As amazing as the hi-res experience can be, it’s not a fit for everyone. No matter your listening habits, shifting to hi-res audio in 2017 requires effort-and if you’re not willing to invest in quality speakers or headphones, you’ll never hear the difference, anyway. Hi-res audio brings this scenario into the realm of possibility. Imagine “attending” a music festival in Brazil, or catching a live jazz set in Paris from your couch in Chicago. With our eyes closed, we could hear almost exactly where each person was standing on stage and almost feel the rest of the audience surrounding us-their claps and cheers, the clinking of their glasses. When he demoed a binaural live recording for us, playing back hi-res files through a high-end DAC and a $5,500 pair of headphones, the results were jaw-dropping. Chesky imagines a future where VR technology is merged with high-resolution binaural recordings (made with special mics intended to mimic human ears) to make for immersive, transportive experiences. It can be difficult to imagine the appeal of hi-res audio without experiencing it-and even harder to imagine the places it can go. What’s the future of hi-res audio look-er, sound-like? They can range from $40 mobile units for your phone or laptop, all the way up to home units that cost several thousand dollars. Many built-in DACs make compromises for size and cost (and top out at 16-bit), so upgrading to an external DAC is often the first step to getting the most of out of hi-res audio files.
#HIGH RES AUDIO BLUETOOTH#
The same premise applies to even casual listening: All sound heard by your ears is analog, so every device that plays digital audio files has a DAC, including your computer, phone, bluetooth speaker, and car CD player. When Gillis masters records, he uses a high-end, rack-mounted DAC to convert the hi-res files he gets from the studio into an analog signal he can send to his mastering console. The more sophisticated the DAC, the “cleaner” the analog audio signal should sound. The DAC is a chip that reads all the 1s and 0s that comprise your digital audio files, converting them to analog audio signals that can be played back through a speaker. The DAC (like the aforementioned Explorer²) is arguably the most important component involved in digital audio playback for hi-res files, it’s essential. If you’re a music lover, you probably already have a nice set of headphones or a decent stereo if not, that’s another guide.
It’s also only available on the desktop app, has a minuscule library of 30,000 tracks, and requires special hardware for the most hi-res files (more on that later). But for right now, Tidal Masters is the only hi-fi streaming option in the U.S. Apple has been rumored to be developing its own hi-res offering, and on a recent visit to the HDTracks office, Chesky demoed a pre-release version of its new hi-res streaming service. that offers a true, high-res audio streaming experience, offering a limited selection of Tidal Masters to Tidal HIFI customers. Right now, Tidal is the only service in the U.S. But flashy mainstream hi-fi services like Pono have failed, proving that in order to thrive in a market where downloads are in a steady decline, hi-res audio will have to live where most music consumers do: on the streaming services. Today, plenty of niche online music stores cater to audiophiles, and even Bandcamp offers artists the option to upload hi-res files. Hi-res 24-bit music has been around since the advent of the Super Audio CD in 1999, but these days, most hi-res music is downloaded. The question is, should you buy in? If you pay extra for a service like Tidal Masters, will you even hear a difference on your current headphones or speaker setup? And there are caveats: Although some labels are announcing with the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) that they want to start licensing hi-res files for streaming services, that doesn’t mean much if streaming platforms don’t adequately support them. Record labels would love to see this become a trend, of course, regardless of whether consumers will actually benefit from it there’s the potential for big profits from minimal effort. But with the proliferation of streaming services draining music fans’ wallets, the industry is looking for a way to leverage a “premium” product at likewise premium prices to one of its most fervent user bases.Įnter high-resolution streaming. Audiophiles have been chasing the hi-fi dragon for decades, and it’s mostly remained a niche market.
#HIGH RES AUDIO UPDATE#
Their latest update comes in the form of high-resolution digital audio: Music delivered at better-than-CD quality, intended to come as close as possible to the fidelity of a record’s original masters.
Record labels have always salivated at the opportunity to re-sell you their catalog in some new, “improved” format.
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