speakers for 24/96 audio

Mizuno (

Got any 24/96 files around to listen to? I’m guessing “no.”

Then go get some.

The High res Highway of files delivered natively at 16/48 (DVD) 24/88 (download), 24/96 via DVDA or Blu ray, or 24/192 via DVDA or BR again, or by downloads, are merely factions of the orig masters and how they are being presented.

The word lengths and sampling rates of the music (signal) do not translate to the frequencies we hear. They are merely methods. Formats. A means to an end.

Nominally, higher word lengths and sampling frequencies relate to better resolution, details, and ambient info and the ability of a system to retrieve it.

Download some for gfree… they are out there. Have a sound card or DAC and a media player capable of playing them in bit perfect or bit true mode, and see for yourself.

Then you question should be what speaker in the $5K range best suits my …… ?

…and not what speaker best suits better musicl information.

I’ve said for a long time now… and it should continue to be stated…. If you do not hear a diff…. then don’t pay for it.

I’m not familiar with your speakers.

I am familiar with some things about human hearing though. Your speakers will exceed your ability to hear what they can reproduce.

Remember, don’t confuse the numbers. Bit rates and sampling frequencies are parts of the mastering/recording/editing production process.

We hear in an analog world… not in the digital realm.

We don’t hear those hyper cycles. Many of us here only hear below 16KHz. Or less. Many don’t hear well below 70 Hz or so distinctively. Without a test disc nearby I couldn’t tell you if a note was 50Hz or 60Hz. I could only say one is deeper/lower than the other. Das eet! If I’m paying attention at the time!

No one thing usually in a system dictates the systems overall voice… it’s a ‘en masse’ affair. That said, I’d look into each area of my outfit to increase resolution… if that is what I wanted to do.

Primarily I’d look for gains in my source (s). Resolution and details combine to reconstruct the recorded venue in our spaces or bring us to those artists, better. Without a great source unit producing those pure signals with all that info within them, not too much thereafter will get that info back for you.

But it all makes a difference for sure… components cabling, conditioning, amplification, and of course, speakers.

Thereafter, as you appear to be using the pc as a source, which media player is in use? What output in that player is selected? Which driver/engine is decoding the info? If you are using USB… are you using an ASIO driver? Is your DAC capable of handling 24/96 over USB? Are you certain you are getting bit perfect output?

Answer those Qs positively and I’d say either stay where you are at, or begin by upgrading the DAC or the interface the DAC uses out of the PC. Switch to BNC for example. BNC has no limitations as does some USB DACs.. Albeit most DACs today handle 24/96 via USB fairly readily…. Albeit some do not. Mine does not. It only does Red Book over USB.

Once you are sure you are getting bit true input to your DAC at the proper sampling rates and bit depths and the DAC is processing them right… you should be able to hear a diff… How much of one again depends on YOU, your room, and your outfit.

BTW… some DACs do very well indeed at this rate or that, but show some lack at other rates or via other interfaces. Mine for ex likes AES, then BNC, then coax/RCA, then it’s a toss up between USB and Optical.

Even your aSio DRIVER can be a game changer…. Depending on which one you use…. So too can be the USB cable.

But as you seem now to be in the market for spakers…. Remember, it ain’t just the speakers most likely…. I’d look upstream and review the above Qs.

Good luck…