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44.1 kHz sample rate limits the audio frequency response to 22 kHz. The popular knowledge says that the human hearing "stops" at 20 kHz, but in reality this is

44.1 kHz sample rate limits the audio frequency response to 22 kHz. The popular knowledge says that the human hearing "stops" at 20 kHz, but in reality this is not a flush cut off. It may go way beyond that: some people are able to hear up to 27 kHz, depending on age and personal physiology. Limiting frequency response at 22 kHz ensures that you get a high quality material, but not the highest quality. Record labels still have the leverage to extract some pennies in the future by selling a higher quality record and this makes them feel comfortable.

klodolph 6y ago
I don’t find this argument particularly compelling. You can hear up to 27kHz if the sound is loud enough, under laboratory conditions. However, from a psychoacoustic standpoint, you are unlikely to be able to hear those frequencies under normal listening conditions, and typical program material doesn’t make use of those frequencies anyway. In other words, 20 kHz is good enough.
- garganzol 6y ago
  There is a bit of difference between 48 and 44.1 tracks, and it is a bit deeper than expected. 44.1 tracks tend to be "normalized" at the highest portion of the spectrum trying to squeeze the juice right at the studio. Tracks mastered for 48+ kHz are usually more relaxed in this regard, they just let the sound flow. Both sound exceptionally well, but tracks with higher sample rate sound a bit more natural, a bit softer if you prefer. Higher sample rate tends to add a pleasant edge to some kinds of music: live performances, jazz, minimal techno. If you happen to live in a part of the world where crickets are active in the summer then take a closer look. Their audio spectrum goes way beyond 20 kHz and if you try to listen carefully then you may spot the point where it goes beyond 20 kHz limit. Not everybody is physically capable to experience this. Personally I can hear a bit of those frequencies, so it's amusing to realize that a little bug can be such a masterful audio source. Nature is beautiful. And this beauty is a selling point when it comes to music.
  - ferongr 6y ago
    Post your ABX logs.
  - klodolph 6y ago
    > 44.1 tracks tend to be "normalized" at the highest portion of the spectrum trying to squeeze the juice right at the studio. Could you explain this to me? What does it mean to “normalize something at the highest portion of the spectrum”? Assume I have a fairly solid background in signal processing theory and understand the fundamentals of music production / mixing / mastering.
    - grawprog 6y ago
      Not the original commenter, but my guess is, because the cutoff is 22khz, higher frequencies are normalized down around 20-22khz, blending them with those higher frequencies and distorting and changing them slightly. Whereas being mastered for 27khz would allow some of those higher frequencies to remain as is and sound closer to the natural sound you'd hear. I may be wrong but as far as I know, this is because those higher frequencies are still picked up and interpreted by us whether we actually hear them or not. Personally, i've never really noticed the difference between 44.1kHz and 48kHz, but I do notice the difference between listening to audio on headphones with different cutoffs. 20-20000hz headphones sound noticably less good than 18-22000hz or even 24000hz. It makes even more of a difference than price point usually does. To the point where it's the only thing i really look for when looking for headphones for music.
      - klodolph 6y ago
        > … because the cutoff is 22khz… That’s the Nyquist frequency. The cutoff is wherever you like, but typically at 20kHz. > …higher frequencies are normalized down around 20-22khz, blending them with those higher frequencies and distorting and changing them slightly. Can you explain what you mean by “normalized down”? It sounds like you are describing some kind of processing done to music, something I have never heard of before, something different from aliasing. I want to assume that you’re commenting in good faith, but are you just rewording the original comment? I don’t think the original comment makes sense, and rewording it isn’t going to change anything. > I may be wrong but as far as I know, this is because those higher frequencies are still picked up and interpreted by us whether we actually hear them or not. This is wrong, or at least wishful thinking—under ordinary listening conditions with typical program material, you simply can’t tell the difference between music which has those frequencies and music which doesn’t. That what experiments are testing when they test if you can “hear” something. > Personally, i've never really noticed the difference between 44.1kHz and 48kHz, but I do notice the difference between listening to audio on headphones with different cutoffs. Different headphones sound different, this is a known fact. There are simply too many differences between different headphones to draw conclusions here. When I’m making music, I try to listen to it on several headphones before I release it. Each set of headphones I have imparts a unique sound on the music. Same thing applies to loudspeakers.

