

As part of this embrace of the present, the Goo Goo Dolls - now merely a duo of John Rzeznik and Robby Takac - unapologetically embrace their middle age, excising any remaining hints of the raucous rock band of yore and splitting their time between power ballads and insistent anthems. AudioQuest DragonFly : USB Digital to Analog Converter, up to 96kHz/24-bit.The album art for Boxes, the 11th album by the Goo Goo Dolls and the first since drummer Mike Malinin left the band, suggests a ceaseless expansion of cardboard portals into the universe - a heady metaphor for a record that finds the group boring into mundane earthly concerns.Meridian Explorer : USB Digital to Analog Converter, up to 192kHz/24-bit.JRiver : plays both AIFF and FLAC formats, $50 but has a free trial period.Audirvana : plays both AIFF and FLAC formats, $50 but has a free trial period.iTunes : plays AIFF, it's free and you probably have it already!.You may need additional software / hardware to take full advantage of the higher 24-bit high-res audio formats, but any music lover that has heard 16-bit vs 24-bit will tell you it's worth it! Software for Mac OS X ProStudioMasters offers the original studio masters - exactly as the artist, producers and sound engineers mastered them - for download, directly to you. When you listen to music on a CD or tracks purchased via consumer services such as iTunes, you are hearing a low-resolution version of what was actually recorded and mastered in the studio. High-resolution audio offers the highest-fidelity available, far surpassing the sound quality of traditional CDs.
