High-resolution audio: everything you need to know - What Hi ...

In its simplest terms, hi-res audio tends to refer to music files that have a higher sampling frequency and/or bit depth than CD, which is ... Skiptomaincontent WhatHi-Fi?THEWORLD'S#1TECHBUYER'SGUIDE Search Subscribe RSS UKUSCanadaAustralia WhatHi-FiMagazineSubscriptionWhatHi-FiMagazine...Whysubscribe?ThebesthomeentertainmentbuyingadviceIn-depth,unbiased,expertreviewsIssuesdeliveredstraighttoyourdoorFrom£4.99View News Reviews BestBuys Deals Advice Features Awards Forum More Awards Subscribe Newsletter Sound+Image AustralianHi-Fi trendingSkyGlassBestwirelessearbudsSpotifyHiFiPS5stockBestTV WhatHi-Fi?issupportedbyitsaudience.Whenyoupurchasethroughlinksonoursite,wemayearnanaffiliatecommission.Learnmore (Imagecredit:Astell&Kern) Afteryearsofnichepositioninginthemusicworld,"high-resolutionaudio"(or"hi-resaudio")finallyhitthemainstream,thankstoahugeraftofsupportinstreamingservices(suchasTidalandAmazonMusicHD)andproducts(fromsmartphonestomostdigitalhi-ficomponents). Sowhyshouldyoucareabouthi-resaudio?Ifyouwantthebestdigitalmusicexperiencepossibleoratleastbettersoundqualitythanyou'recurrentlyusedto(andwhywouldn'tyou?),hi-resaudioisdefinitelyworthinvestigating.Itcanbeadauntingprospect.Afterall,whatexactlyconstituteshi-resaudio,whatdoallthedifferentfileformatsandnumbersmean,wherecanyoudownloadorstreamthesehighqualityfiles,andwhatdevicesdoyouneedtoplayit?Indeed,wheredoyouevenbegin?That'swherewecomein.Ourhandyguidewilltakeyouthroughtheinsandoutsofhi-resaudio.Bytheend,wehopeyou'llknoweverythingyouneedtoknow(andthensome)andwillbewellonyourwaytoenjoyingyournewandimprovedsoniclifestyle.50ofthebesthi-fialbumsforaudiophilesWhatishigh-resolutionaudio?Unlikehigh-definitionvideo,there’snosingleuniversalstandardforhi-resaudio.In2014,theDigitalEntertainmentGroup,ConsumerElectronicsAssociationandTheRecordingAcademy,togetherwithrecordlabels,formallydefinedhigh-resolutionaudioas“losslessaudiothatiscapableofreproducingthefullrangeofsoundfromrecordingsthathavebeenmasteredfrombetterthanCDqualitymusicsources".Initssimplestterms,hi-resaudiotendstorefertomusicfilesthathaveahighersamplingfrequencyand/orbitdepththanCD,whichisspecifiedat16-bit/44.1kHz.Samplingfrequency(orsamplerate)referstothenumberoftimessamplesofthesignalaretakenpersecondduringtheanalogue-to-digitalconversionprocess.Themorebitsthereare,themoreaccuratelythesignalcanbemeasuredinthefirstinstance,sogoing16bitto24bitcandeliveranoticeableleapinquality.Hi-resaudiofilesusuallyuseasamplingfrequencyof96kHzor192kHzat24bit.Youcanalsohave88.2kHzand176.4kHzfilestoo.Hi-resaudiodoescomewithadownsidethough:filesize.Ahi-resfilecantypicallybetensofmegabytesinsize,andafewtrackscanquicklyeatupthestorageonyourdeviceorbecumbersometostreamoveryourwi-fiormobilenetwork.Thankfully,storageismuchcheaperthanitusedtobe,soit'seasiertogethigher-capacitydevices.AndtechnologiessuchasMQA(seebelow)havearrivedtohelptacklethat.That'snotall:therearealsoseveraldifferenthi-resaudiofileformatstochoosefrom,allofwhichhavetheirowncompatibilityrequirements.TheyincludethepopularFLAC(FreeLosslessAudioCodec)andALAC(AppleLosslessAudioCodec)formats,bothofwhicharecompressedbutinawaywhichmeansthat,intheory,noinformationislost.OtherformatsincludetheuncompressedWAVandAIFFformats,DSD(theformatusedforSuperAudioCDs)andthemorerecentMQA(MasterQualityAuthenticated).Therelativemeritsofeachoftheformatscanbeargued,butthemostcrucialissuewillbethefile'scompatibilitywithyourchosenproductsandsoftware.Here'sabreakdownofallthemainfileformats:MP3(nothi-res):Popular,lossycompressedformatensuressmallfilesize,butfarfromthebestsoundquality.ConvenientforstoringmusiconsmartphonesandiPods,butdoesn'tsupporthi-res.AAC(nothi-res):AnalternativetoMP3s,it'slossyandcompressedbutsoundsbetter.UsedforiTunesdownloads,AppleMusicstreaming(at256kbps)andYouTubestreaming.WAV(hi-res):ThestandardformatallCDsareencodedin.Greatsoundqualitybutit'suncompressed,meaninghugefilesizes(especiallyforhi-resfiles).Ithaspoormetadatasupport(thatis,albumartwork,artistandsongtitleinformation).AIFF(hi-res):Apple'salternativetoWAV,withbettermetadatasupport.Itislosslessanduncompressed(sobigfilesizes),butnotmassivelypopular.FLAC(hi-res):Thislosslesscompressionformatsupportshi-ressamplerates,takesupabouthalfthespaceofWAV,andstoresmetadata.It'sroyalty-freeandwidelysupported(thoughnotbyApple)andisconsideredthepreferredformatfordownloadingandstoringhi-resalbums.ALAC(hi-res):Apple'sownlosslesscompressionformatalsodoeshi-res,storesmetadataandtakesuphalfthespaceofWAV.AniTunes-andiOS-friendlyalternativetoFLAC.DSD(hi-res):Thesingle-bitformatusedforSuperAudioCDs.Itcomesin2.8MHz,5.6mHzand11.2mHzvarieties,butisn'twidelysupported.MQA(hi-res):Alosslesscompressionformatthatefficientlypackageshi-resfileswithmoreemphasisonthetimedomain.UsedforTidalMastershi-resstreaming,andproductsupportispickinguppace.MP3,AAC,WAV,FLAC:alltheaudiofileformatsexplainedWhat’ssogoodabouthi-resaudio?Themainclaimedbenefitofhigh-resolutionaudiofilesissuperiorsoundqualityovercompressedaudioformatssuchasMP3andAAC.DownloadsfromsitessuchasAmazonandiTunes,andstreamingservicessuchasSpotify,usecompressedfileformatswithrelativelylowbitrates–suchas256kbpsAACfilesonAppleMusicand320kbpsOggVorbisstreamsonSpotify.Theuseoflossycompressionmeansdataislostintheencodingprocess,whichinturnmeansresolutionissacrificedforthesakeofconvenienceandsmallerfilesizes.Thishasaneffectuponthesoundquality–thoseformatsaren'ttellingthefullstoryofourfavouritesongs.Thismightbefinewhenyou'relisteningtoSpotifyplaylistsonyoursmartphoneonthebusonthemorningcommute,butseriousaudiophilesandmusicfansshouldwantbetter.Thisiswherehigh-resolutionaudiocomesin.ToillustratewhyitshouldsoundbetterthanMP3,forexample,let’scomparetherelativebitrates.ThehighestqualityMP3hasabitrateof320kbps,whereasa24-bit/192kHzfilehasadatarateof9216kbps.MusicCDsare1411kbps.Thehi-res24-bit/96kHzor24-bit/192kHzfilesshould,therefore,morecloselyreplicatethesoundqualitythemusiciansandengineerswereworkingwithinthestudio.Andtheycouldbethatverysamerecordedfile,too.Thesefilesarelabelledas"StudioMasters"insomecases.Withmoreinformationonthefiletoplaywith,hi-resaudiotendstoboastgreaterdetailandtexture,bringinglistenersclosertotheoriginalperformance–providedyoursystemistransparentenough.WhatdoIneedtoplayhi-resaudio?There'sahugevarietyofproductsthatcanplaybackhi-resaudio.Italldependsonhowbigorsmallyouwantyoursystemtobe,howmuchyourbudgetis,andwhatmethodyou'llmostlybeusingtolistentoyourtunes.Butit'sneverbeeneasiertogetinvolved,nowthatplentyofthedigitalandstreamingecosystemsupportshi-res,andespeciallyaspopularstreamingplatformssuchasGoogleChromecast(althoughnotAirPlay2)do.Thesedays,even,youdon'thavetocompletelyabandonyourvinylcollectiontogohi-res,either;turntablessuchastheSonyPS-HX500letyoudigitiseyourvinylcollectionbyrippingyourrecordtracksintohi-resaudiofiles.Smartphones Ifyou'regoingportable,smartphonesareincreasinglysupportinghi-resplayback.Thisisrestrictedtohigher-endAndroidmodels,though–AppleiPhonessofardon'tsupporthi-resaudiooutofthebox(thoughtherearewaysaroundthisbyusingtherightapp,andtheneitherplugginginaDACorusingLightningheadphoneswiththeiPhones'Lightningconnector).PhonesthathaveUSB-Csocketsinsteadof3.5mmheadphonesjacksformusicplayback–asisbecomingthenorm–canboosttheirUSB-CoutputwithadapterssuchasZorloo'sZtellaUSB-CDAC. Hi-resaudioisincreasinglyeasytostreamwirelesslythankstonewadvancementsinBluetooth.PhoneswithaptXHDBluetoothsupport(whichmanythesedayshave,althoughApple'siPhones areanexception)canwirelesslytransmithi-resaudiotoaptXHD-supportingheadphones(suchastheSonyWH-1000XM4andWH-1000XM3 and Bowers&WilkinsPX7 noise-cancellingheadphones).aptXHDBluetooth:Whatisit?Howcanyougetit?Portablemusicplayers Alternatively,thereareplentyofdedicatedportablehi-resmusicplayerssuchasvariousSonyWalkmansandAward-winningAstell&KernsandCowonsthatoffermorestoragespaceandfarbettersoundqualitythanamulti-taskingsmartphone.Moredigitalplayersthannotsupporthi-resaudio,althoughagainanAppleproductistheexception,thistimetheiPodTouch.Desktop Foradesktopsolution,yourlaptop(Windows,Mac,Linux)isaprimesourceforstoringandplayinghi-resmusic(afterall,thisiswhereyou'llbedownloadingthetunesfromhi-resdownloadsitesanyway),butmakesurethesoftwareyouusetoplaymusicalsosupportshi-resplayback.AppleiTunes,forinstance,doesn'tsupportit,evenifyourMacBookdoes,soyou'llneedtobuyanddownloadseparatemusicplayingsoftware.ThelikesofChannelD'sPureMusicandAmarraareworthconsideringforaMac.OnaPC?TryJRiverMediaCenter.DACs Wewouldn'tjustrelyonyourcomputerorphone'sinternalDACtodohi-resaudiojustice,either.AUSBordesktopDAC(suchastheCyrussoundKey,ChordMojoorAudiolabM-DACnano)isagoodwaytogetgreatsoundqualityoutofhi-resfilesstoredonyourcomputerorsmartphone(whoseaudiocircuitsdon'ttendtobeoptimisedforsoundquality).Simplyplugadecentdigital-to-analogueconverter(DAC)inbetweenyoursourceandheadphonesforaninstantsonicboost.BestDACs:USB,portableanddesktopDACMusicstreamers Ifyou'reafteraproperhi-fiset-up,you'llneedtolookintomusicstreamersthatsupporthi-res,andhighlyrecommendablecontendersincludetheAudiolab6000NPlay,CambridgeCXNV2andNADC658.Thisisespeciallyifyou'llbestoringyourgrowinghi-reslibraryonaNAS(NetworkAttachedStorage,essentiallyahard-drivewithprocessingbuiltin),whichwewouldrecommend.Systems