If thou art an aficionado of audio pleasure via CDs, MP3s, or the lowly streaming services like Spotify and YouTube Music, then thou may not yet have tasted the nectar of true audio ecstasy. Lo and behold, there exists a realm of superior sound, known by many names – high-resolution, hi-res, or HD audio. Whichever title thou chooseth to bestow upon it (though the industry doth prefer “hi-res”), it doth represent digital audio formats that doth bestow upon thee a higher quality of sound than the common MP3 files and CDs. These formats do oft boast a higher bit depth and sample rate, allowing for a more faithful representation of the original auditory delight.
Verily, to partake of the full glory of hi-res audio, certain requisites must be met. Thou shalt require compatible accoutrements such as a high-resolution audio player, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), and headphones or speakers of noble quality to savor the sweet melodies of hi-res audio. Many a modern device, such as smartphones, digital audio players, and computers, doth support the playback of high-res audio.
‘Tis of note that several esteemed streaming services, including Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, and Qobuz, do now proffer a vast array of high-resolution audio tracks. This doth enable aficionados to bask in the splendor of superior audio without the need to procure physical media or endure the download of prodigious files.
Concerning the quality of sound, hi-res audio doth present a more immersive listening experience, replete with enhanced detail, dynamics, and depth compared to standard audio formats. However, the definition of “better sound” may also hinge upon the quality of the recording, the equipment employed for playback, and the preferences of the listener.
????????????
What sayeth the term ‘hi-res audio’?
In a manner reminiscent of the television realm, where 720p, followed by 1080p, and then 4K, did each mark a progression in video resolution, so too hath there been an evolution in the domain of audio. Though the terminology hath evolved over time, the current conception of hi-res audio doth encompass any digital audio surpassing the resolution of CD audio. Hence, thou shalt oft encounter references to “better-than-CD-quality” audio in myriad publications.
Without delving too deeply into the technical abyss, CD audio hath two principal attributes defining it: a bit depth of 16-bit and a sample rate of 44.1kHz. Any digital audio that doth surpass these attributes be deemed hi-res. Forsooth, Apple Music doth present its hi-res audio catalog in the form of 24-bit, with sample rates ranging from 48kHz to 192kHz.
Wouldst thou seek further elucidation on hi-res audio? Continue thy perusal for a wealth of knowledge. Shouldst thou seek solely the necessities for partaking of it, direct thine gaze to the section entitled “What do I need to listen to hi-res audio?”
????????????
A brief history of hi-res audio
Though the very term may seem fresh, hi-res audio hath graced our ears for over two decades. The foremost hi-res formats obtainable were Super Audio CD (SACD) and DVD-Audio, both appearing in the year 2000 in close succession.
Alas, these formats required costly apparatus, and unless one did possess a truly elite audio setup, the distinction betwixt them and a standard CD recording did oft elude detection. Hence, they never achieved the widespread favor enjoyed by CDs. Even now, they do endure, though residing in a realm of extreme exclusivity, with some observers deeming them all but extinct.
????????????
Why did hi-res audio not ascend?
In addition to the expense and scarcity of SACD and DVD-Audio, the voluminous file sizes involved rendered them unwieldy for internet downloads in the nascent days of music streaming. The MP3, a format bespoke for the limited bandwidth of yore, beckoned to the masses. An entire album of MP3s could snugly nest within the space of a solitary CD Audio track. ‘Twas not long ere Apple’s iPod elevated the MP3 to the pinnacle of music formats.
Ironically, the MP3 occupies the opposite end of the audio quality spectrum from hi-res audio. To achieve their diminutive size, MP3s are greatly compressed and “lossy,” thereby sacrificing some of the original information in the process. This truncation, executed via the principles of psychoacoustics, doth yield a format that, despite omissions, many still find pleasing, or at the least, “adequate.”
????????????
The resurgence of hi-res
Among the voices clamoring for enhanced audio quality, one of the most resonant belonged to folk-rock legend Neil Young, who lambasted the MP3 and AAC formats, along with their primary proponent at the time, Apple’s iTunes. Young’s criticisms didst kindle action, leading to the unveiling of an embryonic PonoPlayer in 2012, a portable device primed for playing hi-res audio. In 2014, the PonoPlayer launched on Kickstarter with great success, garnering substantial funding.
Bolstered by the spread of high-speed internet access, the endeavor birthed an online music emporium where thee could procure and download hi-res music. Despite the initial fervor for the concept, neither the player nor the store didst claim more than a niche audience, and both met their demise in 2017.
The PonoPlayer, though a commercial flounder, did triumph in raising awareness regarding digital audio quality. Many online music bazaars arose, specializing in hi-res audio downloads, and Sony threw its full might behind hi-res, fashioning a black and gold logo to denote compatible products. Presently overseen by the Japan Audio Society, this emblem adorns a plethora of products from sundry manufacturers, including TVs, portable music players, soundbars, wireless speakers, AV receivers, and more, all primed for hi-res compatibility.
