This specific digital release is part of the high-resolution audio remasters that emerged in the early 2010s.
To fully benefit from 24/192 FLAC:
Downloading Yes - Close To The Edge -2013- -FLAC 24-192- is only half the battle. To resolve that information, you need a proper playback chain:
Progressive rock is about pushing boundaries—musical, temporal, and technological. To listen to Close to the Edge in standard definition is to see a cathedral through a dirty window. To listen to “Yes - Close To The Edge -2013- -FLAC 24-192-” is to stand in the nave, gaze up at the stained glass, and feel the organ vibrate through the stone floor. Yes - Close To The Edge -2013- -FLAC 24-192-
For fans who have memorized every note, this 2013 high-resolution release offers a fresh revelation: the sound of five virtuosos at their absolute peak, preserved in a digital container worthy of their ambition.
Download it, light a candle, and get up, get down—all the way to the solid time of change.
Word count: ~1,250. For the collector: Pair this FLAC with a good tube headphone amplifier to soften the transient peaks, and you’ll hear why 1972 was prog’s annus mirabilis. This specific digital release is part of the
A common question: Isn't the 2013 edition just a re-issue? While Steven Wilson’s famous 5.1 surround remix of Close to the Edge came later (2014), the 2013 stereo FLAC 24-192 release coincided with a broader industry shift toward “audiophile-grade” catalog downloads. It is often sourced from a fresh, high-resolution transfer done by engineer Isao Kikuchi (for the Japanese SHM-SACD release) or directly from the Atlantic master tapes.
Unlike the 1994 “Expanded Edition” (brickwalled), the 2013 high-res version retains the original dynamic range. Analysis tools like the DR (Dynamic Range) Database often rate this 24-192 transfer with scores of DR12 or higher, whereas most CDs hover around DR8. That means the quiet parts are quiet, the loud parts are pristine, and the music has room to breathe.
You cannot just double-click this file in Windows Media Player or iTunes and expect it to work properly (or at all). Because it is a high-resolution FLAC, you need specific tools. To fully benefit from 24/192 FLAC:
A FLAC 24-192 file of a 38-minute album clocks in at roughly 1.5 to 2 GB. Compare that to a 320kbps MP3 at ~15 MB. Is the physical storage worth it?
For casual listening on earbuds? No. You won’t hear the difference.
For a dedicated listening room or high-end headphone rig? Absolutely.
The Close to the Edge 2013 high-res transfer is arguably the closest we will ever get to sitting in the control room at Advision Studios in 1972 while Eddy Offord moved faders. It reveals the performance behind the production—the squeak of Bill Bruford’s kick drum pedal, the harmonic bleed between Steve Howe’s dual guitar tracks, the unquantized, human rush of the final chord.
