Understanding lossless, high-resolution, and spatial audio
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- Anonymous
- PZa
- 10 Jun 2021
Thanks for the article. It's very informative. I don't like to spend a lot of money on audio equipment but I do use an external dac/amp and better than average iems with my mobile phone.
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- Anonymous
- PAt
- 10 Jun 2021
This is a very high quality content, with clear and easy explanation.
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- Anonymous
- rJX
- 10 Jun 2021
Lccy, 09 Jun 2021I wanted to point out that sampling at twice the frequency ... moreTechnically it's twice the highest frequency, which means there are no signals in the input above half the sampling frequency.
With 44.1, you already have a little headroom for the LP filter, required to be not brickwall. Additionally most of the time 48k is used now which has even higher headroom, so hires is not necessary. This filter at the input side is fine at the studio and is not required to be real-time which enables using high quality filters. Regardless you will need a filter at the playback side, which can pass higher frequencies than you can hear, as a tradeoff for quality and latency
And DSD is a different beast with its own set of problems
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- Anonymous
- qH1
- 10 Jun 2021
Anonymous, 09 Jun 2021I have enjoyed reading every single paragraph on this infor... moreI totally agree. More comprehensive technology articles, even if they're of limited relevance to mobile devices.
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- Anonymous
- 0%R
- 10 Jun 2021
All you need to know is that Apples Hardware does not pair well with lossless audio. iPhones have no way to actually playback lossless audio over bluetooth, unless you run around with a good dongle or DAC you can't even use it properly.
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- Strengthacker
- 0xx
- 10 Jun 2021
first gsmarena post that I enjoyed reading in last 10 years =DDDDD hehe
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- BatfinkEars
- n1w
- 10 Jun 2021
Brilliant article and nice ending about enjoying music. It’s a complicated subject and you’ve explained it well. Thanks.
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- BatfinkEars
- n1w
- 10 Jun 2021
Anonymous, 09 Jun 2021Please remember this fact:
Humans cannot discern any son... moreNah! My bat like ears and my body say different.
Whilst this may sound a tangential point - LPs with all its faults still sounds more natural despite how much detail digital captures. So, reducing sound to ‘you can’t discern beyond a certain threshold’ while true, ignores how heard and unheard sound mix together (think about how infrared and ultraviolet light affects our normal eyesight) + how digital sounds hard, exhausting, grainy, etc, etc.
So, maybe your comment is true for the vast majority but horribly untrue for a significant number like me. Ultimately though, the real threshold is where good enough is good enough to enjoy music coz that’s the most important bit.
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- nick
- XTi
- 10 Jun 2021
Read it all, great article thanks
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- imparanoic
- 7qf
- 10 Jun 2021
Anonymous, 09 Jun 2021Please remember this fact: Humans cannot discern any son... morePeople said the same with 4k content with HDR visuals, they said it's no difference with 1080p at SDR, it's like a another level in visual fidelity, playing a PlayStation 4 game in 1080p in sdr compare to PlayStation 4 pro with reconstructive 4k at HDR is like a new generation even with the same game, audio is the same, yes you can't tell the difference with high resolution audio over 48khtz at 16 bits without decent equipment, but on a decent equipment such as sony nw-zx300 with some balanced armature iem, there is a quite a bit difference if the in quiet conditions, it sounds awesome over the 16 bit 44.1 khtz I have the same album in 96khtz at 20 bit and it awesome
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- imparanoic
- 7qf
- 10 Jun 2021
I use sony Walkman nw-zx300 with majority of the time using astell and kern Michelle limited balanced armature earphones (also use akg k511 and sony wh-1000xm3 some times) and with my 280gb of loss less flac with some at 24 bit 96 kHz, it sounds so awesome, better than any mobile phone in terms of Audio quality, I don't use my phone to listen music just like I don't use my phone to play games as playing on switch or ps Vita is such a better experience than mobile phone, even 3ds and psp play better than a mobile phone, probably the fact there is no real tactile feedback on touch screen which lacks the precision and accuracy of a real d pad and buttons
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- Kev
- 0Za
- 09 Jun 2021
Angry, 09 Jun 2021When your anger cooud your judgment, apple has and provide ... moreOh no, the fanboy there has a point. However, the truth is that Apple simply does well with what they have. I always use my WH-1000XM3s in SBC mode to allow the EQ to work and improve signal, and when I handed the headphones to others with LDAC turned on and listening to TIDAL, they all went "It sounds better. But not that better."
I suppose that the high bitrate helps. It DOES sound better on TIDAL than on Spotify due to the increased bitrate. However, I feel that its the hardware of the drivers that matters most when sound is concerned. I mean....What Hi-fi? has crowned these as amazing sound, even if it does "only" have AAC.
Frankly, the bitrate only helps when you've cranked hardware to the max with audiophile gear. My old MDR-1000X headphones sound worse with or without LDAC compared to the WH-1000XM3s on SBC.
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- Lccy
- n1u
- 09 Jun 2021
Anonymous, 09 Jun 2021Please remember this fact:
Humans cannot discern any son... moreThis is purely your opinion, the lossy compression techniques used in aac and older lossy codecs are arguably based on outdated ideas of how humans hear and do audibly impact the sound.
Some have posted screenshots to show that on the NPR website, they were able to guess which was lossless Vs 320mp3 most or all of the time.
A meta analysis was done looking at all the data on hi res audio finding a statistically significant preference.
If CD is not all we need, lossy codecs are unlikely to be all we need
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- Lccy
- n1u
- 09 Jun 2021
[deleted post]If the increased cost from the increased data rate of lossless and lossless high Res audio did not bring benefit, would Apple and Amazon really use so much more resources and engineering effort just purely for marketing purposes?
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- Angry
- nDy
- 09 Jun 2021
Anonymous, 09 Jun 2021Apple doesn't support high quality audio. As usual che... moreWhen your anger cooud your judgment, apple has and provide with these high quality audio
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- Anonymous
- Mkm
- 09 Jun 2021
AnonD-1003038, 09 Jun 2021People exaggerate "hires" and "lossless"... moreApple doesn't support high quality audio. As usual cheap quality garbage sold at high price making their fan base believe its premium
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- Anonymous
- B{t
- 09 Jun 2021
Please remember this fact:
Humans cannot discern any sonic advantage above a 24bit* 48kHz* 320kbps MP3.
Anything above that is snake oil, pure and simple.
Even that is assuming you are listening on high end studio monitors in an acoustically treated room, and that you are under 40 years old.
* 16bit 44.1kHz sounds identical for 98% of musical content.
P.S.
I've been making my living designing professional audio products for the past 2 decades.
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- Lccy
- n1u
- 09 Jun 2021
Anonymous, 09 Jun 2021If you really want to enjoy music you need analogue. You sh... moreAnalogue is inconvenient, expensive and you can’t bring it with you, not to mention the huge cost. You can’t stream either, our internet is fast enough to stream double dsd which some claim are tough to tell apart from the analogue master tape.
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- Anonymous
- nxg
- 09 Jun 2021
I have enjoyed reading every single paragraph on this informative article.
We need more informative articles like this in GSMARENA.
THANKS