What hi-res really means

Two numbers describe a digital audio format. Here is what each one actually buys you, and where the returns stop.

Try a format

The numbers behind the label, worked out for you.

Sample rate
Bit depth
22.05 kHzHighest frequency it can carry (half the sample rate)
98 dBTheoretical dynamic range (about 6 dB per bit)
1,411 kbpsUncompressed stereo data rate

The Black Lion lite streamer plays this on any firmware build. This is CD quality.

Sample rate sets the highest note

A format can carry frequencies up to half its sample rate. That limit is called the Nyquist frequency. CD audio, at 44.1 kHz, reaches 22.05 kHz. Human hearing is usually given as about 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and the top end falls with age; many adults hear well below 20 kHz.

So 96 kHz, which reaches 48 kHz, carries a lot of sound nobody can hear. It can make the filters inside a DAC easier to design, which is a real but small benefit.

Bit depth sets the noise floor

Each bit adds about 6 dB of dynamic range, the distance between the loudest sound and the noise underneath. 16-bit gives about 96 to 98 dB. 24-bit gives about 144 dB in theory, which no real amplifier, DAC or room can reach. A quiet living room has its own background noise, and real electronics have theirs.

Where 24-bit earns its keep

In the studio, extra bits give recording and mixing engineers headroom. At home, they matter most when volume is turned down digitally: every step down throws away resolution, and a 24-bit path has plenty to spare. That is why the Black Lion lite streamer runs the 32-bit firmware build, because its volume control is digital.

What listening tests found

The research is mixed and modest. A widely cited 2007 study found that listeners could not reliably tell when a high-resolution recording was passed through a CD-quality bottleneck. A 2016 review of many studies found a small but real ability to tell the difference, larger for trained listeners. Either way, the effect is far smaller than the difference between a good and a bad master, or between two speaker positions.

The 96 kHz, 24-bit reality

  • 96 kHz at 24-bit covers everything a home system can use, with room to spare.
  • Higher sample rates mostly cost bandwidth and storage.
  • The recording and mastering decide more than the file format does.
  • If a streaming service offers several tiers, listen to the same track in each before paying extra.