Tagged: hi-res audio
17 articles we've published with this tag.
MQA is dead. Here's what that actually tells us about hi-res audioMQA's unwinding wasn't a fluke. It's a lesson in what hi-res audio actually needs from a format, and what was always marketing.By Priya Anand- Bit-perfect explained: what it means and when it actually matters"Bit-perfect" gets thrown around like a spec, but it's a plumbing claim, not a sound quality one. Here's what it actually guarantees.By Sofia Laurent
Streaming service sample rates: why your app's number rarely matches your DAC'sYour app says 24-bit/192kHz but your DAC's display says something else. Here's what's actually happening to the signal, and whether it matters.By Marcus Vale- DAC upsampling explained: what your unit is actually doing to the signalUpsampling and oversampling get lumped together and spruiked as a feature. Here's what a DAC actually does to your signal, and whether it's worth caring about.By Priya Anand
- MQA is gone, DSD is niche: the hi-res formats worth your money in 2025MQA has folded and DSD never really took off. Here's a bargain-hunter's honest guide to which hi-res formats and services are actually worth paying extra for.By Dave Okafor
- Sample rate and bit depth explained: what actually changes at higher numbersPriya Anand unpacks what sample rate and bit depth genuinely do to sound, and why chasing bigger numbers past 16/44.1 rarely buys what the spec sheet implies.By Priya Anand
- MQA is dead. Here's what that actually means for your streaming serviceMQA's collapse left a lot of confused shelves of "Masters" tier subscriptions. Here's what actually changed, and what to do about it.By Priya Anand
- Bit-perfect and PCM vs DSD: which digital format claims actually matterDSD, MQA, bit-perfect, hi-res PCM — Nell Shaw sorts which digital audio format claims genuinely change what you hear and which are marketing noise.By Eleanor Shaw
Streaming to headphones: how your service and DAC settings actually shape the soundWhat actually changes when you stream to headphones: service quality settings, exclusive mode, and the DAC steps that matter more than the app you use.By Eleanor Shaw
Streaming resolution vs your ISP: why the bottleneck usually isn't your networkBlaming the NBN for dropouts and dumbed-down streams? I measured the actual bandwidth hi-res audio needs and it's rarely the wire that's the problem.By Marcus Vale- Why your DAC's output impedance matters more for headphones than its DAC chipThe chip inside your DAC gets all the marketing. The output stage that actually drives your headphones gets almost none. Here's what to check.By Eleanor Shaw
- MQA, hi-res and lossy: what headphone listeners actually need to knowHi-res, MQA, lossless, lossy — the format wars are loud and mostly confusing. Here's what actually changes what you hear through headphones.By Eleanor Shaw
- Bit depth vs sample rate: which actually matters for sound quality?More digits and higher numbers don't automatically mean better sound. Here's what bit depth and sample rate actually do — and where the real gains stop.By Hannah Reid
Qobuz revenue growth of 45.7% outpaces the streaming marketQobuz revenue growth hit 45.7% in 2025, more than five times the 8.8% streaming market rise, and profitability is now targeted by March 2027.By Marcus Vale
Spotify Lossless Shook Qobuz, Then Ultimately Helped ItSpotify lossless caused only modest cancellations at Qobuz, says MD Dan Mackta, and the hi-res streamer's user base has since grown. Here's why.By Theo Mensah
Apple TV 4K gets 24-bit/192 kHz hi-res lossless in tvOS 27Apple TV 4K finally gets Apple Music Hi-Res Lossless at up to 24-bit/192 kHz in tvOS 27. Here is what changes and what your audio chain needs to handle it.By Priya Anand
HiFiMan puts a planar flagship on Wi-Fi — not BluetoothHiFiMan's HE1000 WiFi and Arya WiFi make a planar flagship wireless by using Wi-Fi, not Bluetooth, with onboard R2R DACs. Here is why that matters.By Sofia Laurent