After decades of niche representation in the field of music, “high-resolution quality audio” (or commonly called “hi-res audio”) recently entered the mainstream due to a massive amount of funding for streaming platforms and accessories (from modern mobile phones to some high-fidelity digital components). Then why are you supposed to think regarding hi-res stereo? If you really want the greatest possible visual listening experience or at least improved audio quality than you are used to, high-resolution audio is worth exploring. It may be an intimidating task. Anyway, what really does hi-res audio imply by all the various file types and numbers. Don’t worry, and we have covered everything.
What’s High-Res Audio?
It is the sound quality preserved during the archiving process, and the highest possible frequency and dynamic range are completely passed to the listener.
Encoding the audio information used to reduce the size of the file (for example, for storage and/or rapid transmission to the user), and then “expand” the sound according to a unique mathematical method, algorithm to restore its original sound fullness. This is why listening to Hi-Res Audio is so convenient and attractive for connoisseurs of “live” music. But not all formats can return sound integrity after encoding.
Hi-Res Audio Files
High-definition audio has an obvious disadvantage: file size. High-resolution files are usually tens of megabytes in size, and multiple tracks can quickly take up space on the device or be too cumbersome to stream over Wi-Fi or cellular networks. Fortunately, file storage today is much cheaper than before, which makes it easier to obtain larger devices. In addition, technologies such as MQA also help manage the storage and streaming of high-resolution files.
Since the file contains more information, it can convey more detailed information and textures, and if the system is transparent enough, it allows the listener to be as close as possible to the original performance of the music.
For all the various audio formats, enthusiasts agree that the coolest sounds can only be provided in formats that do not use compression (such as DSD or WAVE), provided that they must be played on a decent device.
You can argue about the relative advantages of each format, but first you need to consider their compatibility with audio system components and software solutions.
This is a rundown of the major file formats:
· MP3
In the context of WAV, the sound quality of MP3 files remains almost unchanged, which is affected by the variable bit rate 128-320 kbps
· AAC
An option to MP3s, it is indeed lossy and compact, but it sounds way better. Used only for iTunes downloading, Apple Music listening (256kbps), as well as video streaming.
· WAV (Hi-Res)
WAV stores uncompressed audio, which means they are exact copies of the original audio. It takes up a lot of unnecessary space. If you are not editing the audio, you do not need to store the audio in this format.
· AIFF (High-Res)
Apple’s replacement to WAV, with more significant support for metadata. It’s indeed lossless and uncompressed (so substantial file sizes), but that isn’t really famous.
· FLAC (High-Res)
This format implies some kind of compression of information. However, this compression does not affect the quality of music in any way, because it does not store music like the MP3 format, but performs data and processing based on different principles.
· ALAC (High-Res)
Apple’s original lossless compression genre often uses hi-res, holds metadata, as well as occupies half of WAV’s volume. The iTunes & iOS-friendly option to FLAC.
· DSD (High-Res)
1-bit format utilized mostly by Super CDs. It ranges in the 2.7MHz, 5.8mHz, and 11.3mHz variants but is not commonly accepted.
· MQA (High-Res)
According to the MQA developers, the key to high-quality digital music sound is the highest time sampling parameters and maximum level quantization depth, but increasing these parameters will greatly increase the size of the audio file, thereby reducing the convenience of its storage and use .
What’s Really Amazing with Hi-Res Audio?
It allows the human ear to capture more details and subtleties in the sound of acoustic instruments (piano, drums, guitar, etc.). In other words, rediscover the world of music and look at music from a different perspective.
High-Res sound formats surpasse the sound quality of CDs (CDs, DVDs) and even many high-quality compressed digital formats. High-resolution audio is considered the standard for digital audio quality.
The sound quality is preserved during the archiving process and transmitted to the audience as completely as possible in the high frequency and dynamic range, which is a hallmark of high-resolution audio.
With additional metadata on the disk to interact with, high-res audio continues to offer more depth and texture, getting audiences nearer to the initial sound – provided that the setup is clear enough.
Nowadays, the high-resolution audio industry is growing steadily. It has rapidly emerged in the music field and has become a small group of initiates. High-resolution smartphones appear, online stores offer high-resolution audio albums, and with the emergence of MQA technology, the largest streaming services have joined this process.
In the modern world, so much amazing music has been created that even if there is a large amount of storage space on the media, it is impossible to maintain a large audio library of high quality. The emergence of new high-resolution audio formats and streaming cloud services has created a comfortable environment for audiophiles, enabling them to choose a variety of full audio tracks according to their personal preferences.
With this greater access, more consumers are willing to hear and appreciate what high-res sound is or what advantages it can offer to music. There’s a lot of material available today, and there are also many devices to go along.