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What is Hi-Res Audio?

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What is Hi-Res Audio?

High-resolution audio (high-resolution audio) is high-resolution digital audio.

Unlike HD (high definition video), there is no single standard for high definition audio.

In 2014, Digital Entertainment Group, Consumer Electronics Association, and The Recording Academy, along with music labels, formally defined Hi-Res Audio as follows: “Lossless sound that is capable of reproducing the full range of recordings, and was prepared and transferred from a higher quality source, than CD. ”

Simply put, Hi-Res Audio refers to music files that have a higher sample rate and / or bit rate than CD, which is defined as 16-bit / 44.1 kHz. Sample rate (or sample rate) refers to the number of times a sample of a signal is received per second during the A / D conversion process. The more bits, the more accurate the signal can be measured in the first case. , so the transition from 16-bit to 24-bit can provide a noticeable jump in quality.

High-resolution audio files typically use 96 kHz or 192 kHz 24-bit sample rates. There can also be 88.2 kHz and 176.4 kHz files.

The high resolution has a downside: the size of the file. A track can be tens of megabytes in size, and multiple albums can quickly take up space on your mobile device. They can also take a long time to charge over Wi-Fi and mobile internet.

What is the advantage of Hi-Res Audio?

There are several main file formats that support high-resolution digital audio:

-WAV (WAVeform audio file format): the standard format for all CDs. Excellent sound quality without compression, which means large files (especially high resolution files). It has little support for metadata (album art, artist information, and song title).

-AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format): This is an alternative to Apple’s WAV format, but with better metadata support. The format is lossless and uncompressed (also large files), but it is not very popular.

-FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec): This lossless audio compression format supports high resolution sample rate, occupies about half the size of the format
-WAV and preserves the metadata. Free and widely supported (not just on Apple products). It is considered the preferred format for downloading and storing high-resolution music albums.

-ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec): Apple’s proprietary lossless compression format. It also reproduces high resolution sound, preserves metadata and half the size of WAV. Used in Apple devices.

-DSD (Direct Stream Digital): one-bit format used in Super Audio CD media. Its sampling frequency can be 2.8mHz, 5.6mHz and 11.2mHz, which is many times higher than that of a normal CD. The format is not used much.

-MQA (Master Quality Authenticated): this new format, introduced in 2014, is used mainly for streaming music in high resolution. MQA files can be packed into any lossless compression container such as FLAC, WAV, or ALAC. To decode MQA files, you need compatible hardware: a network audio player, a portable music player, or software like the Tidal PC application.
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What is the advantage of Hi-Res Audio?

The main advantage of Hi-Res audio files is undoubtedly the superior sound quality compared to standard and compressed audio formats. To illustrate why high resolution should sound better than MP3, let’s compare their bit rates. The highest quality MP3 file has a 320 kbps bit rate, while a 24-bit / 192 kHz high-resolution audio file has a 9216 kbps bit rate. Music CD – 1411 Kbps.

Using lossy compression means that data is lost during the encoding process and resolution is sacrificed for a smaller file size. This affects the sound quality: the MP3 format (and the like) does not fully reveal the potential of our favorite songs.

However, for most people, MP3 audio is good enough, especially when listening to music on the road, in the background, etc. Even the quality of a CD is not enough for audiophiles, which is why many music connoisseurs still prefer the pure analog sound of vinyl records.

Therefore, 24-bit / 96 kHz or 24-bit / 192 kHz high-resolution files are designed to reproduce sound more accurately.

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Smartphones VS Mp3 players

In the times that run the Smartphones have entered our life in an overwhelming way, due to their multiple functionalities and hence we now use them on a day-to-day basis for endless tasks: make calls, send whatsapps, take photos, navigate, play and ultimately until listening to music. This has been one of the causes of the fame of the iphone sound, but are they really superior to what a dedicated MP3 Player can offer us? Will the victorious mobiles come out of this battle MP3 Player Vs Smartphone?

