[prepress]

A preliminary update. I have the three Premiums, and right off the bat, the packaging is larger and more elaborate, as you'll see from the accompanying photos. I also note the website has a $25 price increase now. Perhaps there's a connection.

I connected the Premiums and put on a Badi Assad CD, Echoes of Brazil. Not a good test, as I hadn't played it in a while. It must also be dirty, as there were moments toward the last few tracks with no sound. That's what I hope it is, anyway. The guitar and her voice sounded authentic enough, certainly.

Moving to something more familiar, my Hans Zimmer: Live in Prague Bu-ray, I noted the occasional bit of detail I hadn't heard before, such as the decay of a note from Zimmer's piano during one track, or the leading edge of notes on the marimbas as mallets struck the slats (is that what they're called?) being crisper on another, an accordion being more audible on still another, and a perception of greater dynamics on the bottom, especially during the "Man of Steel" track. These are not earth-shaking differences, but I noticed them.

Will see what happens going forward, but I think yesterday's appetizer is what the meal will be.