96kHz/24bit and 48kHz/24bit difference

Tomasito
Tomasito Posts: 142
edited December 2009 in Electronics
Has anybody heard the difference in sonic quality between
96kHz/24bit and 48kHz/24bit
thanks
Post edited by Tomasito on
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  • unc2701
    unc2701 Posts: 3,587
    edited December 2009
    Yes, but it was in a studio control room, with some badass Focals and some amazing room treatments. There are plenty of SACD/DVD-A vs CD discussions to be found around here, but those don't exactly fall under your question.
    Gallo Ref 3.1 : Bryston 4b SST : Musical fidelity CD Pre : VPI HW-19
    Gallo Ref AV, Frankengallo Ref 3, LC60i : Bryston 9b SST : Meridian 565
    Jordan JX92s : MF X-T100 : Xray v8
    Backburner:Krell KAV-300i
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  • Tomasito
    Tomasito Posts: 142
    edited December 2009
    the reason I am asking this question because I just got a squeezebox a week ago. it is speced at 48kHz/24bit. I am not sure why logitech designed it for 48kHz. Perhaps there is little difference in sound quality to the 96kHz.
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  • vc69
    vc69 Posts: 2,500
    edited December 2009
    24/96 is a pro digital standard. Some consumer audiophile products support it but source material is rare. 24/48 source material is far more common and would explain why the squeezbox supports it.
    -Kevin
    HT: Philips 52PFL7432D 52" LCD 1080p / Onkyo TX-SR 606 / Oppo BDP-83 SE / Comcast cable. (all HDMI)B&W 801 - Front, Polk CS350 LS - Center, Polk LS90 - Rear
    2 Channel:
    Oppo BDP-83 SE
    Squeezebox Touch
    Muscial Fidelity M1 DAC
    VTL 2.5
    McIntosh 2205 (refurbed)
    B&W 801's
    Transparent IC's
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  • Tomasito
    Tomasito Posts: 142
    edited December 2009
    for audio files is there a sonic difference between a 92kHz and a 48kHz?
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited December 2009
    Since my DAC and my PC and do both, I will go home and try the two different rates tonight and let you know what I hear. :)
    Jake
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  • Tomasito
    Tomasito Posts: 142
    edited December 2009
    Hello zingo (jake)
    I will look forward to your feedback tonight
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  • vc69
    vc69 Posts: 2,500
    edited December 2009
    Tomasito wrote: »
    for audio files is there a sonic difference between a 92kHz and a 48kHz?

    This depends on the source. A native 24/96 can potentially sound better than a 24/48 file but it would require a trained set of ears listening to a highly revealing system in an optimized environment. In other words, maybe. High bitrates and high sample rates are certainly mathematically desirable in the digital domain so it stands to reason that one is better than the other. If you are asking if you can hear a difference on your system, that is for you to determine.

    Again, native 24/96 files are hard to come by. I think somebody posted a link to HDtracks dot com in another thread recently. It is one of the only sources for 24/96 files I know of and I don't care much for their catalog. I have only one instance of files in that format (High resolution download of NIN - The Slip) and it is quite impressive.

    On a personal note, I have a few SACD's (24/88.2) and I prefer those to the DVD-A stuff I have, which I believe are NOT of the 24/96 variety.
    -Kevin
    HT: Philips 52PFL7432D 52" LCD 1080p / Onkyo TX-SR 606 / Oppo BDP-83 SE / Comcast cable. (all HDMI)B&W 801 - Front, Polk CS350 LS - Center, Polk LS90 - Rear
    2 Channel:
    Oppo BDP-83 SE
    Squeezebox Touch
    Muscial Fidelity M1 DAC
    VTL 2.5
    McIntosh 2205 (refurbed)
    B&W 801's
    Transparent IC's
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  • Tomasito
    Tomasito Posts: 142
    edited December 2009
    VC69,
    OK I will try 24/96 from HDtracks of the NIN the slip
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited December 2009
    I listened to HDtracks Ultimate Download Experience Two, Mozart's Violin Concertos, and Chesky Records Demo Disc Two all in 24/96. I then scaled my PC back and forth between 24/96 and 24/48 as recognized by my DAC. The difference was noticeable, but barely as presented itself as a little more fullness in voices. I'm not sure if I would have noticed the difference if I wasn't A/B the source, but I also don't have the most reference equipment or quietest room. I wouldn't worry about your squeezebox and it will sound great if you put great material into it. I hope that helps.

    Equipment used: PC -> Amphenol Glass Optical cable -> Matrix mini-i DAC -> Skywire SE XLR cables -> Jungson JA88D(09) amp -> Esoteric E7 speaker cables -> SVS MBS-01 speakers and PC12Plus subwoofer
    vc69 wrote: »
    I think somebody posted a link to HDtracks dot com in another thread recently.

    That was me. :D
    Jake
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  • vc69
    vc69 Posts: 2,500
    edited December 2009
    Tomasito wrote: »
    VC69,
    OK I will try 24/96 from HDtracks of the NIN the slip

    It is available from http://theslip.nin.com/

    It is a free download. Be sure to select the highest resolution option. Enjoy!
    -Kevin
    HT: Philips 52PFL7432D 52" LCD 1080p / Onkyo TX-SR 606 / Oppo BDP-83 SE / Comcast cable. (all HDMI)B&W 801 - Front, Polk CS350 LS - Center, Polk LS90 - Rear
    2 Channel:
    Oppo BDP-83 SE
    Squeezebox Touch
    Muscial Fidelity M1 DAC
    VTL 2.5
    McIntosh 2205 (refurbed)
    B&W 801's
    Transparent IC's
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited December 2009
    vc69 wrote: »
    It is available from http://theslip.nin.com/

    It is a free download. Be sure to select the highest resolution option. Enjoy!

