24 bit FLAC streaming

[m_maloney]

Apologies in advance if this is posted elsewhere (actually I've seen several posts with very similar threads but just haven't found my specific question).

 

I'm a newbie to all this hi-fi audio stuff and just learning about the process. The idea of downloading hi resolution audio excites me but to be honest I'm not sure if I'm getting the most out of it.

 

Here's the chain of my audio currently:

 

24/96 flac audio download (from say a source like HDTracks)

- playback through Amarra Mini on my iMac

- streaming wirelessly via Airfoil to two rooms:

 

Room 1:

- Zeppelin Air

 

Room 2:

- AppleTV to Anthem MRX500

 

So overall I'm really happy about the sound and ultimately that matters the most. But just for my education what is happening to the audiofile through this stream and where is the digital to analog conversion happening?

 

- If I'm playing through Amarra does it matter since the "data" is being streamed via Airfoil and using the Zeppelin Air DAC?

- Does airfoil/airplay stream 24/96 or is it being downsampled?

 

Many thanks.

 

 

 

 

[realhifi]

If you do not have your Mini directly attached to any audio device then you are not able to take advantage of Amarra for starters.

 

Airplay (or Airfoil) does not at this time support 24/96 playback so your files are being downsampled to 16/48 tops to the dices you mentioned. The "Dac" in the Zeppelin is simply accepting the same resolution as Airplay is capable of streaming (ie. 16/48).

 

So to make a long answer short, no, you are not streaming your 24/96 files at that resolution to any device right now.

 

[howlingfeedback]

A bit of advise for you, A HD Audio track if its 24/96 or 24/196 may start life at these sample rates,,but if any part of your equipment does not support these outputs it will be downsampled until it can play the file.

 

Paying for HD tracks will be a waste of time you might be able to upgrade your equipment at a future date, but be carefull when purchasing Hi Fi that it supports the High rez formats.

 

 

 

[m_maloney]

This is what I assumed (although I thought I heard airplay supports 24/96 but guess not yet)...

 

Thanks for the responses. In the end I'm happy with what I'm hearing, but its great advice to not spend lots of money on high resolution downloads with a setup that is not getting anything out of it.

 

The audio system I have directly connected to my computer doesn't do the 24/96 files justice.

 

So I'm assuming a dedicated computer (mac mini for example) is the best way to go for 24/96 flacs at the moment?

 

 

 

[realhifi]

There a a number of ways actually. If you have native 24/96 files on your computer you could simply purchase a streamer that deals with that resolution of files. Logitech makes one called a Squeezebox Touch (cheap and surprisingly good), Marantz makes one, Linn makes some, Naim, PS Audio, etc. What they do is take the file over the network from your computer and then play it back through the amplifier (or dac) at the other end.