PC Audio (ALC4080 + Savitech SV3H712 AMP)

[RMTM]

I still have my trusty Altec Lansing ATP3 plugged to my ASUS ROG Strix Z590-F Gaming motherboard speaker out. I'm just trying all the "Sound" setting options in Windows11 but they all just sound(good) the same to me.

 

Given the motherboard and speaker above, can anyone please tell me which one is the best setting to choose? Thanks in advance.

 

[cmndr]

CD Quality is 16bit 44.1KHz. Which is plenty for most use cases (though you can lose some fidelity if you shift volume settings, change the EQ, have dynamic range compression, etc.)

It doesn't matter a ton. Probably doesn't hurt to do 24 bit which mostly obviates any quality reduction from shifting multiple volume settings.
44KHz vs 192KHz is highly unlikely to matter in practice since a 44KHz sampling rate will get you perfect replication above 20KHz (which is probably higher than you can hear anyway) I've heard some arguments that going to 48KHz might help with the upper rolloff since often low-pass filters are applied to audio but... I haven't seen much evidence other than a random on the internet.

[RMTM]

12 minutes ago, cmndr said:

CD Quality is 16bit 44.1KHz. Which is plenty for most use cases (though you can lose some fidelity if you shift volume settings, change the EQ, have dynamic range compression, etc.)

It doesn't matter a ton. Probably doesn't hurt to do 24 bit which mostly obviates any quality reduction from shifting multiple volume settings.
44KHz vs 192KHz is highly unlikely to matter in practice since a 44KHz sampling rate will get you perfect replication above 20KHz (which is probably higher than you can hear anyway) I've heard some arguments that going to 48KHz might help with the upper rolloff since often low-pass filters are applied to audio but... I haven't seen much evidence other than a random on the internet.

Thanks. I'll try playing with the bass and treble volumes first while switching from 16 - 32 bit up to 48kHz quality. So far I'm liking the 32 bit 44100 Hz Studio Quality - on how it sounds on my ATP3 2.1 speakers. The twin downfires gets a better feedback with this setting so far. 

[cmndr]

For what it's worth speaker selection, positioning, room treatment and calibration are going to matter FAR more. Rules of thumb like speakers pointed near your ears and 1 foot away from the back wall go a long way.

REW (free software) and a UMik-1 are great for getting a feel for how your set up is. Ideally you're doing EQ/DSP and room treatment in conjunction. (the microphone adds $80ish in costs. If you want quick/dirty you can probably get away with 20-20KHz sweeps and a free decibel meter on your phone - your goal is to get a reasonably "flat" or even frequency response (so no frequencies overly loud or soft))

[ShearMe]

Set it to the highest possible value, and as long as the pc is stable there's no reason to change it. 

 

The computer wont actually output that quality unless you have source material saved in the proper format.

[RMTM]

19 minutes ago, ShearMe said:

Set it to the highest possible value, and as long as the pc is stable there's no reason to change it. 

 

The computer wont actually output that quality unless you have source material saved in the proper format.

Thanks! I actually did that earlier. And the most stable quality is the 32 bit 44100Hz Studio Quality.

[ShearMe]

1 minute ago, RMTM said:

Thanks! I actually did that earlier. And the most stable quality is the 32 bit 44100Hz Studio Quality.

There could be an argument for 24-bit 192000Hz being more favorable, but you're unlikely to have source material for either anyway.

[BenBoy]

I use 24-bit 192000Hz all the time and it's almost always stable.  There has been a couple times where I'm normally stable playing a game and playing Amazon Music Unlimited and it'll crash the PC.  Likely because the track was a very high sample rate and it could've been my RAM settings at the time.  The cool thing about Amazon Music is that it tells you exactly what the bitrate and sample rate are and what your device is capable of handling.

 

Personally, I notice a huge difference between 16-bit and 24-bit and also between 44kHz and 48kHz.  24-bit 48kHz is the most common for Ultra HD tracks.  24-bit 96kHz is the next most common.  I have seen some 24-bit 192kHz tracks on there every so often. 

 

The difference I hear in 24-bit vs 16-bit is how tight and clean the imaging and sounds are.  They're so much more detailed and clean.  The difference is the amount of lanes the music has to transmit the data.  It's the same technology in memory architecture and freeways.  You can move a lot more data/cars on a freeway with more lanes than you ever could in a 2-lane road, for example.  24-bit allows the music to breathe and stretch it legs to the fullest.

 

Can I tell the difference between the different sample rates?  Yes, I can, but the difference can be more subtle to some people.  Other people I show and they're like "wow!"  A lot has to do with the stereo imaging, quality of the instruments, and the mix.  Where to listen is the vocals, reverb, soundstage, and purity of the instruments.  Everything sounds closer and more pure.  I don't even have to see what the sample rate is to know when I hit a higher sample rate track.  Everything has more life and a smoother flow.  That's because the digital sample rate squares are much tighter/smaller.  That equates to fewer gaps between samples = smoother.  Think of stairs vs a slide.  It's not subjective.  It's measurable and comparably better.

 

Of course, vinyl is always going to be smoother because it's directly recorded on the physical media.  There's not digital sample patterns.  It's like the difference between a freshly paved blacktop road vs a freeway with ridges.  You can move just as fast across both, but one is noticeably more smooth.  The downsides to vinyl is the recordings tend to be with inferior equipment, compared to now, there's physical limitations with warping and dust, plus you have to physically load the record into the player. 

 

I do think vinyl sounds amazing, when done correctly.  However, I still get just as much enjoyment out of high bitrate and high sample rate material.  Plus, I no longer have to hunt it down.  It's all at my finger tips now.  So awesome!

