RichButler

How to demo hi-rez music?

I would like some suggestions on how to demo hi-rez differences to friends and family. I just purchased a Pioneer 563 player, and I will have many friends stopping by and asking if hi-rez music is really a noticeable difference.

Demonstrating multichannel is easy. I have a copy of DSOTM and it doesn't take long to hear the differences. But what about trying to compare 2ch SACD (or DVD-A) to regular 2ch CD. It seems that the differences are much more subtle and hard to show in a quick demo.

Last night I was trying to do it by playing a track from DSOTM, stopping the disc, resetting to another layer of the SACD, and then replaying the same track. However, with the delay it was not easy to pick up on the differences. (I guess I'm not that critical of a listener...)

I have the old 20th anniversary DSOTM. I suppose I could put that in another CD player and then do A/B switching with the receiver (start both playbacks as close together as possible?) But then one could argue you are hearing mastering differences, no?

Question 2: Are there tracks that show off hi-rez more than others? What do you use to demo? (I have these hybrid SACDs: DSOTM, Norah Jones "Come Away With Me", and the Police "Every Breath You Take" so tracks from these would be good, but I'm never opposed to adding to my collection. )

Lee Scoggins

My suggestion is to play the Dark Side of the Moon SACD in stereo on the Pioneer 563 in Super Audio and then hook up an inexpensive (or expensive if you have) redbook CD player cued up with the same album ideally the redbook layer of the SACD or a recent pressing...forward to the track "Time" (just before the clocks chiming) on both players and play the redbook track first then pause then play the Super Audio track.

Next do the same thing with "Us and Them" but play the multi-channel version of that track. The echo in the song should "wash over" the audience in a front to back fashion. My friends love this.

The audience should hear a difference. Hope that helps!

no fears alone at night she's sailing through the crowd
in her ears the phones are tight and the music's playing loud
~skateaway

Kevin Deacon

Depending on the other gear in your system, the hi rez layer may not be discernable from the redbook layer. How revealing is your system?

RichButler

Thanks for the advice, Lee. I'm busy the next couple nights, but I'll give that a try this weekend.

As for my gear, I guess that is a good point. I certainly hope it is good enough to show a difference. I have an Onkyo 797 receiver and the Aperion Audio sub/sat system.

I'm pretty happy with those speakers. Shouldn't they be sufficient to hear differences? How significant are differences 2ch SACD vs. redbook?

I guess that's what I'm looking for is tracks that might emphasize the difference. I'll have to try A/B switching some tracks and see what I can hear. (I wondered about the intro to "Time".. That'll be the first one I try.)

Lee Scoggins

Yes.

no fears alone at night she's sailing through the crowd
in her ears the phones are tight and the music's playing loud
~skateaway