Given this multifunctionality that mobile phones give us, it is logical to ask: is it necessary to buy an MP3 Player to enjoy my music? The answer is: Yes and in the following lines we will explain why.

WHAT IS AN MP3 PLAYER?

But first let’s start with the base, an MP3 Player, nowadays named DAP (Digital Audio Player) in the audiophile sector are devices that over the years have been sonically enhanced and in their characteristics, that is, with a chip of High quality digital to analog decoding which differentiates them from the original MP3 and MP4 players. Many companies such as the already defunct iRiver were pioneers in bringing this performance in sound quality to its peak.

In the search for this audio quality, they also enjoy better technical specifications in the field of music reproduction such as less distortion, better balance between channels or a lower signal / noise ratio. All this to offer us the highest quality for our Hi-Fi headphones or our speakers.

In addition to this they have other features focused solely on the audiophile or music enjoyment field as decoding of music formats in very high quality such as FLAC or DSD, greater number of inputs and outputs to complement them with amplifiers, etc.

So if you are using your Android phone or an iPhone it is very possible that in addition to listening to a lower audio quality you are missing many of the advantages that a good MP3 Player can offer you and that you can only emerge victorious from the confrontation MP3 Player Vs Smartphone the one that offers the most advantages to the user.

WHAT IS BEST FOR MY HI-FI HEADPHONES?

Now that it has become clear to us that it is an MP3 Player and what advantages it can offer us, we are prepared to tackle a battle MP3 Player Vs Smartphone between both devices to see who wins this fierce fight. Keep the popcorn bowl handy because the fight is about to begin.

Size and portability: It is true that when we talk about size we look for a device that we can comfortably carry in your pocket and that fulfills the greatest number of functions, including the task of playing our favorite songs. Until now, using our Smartphone seemed the best choice but with the output of the latest MP3 players of compact format of which the Fiio X1II is a good exponent, we can enjoy all the audio quality of a good player without hardly occupying us space in our pants or jacket. Now portability is available to anyone.

Autonomy: When we use our Smartphone, it is normal for us to demand that you arrive at the end of the day without being dry on the road and musical reproduction is one of the factors that help your battery drain more quickly. On the contrary if we use a dedicated player we can reserve that battery for other things and have a dedicated device take care of that work. For this reason it is also important to emphasize that the last MP3 Players that have gone on the market have durations of more than 10h, such as the Fiio X3III or more than 18h in the case of the obsolete Fiio M3. You will never be left in the middle of your favorite album again.

Sound quality: Although the phones in all these years have been perfected in each of its aspects are not originally devices dedicated to music reproduction only. For this reason, in any high-quality MP3 player, sound decoding chips from renowned manufacturers specialized only in achieving the highest possible sound quality are usually available, complementing it with benefits such as low distortion, almost perfect balance between channels or practically background noise. non-existent. This is the key point at which the comparative MP3 Player Vs Smartphone starts to opt for.
Storage capacity: The current dynamics in the mobile market, especially in high-end devices, is to manufacture them in Unibody chassis, which often eliminates the SD card slot, so storage is limited.

Greater power: In the audiophile universe there are headphones with very high impedances (high resistance to the passage of current) which makes certain power necessary to obtain an ideal listening volume. This is known by the manufacturers of Hi-Fi MP3 Players and that is why they are increasingly giving them more power for headphone output. Powers that smartphones do not dream of arriving. With a good Hi-Fi player, no headset will resist you.

More versatility: Unlike mobile phones, Hi-Fi players are designed to be compatible with other audio devices. This is why they usually have line output and coaxial optical output to be easily interconnected with amplifiers or have DAC function to serve as a sound card for the PC or Mac. And versatility is one of the most attractive options for decanting this fight MP3 Player Vs Smartphone to the side.

And here comes our comparative MP3 Player Vs Smartphone. Although smartphones are moving very quickly, in our opinion, they have a long way to go to achieve the sound quality of professional quality MP3 players, small engineering works designed for a musical enjoyment of another level.