Going from 16 bits to 24 bits results in a massive increase of dynamic range, which is the gap between the quietest and loudest sounds that can be captured.
The first number is bit-depth, which indicates the number of 'bits' of information present in each sample of the signal. The higher the sampling rate, the more times the audio signal has been sampled, and thus the more detail resolution you get. Sampling rate – the second number – refers to the number of times per second that the wave is measured during the analogue-to-digital conversion process. So what do the numbers mean? It might help to think of an audio signal as a sound wave being plotted on a graph. So a hi-res file can be 24-bit/44.1kHz, where bit-depth is higher than CD quality but sampling rate is the same, and vice versa. It also has a £250 ($250, AU$300) annual subscription called Studio Sublime that combines hi-res streaming with discounts on 24-bit download purchases.įirst things first, should you care about hi-res streaming? High-resolution (often shortened to 'hi-res') audio is a term used to describe music files that have a higher sampling frequency and/or bit depth than that of CD-quality, which is specified at 16-bit/44.1kHz. Qobuz, which was actually first to the hi-res streaming game (except in Australia, where it only launched in 2021) is still kicking about with a £15 ($15 and now, AU$25) per month hi-res service. So, is Tidal HiFi Plus the answer? It's certainly one answer, but there are other options. More recently, Tidal actually split its membership options into HiFi (with a resolution cap of 1411kbps, aka CD-quality streams) and HiFi Plus, offering up to 9216kbps along with Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality support, for the top-tier £20 fee. Since January 2017, its £20 ($20, AU$24) per month tier has granted access to hi-res (typically 24-bit/96kHz) Tidal Master streams, encoded using MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) technology. It is our favourite service, too, and holder of a 2021 What Hi-Fi? Award in the music streaming service category. Tidal is perhaps the most established in this realm.
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