GNR or Miley Cyrus or some screech n' growl death metal on your Nano.
Anyway...
I LOVE the new, 2009 stereo remasters of the Beatles catalog. They truly ARE better than sliced bread, Chia pets and the Clapper. The sound is AMAZING. Or so I thought until today.
I put this USB stick into my computer, put my AKG 240 headphones on and started listening to the 24-bit Flac file version of Abbey Road. I can die right now. After hearing these better-than-CD-quality files, (ABSOLUTELY, COMPLETELY, POSITIVELY TRULY BETTER!) I have found the Holy Grail as far as sound quality and the Beatles music are concerned. I got a deal on this at a local record shop ($208!) but it is easily worth 3 or 4 times that. Not because it's a little green aluminum apple, or it's a limited edition, but for the SOUND QUALITY, matey. The sound is even more detailed than the new remaster CDs. It's more spacious, open and clean. I can't fully describe it, really. The songs have depth and presence. You can close your eyes and it's like your listening in the control booth as the Beatles are there live, recording these songs. They're crystal-clear...it sounds like "music in 3D."
I have the MFSL Beatles half-speed mastered LP set, and the original 1987 CDs, and they truly sound like AM radio in comparison to this. It really is THAT incredible. Oh sure, some will moan that it could have been better with higher than a 44.1 sampling rate, or they should have been saved in 24 bit wav or 24 bit aiff files, but they'd never be happy with anything, would they?
For the here and now, there is NO BETTER version of the Beatles' material. And we might be waiting ANOTHER 22 years for them to top this USB Apple.
In addition to the Flac files, it comes with the whole shebang on MP3's encoded at 320 kbits. They sound great too, but you can rip 320 kbit MP3's from the CDs and get the same, I believe. There is no DRM (Digital Rights Management) on these files, they're yours to put on as many computers as you want. For those moaning about being able to play Flac files, download Goldwave and re-save them as 24 bit wavs or 24 bit aiff files and give your iPod a real treat instead of that low-quality MP3 crap you're downloading.
Beatles forever!
I've been buying LP records since 1966, then audiophile half-speed master pressings in the late 70's/early 80's, (and every other type of audiophile vinyl) and then CDs in the early/mid 80's. I've always been on a quest for "the perfect version" (sound quality wise) of whatever I was into at the time. I know that vinyl LPs are having a bit of a renaissance at the monent, and nobody loved records more than I, but let's face it...unless you have major bucks to sink into a super high-end system, they don't sound all that great with a cheap phono cartridge on a (GASP!) belt-drive USB turntable. And even if you buy a gazillion dollar cartridge, and a multi-gazillion dollar phono pre-amp, you're still going to hear only half of the channel separation (or less) than you get from a CD. (Take THAT, vinyl heads!) Throw in all the surface noise, the pops, clicks and ticks, worn out grooves, and you're right back in 1968, listening to the "White" album or "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones Ltd" on a GE Wildcat Stereo in your bedroom.
All analog curmudgeons and their dinosaur opinions aside, (non-compressed) digital audio saved us from (adding any more) tape hiss or surface noise. Even vinyl fanboys have to admit that. I was one and I did. (I do miss the 12" x 12" artwork though!)
Ok...so I waited since 1987 for the Beatles CDs to be done right. Sure, "Please Please Me" and "With The Beatles" were recorded, meant, and intended to be heard in mono (by George Martin, anyway). But back in 1987 we were truly robbed when "A Hard Day's Night" and "Beatles For Sale" were only released in mono, when perfectly good stereo mixes existed (those albums were originally recorded in the studio on multi-track machines and mixed for both.) I remember the 60's...when you went into the record store and they had TWO racks of your favorite newest release...one rack was MONO and the other STEREO and GOD HELP YOU if you ever got the wrong one. You'd end up sterile. Or bald. Or insane. Your cattle and your crops would dry up. Your children would have eleven toes and three eyes and would turn out to be ax-murderers. The moon would leave its orbit. Jack, you simply tore a hole in the space/time continuum if you ever played a stereo album on a mono record player.
Back to 2009...for all the uninformed people who say the Beatles are "double dipping" by releasing these remasters, take this >>> many bands have already done 3 or 4 versions of their CDs (Doors, Fleetwood Mac, Rolling Stones and millions more) and they re-release newer, louder versions that don't sound any better every few years. The Beatles waited 22 (count 'em...TWENTY-TWO!) YEARS to re-do theirs. So shut up and go play GNR or Miley Cyrus or some screech n' growl death metal on your Nano.
Anyway...
