Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Audio myths

Riff, there've been some good replies on your point, but I'll rehash a bit and add some comments. Yes, the maximum amount of information that a CD can have is 16 bits, which theoretically would allow up to about 98dB of dynamic range on a recording(the short version is 6 times the number of bits; the actual formula is 6.02n+1.76). No amount of oversampling, which all players have used for about 20 years, or the essentially identical upsampling process can change this. It's fine to use DACs with higher bit rate capacities since they're now very cheap(available to manufacturers in quantity for $1 or so)and they insure that the full 16 bit theoretical figure could easily be handled.

Now when we get into the real world of the dynamic range actually available in recordings we find that around 80dB is tops, even on some of the classical items that I have. A quiet listening room may have a noise floor around 40dB(even a very quiet recording studio would have at least a 30dB floor). Playing a very dynamic recording(most pop recordings in particular have a narrower dynamic range)loud enough so that the softest part can be heard could possibly result in an almost painfully loud 120dB on the highest crescendo. You may have read some classical CD reviews where the reviewer actually complains about the dynamic range when he sets the volume for a very quiet beginning and then almost gets blasted out of his chair.

So, 16 bits are plenty for home listening. Note that when Sony and Philips were co-developing the CD format about 25 years ago, Philips contended that 14 bits were adequate, but Sony wanted 16 bits, just to be sure.

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