Audio MIDI Sample Rate setting for MAC

[buffalobill]

In reviewing the web sites for Ayre and Benchmark, they recommend setting the sample rate in Audio MIDI to 44.1 for CD quality material. However, on the Wavelength web site, Gordon Rankin recommends 88.2, he says it sounds better.

 

Can anyone explain why Rankin is recommending 88.2?

[ErikM]

Why not email Gordon and ask him?

[Musicophile]

Whether a DAC plays better with bit perfect native sample rate or an upsampled bitstream depends usually on what the DAC does with it internally. Many DACs including mine us a different set of filters for higher res material than for 44khz. So this could be the explanation.

 

However, I wouldn't necessarily recommend having Core Audio doing your upsampling, which would be the case if you use native Itunes. I'd rather go for an external player that has a better SRC (sample rate conversion), e.g. at minimum BitPerfect, or even better, Audirvana with it's Izotope SRC.