I LOVE the new, 2009 stereo remasters of the Beatles catalog. They truly ARE better than sliced bread, Chia pets and the Clapper. The sound is AMAZING. Or so I thought until today.
I put this USB stick into my computer, put my AKG 240 headphones on and started listening to the 24-bit Flac file version of Abbey Road. I can die right now. After hearing these better-than-CD-quality files, (ABSOLUTELY, COMPLETELY, POSITIVELY TRULY BETTER!) I have found the Holy Grail as far as sound quality and the Beatles music are concerned. I got a deal on this at a local record shop ($208!) but it is easily worth 3 or 4 times that. Not because it's a little green aluminum apple, or it's a limited edition, but for the SOUND QUALITY, matey. The sound is even more detailed than the new remaster CDs. It's more spacious, open and clean. I can't fully describe it, really. The songs have depth and presence. You can close your eyes and it's like your listening in the control booth as the Beatles are there live, recording these songs. They're crystal-clear...it sounds like "music in 3D."
I have the MFSL Beatles half-speed mastered LP set, and the original 1987 CDs, and they truly sound like AM radio in comparison to this. It really is THAT incredible. Oh sure, some will moan that it could have been better with higher than a 44.1 sampling rate, or they should have been saved in 24 bit wav or 24 bit aiff files, but they'd never be happy with anything, would they?
For the here and now, there is NO BETTER version of the Beatles' material. And we might be waiting ANOTHER 22 years for them to top this USB Apple.
In addition to the Flac files, it comes with the whole shebang on MP3's encoded at 320 kbits. They sound great too, but you can rip 320 kbit MP3's from the CDs and get the same, I believe. There is no DRM (Digital Rights Management) on these files, they're yours to put on as many computers as you want. For those moaning about being able to play Flac files, download Goldwave and re-save them as 24 bit wavs or 24 bit aiff files and give your iPod a real treat instead of that low-quality MP3 crap you're downloading.
Beatles forever!
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By DharmaBum
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I pre-ordered from Amazon to receive on first day available. Wasn't really sure what to expect, but took a chance. I'm so glad I did. The sound is incredible and I've heard new sounds in songs that I've listened to hundreds or thousands of times before. I would suggest loading all the music onto your computer and then saving the apple for display (looks great) and when you want to listen to maybe on your surround system through your tv if it has usb port( which many now have and many in the future will probably have as well). I was so impressed that I tried to buy two more for my kids through Amazon on 12-10 and they were out of stock already. Availability seems to be a problem with only 30k made. Watch the stem as I've heard reviews of it being apt to break. I would suggest keeping all packaging to increase collectors value which I believe might be pretty good.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Maybe I'm Amazed
I've been a fan for 50 years. This little chip is wonderful. The music seems new and I appreciate songs that I would normally skip. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Portage
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Little Green Apple That Could
So I would like to start off by saying that I don't usually buy music in digital content form. Most music I buy are vinyl records and cds; vinyl is obviously my preferred choice. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ed Lawless
4.0 out of 5 stars
Worth the Cost
Studio master quality sound, very clear and detailed. Pity only FLAC which needs to be converted for iTunes playback. Read more
Published 2 months ago by K. K. Jnstne
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beatles USB Audio CD
Fantastic , great packaging concept, excellent videos, pristine sound. Short of getting the whole collection on vinyl this cant be beat.
Published 3 months ago by Ken H
3.0 out of 5 stars
Opinion
The apple arrived with the stem sapped off even though the excellent packaging from the Apple corporation and Amazon was totally undamaged. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Stan Cason
5.0 out of 5 stars
Most amazing audio I now own.
I am an audio junkie. High end this and that. Digitization of listening space. Weeks of laser positioning for speakers. 180 Gram Vinyl is the standard, etc. I love pure audio. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Doogie the Audio Junkie
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must for Beetles lovers
The little plugin chip contain high fidelity recordings of every record the Beetles produced. Also contains photos of all their album covers. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Fred Keen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must have for major Beatles fans
If you are a big Beatles fan, consider this. The product description pretty much speaks for itself, and the item does not disappoint. It is surprisingly heavy. Read more
Published 4 months ago by William S. Hanning
5.0 out of 5 stars
Are there any more stars? Six, ten?
There isn't much to say: it's the complete Beatles studio discography, in great digital audio quality (it comparable to some of their vinyls I have, and surely better then the... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Felipe R. Martinez
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sensational Sound
First a caveat. There is a strong chance that the apple will arrive with the stalk broken off. Mine did. These are not well packaged. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Simon C Courtney
So You'd Like to...
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