Sound is the vibration of a fluid in the form of waves that the human ear detects. This sound is what we hear in its natural, analog state. In order to reproduce a sound, it must first be picked up and then restored. The computer age and the digital world have revolutionized the way of capturing and restoring: now we talk about digital audio. Our job at Qobuz is to provide you with access to reproductions as faithful as possible to music. Out of respect for music, as it has been conceived, interpreted and recorded.
MP3
The MP3, which bears the name of its format, corresponds to a compressed audio file with losses: it contains less information than the original file. The compression process involves the loss of numerous sound details, especially the sharpest harmonics. The result is a degraded quality, but also a smaller file size. With the improvement of internet connections, this format is losing interest.
Compressed format with losses • Bitrate: 128 kbps to 320 kbps • Resolution: 16-Bit
CD quality
The CD Quality groups a multitude of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WMA Lossless …) whose particularity lies in the fact that they are compressed without losses or not compressed and that have the same resolution and identical sampling frequency as those used on the CD (16- Bit / 44.1 kHz, as defined by the Nyquist-Shannon theorem). Lossless compression allows you to reduce the size of the files without altering the original quality. Its bitrate (bit rate) is more than 4 times higher than that of the MP3.
Formats not compressed or lossless compressed • Bitrate: up to 1411 kbps • Resolution: 16-Bit.
Hi-Res audio
Hi-Res audio (High Resolution or High Resolution) represents no more digital audio. These files – compressed without loss or uncompressed – provide superior sound quality than the CD. Its encoding is done at 24-bit and sampling rates of up to 192 kHz – they are in fact the same files that are used in recording studios. They therefore offer a more accurate, faithful and respectful sound restitution to the work of artists and sound engineers than all other types of audio files. In addition, the improvement in richness and intensity of listening is enormous compared to MP3 files or even with CD Quality.
Formats not compressed or lossless compressed • Bitrate: up to 9216 kbps • Resolution: 24-Bit
