AUDIO FORMAT

PCM 16-bit / 44.1 kHz (CD-Quality)

PCM Lossless

Specifications

FamilyPCM
Bit depth16
Sample rate44,100 Hz
Bit rate1.411 Mbps stereo
Lossless?yes
Extensions.wav, .aif
SpecificationIEC 60908 (CD-DA)
DeveloperSony / Philips

Overview

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 (with dither, ~120 dB perceptually); bandwidth covers 20 Hz – 22.05 kHz cleanly per the Nyquist-Shannon theorem.

Still the dominant streaming format in 2026 (Spotify, Apple Music lossy tier, most YouTube audio). Audibly indistinguishable from higher-rate PCM on roughly 99% of source material in 99% of listening contexts — the headroom that 24-bit and high-sample-rate offer is real but most audibly relevant during the production stage rather than the consumption stage.

Every DAC in the database decodes this natively. Higher-rate PCM context: PCM 24/96 and PCM 24/192.

Typical use cases

  • compact disc playback
  • streaming baseline

Supported on these devices

DEVICE

Reference Portable Digital Audio Player (Dual ES9038Q2M)

Dap

DEVICE

Mid-Tier Compact Balanced DAP (ES9219C)

Dap

DEVICE

Desktop Reference DAC (Dual ES9038Pro)

Desktop Dac

DEVICE

USB-C Dongle DAC with Dual CS43131 and Balanced Out

Portable Dac

DEVICE

Desktop Integrated DAC + Headphone Amp (ES9039Pro)

Dac Amp