Can someone please help me understanding the following issues?
1) What is the difference between regular sound card and DAC?
2) I was told to configure Sound card for 16bit, 48KHz while several DACs up-sample the audio stream to 24/192 by default, why?
3) If my music is 24/192, my sound card is configured for 16/48 and MC is for “As Source Bit” how does it send the 24/192 stream over the 16/48 defaulted sound card?
4) What is the sequence for the music to flow from computer to pre-Amp?
I have a computer capable of playing music up to 24bit, 192 KHz, but following JRiver’s guideline, I configured this card for 16bit, 48 KHz. In the meanwhile, I was shopping for good DAC. I noticed on average a good DAC is about $2000. I tried to understand the function of DAC and learned “all it-is is an up-scaled sound card”. Now if this true, many of these DACs upscale the sound to 24/192. While talking to one of the DAC manufacturers, who do not up-scale the signal, commented that upscale-ing the signal does nothing to sound quality, as it just add zero’s to every bit, I am not sure who is right and who is wrong, now I am just more confused.
I bought most of the music from HD Tracks and its format is 24/96, 24/176 or 24/192. Sound card in my computer is configured for 16/48 WASAPI and MC for “As Sourse Bit”. How does the music flow through the computer? Let’s say I have wave file stored on my hard-drive, does it go to MC, gets processed and pushed to Pre-Amp via the sound card or it comes to MC via the sound card, gets processed and flows back through the sound card to Pre-Amp? In either case if the sound card is configured for 16/48 does it handle the higher bit rate signal?
Thanks in advance for the help.
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Topic: How a sound card configured for 16/48 handles the higher bit rate signal? (Read 902 times)