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Is it really useless Upscaling 16/44.1 music to 24

Is it really useless Upscaling 16/44.1 music to 24/176.4 or 24/192
In the past I asked this question and from the answers I learned that converting any music from 16/44.1 to higher resolution is just adding bunch of zeros in front. But now I started seeing so many DAC’s up-sampling the music to 24/192 or 24/384, which bring up the question again “Is it really add zero in front of 16/44 or did they figure out how to create a broader spectrum in frequency from 44 khz to 384 khz and how many listeners heard the difference in quality of sound by up converting it? “We are not discussing the HD-Track’s music.”
I read the reviews and saw the picture open DACs. I don’t see much in them other than a high rez sound card. Please correct me if I am wrong.
And finally, In JRiver/Foobar we have an option to up sample the music. Questions are
1) Does up converting makes a difference?
2) What is the difference between $500 or $5000 DAC re-sampling the music verses Foobar or JRiver re-sampling?
3) Can JRiver/Foobar do the same job in re-sampling the music as a DAC does?
trcns
wildoats
339 posts
 
My experience is limited, but I recently purchased a Meridian Explorer USB dac, cheap and it upsamples. Coming between my computer on WMP and my main rig it sounds fantastic. By comparison I think it's better than my Marantz SA 8004 sacd player.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,303 posts
 
It all depends on why it is done. To do it just to have more bits representing pretty much the same mix is probably a waste objectively.

However I would think it useful if remixing or remastering to achieve a different sonic result is the goal. The results might be considered an artificial artifact of the original but might be able to better emphasize certain aspects of the music in the recording most likely at the expense of others. If done well the results could be significantly different sounding and might well even be deemed better by some. A better recipe per se still using the same ingredients but rearranged in some way that might be tastier in some ways.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,303 posts
 
Fwiw I use two different non oversampling mhdt dacs and the sound is some of the best digital I have heard.

Oversampling dacs can do well also. I think it' s all about the implementation details and non oversampling dacs seem to have an easier task in order to get things "right".
dgarretson
2,599 posts
 
I've been exploring PCM up-conversion and filter options on an Esoteric K-01X. The unit is far from broken in, but so far is proving that up-converting 16/44.1 can be a good thing. Of the many possible combinations of up-conversion and PCM filtering, selecting PCM-to-DSD or 8x PCM up-sampling sound best and are very close to each other. Up-sampling PCM sounds worse if increased from 4x to 8x in combination with any of the four selectable PCM filters-- but noticeably improved if used without a PCM digital filter.
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