Whenever you are searching for headphones you may come across some of them are Hi-Res Audio certified and recently some streaming services also started providing Hi-Res audio options. If you are curious to know, what is Hi-Res audio? If you don’t know anything about it Most of your questions will be answered here.
In simple terms, this Hi-Res audio file has a higher sampling/bit rate than CD quality. If you want to enjoy Hi-Res audio it comes at a cost of more storage, also you need a compatible device to play these files. Good thing is that you can find those devices easily and available in different price ranges, I will suggest a few devices below do check them out.
What is Hi-Res Audio?
Hi-Res audio is nothing but a lossless, non-destructive audio file straight out of the studio. Technically Hi-Res Audio frequency range starts from 24 bit/96 kHz, which is higher than the CD. So Hi-Res audio file has a higher bit rate and sampling rate than CD results in storing more information. HRA files will have more information, so it needs more storage.
Hi-Res Audio Formats
We all knew MP3 files format similar to that, HRA also has four file formats WAV, FLAC, AIFF, and ALAC. All four formats will be played on different devices according to the OS and application used to play those files. Each file format uses are explained below.
Waveform Audio File Format (WAV): This file format is used to store Hi-Res audio files in windows computers. The main drawback of WAV files over FLAC is that it won’t store track info by default, and also they are smaller in size compared to WAV.
Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC): Most of the Hi-Res Audio files available in the market and online are in FLAC format. FLAC is lossless uncompressed files available in 24 bit and 96kHz or 192kHz versions. FLAC file format will take less space than WAV files.
Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF): It is very similar to WAV format but the difference is that it is widely used in Apple systems.
Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC): This is the compressed version of AIFF files, iTunes will support ALAC formats. So if you are using Apple devices then you need to download ALAC files, because IOS devices won’t support FLAC.
Does Hi-Res Audio Sound Better Than MP3?
The straight answer to this question will be yes because the amount of data stored and transferred in Hi-Res Audio files will be higher than the MP3 files. HRA file is uncompressed studio output whereas MP3 is a compressed file, this results in loss of quality.
When you hear the same song in MP3 and HRS formats back to back then you can feel that Hi-Res Audio will sound a lot better. If you want to take the music listening experience to another level then you should get your favorite albums in Hi-Res formats.
Devices you need to enjoy HRA
If you want to enjoy Hi-Res Audio to the fullest then you need a good device and Hi-Res audio supported headphones. Company’s like Sony offers portable Walkman’s which are capable of playing HRA.
If you are using mobile phones then you can add an accessory like portable audio DACs to increase the audio quality of mobile phones. Also, search for the mobiles that come with built-in audio DAC.
Where To Download HRA?
If you want to download Hi-Res Audio there are lots of websites, below I will give a few of them do check them out. Lots of streaming services also started providing High-Quality Audio.
- HDtracks
- Super HiRez
- Qobuz
- Amazon Music HD
So this is what you need to know about Hi-Res Audio, keep visiting sound hunt for more updates.