Thereareplentyofotherproductsthatalsosupporthi-resplayback,includinghybridDAC-amp-streamersystems(MoonNeoAce),speakersystemswitheverythingbuiltintothem(KEFLS50WirelessII),just-add-speakersystems(MarantzPM7000N)andcurrentAVreceivers(SonySTR-DN1080).Theever-popularSonosmulti-roomsystemstillhasnoplanstosupporthi-resaudio,andneitherdoesApple.ButthathasledrivalcompaniessuchasBluesoundtoofferhi-resplaybackacrosstheirrangeofconnectedproducts(forahigherprice,ofcourse).Wirelessspeakers Atthehigherendofthewirelessspeakermarketyou'llfindhi-ressupportthenorm.ThelikesoftheNaimMu-soQb2ndGeneration,LinnSeries3andBowers&WilkinsFormationWedgeareallabletohandlehi-resfileplaybackoverwi-fi.Bestwirelessspeakers2021WherecanIbuyanddownloadhi-resmusic?Nowthatyou'rearmedwithallthisinformationonhi-resmusic,yournextquestionshouldbe:wherecanIgetalltheseglorioushi-resmusictracks?TherearecurrentlyahandfulofUKdownloadsitesthatletyoubuyanddownloadsingletracksandfullalbumsinvarioushi-resformats.TherearealsoplentyofUSandEuropeansites,thoughnotallofthemletyoupurchasefromtheUK.MajormusiclabelssuchasSony,WarnerandUniversalhavemadetheirextensivemusiccataloguesavailabletothesehi-resdownloadservices–whichisarealshotinthearmforfansofhigh-resolutionaudio.Withallsites,makesureit’sclearwhatfileformatandbitrateyouarebuying.Ultimately,youmayendupwithafavouritego-tosite,buteventhen,it'sworthcheckingacrossthedifferentsitesforthesamealbumortrack,too,assomestorescanofferbetterpricesthanothers.HerearethetopUKhi-resdownloadsites:7Digital Withastrongcatalogueofferinghi-resmusicfromallgenresandawebsitethatmakesbuyingmusiceasy,7digitalisanexcellentall-rounder.There'sanaccuratesearchfunctionandthewebsiteissimpletonavigate.Youcaneasilyspothi-resrecordingsthankstoa'24bitFLAC'badgeonanalbumorsong'sthumbnail,andthere'salsoadedicatedhi-ressection.ThesoledrawbackisthatitonlyoffersdownloadsintheFLACformat.Pricesareaffordable,though,andyoucanbuyindividualtracksaswellasfullalbums.QobuzSublime Musicdiscoveryandfront-endintuitivenessgetfullmarksonFrenchdownloadstoreQobuz.Boththewebsiteanddedicatedappareeasytonavigate,andyoucansearchbygenreornewreleases,whichcanbesortedbysamplerate.ThereisastrongFrancophilefocus,althoughthecatalogueisgrowingmorevariedeveryday.Pricingiscompetitive,butifyouoptforthehybriddownload-and-streamingSublime+serviceyoudogetdiscountswhenbuyinghi-resalbums.HDtracks HDtracksmaybeoneofthemostestablishedhi-resdownloadstores,butit'sinneedofarefreshinlooksandcatalogue.Itcanfeelaimedatanolderaudience(there'sstrongfocusonjazz,classicalanddadrock),whichcanbeoff-puttingforwideraudiences,especiallyfansofmorecurrent,popularmusic.Ontheotherhand,whereasotherdownloadsitesofferFLACasdefault,HDtracksletsyouchoosebetweenFLAC,ALAC,WAVandAIFF(andthesamplingrateforeach)beforedownloading.There'saselectionofDSDtunes,too,whichisgreatforaudiophiles.Howtobuildtheperfecthi-fisystemWherecanIstreamhi-resmusic?Notreadytodownloadhi-resfiles,orsimplypreferstreaming?TidalandQobuzstreamingserviceshaveofferedhi-resandCD-qualitystreamsforyears,puttingthemaheadofrivalsSpotifyandAppleMusic.AndnowthatAmazonhasjoinedthepartywithitsHDservice,hi-resstreamingisnowfirmlyinthemainstreamdomain.TidalMasters