Upsampling


What’s the purpose of upsampling DACs?

128x128lordrootman
When just over-sampling, it is to reduce the analog filter requirements pretty much exclusively. Though there is certainly a "following" for non-oversampling DACs, most of us want to hear what is on the CD or in the digital source, and not artifacts that were never part of the music. 

If your sample rate is 44.1KHz, and the audio bandwidth is 20KHz, there is only a 2KHz band between sample bandwidth (44.1/2 = 22.05KHz), and music 20Khz. To eliminate all the artifacts requires a very high order analog filter (many stages), which is going to itself create large phase artifacts in the audio bands.

When you upsample audio, you don't interpolate between samples (or shouldn't), you insert 0's between samples. 20-30-40 would become 20-0-0-0-30-0-0-40-0-0-0 (for 4x oversampling). This shifts the spectrum of the artifacts to 4x the sample frequency. Then you can use mainly digital filters to remove the artifacts. These digital filters can be something called linear-phase that does not wreck the relative timing of different frequencies. This is then followed by a much simpler analog filter which has much less impact on the phase response.

Almost all modern audio DACs chips have built in over-sampling. Most that build their own DACs, also use over-sampling, sometimes at very high frequencies. There are "claims" made w.r.t. some using FPGAs about the size of their digital filters and an improvement in "accuracy" but for all the hand-waving, good luck getting a number pinned down (to justify).
Miller
You really do like the sound of your own voice don't you ( convert voice to type for this media).


Don't stop the signal!
Thanks for great responses I’m learning something new 
I have Cambridge Azur 851N is upsampling 
I stream from tidal Qobuz and Spotify 320kb 
the fact is when I stream 16/44.1 on both tidal and Qobuz vs Spotify 320kb same original recorded music / version can’t tell the difference 
I can easily see the difference in 24/96 ,24/192 and MQA  but not on 16/44 vs 320kb
 is because of upsampling? my system includes Klipsch KLF 30 Parasound A21+ Michi P5 preamplifier Parasound P6 Sony Z1 a pair of SVS SB16 ultra and PC13 ultra and MacBook Pro thanks 
Way way larger differences between uncompressed 16/44.1 and Spotify 320kb, then between 16/44.1 and 24/96 or 24/192. 24/96 and 24/192 may be different versions. Oversampling would have nothing to do with it.
The 851n does feature 24/384 Upsampling but that surely is not default.
It has to be in the settings to choose what level of Upsampling you desire or run native.

I can clearly hear a big difference between Spotify and even base Qobuz of 16/44.