What's the use of 20 and 24 bit DACs with CDs?


Many standalone players and modern DACs are now using 20 and 24 bit DACs. Is there a significant advantage to doing so with a 16 bit recording? Are these players and DACs doing upsampling on the original 16 bit signal to take advantage of the DAC or are we just looking at extra bandwidth that is being squandered for the sake of advertising? To me, the extra bandwidth doesn't seem to be merited unless there is upsampling or HDCD involved. Opinions?
cjcerny
A couple of points more here. When a 16 bit word is read from a cd, some form of processing, typically rate conversion, is needed to produce a 24 bit word from the 16 bit word. The rate conversion can be done inside the D/A chip, or it can be done in a processor preceding the D/A. The 24 bit word does not increase the information in the original signal, but just represents with higher precision the mathematical product of the 16 bit data word with the rate conversion filter coefficients. So Cjcerny is correct in assuming some form of processing to get from 16 bits to 24 bits.
Secondly, upsampling (typically done in a processor) can be significantly better than oversampling, 8x or otherwise, done inside the D/A chip because the quality of the upsampling filter can be much better than that used in most D/A chips - so there can be a significant difference in upsampling vs oversampling depending on where and how the rate conversion is done.
Thirdly, Cjcerny is correct in using the term 'bandwidth'. Bandwidth is frequently used in digital processing to mean total bits per unit time (e.g. the increased bandwidth of DVD), and not just to mean spectral bandwidth.
Sugarbrie: i have to disagree with you on that one..
this is my personal limited thinking but..
i think that we have only 1 life to live..and time passes only once so it is more important HOW you get from A to B then just getting there...isn't that why people here invest soo much money and time on getting what they defines as great sounding equipment ?
sugarbrie,

The turbo V6 is alot more fun!
Of course you'll need the sport suspension
"why get the Turbo V6, when the standard 4 cylinder will get you there?"

you need to get out more! rent a ferrari for a day, then come back and tell us if you still prefer your buick.

-s2k, F1 hopeful
I think that you guys misunderstood Sugar. If i'm reading him right and the fact that he agreed with Craig, he was trying to say that total performance as compared to basic functionality is a key factor. That is why someone would want to "upgrade" rather than stay with something that "works". This is just a guess, but i don't think that he was advocating taking the cheap or generic route. I do however think that he ( along with I and many others ) are great fans of products that offer big bang for the buck. Sean
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