Continuing from initial post.....
I'm not going to guess what DAC is in my Sony but I'm pretty sure it's not 24bit/192KHz that seems ubiquitous in more current players.
I understand conceptually what 24bit would offer -- many more levels of sound information (frequency, volume, etc). And I understand the possible benefits of higher sampling rates.
But I hope you can help with some questions:
1) I have CDs that range from 1990 to now - not a lot as there is a big gap in the middle. But just some older and new CDs. How are CD's generally mastered? I have a Joe Pass CD that indicates it was re-mastered in 24 bit. That seems to imply that CD's are generally mastered with something less than 24 bits.
2) If CDs generally contain less than 24 bits, then how does a a newer CD player with 24 bit DAC help? Or does a newer player with 24 bit DACs only provide a benefit with CD's that contain 24 bits?
3) What sampling is usually used for CDs when mastering? 44KHz? 96KHz? 192KHz? If CD's are generally created using 44 or 96Hz, then does a player supporting 192KHz help? Does it interpolate between points? Or is 192KHz support only useful for CD's that were created using 192KHz sampling?
4) And the bottom line: practically speaking, for a non-musician like me who enjoys listening to music but perhaps has neither the expertise nor critical hearing as most of you, is the sound quality / experience between a current player with 24b/192KHz DAC noticeably and obviously better than my Sony? Or would it be relatively subtle, require concentrated listening, and likely be lost on me? This question probably should keep my system in context.
I'd love to be able to just go out and buy a respected, used unit (in the $200 ballpark; there seem to be a few options in the Classifieds) and see what happens but my budget mandates that I'd really need to justify it first.
So, any help educating me and setting expectations is appreciated.
I'm not going to guess what DAC is in my Sony but I'm pretty sure it's not 24bit/192KHz that seems ubiquitous in more current players.
I understand conceptually what 24bit would offer -- many more levels of sound information (frequency, volume, etc). And I understand the possible benefits of higher sampling rates.
But I hope you can help with some questions:
1) I have CDs that range from 1990 to now - not a lot as there is a big gap in the middle. But just some older and new CDs. How are CD's generally mastered? I have a Joe Pass CD that indicates it was re-mastered in 24 bit. That seems to imply that CD's are generally mastered with something less than 24 bits.
2) If CDs generally contain less than 24 bits, then how does a a newer CD player with 24 bit DAC help? Or does a newer player with 24 bit DACs only provide a benefit with CD's that contain 24 bits?
3) What sampling is usually used for CDs when mastering? 44KHz? 96KHz? 192KHz? If CD's are generally created using 44 or 96Hz, then does a player supporting 192KHz help? Does it interpolate between points? Or is 192KHz support only useful for CD's that were created using 192KHz sampling?
4) And the bottom line: practically speaking, for a non-musician like me who enjoys listening to music but perhaps has neither the expertise nor critical hearing as most of you, is the sound quality / experience between a current player with 24b/192KHz DAC noticeably and obviously better than my Sony? Or would it be relatively subtle, require concentrated listening, and likely be lost on me? This question probably should keep my system in context.
I'd love to be able to just go out and buy a respected, used unit (in the $200 ballpark; there seem to be a few options in the Classifieds) and see what happens but my budget mandates that I'd really need to justify it first.
So, any help educating me and setting expectations is appreciated.