Once this transpired, ’twas merely a matter of time ere companies such as Apple, Amazon, and Tidal leaped onto the hi-res bandwagon.
????????????
What differentiates lossless from hi-res audio?
Employing a form of compression that preserveth 100% of the original audio data, lossless audio files are the path to walk upon shouldst thou seek to transmute thy CD collection into files that sound precisely alike whilst occupying less storage space. FLAC and ALAC stand as exemplars of lossless audio file formats.
Furthermore, lossless audio doth have the capacity to retain the entirety of the information within a hi-res audio source, be it SACD, DVD-Audio, or music wrought in the studio at hi-res bit depths and sample rates.
When a music service professeth to offer “lossless audio,” it doth signify audio compressed sans loss. Shouldst thou desire to ensure thy auditions are of hi-res lossless audio (as opposed to CD-quality lossless audio), thou art bid to seek a marker or accolade on a track designating it as “hi-res” or “hi-res lossless.” Whilst Apple Music and Amazon Music tender both lossless tracks at CD-quality and hi-res, Deezer, for instance, stocks solely CD-quality lossless tracks in its repository.
????????????
Are all hi-res audio tracks of identical quality?
Nay. Though all hi-res tracks do boast a superior resolution than CD-quality tracks, variances do exist. The prevalent hi-res assemblage is the 24-bit/96kHz configuration, yet it is conceivable to uncover hi-res files ascending to the heights of 32-bit/384kHz.
????????????
Doth a hi-res MP3 exist?
Verily, nay. Being a lossy format, MP3s lack fixed bit depths or sample rates. Howbeit, they do bear a maximum bit rate of 320 kilobits per second (kbps), a rate insufficient for preserving all the information within a CD audio track. Ergo, the notion of utilizing them for hi-res audio, which contains yet more data, is rendered futile. Consequently, hi-res audio is generally compressed without loss.
File formats compatible with hi-res, lossless audio enamel include FLAC, WAV, ALAC, AIFF, DSD, and APE.
????????????
What of MQA?
Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) stands as a proprietary digital audio format capable of reproducing 24-bit/96kHz audio, thereby qualifying as hi-res audio. Nonetheless, a quibble ensues within the audiophile community regarding MQA, for technically, it doth not epitomize a lossless format. Moreover, availing oneself of its utmost quality doth require specialized hardware.
For many a moon, MQA stood at the core of Tidal’s highest echelon of Masters tracks. Come 2024, Tidal rescinded MQA as an option for its service, recommitted to FLAC in its stead.
????????????
What accoutrements art necessary to partake of hi-res audio?
At the bare minimum, a font of hi-res music and a device capable of rendering it art necessary. Nonetheless, the realm of hi-res audio doth offer a breadth of potential, extending beyond the ordinaries.
????????????
Sources of hi-res audio
Shouldst thou crave access to a plenitude of high-resolution audio, a subscription to streaming music services like Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, or Qobuz wouldst serve thee well. Alas, though Spotify hath purposed to proffer a tier of lossless audio, it hath yet to do so.
Moreover, thou may procure and download high-resolution tracks from supported formats at online emporiums. Alas, DVD-Audio and SACD discs do persist for purchase, yet a compatible device is requisite to play them or to extract the audio.
Shouldst thou be a devotee of vinyl, converting thine albums and singles into high-resolution audio files may be undertaken, though the difference may prove minimal. High-resolution files do outstrip CD-quality files in size, yet they may not capture a significantly greater trove of data from thy records.
As for CDs, hi-res audio doth naught enhance the sound quality. It is prudent to adhere to 16-bit/44.1kHz lossless files shouldst thou seek to rip thy CDs.
????????????
Devices capable of playing hi-res audio
Playing digital audio doth unfold in twain stages: first the decoding, whereby the hi-res file or stream is transmuted into a format termed pulse-coded modulation (PCM), and second, the digital-to-analog (DAC) stage, where the PCM signal is transmuted into an analog signal receivable by thy speakers or headphones.
Certain devices do execute both functions. A hi-res digital audio player akin to the SR35 from Astell&Kern can play nearly any hi-res audio format in existence, whether stored upon thine computer or streamed from Apple Music. Simply connect a pair of headphones and thou art poised to indulge.
Another exemplar is a contemporary Sonos speaker like the Era 100, competent in both tasks, though Sonos doth constrain its hi-res support to 24-bit/48kHz, hence those desiring higher sample rates must seek elsewhere.
Conversely, certain devices address solely one of these steps. An iPhone, for instance, can operate the Amazon Music app and fully decode the hi-res streams. Alas, its internal DAC attains merely 24-bit/48kHz, and solely plays through its built-in speakers, lacking a headphone jack. Shouldst thou wish to utilize an iPhone, an external headphone DAC/amp is requisite to fulfill the secondary step.