    It is a cool album and a great free intro to 24/96.
    Jake
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  • Tomasito
    Tomasito Posts: 142
    edited December 2009
    Hello Vc69 and Zingo,
    I tried downloading the file - it said it is a torrent file.
    What do I do to get the file playable?
    thanks
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  • vc69
    vc69 Posts: 2,500
    edited December 2009
    Tomasito wrote: »
    Hello Vc69 and Zingo,
    I tried downloading the file - it said it is a torrent file.
    What do I do to get the file playable?
    thanks

    You will need to install and use a BitTorrent client to download the file.

    Here is a tutorial
    -Kevin
    HT: Philips 52PFL7432D 52" LCD 1080p / Onkyo TX-SR 606 / Oppo BDP-83 SE / Comcast cable. (all HDMI)B&W 801 - Front, Polk CS350 LS - Center, Polk LS90 - Rear
    2 Channel:
    Oppo BDP-83 SE
    Squeezebox Touch
    Muscial Fidelity M1 DAC
    VTL 2.5
    McIntosh 2205 (refurbed)
    B&W 801's
    Transparent IC's
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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited December 2009
    once downloaded.. I use VLC media player. it plays nearly all audio and video formats.

    http://vlcdownload.net/

    "VLC plays absolutely anything. It supports a massive amount of multimedia formats, without the need for any other codecs."
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
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  • Tomasito
    Tomasito Posts: 142
    edited December 2009
    I am new at this torrent thing. where do I get a bit torrent client?
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  • Bernal
    Bernal Posts: 991
    edited December 2009
    :) 24/96 stands for 24-bits/96KHz. It means that the digital signal that represents the analog audio is composed of 96000 samples per second per channel and that each sample has a resolution of 24 bits. It is also called 96/24 sometimes. Compared to regular audio CD (16-bits/44.1KHz) a 24 bits sample is 65536 times more precise than that of a CD and there are more than twice as many samples. Put differently, a 16 bits CD sample can only represent a analog signal with 65536 different levels while 24 bits allow to represent that signal with over 16 Million levels. Compared to 24/96 high-resolution digital audio, a 16-bits/44.1K CD represents only 30% of the resolution. It's like the definition of the signal was cut by 2/3 leaving only 1/3 of it. Compared to 24/192, a CD holds just about 15% of that resolution. The result of 24/96 and 24/192 is a high-definition format which can represent an analog signal much more acurately that legacy CD formats. The availability of DVD format which allows to store higher amounts of data than a CD (close to 8 times more) brought 24/96 and 24/192 formats to consumer homes.
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  • vc69
    vc69 Posts: 2,500
    edited December 2009
    Tomasito wrote: »
    I am new at this torrent thing. where do I get a bit torrent client?

    I use BitTornado

    Torrent files seem a bit complex, but you'll get the hang of it.
    -Kevin
    HT: Philips 52PFL7432D 52" LCD 1080p / Onkyo TX-SR 606 / Oppo BDP-83 SE / Comcast cable. (all HDMI)B&W 801 - Front, Polk CS350 LS - Center, Polk LS90 - Rear
    2 Channel:
    Oppo BDP-83 SE
    Squeezebox Touch
    Muscial Fidelity M1 DAC
    VTL 2.5
    McIntosh 2205 (refurbed)
    B&W 801's
    Transparent IC's
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  • Tomasito
    Tomasito Posts: 142
    edited December 2009
    I am at work right now, I will look into the bit tornado client.

    VC69 ,
    is it safe and doesn't mess up my computer at home
    BTW, I am using vista, does it support vista?
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  • vc69
    vc69 Posts: 2,500
    edited December 2009
    Use the same precautions you would use when downloading files from the internet. "The Slip" is from a verified safe source (NIN website) so you can download with confidence.

    BitTornado is a good piece of software. I have never had a problem.
    -Kevin
    HT: Philips 52PFL7432D 52" LCD 1080p / Onkyo TX-SR 606 / Oppo BDP-83 SE / Comcast cable. (all HDMI)B&W 801 - Front, Polk CS350 LS - Center, Polk LS90 - Rear
    2 Channel:
    Oppo BDP-83 SE
    Squeezebox Touch
    Muscial Fidelity M1 DAC
    VTL 2.5
    McIntosh 2205 (refurbed)
    B&W 801's
    Transparent IC's
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  • Tomasito
    Tomasito Posts: 142
    edited December 2009
    I was able to set-up the bit tornado last night in my XP machine.
    I downloaded the WMA and Hi-res formats of the slip album - both in 24/96
    The WMP was able to play the WMA file, but not the Hi-res.
    I will have to set-up the VLC

    Yes, there is a big difference in sonic quality, even through my computer.

    I want to be able to stream this to my hi-fi system. Then, I can really hear what a 24/96 is!
    Thanks for all the help
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