Brian states the highs are 'spitty' is this a made up term.
"Spitty" - and the other words I used ("painful, fatiguing - harsh, spitty, lacking detail, and somehow missing seamless integration in the transition from HF to mids") - is the best I can do in attempting to translate what I hear into written word. For me, anyway, turning what I hear into the written word is incredibly difficult. I stand by my statement, as I hear it in every NBox recording to which I listen.
Check out my Vegoose tapes. Ian Stone posted them they are sick. Tell me those are spitty Brian.
I'm listening to the Flaming Lips recording right now. And I still hear the HF as "fatiguing - harsh, spitty, lacking detail, and somehow missing seamless integration in the transition from HF to mids". Again, same as with all the other NBox recordings I've heard. I admit, though, that this FL recording is not as fatiguing as others I've heard, I suspect due to <1> the original source of AD2K at 24/48 and <2> the dithering/resampling process. But I still hear the same sonic characteristics.
None of this to suggest the NBox sucks - it's a great box. Just not for the current state of my playback / ears / brain.