96kHz/24-bit, FLAC; MQA; Pirouet Records PIT3093 (supplied by www.highresaudio.com)

This set by German saxophonist Weidner is just one of a growing number of titles available on highresaudio.com both in straight FLAC and also in MQA, more or less halving the file size. I also tried it with my Meridian Explorer 2 DAC into the system, and can confirm that the MQA process proves entirely transparent, the ‘folded’ version sounding just like the bulkier FLAC files. The music itself, played by Christian Weidner with his quartet partners Achim Kaufmann on piano, Henning Sieverts on bass, and Samuel Rohrer on drums, is either endlessly inventive or a series of squeaks and parps, depending on your view of the freer end of the jazz spectrum. Personally, I admit to being somewhat seduced by the dreamlike quality of the whole enterprise, and the crisp clarity of the recording means it rewards repeat listens. AE

Sound Quality: 80%

Hi-Fi News Lab Report

The bulk of the musical action from sax and percussion extends up to ~20kHz, so the MQA-decoded version [blue] adds little more than noise from mic feeds etc, but avoids the sharp anti-alias filtering of the undecoded MQA file [red]. PM