Before we discuss the experience, let's break down the technical jargon.
The combination is Flac 24-96- . It is the studio master, delivered to your living room. John Mayer - Continuum -2006 Pop- -Flac 24-96-
The keyword is very specific. It excludes the standard CD rip (16-44.1) and the compressed streaming versions. Before we discuss the experience, let's break down
The cynic argues, "It’s just pop music. It was recorded digitally anyway." The combination is Flac 24-96-
They are wrong. Continuum was tracked to analog tape in many instances (Mayer is a known tape enthusiast). The 24-96 FLAC captures the analog saturation. Furthermore, pop music benefits most from high resolution because of the density of information. A modern pop track has 80+ tracks of audio. In 16-bit, that density collapses into a wall of sound. In 24-bit, each instrument retains its digital "breathing room."
Listening to "Belief" in 24-96, you can isolate the Steve Jordan’s hi-hat (left), the rhythm guitar (center-right), and Mayer’s vocal (center) without strain. The stereo bus does not clip. It glides.