klodolph 6y ago

I don’t find this argument particularly compelling. You can hear up to 27kHz if the sound is loud enough, under laboratory conditions. However, from a psychoacoustic standpoint, you are unlikely to be able to hear those frequencies under normal listening conditions, and typical program material doesn’t make use of those frequencies anyway. In other words, 20 kHz is good enough.

garganzol 6y ago
There is a bit of difference between 48 and 44.1 tracks, and it is a bit deeper than expected. 44.1 tracks tend to be "normalized" at the highest portion of the spectrum trying to squeeze the juice right at the studio. Tracks mastered for 48+ kHz are usually more relaxed in this regard, they just let the sound flow. Both sound exceptionally well, but tracks with higher sample rate sound a bit more natural, a bit softer if you prefer. Higher sample rate tends to add a pleasant edge to some kinds of music: live performances, jazz, minimal techno. If you happen to live in a part of the world where crickets are active in the summer then take a closer look. Their audio spectrum goes way beyond 20 kHz and if you try to listen carefully then you may spot the point where it goes beyond 20 kHz limit. Not everybody is physically capable to experience this. Personally I can hear a bit of those frequencies, so it's amusing to realize that a little bug can be such a masterful audio source. Nature is beautiful. And this beauty is a selling point when it comes to music.
- ferongr 6y ago
  Post your ABX logs.
- klodolph 6y ago
  > 44.1 tracks tend to be "normalized" at the highest portion of the spectrum trying to squeeze the juice right at the studio. Could you explain this to me? What does it mean to “normalize something at the highest portion of the spectrum”? Assume I have a fairly solid background in signal processing theory and understand the fundamentals of music production / mixing / mastering.
  - grawprog 6y ago
    Not the original commenter, but my guess is, because the cutoff is 22khz, higher frequencies are normalized down around 20-22khz, blending them with those higher frequencies and distorting and changing them slightly. Whereas being mastered for 27khz would allow some of those higher frequencies to remain as is and sound closer to the natural sound you'd hear. I may be wrong but as far as I know, this is because those higher frequencies are still picked up and interpreted by us whether we actually hear them or not. Personally, i've never really noticed the difference between 44.1kHz and 48kHz, but I do notice the difference between listening to audio on headphones with different cutoffs. 20-20000hz headphones sound noticably less good than 18-22000hz or even 24000hz. It makes even more of a difference than price point usually does. To the point where it's the only thing i really look for when looking for headphones for music.
    - klodolph 6y ago
      > … because the cutoff is 22khz… That’s the Nyquist frequency. The cutoff is wherever you like, but typically at 20kHz. > …higher frequencies are normalized down around 20-22khz, blending them with those higher frequencies and distorting and changing them slightly. Can you explain what you mean by “normalized down”? It sounds like you are describing some kind of processing done to music, something I have never heard of before, something different from aliasing. I want to assume that you’re commenting in good faith, but are you just rewording the original comment? I don’t think the original comment makes sense, and rewording it isn’t going to change anything. > I may be wrong but as far as I know, this is because those higher frequencies are still picked up and interpreted by us whether we actually hear them or not. This is wrong, or at least wishful thinking—under ordinary listening conditions with typical program material, you simply can’t tell the difference between music which has those frequencies and music which doesn’t. That what experiments are testing when they test if you can “hear” something. > Personally, i've never really noticed the difference between 44.1kHz and 48kHz, but I do notice the difference between listening to audio on headphones with different cutoffs. Different headphones sound different, this is a known fact. There are simply too many differences between different headphones to draw conclusions here. When I’m making music, I try to listen to it on several headphones before I release it. Each set of headphones I have imparts a unique sound on the music. Same thing applies to loudspeakers.