+1 @hilde45
Streaming resolution
What’s your favorite streaming resolution? I find when streaming hi-rez files the best resolution for me is 24/44.1 or 48. Anything higher like 96 or 192 sounds to sanitary. It’s almost lifeless. It doesn’t reveal more for me it’s sounds flat and to precise. At 48kHz - that is the sweet spot for me. The music is lively and revealing and this is across genres. Do you have a preference? What are your experiences ?
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- 43 posts total
I think the quality of the recording and mastering is much more important than resolution, at least once you get to Red Book. I've heard a lot of Red Book quality streams that sound better than "hi-rez." I can maybe buy that up to a point-maybe 24-96, there is something to be gained, but I think there is a lot of marketing around hi-rez for gains that are well beyond human hearing. |
@willywonka Not that I like rap, but I do think that many systems are tailored for certain types of music. For example, a system that hits a home run on electronic or club music may not sound as good for soft female vocals, and vice-versa. I had a pair of Sonus Faber bookshelves some time ago, and they were amazing for natural instruments and vocals, but not so much for rock music. |
I have gone through quite a few DACs and several streaming setups. My observation is that this is pretty equipment-dependent. On my current setup, there seems to be no inherent advantage to higher bitrates. If I can ascertain the native format of a recording, that seems to sound best, by a gnat's hair. In prior configurations, higher resolutions were critical to the extent they were almost as important as the mastering quality. Incidentally, if you look at my system for context, it's out of date. I can't figure out how to edit it and am here infrequently enough not to research that. |
I'm a Jazz listener. Some classical. Rock music sounds the same to me regardless of the resolution. First, as many have said, is the quality and mix of the recording. System quality also matters. My DAC is a dCS Bartok, about $22K current list. System totals about $130K. With the proper recording quality, higher resolutions up to 24/96 can provide a wider, more open, airy sound field with better definition of instrument location. It's subtle but very nice. Above that there is little difference for me. But I'm an old guy. To the member who reported a flatter sound at higher resolutions, I suggest you consider sampling some better quality DACs. Enjoy the trip! |
- 43 posts total