If A Tree Falls in the Woods…
I read with interest a recent press release titled, “World’s Highest Resolution Recording”. Dated April 26, 2013, the release includes information on a recent session by Five/Four Productions, Ltd. (which a very highly regarded production company that specializes in classical music recordings) of Joseph Haydn’s masterpiece Missa in Angustiis (Nelson Mass) Hob XXII:11, and Symphony No. 102 in B flat major Hob. I/102, with Martin Pearlman and Boston Baroque in the world-renowned acoustic of Mechanics Hall. The project is slated for release on Linn Records in the fall of 2013.
The “world’s highest resolution recording” was done in collaboration with Merging Technologies, the folks behind the Pyramix Digital Audio Workstation. They cranked up the sample rate of their DSD 1-bit recording system to 11.2896 MHz. That’s 256 times 44.1 kHz or 4 times higher than DSD 64. Recall that SA-CD, the original Sony and Phillips “1-bit” DSD consumer format runs at 2.8224 MHz. The current initiative to push DSD into the production and download worlds is moving the multiplier to 128 to push the HF noise, that is unavoidable in 1-bit systems, further into the “non-audible” band. This move to 256 continues the same line of thought. The noise starts rising at 130 kHz, well beyond the “audio band”.
Ultra HD PCM systems, by comparison, are being clocked at 384 Khz (even 768 kHz) and use up to 32-bit words…not too far from the DXD format that Sony endorses for original source recordings (352.8 Khz and 24-bits). DXD is essentially a PCM format that can be used to record and process new recordings prior to downconverting them to HD-Audio sound files or even SA-CDs.
So let’s see…if you want to lay claim to the “highest resolution recording” does a 11.2896 MHz 1-bit system beat a 384 Khz 32-bit system? While such a comparison is actually an apples and oranges comparison, the actual math puts the PCM flavor ahead. There’s 12.288 million data points in the PCM model vs the 11.2 million in the 1-bit DSD world. But personally, I don’t care which number is higher. I’m interested in the sound and my ability to deliver original HD-Audio recording in a native format to my customers without any downconverting.
How are any of these “Ultra HD-Audio” productions going to be delivered to consumers and what are they going to play them on? If you think you’re having trouble downloading 96 or 192 kHz 24-bit PCM files in 2.0 channel stereo, just wait ’til you start downloading music files that are 4-8 times larger. And we haven’t even started talking about multichannel audio. And then you have nothing to play them back on. There are some new hardware boxes that are moving to the Ultra PCM flavor of 348 kHz but honestly, it’s more of a my number is bigger than your number argument.
There’s got to be some sense applied to this whole mess. As a recording engineer that uses exclusively 96 kHz/24-bit systems to capture, mix and distribute my tracks, I’m perfectly happy with the sound of my tracks. When someone can play for me a recording in any format that pleases me more than my own catalog, I’ll think about some upgrades. But I haven’t heard any yet…and I have been to all of the trade shows and pop my head into rooms from Wilson and MBL. The continuing run of 5-star audio reviews for our titles feels pretty nice too.
The whole “World’s Highest Resolution Recording” announcement is a marketing/PR gimmick. It means nothing other than establishing that computer technology is advancing and machines are getting faster. I congratulate Merging Technologies for developed some absolutely amazing hardware. And if I was going to upgrade to higher sample rates and longer words, I would seriously consider Pyramix, but it would be PCM at 384/32-bits not DSD at any number. What we need is intelligent engineers that know how to set up a session and use the available technology to maximize an end user experience. Wouldn’t that be better than dreaming of 11.2 million 1-bit data slices cruising through your new $20,000 DSD 256 convertor?
Contact me and download the HD-Audio music samples that are available through this site. I’d love to hear from interest audiophiles about their reactions.