 

P.S. If you want to hear the difference then here's tracks to compare them at the different quality settings on Amazon Music Unlimited:

 

Here's an Ultra HD playlist I created with a variety of quality tracks and genres with superior stereo imaging:

https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/9ca62f9496694a83977288fb557820fdsune?ref=dm_sh_1e76-a02f-39b1-cdb3-7c4ed

 

Otherwise, refer to a few examples below:

 

24-bit/44kHz FLAC (shows you how good 24-bit is compared to 16-bit):

* Rone - Ginkgo Biloba

* Zhu & Tinashe - Only

* Mirian Hill - Subtle Thing

* Buscabulla - Nydia

* Billie Eilish - No Time to Die

* Daft Punk - Solar Sailer (Tron: Legacy)

 

24-bit/48kHz FLAC (shows you how good 24-bit is compared to 16-bit, plus adds more smoothness):

* Polica - Alive

* Tei Shi - Bassically

* Dominique Fils-Aime - Birds

 

24-bit/96kHz FLAC (shows the above, plus adds incredible depths in analog instruments especially.  Again, listen to the added smoothness in the vocals, reverb, instruments, and soundstage):

* Hiromi Uehara - Dreamer (the entire Alive album is amazing.  Features Simon Phillips on drums).

* Tycho - Alright

* Ela Minus - megapunk

* Ela Minus - Pajaros en Verano

* Tony Allen - Slow Bones

 

There's a lot more on there, so enjoy! =)

[BenBoy]

On 3/27/2023 at 6:02 PM, BenBoy said:

I use 24-bit 192000Hz all the time and it's almost always stable.  There has been a couple times where I'm normally stable playing a game and playing Amazon Music Unlimited and it'll crash the PC.  Likely because the track was a very high sample rate and it could've been my RAM settings at the time.  The cool thing about Amazon Music is that it tells you exactly what the bitrate and sample rate are and what your device is capable of handling.

 

Personally, I notice a huge difference between 16-bit and 24-bit and also between 44kHz and 48kHz.  24-bit 48kHz is the most common for Ultra HD tracks.  24-bit 96kHz is the next most common.  I have seen some 24-bit 192kHz tracks on there every so often. 

 

The difference I hear in 24-bit vs 16-bit is how tight and clean the imaging and sounds are.  They're so much more detailed and clean.  The difference is the amount of lanes the music has to transmit the data.  It's the same technology in memory architecture and freeways.  You can move a lot more data/cars on a freeway with more lanes than you ever could in a 2-lane road, for example.  24-bit allows the music to breathe and stretch it legs to the fullest.

 

Can I tell the difference between the different sample rates?  Yes, I can, but the difference can be more subtle to some people.  Other people I show and they're like "wow!"  A lot has to do with the stereo imaging, quality of the instruments, and the mix.  Where to listen is the vocals, reverb, soundstage, and purity of the instruments.  Everything sounds closer and more pure.  I don't even have to see what the sample rate is to know when I hit a higher sample rate track.  Everything has more life and a smoother flow.  That's because the digital sample rate squares are much tighter/smaller.  That equates to fewer gaps between samples = smoother.  Think of stairs vs a slide.  It's not subjective.  It's measurable and comparably better.

 

Of course, vinyl is always going to be smoother because it's directly recorded on the physical media.  There's not digital sample patterns.  It's like the difference between a freshly paved blacktop road vs a freeway with ridges.  You can move just as fast across both, but one is noticeably more smooth.  The downsides to vinyl is the recordings tend to be with inferior equipment, compared to now, there's physical limitations with warping and dust, plus you have to physically load the record into the player. 

 

I do think vinyl sounds amazing, when done correctly.  However, I still get just as much enjoyment out of high bitrate and high sample rate material.  Plus, I no longer have to hunt it down.  It's all at my finger tips now.  So awesome!

 

P.S. If you want to hear the difference then here's tracks to compare them at the different quality settings on Amazon Music Unlimited:

 

Here's an Ultra HD playlist I created with a variety of quality tracks and genres with superior stereo imaging:

https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/9ca62f9496694a83977288fb557820fdsune?ref=dm_sh_1e76-a02f-39b1-cdb3-7c4ed

 

Otherwise, refer to a few examples below:

 

24-bit/44kHz FLAC (shows you how good 24-bit is compared to 16-bit):

* Rone - Ginkgo Biloba

* Zhu & Tinashe - Only

* Mirian Hill - Subtle Thing

* Buscabulla - Nydia

* Billie Eilish - No Time to Die

* Daft Punk - Solar Sailer (Tron: Legacy)

 

24-bit/48kHz FLAC (shows you how good 24-bit is compared to 16-bit, plus adds more smoothness):

* Polica - Alive

* Tei Shi - Bassically

* Dominique Fils-Aime - Birds

 

24-bit/96kHz FLAC (shows the above, plus adds incredible depths in analog instruments especially.  Again, listen to the added smoothness in the vocals, reverb, instruments, and soundstage):

* Hiromi Uehara - Dreamer (the entire Alive album is amazing.  Features Simon Phillips on drums).

* Tycho - Alright

* Ela Minus - megapunk

* Ela Minus - Pajaros en Verano

* Tony Allen - Slow Bones

 

There's a lot more on there, so enjoy! =)

Still curating my varied playlist, if anyone's interested.  Every track sounds amazing.  Just remember to set your output to 24-bit 96,000Hz or higher in your Sound Settings on PC or device.  Otherwise, they'll all sound like CDs since the default is usually 16-bit 44kHz or 16-bit 48kHz.