What are the best digital recordings I can buy ?


I'm wondering:

1) What are the best digital formats I can buy via internet download or other delivery means today? I

2) Is there a way to buy a high resolution digital master file if I want to?

3) Are there specific native high res DAC products (native, not up or over sampled) available to me today (home or commercial grade) that I can use to hook my computer up to my stereo and play these with? Where can I find such products? Which ones are good?

It has to be a native format that exceeds Redbook CD resolution otherwise there is no inherent added value.
128x128mapman

Showing 1 response by shadorne

It has to be a native format that exceeds Redbook CD resolution otherwise there is no inherent added value.

DVD players and Blu-Ray can both exceed CD.

DVD format can contain up to 2-channel Linear PCM audio data ranging from 48 kHz/16-bit to 96 kHz/24-bit

Blu Ray format can contain up to 2-channel Linear PCM audio data up to 192Khz/24 bit (not sure if any products exist like this yet on BD discs - it would use up a lot of the disc space)

Both support a variety of compressd formats which would not interest you. With most movies you are hearing a compressed audio format(like Dolby and DTS), however DTS is generally preferred as it is 20 bit versus Dolby's 16 bit.

There is not much of a market for two channel Linear PCM of high bit and sample rate - so I am not sure what you can find - Chesky made some stuff and so have other audiophile labels, however, these are often of artists that you probably don't want anyway....