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[benn600]

Is anyone aware of some sites that offer very high fidelity audio files, at least short demos, but ideally an entire song or two?  I am interested in extreme sample rate, bit depth, etc.  The best of what digital audio can offer.  I would like to compare that kind of quality against CDs.

[newsposter]

current gen audio codecs already resolve beyond what human hearing is able to do.

The potentially neat thing about new formats is their ability to channelize the background 'noise' that is present in all sound.  Ever notice how empty 'pure' audio is compared to something just a little dirty.  Ambiance or whatever you want to call it is in th eprocess of being defined.  It's also where Bose makes a pile of $$$ and in return gets the ire of folks who don't agree with their processing.

Note that the various 'hd' audio formats are propriatary, not open, and certainly not available for deployment beyond a lab.

[benn600]

I'm basically asking for a 192Khz / 24 bit (or 32 bit?) audio file.  If I'm not mistaken, FLAC readily supports this level of quality.

One article I read said that we gave up a lot going to digital from analog--which is basically a continuous wave recording rather than sampling it.  And 192 would be about 4 times what CDs sample audio at!

[Alex B]

Benn, please don't create flawed theories without studying the subject. The 44.1 kHz sample rate can reproduce the audio frequencies up to 22 khz perfectly without any kind of "steps".

Similarly the bith depth of 16-bit can keep the noise floor 96 dB below the maximum volume of the audio signal and even lower in the most audible frequency range when the dithering and noise shaping techniques are used. That is enough for practical listening purposes.

The possible audio quality differencies are produced by other factors like the choices made when the content is recorded and mastered and the quality of the used equipment at the production stage (assuming the playback system is of very high quality and does not favor a certain sample rate).

[benn600]

I have studied the subject.  I've heard talks about HD audio formats and cymbals.  The audio decay is so precise with extreme longevity and accuracy.  It's the minor undertones that really shine through when played at loud volumes, thereby allowing lower range sounds to permeate.

I knew of a site to buy very high quality audio tracks from but lost the link.  I was hoping someone could remind me.

[AoXoMoXoA]

Benn,
you may find this interesting: 24bit vs 16bit, the myth exploded!

and if you'd like to hear for yourself check HDtracks, I believe they have some free tracks to sample.

[Alex B]

Benn, did you see these when you studied?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyquist–Shannon_sampling_theorem
http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=49843
http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=1&t=9311
http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=68288

I should have same hires samples or links to samples somewhere in my archives. I'll check if I can find them.

BTW, the "buy" word is very related to HD audio. The purpose of it is to generate additional revenue, not provide better quality because the quality of properly made and played 44.1 kHz / 16-bit content is already high enough to be transparent.

If you want to spend money for better audio quality I'd recommend buying better speakers. Personally I would like to have a pair of Revel Ultima Saloon 2 speakers (http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/608revel)...

[benn600]

If you want to spend money for better audio quality I'd recommend buying better speakers.

Check.

I am just interested in LISTENING to the difference.  We're right back to the MP3 vs FLAC argument all the way.  The next question is beyond CD quality, as I've described above.

[AoXoMoXoA]

Here ya go Benn, a sample to compare hi-rez vs standard: http://www.soundkeeperrecordings.com/format.htm

[benn600]

My pre amp gives what the input is an it is always 48 KHz so I will have to investigate allowing greater than that output from the sound card.  Thanks for the files!

The card I'm using seems locked at 48 KHz (which is normal).  I will check my desktop card which is a much more sophisticated one to see if it has other output sampling rates.