Listening to High-Res 24 bit FLAC downloads

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Adam Kimmel, Aug 8, 2020.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Adam Kimmel

    Adam Kimmel Member Thread Starter

    Hi -- I have an beloved Pioneer XDP 300R, and during the lockdown I've been getting into buying and downloading some high-res, 24-bit FLAC albums from Qobuz and Presto. These include Yes (The Steve Wilson Remixes), Leonard Bernstein's Beethoven symphonies, a couple of Ivan Fischer Mahler symphonies and Miles Davis' Kind of Blue, so quite a range of genres. However....I also downloaded and started using Poweramp as a music player, and it has an interesting facility in that it not only tells you what format your music file is and what its qualities are, but it also tells you what you're playing out to. So, when I link it with my SoundCore Boost lBuetooth speaker, it tells me that I'm doing so, and then that the music is only going through as 16 bit. Same with the SoundMagic earphones I've got and even my BrainWavz balanced headphones -- it says "16 bit". Something tells me I'm not getting the full deal from my High Res music files. What can I do to unlock their potential? Is it the headphones? I can understand that some BT can't handle High Res files, but I'd have thought the headphones would be able to. Thanks in advance, Adam K
     
  2. There's a 6.3mm stereo jack on the player - get yourself some decent corded headphones.
     
  3. Coltrane811

    Coltrane811 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Michigan
    Are the Brainwavz headphones bluetooth? There is significant disagreement over whether hi-res makes any audible difference even on the most hi-end systems, but you will certainly not hear any improvement over Bluetooth. Not sure why Poweramp isn’t playing the 24 bit file though.
     
  4. Adam Kimmel

    Adam Kimmel Member Thread Starter

    No, sorry, I should have specified. Neither headphones are bluetooth. I wasn't surprised at the Soundmagic ones so much -- they're pretty budget and unbalanced -- but my Brainwavz (sorry, I forget the exact type) are balanced.
     
    Coltrane811 likes this.
  5. Adam Kimmel

    Adam Kimmel Member Thread Starter

    No, there's no 6.3mm stereo jack on the Pioneer XDP 300R -- it's a portable DAP. It's got a 3.5mm unbalanced and a 2.5mm balanced and that's it.
     
  6. Apesbrain

    Apesbrain Forum Resident

    Location:
    East Coast, USA
    If the files are 24-bit, they will play that way out to any wired headphone connected to your Sony so long as the software player supports 24-bit. The version of Android on your player is several years old. Is it possible Poweramp no longer properly runs on it? (You can ask on their forum.) When you play the 24-bit files using the native Sony player software, does it indicate 24-bit?
     
  7. ciderglider

    ciderglider Forum Resident

    Try installing UAPP app on your Pioneer. This will play your files at their actual resolution.
     
  8. OK, I stand corrected, and should have read the manual before posting.
    My point still stands, and wired headphones would allow you to hear the recordings at full resolution without futzing about with wireless this or that.
     
  9. Adam Kimmel

    Adam Kimmel Member Thread Starter

    Thank you all very much for all your replies.

    Yes, the whole Android version/Poweramp thing could be at the heart of it. When I play it on the native music player (Onkyo, I believe -- it's a Pioneer device, not Sony) it says, solely at the bottom of the playing file: "FLAC 96KHZ/PCM 96KHZ" when it's played through wired headphones, but "FLAC 96KHZ/PCM 44.1KHZ" through the BT speaker. I'll admit ignorance and confess I don't actually even know what PCM means, even after looking it up.

    I keep hearing about that app and might give it a go, but I've already spent quite a bit of money downloading various apps (Neutron, Blackplayer, Poweramp and the freebie Pulsar) before finding Poweramp, which doesn't get confused by my files and start chucking various songs in different folders for no reason at all, as far as I can tell. I'm thinking, vaguely, of upgrading to a Shanling M6, and might give it a go on there.

    Thanks again...
     
  10. Sevoflurane

    Sevoflurane Forum Resident

    The Bluetooth connection to that particular speaker will be 16 bit. The files should play at their full resolution over a wired set of headphones, though.

    The native music player is functioning as intended and is giving you the information you want. "FLAC 96kHz / PCM 96kHz" means your hi res FLAC file is decoded to PCM [pulse code modulation] at the same sampling rate for playback over wired headphones. "FLAC 96kHZ / PCM 44.1kHz" indicates that the same hi res file is converted to PCM at the lower sampling rate for transmission over Bluetooth. Most Bluetooth codecs work at 44.1 or 48kHz sampling rate. The first bit tells you what your source file is, the second bit tells you how the player is handling it.

    The native player is doing just that as detailed above. I have no experience with your player or Poweramp, but your native music player is behaving just like Onkyo HF Player does on iOS. I'd just stick to the native music player.

    Unless you are using a newer Bluetooth speaker that supports AptX HD or LDAC [your speaker supports neither] you will not see greater than 48kHz / 16 bit playback via Bluetooth. That is a limitation of the Bluetooth audio protocols and is completely normal.
     
    ciderglider and SeeDeeFirth like this.
  11. Adam Kimmel

    Adam Kimmel Member Thread Starter

    Thanks -- very comprehensive, informative and helpful.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine