STEP UP TO HIGH-RESOLUTION AUDIO AND HEAR THE DIFFERENCE!

Music is all about listening, but the quality of the medium providing those sounds can vary greatly. That’s why high-resolution audio (a.k.a., Hi-Res Audio) is gaining attention. The idea is to have a sampling rate that is significant higher than a CD, and so more closely mimic the sound of analog records (wherein the digital process hasn’t stripped out the “feeling” playing vinyl gives). This also means hearing more of the original recording and so it becomes more believable.

Hi- Res Audio typically uses 96kHz or higher which spans the frequencies that the human ear can hear as well as that outside of a person’s hearing range. It just sounds better, might be the best way to put it, as compared to the “compressed” audio so prevalent today.

But in order to hear Hi-Res Audio, the device playing the digital file must be compatible with it. That requires specialized electronics — you can’t just play Hi-Res Audio files in any MP3 player or mobile device. And one of the best ways to hear high-resolution audio is when watching a movie — because 4K discs have the capacity to hold the larger digital files that make up the soundtrack to films on disc. Sony’s UBPX800 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player is a good example of playing higher resolution audio, not to mention giving you a higher resolution (4K) picture than previously was available at home.

High-resolution audio returns the sounds of reality to our hearing and makes every sound more vibrant and true to life. That’s good.