Digital audio from A to Z
Confused about the terms used to describe audio devices? We have created a quick guide to help you discover them.
Do you want to immerse yourself in the wonderful (and sometimes overwhelming) world of high definition audio? You have a lot to learn about this world, but the endless abbreviations and terms can be confusing, making the text look like a collection of words.
There is nothing to worry about. At Sony, we make sure you get all the Hi-Res Audio knowledge you need, become a true expert, understand the complexities of terminology, and enjoy the best sound with the best music.
Below is a list of the main terms used by hardcore audiophiles when discussing Hi-Res Audio technology, as well as their definitions.
Hi-Res Audio / Hi-Res Audio
Hi-Res Audio generally means digital recordings with a higher sample rate than audio CDs and the MP3 format. This technology offers much higher sound quality while retaining more data than converting the original studio recording to MP3 files. Some of the high resolution audio formats are WAV, DSD, ALAC, FLAC, and AIFF.
DSD and PCM
What is the difference? There are two main ways to process / encode audio in digital formats: PCM and DSD. In short, editing is easier with PCM. However, the DSD file format is used in recording studios and this digital format is believed to be as close as possible to the original analog source. Below is a more detailed description of each format:
DSD
Direct Stream Digital is a digital recording method in which the audio signal is encoded using pulse density modulation like digital media. The sample rate of this audio format is 2.8224 MHz or 5.6448 MHz, which is 64-128 higher than the sample rate of audio CDs.
PCM
Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) is the basis for digital audio recording whereby the standard analog audio signal is converted to digital. This is the standard form of digital sound on computers and CDs. The analog signal is sampled at regular intervals and its amplitude is recorded as a point on a digital scale.
With data loss
The lossy format removes some of the information from the original digital recording in an attempt to preserve the quality of the original sound as much as possible when played back. This is the case for MP3 and AAC audio formats. The compressed file takes up much less space than the original file, but the quality suffers.
No data loss
The lossless encoding format allows you to store digital audio without losing the original data or allows you to reconstruct it when played back. Lossless audio files are generally larger than lossless files. However, it achieves significantly better sound quality. Examples of audio recordings of this type are files with the extensions FLAC and Apple Lossless.
No compression
The definition of the concept is derived from the name: uncompressed raw data. In general, uncompressed audio files like WAV and AIFF are of the best quality. The downsides of uncompressed audio are that they take up a lot of space and require a lot of bandwidth to open and play.
kHz / bit
This is a standard notation for the relationship between sample rate and bit depth.
Number of kilohertz (kHz)
It is a unit of sampling frequency which is the number of times the audio signal is quantized per second. Therefore, the higher the kHz number, the better the sound quality.
Bit depth
The bit depth of a digital recording determines how many bits (that is, data) are used to store each sample of the analog signal. Bit depth is directly related to the resolution of each sample. The higher the bit depth, the better the sound quality.
Now that you understand the complexities of Hi-Res Audio terminology, try to find examples for each concept.
