16-bit audio's quantization error is audible unless there's good dithering and/or noise shaping. Otherwise, the quantization error becomes audible over ~80db.

16-bit audio's quantization error is audible unless there's good dithering and/or noise shaping. Otherwise, the quantization error becomes audible over ~80db. (Normal speech.) Undithered / unshaped 16-bit audio can sound better than a record or cassette, although some people might prefer the sound of analog hiss to the choppiness of rounding.