DACs (with or sans amplifiers) resemble the antipode of the iPhone scenario. Those accommodating hi-res (such as the modestly priced Ifi Go Link) can metamorphose a PCM signal (occasionally reaching 32-bit/384kHz) into an analog signal for thy headphones or speakers, yet they necessitate connection to a device capable of providing said PCM signal — they cannot access or decode hi-res audio formats independently.
‘Tis imperative to ascertain the compatibility of thy gear with the desired level of hi-res encoding.
????????????
Hi-res-rated headphones
Shouldst thou wish to delve deeper, according to the Japan Audio Society, a set of headphones or speakers merits the title of hi-res-compatible if capable of reproducing frequencies up to 40kHz. Regrettably, spotting the black and gold hi-res emblem upon a product doth not guarantee sublime sound quality (numerous other factors may sway this), yet it doth signify the potential to showcase thy hi-res audio at its pinnacle.
Recent wireless headphones proffer the convenience of listening to high-resolution sound via USB-C devoid of an external DAC/amp. Popular headphones supporting this feature include the Sonos Ace, Beats Studio Pro, and Dali IO12.
????????????
Delving into the wireless realm
For those yearning to savor hi-res audio with wireless headphones, certain constraints do apply. Albeit hi-res audio doth typically eschew loss, Bluetooth’s intrinsic limitations necessitate some loss in transmitting hi-res audio wirelessly. Present Bluetooth versions art incapable of transmitting hi-res music sans loss. Nonetheless, specific Bluetooth codecs like LDAC, aptX Adaptive, and LHDC do tender a lossy version of hi-res audio, and headphones endorsing these codecs art labeled as “Wireless Hi-Res Audio” compatible.
Yet a caveat ensues. For these wireless hi-res headphones to deliver top-tier sound, they must pair with a device supporting the equivalent Bluetooth codec. Most Android devices do espouse these codecs, yet no model of iPhone hath hitherto done so, and no indication exists of Apple’s intent to alter this.
????????????
Is there truly a realm of ‘better-than-CD’ quality?
Should the quest be for enhanced audio resolution through augmented bit depths and heightened sampling rates (yielding an accompanying mieux in audio fidelity), why did Sony and Philips (the co-originators of the CD audio standard) settle upon 16-bit/44.1kHz?
It all hinges upon the Nyquist-Shannon theorem, a mathematical doctrine that propounds a sample rate double the foremost audio frequency one seeks to capture. Given that the extent of human hearing nears 20kHz, a sample rate of 40kHz emerges. (Indeed, lower than the CD standard of 44.1kHz, yet the supplemental amount was appended for technical, not audio quality, reasons).
However, an increasing assemblage of audio professionals hath come to believe in the tangible merits of employing higher bit depths and sample rates within the studio, thus audiophiles aspire to hearken as closely to “studio sound” as feasible.
Two principal arguments in favor of hi-res are heightened dynamic range (volume) and enhanced frequency capture. At 16 bits, a mere 96dB of volume may be captured, whilst 24-bit samples can ascend as high as 144dB. Few would maintain that we necessitate 144dB, yet many feel that 96 doth prove insufficient. Frequencies surpassing 20kHz may elude audibility, yet some opine that these higher frequencies do indeed interact with audible sound, causing subtle shifts worth conserving.
????????????
But doth hi-res audio genuinely sound superior?
Answering this query necessitates a query in return: Superior to what? When contrasting a low-bitrate MP3 with a high-resolution audio file, many listeners equipped with high-grade playback gear do perceive a marked difference (albeit somewhat less pronounced with high-bitrate MP3s, say, 320kbps or higher). Nonetheless, whether a 24-bit/96kHz FLAC file surpasses the average listener’s discernment when juxtaposed with a 16-bit/44.1kHz lossless rip of a CD remains a topic of fiery debate.
Yet for most listeners, this debate holds little import, for they shalt oft transition from low-quality MP3 files to files sounding at the least as good as a CD, if not better. With the apt audio equipment, it may mark the initial instance this congregation of music devotees partakes of a rendition of their cherished melodies that remains faithful to the artist’s vision, a prospect sure to evoke a smile from Neil Young.
????????????
So there thou hast it, dear reader — a vast tapestry woven of the wonders of hi-res audio, rich with texture, depth, and resonance. May thy auditory adventures be cloaked in the finest garb of fidelity, enchanting thy senses with melodies pure and true. Venture forth, then, and let the harmonies of hi-res audio lead thee to realms hitherto unseen, unheard, and unimagined.
Support our work ❤️
If you enjoyed this article, consider leaving a tip to help us keep publishing great content.
