I can hear!

Testing, Testing, Testing tonight has caused Mrs Bruss to prefer the company of the dogs in the TV room. That has left me free to decide whether the extra cost of hi res files over cd qual is something I can really hear.
I’m aged 65 with fortunately good hearing according to my 2 yearly ’ has anything fallen of’ French health report.
Test source Norah Jones Come Away With Me.

  1. CD qual on a nas streamed via sqbox server wifi to a sqbx duet.
  2. CD qual on the Unitiserve 2TB.
  3. 24/192 qual on the US.

Both the sqbx and the US fed to a qutest bnc input.
Output to the 252/250-2/Spendor A5’s.

First I listened 2, full album and selected track 2 ‘Seven Years’ and track 7 ‘Turn me on’ as representative.
Test began with 1 vs 3 to test where I expected the biggest difference to show itself. Surprisingly it did. 1 was wonderful and what I’ve come to expect from the Qutest/250 combo. Then 3, could I hear the difference? Oh yes, and obvious, both the lows of the drums and the bass, and the highs of the electric? violin and the movement of fingers across the steel/slide? guitar were more pronounced and separate. I think I could pick out each instrument quite easily right down to the kick bass, snare and hats plus the sticks or brush of the drum set.
Thinking this might have been the difference between the sqbx and the US, I then compared 1 vs 2. Here there was a difference, but marginal and perhaps because I was listening for it. More bass?perhaps, more clarity? perhaps, but certainly a little something changed.
Final test between 2 and 3. The larger difference returned, definitely more bass and more violin as before.
I’d wondered whether the extra cost of hi res was going to justify the uplift in spend on both kit to play it and the source music itself, especially for an old set of mark one ears. I’ happy to report that various suppliers are likely to be getting more of my money.

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