My go to comparison track for sound quality for a new device, headphones, DAC, amp, codec etc, is "Speak To Me" from Dark Side Of The Moon.
I don't hear a difference between various rips that are 16/128 or 24/192, but I have noticed a difference listening to the Blu-ray version of it (which is many-many gigabytes in size). It is a definitely interesting experience, but the way I can describe it is as an absolute absence of noise.
Every single version but this one exhibits noise at the start (the heartbeat sound) as the sound goes from very quiet to loud.
But, to be fair, it could just be different masters.
Which would be in line with the article: a SACD release pressed onto a CD-R sounded better than the CD release, because the SACD release had a better master.
Hah. I use the Dark Side of the Moon album for comparisons as well. I find that you need to use something that you are very well acquainted with. Oddly enough I also use Electric Heart, by Sia, as it has such a bizarrely flooded mid-range :)
I don't hear a difference between various rips that are 16/128 or 24/192, but I have noticed a difference listening to the Blu-ray version of it (which is many-many gigabytes in size). It is a definitely interesting experience, but the way I can describe it is as an absolute absence of noise.
Every single version but this one exhibits noise at the start (the heartbeat sound) as the sound goes from very quiet to loud.
But, to be fair, it could just be different masters.