Really dumb question about hi-rez audio

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by sgtmono, May 25, 2016.

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  1. sgtmono

    sgtmono Seasoned Member Thread Starter

    Hi, let's say I'm playing hi-rez audio from a blu-ray or DVD, or SACD. The machine playing the disc is connected to a stereo receiver via analog RCA cables, and speakers are connected with standard copper wire. Is the higher resolution of the source material being reproduced from my speakers?

    I'm pretty sure the answer is "yes" but for some reason this has really been bugging me.

    I also know that in order for my blu ray player to output analog audio, I have to set it to "PCM out". That kind of threw me because I always associated PCM with 16 bit audio.

    Thanks in advance. :wave:
     
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  2. LEONPROFF

    LEONPROFF Forum Resident

    yes. Also, I do not have an HDMI capable receiver but listening to SACD/DVD-A/Blu-ray can be incredible on my system.
     
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  3. RiCat

    RiCat Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Almost always the "quality" of the digital source exceeds that of some or all of the components in the playback chain. The most obvious are the speakers and their interaction with the room (yes the room is a major factor in the chain). So the answer to your question is yes and maybe no. What you end up hearing is whatever degree of the original "quality" that your system can resolve into audible sound. Then too you need to add in your biological and psychological constraints to hear and resolve into "auditory perception" what the hardware system outputs. For me it comes down to if I think or feel a given source sounds better than another. If it does then that is the one I choose.
     
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  4. sgtmono

    sgtmono Seasoned Member Thread Starter

    Cool. So all things being equal, a hi-rez version of any given piece of audio should sound better than it's standard-rez counterpart on a halfway decent system with analog connections?
    I suppose a digital receiver and HDMI connections would technically resolve even better?
     
  5. Greg Carrier

    Greg Carrier Senior Member

    Location:
    Iowa City
    If you're using analog out, your disc player is converting the high res audio to analog before it sends it to your receiver. All digital has to be converted to analog so you can hear it.

    You're good.
     
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  6. curbach

    curbach Some guy on the internet

    Location:
    The ATX
    Only if the digital receiver decodes the hi-rez data better than your player (all else being equal).
     
  7. delmonaco

    delmonaco Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sofia, Bulgaria
    I agree. For example - my hearing is just normal, nothing extraordinary, my listening space is not huge, nor acousticaly perfect, and my audio equipment is of good quality, but perhaps for the most serious and rich audiophiles is just some cheap junk. So I really don't care for hi-rez audio, in my situation I cannot detect any difference between well mastered CD, vinyl, or hi-rez when listening at home.
     
  8. Schoolmaster Bones

    Schoolmaster Bones Poe's Lawyer

    Location:
    ‎The Midwest
    PCM is also associated with 24 bit and 32 bit, as well as a plethora of sample rates. Pulse-code modulation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia »
     
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