Hi-res streaming on Qobuz


Although hi-res titles on Qobuz indicate streaming at 96kHz or192kHz, I’m not sure my system is reproducing those levels. Both my Arcam Rplay streamer and Schiit Gungnir multibit manuals indicate they accept up to 192kHz.  But I can’t hear a difference in quality comparing hi-res to non hi-res files.  Even if I do an A B comparison using the exact same titles with Qobuz hi-res and Idagio CD quality  resolution, I hear no difference. There are no indicators to tell what’s happening, so I’m wondering if I’m indeed hearing in high resolution.
Is there any way I can be sure?
128x128rvpiano

Showing 1 response by mlsstl

I have a Topping E30 DAC that shows the bit rate of the stream being played. It reliably matches what Qobuz says it is sending. That said, just because a recording has been done in high-rez doesn't mean it will always sound better or even be noticeable.

For example, what microphones were used by the recording studio? What about their mic preamps and mixing console? A standard CD runs up to 22KHz, while a 96KHz recording goes to 48KHz, and 192KHz double that. What if the original studio recording contains no information about 20KHz due to their equipment choices?

Then there is our own hearing. I'm in my later 60s and have long since lost high frequency hearing above 12KHz or 13KHz. That said, some recordings sound much better than others, but I usually attribute that to the effort put forth in the recording and mixing process far more than the format used for file storage.