TidalandMQA'spartnershiphasbroughtusonestepclosertomainstreamhi-resmusicstreaming.You'llneedtosubscribetoTidal'sHiFitier(whichoffersCDqualitystreaming)tounlocktheMasterssection,andthenyoucanstreamhi-resMQAfilesthroughthedesktopappandAndroid/iOSmobileapps.Tidal'scatalogueofMQAfilesisnowwellintothemillions,witharesolutionofupto24-bit/96kHz(any192kHzfileswillbeunpackagedto96kHzbyMQA'scoredecoding).Withtherightkit,thestreamedtunessoundgreat,too.It'sasolidfoundationfromwhichthehi-resstreamingexperiencecanonlyevolve.QobuzSublime+ Qobuzstrikesagainhereandsaysitshybriddownload-and-streamingtieris'"thebestmusicsubscriptionintheworld."Thistop-tierpackageoffershi-resstreamingupto24bit/192kHzfiles(aswellasCDqualitytracks)onitsdesktopandmobileapps,withits50-million-trackcatalogueincludingmorethan240,000hi-resalbums.Thebigdownsideistheprice-youhavetopayanupfront£250annualfeetouseSublime+andallitsperks(whichdoesincludegooddiscountswhenbuyinghi-resalbums).Andincomparison,wefoundTidaloffersmoredriveanddynamismwhenitcomestosoundquality.Qobuz'shi-resstreamingtierisagreatventure,butonlyifyou'refullycommittedtohi-resstreaming.AmazonMusicHD Themostrecententrantintothehi-resstreamingserviceworldisAmazon–anditsarrivalattheendof2019largelymarkedhi-resstreaminggoingmainstream.Thecheapesthi-resserviceofthethree,thevalue-packedstreamingserviceisuptherewiththebestthankstoitsIntuitivedesktopandmobileapps,goodCD-qualityandhi-reslibraryandexcellentvalue.What'snextforhi-resaudio?Withmoresupportthaneverbefore,hi-resaudioisaviablechoiceforanyoneinterestedinaudioquality,whetherpartofyourhomeaudiosystemorwhenonthemove.Whetherthebiggestplayers–Apple,SonosandSpotify–willevernativelysupporthi-resremainstobeseen,butthereareplentyofother,increasinglyaffordablewaysthatyoucanstartdelvingintothehi-resaudioworld.(Interestingly,360-degreeorsurroundsoundformatssuchasSony360RealityAudioandDolbyAtmosMusicrespectivelyarealsomakingheadwayinofferinghigherquality,ifnotnecessarily'hi-res',musicexperiences,sothey'reotheroptionsformelomaniacstoexplore.)Withthiswideravailability,morepeopleareabletolearnandunderstandexactlywhathigh-resolutionaudiois,andthebenefitsitcanbringtomusic.There'splentyofcontentoutthere,andthere'splentyofhardwaretogowithit. Soifyouwanttheultimatesonicsolution,youknowwhattodo.MORE:WhereisSpotifyHi-Fi?AnddowestillwantalosslessSpotifytier?3ofthebesthigh-resaudiosystemsHere'sasuperb-soundinghi-fisystemwithstreamingskillsBesthi-fisystems2021 Seeallcomments(13) 13Comments Commentfromtheforums SoI'musingAmazonmusicHDserviceandhaveaSony1080receiver.WhatIwanttodoismakesureIget24bit/192khz.DoIneedtohookoneofthemusicstreamersuptomy1080receiverinordertomakethishappen?SinceIknowthroughmyS9+phoneIcan'tachieveultimatesound.I'mnewtoHDstreamingorhopingtostreaminUltraHDasAmazonmusicHDcallsit.Thankyouandappreciateanyhelp Reply nexposesaid:SoI'musingAmazonmusicHDserviceandhaveaSony1080receiver.WhatIwanttodoismakesureIget24bit/192khz.DoIneedtohookoneofthemusicstreamersuptomy1080receiverinordertomakethishappen?SinceIknowthroughmyS9+phoneIcan'tachieveultimatesound.I'mnewtoHDstreamingorhopingtostreaminUltraHDasAmazonmusicHDcallsit.Thankyouandappreciateanyhelp