Digital Audio and Amplifier Noise Floor Comparison - Is 16bit/44.1kHz All We Need ???

[tmtomh]

56 minutes ago, Paul R said:

 

That's okay -  but you are now invited to provide the correct information.  I would expect the extra 48db of lower noise floor means the limiting noise floor would be the analog devices - i.e. the mic and pre-amplifier. Also, modern converters are only using about 20-22db of the 24bits. 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, the noise floor of 16-bit is -96dB (putting aside that -120dB is achievable in practice with the use of noise-shaping dither). If -96dB were 20% above the noise floor of most equipment, then most equipment would have a noise floor of -115 to -120dB (the former being 96 x 1.2 and the latter being 96 divided by 0.8).

 

Based on measurements of a lot of equipment at sites like audioscience review, very few DACs and virtually no amplifiers are capable of -115dB and pretty much none are capable of -120. And the vast majority of amps fall short of even -96dB, while for DACs -96dB is middle of the pack.

[tmtomh]

6 hours ago, Paul R said:

The Benchmark AHB2 Power Amp is rated at  132db. That's about 20 to 30 db quieter than a lot of very expensive reference amps. 

An iFi iDSD Pro is 119db. That's pretty good, but there are other DACs with better specs out there. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Benchmark amp is an excellent piece of kit, but I would not necessarily believe -132dB:

 

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/review-and-measurements-of-benchmark-ahb2-amp.7628/

 

 

[tmtomh]

2 hours ago, Paul R said:

 

 

There are multiple ways to measure a noise floor - the traditional SNR as noted above, and the THD-N/SINAD as I'd noted previously.

 

Moreover, the effective noise floor of CD is -120dB with noise-shaping dither.

 

I'm really not trying to win an argument for the sake of winning an argument. My point simply is that one has to go to some lengths to put together an equipment chain that can top the effective noise floor of a properly produced 16-bit CD/digital file, and therefore it's not accurate that 16-bit's noise floor is generally above that of most equipment, even most decent equipment.

 

I am hopeful that in the future, the specs of the very best Hypex-based amps like the Benchmark, along with the specs of the very best DACs, will become more common, especially in more affordable equipment. But for now, the majority of amps and DACs don't have noise floors that reliably or significantly exceed that of properly dithered 16-bit sources. (And that's putting aside the fact that it's almost impossible to be in a practical listening space where a -96dB signal can be heard when the volume level is set so that peaks are not at ear-damaging levels.)