How to store good sound in your computer?
To record and store digital audio information, digital audio formats are used. The audio format is understood as a set of requirements for the digital representation of audio data.
When it comes to sound quality, digital formats are divided into 3 categories:
Formats without additional compression (CDDA, DSD, WAV, AIFF, etc.);
Lossless compressed formats (FLAC, WavPack, ADX, etc.);
Lossy compression formats (MP3, AAC, RealAudio, etc.).
High-quality sound is obtained when playing music saved in formats of the first and second category. In the formats of the third category, to reduce the amount of data, certain information is deliberately excluded. For example, information about hidden frequencies.
Latent frequencies are those that are outside the range of perception of the average person: 20 Hz – 22 kHz. For audiophiles, this range is wider due to individual psychophysiological characteristics.
To complete your home audio library, you must select records saved in files with the following extensions:
* .wav, * .dff, * .dsf, * .aif, * .aiff are uncompressed sound files;
* .mp4, * .flac, * .ape, * .wma are the most common lossless compressed audio files.
From history. They say that the first experiments on the preservation of sound were carried out by the ancient Greeks. They tried to keep the sound in amphorae. It looked something like this: they spoke words into the amphora and quickly sealed it. Unfortunately, none of those records have survived to this day.
The record player: finding a win-win solution
Choosing a player should start with an understanding of how the home audio library will be formed. You can buy CDs the old fashioned way or go shopping for your favorite music on the internet. The last option has two important advantages. It is compact and ecological:
There is no doubt about the place in the apartment to keep the CDs.
No need to throw faulty drives in the trash.
Have you decided how to buy music? Excellent! If you buy discs, you need a CD player. If you prefer to shop online, look for a player on a hard drive or flash memory. Undecided? Excellent! Look for a versatile player. In this, you can listen to both the discs and the files purchased through the network.
Naturally, it can be turned into a player and a personal computer. But this option is convenient when the computer is truly personal. The prospect of competition for keyboard space and potential conflicts will significantly reduce the enjoyment of listening to good quality music.
When choosing a turntable, pay particular attention to the connectors available. The more connector options, the easier it is to select other items in the Music Center.
DAC! And the figure turns … into an analog signal
The player reads a sequence from a CD or a file. Now comes the most mathematical moment of digital audio playback. The digital signal becomes analog. This math occurs in the DAC or digital-to-analog converter.
The DAC can be integrated into the player or implemented as a separate unit. To get high-quality sound, you should go for the second option. The built-in converter is usually of lower quality than the independent one. The external DAC has its own, built-in power supply powered from a common source with the player. When using an external DAC, it is almost unaffected by turntable and amplifier interference.
An external DAC for circuit solutions is implemented in 4 main versions:
Pulse width modulator;
Oversampling scheme;
Type of weighing;
R-2R ladder or chain scheme.
With so many options for high-quality sound, the R-2R option is indisputable. Due to a special circuit implemented in precision resistors, a ladder type DAC achieves very high conversion precision.
When choosing an external digital-to-analog converter, you should pay attention to two main features:
Bit depth. It is good if the selected model has 24 bits.
Maximum sample rate. Very good 96 kHz, great 192 kHz.
