What has better quality - DTS Core @ 24 bit or FLAC @ 16 bit

[vash1]

Hi guys,

I would like to save disk space and

Just curious about what has better quality:

• DTS Core @ 24 bit - loosy
• FLAC @ 16 bit - lossless, converted from 24 bit DTS-HD MA

Sizes of both are pretty much the same:

FLAC @ 16 bit ~ DTS Core @ 24 bit

From what I understand, 24 bit in DTS Core may make sound more spacious in comparison to 16 bit lossless FLAC. But can be wrong.

Thanks!

[Hoser Rob]

24 bit audio isuseful in recording, where so many plugin effects are used that the quantization errors can add up to be audible. But it's been demopnstarated in double blind tests that audiophiles couldn't hear a difference (there's a study in the AES journal and it's been repeated). IMO 24 bit audio is a waste of space.

The thing is, the LSB in 16 bit audio is better that -90 dB, and most any decent DAC can get better than -80 dB spuriae free. If you think your speakers or headphones are that clean think again. Look at some speaker waterfall plots, and remember that 0.2% distortion for a speaker is very, very good, and that's not even -60 dB.

The funniest thing to me is how many old recordings done on analog tape are being released in 24 bit. The best dynamic range you can get from analog tape is 80dB, and 60-65 is more typical.

ANd that thing about 24 bit making it sound more spacious is very misleading. EVen if 24 bit really had the benefits all those so called golden ears claim, that would only be true if you had an exceptional recording, and those are very rare.

So my answer is that they sound exactly the same unless you messed up the conversion or you're one of those self deluded "golden ears".

[iSuckAtEncoding]

The lossy core of the lossless DTS-HD codec doesn't have a fixed bit depth. Whenever you see software label a lossy codec such as DTS as having a fixed bit depth such as 24, it's technically wrong. I'm certain what the "bit depth" in the DTS codec information really means is that's what the original DTS-HD encoder encoded the lossless audio stream to and added that metadata to the DTS core so now that's what you see as the "bit depth" even though it's technically wrong, but don't quote me on that.