Ihavethesameset-up.Youcouldbuyabluesound2istreamertogetthefull24bit/192khzbutIwouldsuggestyoufirsttryoutLDACoverbluetooth.Settheampandyours9+phonetopreferLDACandyou'llget24bit/96khz(990kbps) Soundsfantasticandcostsnothing!Idoubtyou'dhearanynoticeabledifferencebetweenthebluesoundvsSonyLDAC MySonyishookeduptoDaliOberon5andI'mveryhappywithhowitsoundsusingbluetooth/LDAC Note:MostrecentandroidphonessupportLDACandcanbeconfiguredvia'DeveloperOptions' ChromecastontheamphasnotbeenupdatedbySonyandcurrentlydoesnotsupportHDstreamsfromAmazon.Ifyoudon'twanttousebluetooth,thenyoucould(ifyoucanfindone)hookupanold'Chromecastaudio'ThiswouldalsogiveyouHDfromAmazon Reply PrestoClassical(prestomusic)isanexcellentsiteandhasalargelibraryofclassicalandjazzflacdownloadstopurchase. Reply Forvariousreasons,includingdownsizing,Ihavejustdiscoveredhigh-resstreaminganddownloading.SoIgotwhatIthoughtwasaprettygoodsetupbutnoneoftheelementsfeaturinyourreview! I'musingmyoldArcamamplifierandIlistenthroughmyLynKeilidhspeakers. So..... ForaudioIsubscribetoPrimephonic.(IfoundTidalmoredifficulttonavigate).IuseaFireflyDACtotakesoundfrommylaptopormysmartphone(RedmiNote9PRO)tomyARCAMDELTA90amplifier.Iamnotallowedtotakedownloadstomylaptopbutonlytomyphoneortablet.,WhichisveryirritatingbecauseItravel,butIseemtohaveadequatestorageonmyphoneatleastforprimephonicdownloads. Forcombinedhighqualityvideoandsound(mypreference)IhavesubscribedtoMediciTV,andItakethesoundfrommynewLGSmartTVoutthroughanopticalcableoutputthroughaCYPAUD3-192DACtomyamp. Allthisisverynewtome.I'mdisturbedthatyouhaven'treviewedmystreamingservicesorthefireflyandIwonderifImadesomebigmistakes? Reply IwasamemberoftheCEAHigh-EndAudioBoardfor8years,operateahigh-resolutiondownloadsite(itrax.com),amauniversityprofessorteachingaudioengineering,authoredan880-pagebookonhigh-endaudio,andcompletedanAESpresentationonhigh-resolutionaudioforlastfall'sconvention.Theamountofmisinformationinthisarticleisastounding!I'mnotsurewheretostart.AmazonMusicHDisnothigh-resolutionaudioaccordingtothedefinitionissuedbytheCEAin2014.AmazonHDsimplyshiftedCD-orstandardresolution-totheHDcategoryformarketingpurposes.Anditdoesn'tmatteranywaybecausevirtuallyeveryrecordingavailableindownloadorstreamingformatfailtomeetthefrequencyresponseanddynamicsofastandardcompactdisc.Thestatement"going16bitto24bitcandeliveranoticeableleapinquality"ispatentlyuntrue.Isurveyover500audiophilesinmyresearchandtheresultsshowedthatpeoplehadasgoodachanceatpickinganativeHDfileoveraCDasarandomcointoss.Hi-ResaudioandMQAaresimplyattemptsbythoseinthemusicandaudiobusinesstograbmoremoney.It'sashamethattheauthorsofthispiecefailedtodoadequateresearchbeforewritingauselessarticle. Reply DrAIXsaid:IwasamemberoftheCEAHigh-EndAudioBoardfor8years,operateahigh-resolutiondownloadsite(itrax.com),amauniversityprofessorteachingaudioengineering,authoredan880-pagebookonhigh-endaudio,andcompletedanAESpresentationonhigh-resolutionaudioforlastfall'sconvention.Theamountofmisinformationinthisarticleisastounding!I'mnotsurewheretostart.AmazonMusicHDisnothigh-resolutionaudioaccordingtothedefinitionissuedbytheCEAin2014.AmazonHDsimplyshiftedCD-orstandardresolution-totheHDcategoryformarketingpurposes.Anditdoesn'tmatteranywaybecausevirtuallyeveryrecordingavailableindownloadorstreamingformatfailtomeetthefrequencyresponseanddynamicsofastandardcompactdisc.Thestatement"going16bitto24bitcandeliveranoticeableleapinquality"ispatentlyuntrue.Isurveyover500audiophilesinmyresearchandtheresultsshowedthatpeoplehadasgoodachanceatpickinganativeHDfileoveraCDasarandomcointoss.Hi-ResaudioandMQAaresimplyattemptsbythoseinthemusicandaudiobusinesstograbmoremoney.It'sashamethattheauthorsofthispiecefailedtodoadequateresearchbeforewritingauselessarticle.FantasticpostandIagree.Overlast6months,I'velistenedextensivelytoQobuz,AmazonHD,TidalMQAandIthink'Hi-Res'isasnakeoilcashgrab.Mostofthemusicthathasblownmyskirtup-weregoodoldCD16/44.1quality. Themasteringismoreimportantthanthesamplerateismyconclusion.OnceSpotifygiveusthenew'CD'qualitytierthatwillmeetmyneeds.Don'tcareaboutanythingabovethat. Reply IamlearningalotaboutHiFistreaminginarticlessuchasthese,butdifficultyfiguringouthowbesttousemycurrentequipment. 1)Ihaveanamp(DenonDRA-800h)thatletsmelogintoTidalHiFi-thatstreamsnativelyatCDqualityonly...(16-bit/44.1kHzisindicatedonthescreenoftheTVthattheampishookedto). 2)IhaveaChromecastUltrahookedintothesameampthatjustindcates"HiFi"ontheTVwhenIcasttoitusingtheTidalapponmyphone(theapponthephoneisamuchbetterexperiencethanontheAmplifier)...Isuspectthisisalso16-bit/44.1khz) 3)IhaveaChromecastAudiothatIamnotusing,butcouldhookuptotheAmpeitherwithauxorTOSLINK. 4)IcouldpurchaseamorespecializedstreamerthatstreamsatMQA,butwouldstillbeputtingitintothesameamp/speakersviaHDMIorTOSLINK. I(subjectively)think#1soundsbetterthan#2 #2isaloteasierandsimplertouse Isuspectthebestisoption#4,butIamnotreadyforthecost. Irealizethatalloftheaboveprobablydobetterthanmymiddleageearscanresolve,buttheyalsodefinitelysoundbetterthanmyYoutubeMusicsubscriptiondid... MyQuestion: CansomeoneadvisemeonthedifferenceinaudioqualitybetweentheChromecastUltraandtheChromecastAudio?IcanneverfindthebitrateoftheCCUltratobeabletocompareittotheCCAudio...andthenIwondertheHDMIoftheCCUltraisn'tbetterthantheTOSLINKoftheCCAudio... Thanks! Reply DanJsaid:IamlearningalotaboutHiFistreaminginarticlessuchasthese,butdifficultyfiguringouthowbesttousemycurrentequipment. 1)Ihaveanamp(DenonDRA-800h)thatletsmelogintoTidalHiFi-thatstreamsnativelyatCDqualityonly...(16-bit/44.1kHzisindicatedonthescreenoftheTVthattheampishookedto). 2)IhaveaChromecastUltrahookedintothesameampthatjustindcates"HiFi"ontheTVwhenIcasttoitusingtheTidalapponmyphone(theapponthephoneisamuchbetterexperiencethanontheAmplifier)...Isuspectthisisalso16-bit/44.1khz) 3)IhaveaChromecastAudiothatIamnotusing,butcouldhookuptotheAmpeitherwithauxorTOSLINK. 