WHAT IS HI-RES AUDIO?

High-resolution audio (or hi res audio/HD audio for short) has hit the mainstream, mainly because of a combination of streaming services and products from smartphones to digital hi-fi components. But does hi-res music sound better, and what do the different file formats mean? We’re here to guide you through the questions and give you advice on all things hi-res.

What Is High-Resolution Audio?

Hi-res audio is an audio format that allows you as a listener to pick up all the subtle details and nuances that you’d hear in a high-quality recording studio.

As Audio Network’s Mastering and Live Sound Engineer Sam Keyes explains, ‘High resolution audio is crucial to complete any media experience. Thanks to modern streaming buffering, most people have come to recognise the difference between high and low-quality audio.

Imagine a moving trailer or ad campaign missing energy in the low end, or atmosphere in the high end right at the climax, that same way you would a HD movie dropping pixels due to poor connection; it’s OK for a moment, but a jarring experience for the consumer. Having this throughout a piece of media because it was never there at the source would be a real downside to any finished content.’

However, unlike high-definition video, there’s no single universal standard for hi-res audio, but Apple Music, for example, offers its hi-res audio catalogue in 24-bit, with sample rates ranging from 48kHz to 192Khz.

How Is Hi-Res Different From CD or MP3?

From a technical viewpoint, unlike CDs and MP3 formats, hi-res audio contains a higher sampling frequency – i.e., the number of audio data points recorded per second during the analogue-to-digital conversion process – and bitrate (the depth of that information). For a CD, that’s specified at 16-bit/44.1kHz. The combination of these two elements preserves a greater depth within the sound. The tone is also clearer – and hi-res doesn’t distort at higher volumes either.

This is because CD and MP3s are compressed audio formats – compressing audio diminishes the sound data. Which gives you a softer bass and weaker mid and high-pitched sounds. So if you’re wondering, does hi-res music sound better, then the answer’s a resounding: yes.

The advantage of MP3s was that they were smaller file sizes, so that audio players such as the iPod could store more songs. The file size also led to drastically improved download times. However, the advent of streaming services such as Spotify meant that you could listen to music over the internet or Wi-fi: no storage space required, and instant playback to boot.

Which File Types Are Used for Hi-Res Audio?

Research into high resolution audio began in the late 1980s. The first widely available hi-res formats, though, were Super Audio CD (SACD) and DVD Audio, both of which launched in 2000. However, both required expensive players, so never really hit the mainstream.

Why did people start to fall out of love with MP3s? Highly-compressed formats, such as MP3s and AAC, which was used for iTunes downloads and YouTube streaming, are termed ‘lossy’, owing to the amount of information that’s lost through compression.

WAV files are hi-res, and the standard CD format. Yes, there’s great sound quality, but as the file is uncompressed, it means huge file sizes.

FLAC is a lossless compression format, which takes up about half the space of WAV. It’s considered the preferred format for downloading and storing hi-res albums, but it’s not supported by Apple.

Apple’s lossless compression format is ALAC; MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) is another hi-res format that’s used for Tidal Masters hi-res streaming. There’s some controversy amongst audiophiles about MQA, though, as, technically, it’s not a lossless format, and also requires dedicated hardware to be able to hear it at its highest quality.

The ‘Quality Controversy’

The controversy largely concerns MQA, which was publicly launched in 2014. HeadPhonesty.com explains that, ‘MQA is a new approach to high-resolution digital audio encoding and reproduction, focusing on the time domain, rather than the more common strategy of increasing bit depth and sample rate.

MQA involves using a proprietary lossy compression technique to ‘fold’ (their term) an audio file into a lossless (FLAC) container, primarily intended to reduce its size for streaming. MQA-certified hardware or software is required on the end user’s side to ‘unfold’ the file for playback.’

The controversy arises from the use of a ‘lossy’ format to deliver the claim of a hi-res audio experience.

Is hi-res better than lossless? Dive into the ‘lossy’ vs ‘lossless’ audio debate, and why you might not, actually, be able to hear the difference.

Do I Need Special Equipment to Listen to Hi-Res Audio?

In order to fully enjoy hi-res quality, all your equipment should be hi-res-compatible. However, bear in mind that you can’t stream hi-res audio through Bluetooth speakers, as Bluetooth tech doesn’t meet the hi-res specifications, because of bandwidth limitations.

Whether you’re listening to hi-res audio through a TV, soundbar, portable music player, wireless speakers or AV receivers, look for the black and gold hi-res logo to ensure you’ve got a compatible item.

Is hi-res the future of audio? With the variety of formats available, the answer is likely to be yes. Audio Network’s music for licensing is high end, and super high quality. All of our original tracks are perfect for film, TV, advertising and digital content.

Check out our hand-picked playlists, ‘Music for’ and collection pages, together with all our latest releases.