by James Wallace Harris, 7/20/24
Ever since I learned about Super Audio CDs decades ago, I’ve been on a quest to hear high resolution music. I bought a Pioneer SACD player to go with a 5.1 AV receiver, but I wasn’t satisfied with what I heard. If I listened intently, I thought I heard more details, but only if I really concentrated. Later, when they started selling hi resolution music files, I spent $25 on a 24bit Van Morrison album. It sounded good, but not dramatically better. I also tried Tidal, Amazon Music HD, and Apple Music hoping to hear more. Even after getting MQA set up, it just didn’t wow me. I was never sure if my equipment was completely compatible.
I then bought a Fiio K5 Pro ESS headphone amplifier and Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250-ohm, open back, headphones and resubscribed to Tidal Music. This finally impressed me. I was easily hearing far more detail in the music, and it was very enjoyable. I’ve never really liked listening to music on headphones or IEMs, but this sound was different.
However, reviews of the DT 990 Pro were not completely positive, and I was impressed by several reviews of the Sennheiser 560S, which claimed these headphones were great for hearing hi-resolution clarity.
Not every song was a night and day difference, but some songs were. I thought “Whipping Post” by the Allman Brothers was a different recording. Ditto for “I Feel Free” by Cream. And my favorite new group that I’ve been playing for months, Prefab Sprout, also sounded far more detailed and much more appealing. When listening to oldies from the 1960s I felt like I was hearing them better than anytime in my life.
I think these songs were dramatically different because I heard a lot of separation between the instruments. It felt like I could hear each individual instrument clearly, and I heard instruments I hadn’t noticed before. Plus, vocals seemed different too, more textured.
I don’t necessarily recommend chasing after hi-resolution audio unless you’re already anxious to hear more from your favorite music. And I can’t guarantee that any equipment will get you there. Or if you can hear a night and day difference. I’ve been long frustrated in trying to find a system to play hi-resolution audio.
Now that streaming services like Tidal, Apple, and Amazon HD are offering files in hi-res formats for the same price as a normal subscription, it’s kind of obvious to want to hear that hi-res sound. But a lot of equipment can’t play hi-res files, or if they do, they down sample the music. Even Apple which makes a big deal out of offering hi-res music, doesn’t play it on all its devices. You even need to go into the settings on your iPhone to turn on hi-res music. And then it’s Bluetooth headphones and Air Pods won’t play it.
Wired headphones can produce a wider range of music resolution, even more than speakers, even speakers with subwoofers. And if your ears are old like mine, you’ll have hearing loss in some sonic ranges.
I’m happy with the Fiio K5 Pro ESS and Sennheiser 560s. I hear a lot more, and it’s very enjoyable. And my setup is very modest, only about $375, not counting the Tidal subscription. I have no idea how much of its potential range of sound I’m hearing, but it’s more than I was hearing before. Even with CD quality or Spotify compressed music, the combination of the Fiio and Sennheiser made the music sound better. But I now hear a difference with Tidal, and I’m going to switch to it since Spotify is dragging its feet with offering hi-res music.
Eventually, I’ll crave better headphones (Focal Clear?) and a better headphone amp (WA7 Fireflies?). I’m already looking forward to the Fiio K11 R2R because I’ve always wanted to hear a R2R DAC. However, I’m happy enough for now, and maybe for years. I love playing whole albums and listening intently. I’ve done that with my floor standing speakers, but I feel like I’m getting a new experience with the headphones.
I don’t know why hearing more details is so enjoyable to me. I especially like the separation of instruments because I can concentrate on individual performances. It’s like hearing music new again.
If you only listen to music casually or play music in the background while you do other things, hi-res audio isn’t important. You must focus on music like being at the theater watching a movie for hi-res to matter.
JWH
Auxiliary Memory 