4)IcouldpurchaseamorespecializedstreamerthatstreamsatMQA,butwouldstillbeputtingitintothesameamp/speakersviaHDMIorTOSLINK. I(subjectively)think#1soundsbetterthan#2 #2isaloteasierandsimplertouse Isuspectthebestisoption#4,butIamnotreadyforthecost. Irealizethatalloftheaboveprobablydobetterthanmymiddleageearscanresolve,buttheyalsodefinitelysoundbetterthanmyYoutubeMusicsubscriptiondid... MyQuestion: CansomeoneadvisemeonthedifferenceinaudioqualitybetweentheChromecastUltraandtheChromecastAudio?IcanneverfindthebitrateoftheCCUltratobeabletocompareittotheCCAudio...andthenIwondertheHDMIoftheCCUltraisn'tbetterthantheTOSLINKoftheCCAudio... Thanks! ChromecastUltraislimitedto48khzforaudio,andIhaveseenitsuggestedthatitmightupsampleallaudiotothatfrequency.Notsureifitwillpasson24bits,oronly16.Eitherway,itshouldbeabletosoundasgoodasthebuilt-inTidalapp.Ifitdoesn't,toyourears,thatmaybeevidencethat(badlydone)re-samplingisdonebytheCCU,orthatyourDenonampdoesnothandleHDMIaudioaswellasitshould.Butanotherpossibilitytokeepinmindisthatyouarenotlevel-matchingandyousimplyprefer#1over#2becauseit'sabitlouder.(Nooffencemeant,everybodyissubjecttothiseffectanditishardtoguardagainst). TheChromecastAudiocanpasson24/96audiototheDenonviaToslink,sointheorythatshouldbeyourpreferredoption.Whetheritwillsoundbetter,same,orworsethantheCCUdependsonhowyourDenonhandlesToslinkinputdata,comparedtoHDMIinputdata.(Andonceagain,watchoutforvolumedifferencesifyoutrytocomparethetwo!) Reply Thanks! I'llgivetheToslinkonCCAatry. You'reright,bytheway,I'vecaughtmyselfenjoyingthelouderoftwochoicesafewtimessoIturnuptheChromecastallthewaywhencomparing... Reply "AppleiTunes,forinstance,doesn'tsupportit,evenifyourMacBookdoes,soyou'llneedtobuyanddownloadseparatemusicplayingsoftware." Categoricallynottrue.iTunescanstoreandplayALAC&WAVfilesjustfine-upto24bit/192khz.ThexACTapplicationwillconvertanyother24bitsourcefilestoALAC(includingFLACandWAV). Theprimaryissuemanydon'trealiseishowMac'sareconfiguredtoplayanythingotherthanthestandard44.1khz/16bitoutput.Tomakethiswork,youmustconfiguretheoutputstreamusingthe"AudioMIDISetup"applicationfoundintheUtilitiesfolder(fromtheWindowmenu,select"ShowAudioDevices",picktheoutputandsettheFormattoyourchoiceofoutput).Themaximumfrequencyisentirelybasedonthehardwarecapabilities.My12yearoldMacMiniisquitecapableofoutputingfromiTunesat96khzat24bitthroughtheheadphoneout(whichdoublesasadigitaltoslinkoutput)tomyPioneerreceiverthatcanprocessthetoslinkinputat96khz/24bit.Hasworkedjustfineforthispurposeforyears(andyesI'veverifiedthatthePioneerisindeedprocessing96khz/24bitdata).NewerMacscannativelyhandle192khz,thoughthetoslinkoutviaheadphonejackwasdepreciatedinmorerecentyears,likelybecausefewknewitexisted. Thesameconfigurationcanbeusedfor5.1DTSmusicoutputtoo(thoughtheoutputfrequencymustmatchthesource,i.e.typically44.1khz).Andthisisn'taoneoff,asIhaveabackupMacMiniconfiguredinexactlythesameway,andbothcanbeahostservertoahomesharingnetwork-where24bitmusicwillplayonnewerMac'srunningAppleMusicacrossaLAN(againtheoutputmustbeconfiguredtoahi-resoutputbasedoncapabilities,ortheaudiowillbedownsampledlocally.WorksgreatthroughaScarlett2i2at192khz/24bit). Reply ViewAll13Comments Showmorecomments WhatHi-Fi?Newsletter SignupbelowtogetthelatestfromWhatHi-Fi?,plusexclusivespecialoffers,directtoyourinbox! ContactmewithnewsandoffersfromotherFuturebrands Receiveemailfromusonbehalfofourtrustedpartnersorsponsors ThankyouforsigninguptoWhatHi-Fi?.Youwillreceiveaverificationemailshortly. Therewasaproblem.Pleaserefreshthepageandtryagain. 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