Digital audio formats
PCM rates, DSD families, lossless containers and the MQA format — what each does and what plays it back.
DSD128 (5.6448 MHz, Double-Rate DSD)
DSD128 — double-rate DSD at 5.6448 MHz, equivalent to 128× the CD sample rate. The doubled sample rate pushes noise-shaped quantization n…
DSD64 (Direct Stream Digital, 2.8224 MHz)
Direct Stream Digital at 2.8224 MHz — the Super Audio CD (SACD) format from 1999. Encodes audio as a 1-bit-per-sample sigma-delta bit str…
PCM 32-bit / 384 kHz (Reference Mastering)
32-bit / 384 kHz PCM — the upper end of consumer PCM delivery. Bandwidth covers 20 Hz – 192 kHz; the 32-bit depth is largely a mastering-…
PCM 24-bit / 192 kHz (High-Resolution Audio)
24-bit / 192 kHz PCM. Bandwidth covers 20 Hz – 96 kHz, dynamic range theoretical 144 dB. The standard delivery format for HDtracks, Qobuz…
PCM 24-bit / 96 kHz (Hi-Res Studio Standard)
24-bit / 96 kHz PCM — the working studio standard since the late 1990s. Theoretical dynamic range is 144 dB (well beyond the human ear's…
PCM 16-bit / 44.1 kHz (CD-Quality)
Pulse-Code Modulation at 16-bit depth and 44.1 kHz sample rate — the Compact Disc standard since 1982. Theoretical dynamic range is 96 dB…