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The real issue nowadays is that you shouldn't record or master at 44.1kHz (or multiples) and go for 48kHz instead. But not because it sounds better. Simply be

The real issue nowadays is that you shouldn't record or master at 44.1kHz (or multiples) and go for 48kHz instead. But not because it sounds better. Simply because 48kHz is what your computer and phone natively clocks its audio codecs at. It's done because that's generally an integer fraction, but the why doesn't matter as much as the fact itself; PC "HD Audio" and phone codecs are 48kHz. Yes you can resample, and yes you can resample without it being audibly noticeable. But it's an extra step where you're at the mercy of whoever implements it to do it right. Doing it wrong may also include noticeable delay, breaking e.g. A-V / lipsync. Can you build HiFi systems that support 44.1kHz and maybe dynamically switch their clock source as needed? Sure. But what's the easiest way to build a HiFi system these days? You just stick an off-the-shelf embedded device in it, which likely uses standard PC/phone tech… So just ship 48kHz. (Similar argument for video recording in 50Hz countries btw - unless you are recording for TV/broadcast, you should always shoot at 60 / 59.94fps. Because that's what PC and phone screens run at…)

rplst8 3y ago
This used to be somewhat true, but modern digital often uses such high internal rates that converting between the two is near lossless. For instance, the least common multiple of 44.1k and 48k is in the 7MHz region. Realtime conversion between them is pretty doable today. We've been doing it by using decimation with much simpler hardware for a few decades before that.
- eqvinox 3y ago
  That might be true for the hardware, but since mixing of multiple streams is a software function nowadays (… some older HW was multi-stream capable…), any 44.1kHz stream has a good chance of being resampled to 48kHz just to allow mixing it with other sounds. Even if it's the only stream and you could switch the codec to 44.1kHz mode, what do you do if the OS wants to play a random notification sound? Switching between 44.1kHz and 48kHz is not going to be hitless on a significant number of HW (not all, but most I'd guess), so whoever's writing your OS mixer code would reasonably make a call to always mix at 48kHz… (Yes this argument primarily applies to PCs and phones, hopefully on a HiFi system that just happens to use COTS embedded devices they'd write some code to switch the rate…)
  - deadbeeves 3y ago
    Well, my OS lets me configure the output device and specify the sampling rate. I would think that if I configure it at 44.1 kHz and I'm playing back some ripped CD and the system tries to play a notification sound, that whatever that sound is sampled at it'll ensure to output it at 44.1 kHz. Otherwise what's the point of the setting?

rplst8 3y ago

This used to be somewhat true, but modern digital often uses such high internal rates that converting between the two is near lossless. For instance, the least common multiple of 44.1k and 48k is in the 7MHz region. Realtime conversion between them is pretty doable today. We've been doing it by using decimation with much simpler hardware for a few decades before that.

eqvinox 3y ago
That might be true for the hardware, but since mixing of multiple streams is a software function nowadays (… some older HW was multi-stream capable…), any 44.1kHz stream has a good chance of being resampled to 48kHz just to allow mixing it with other sounds. Even if it's the only stream and you could switch the codec to 44.1kHz mode, what do you do if the OS wants to play a random notification sound? Switching between 44.1kHz and 48kHz is not going to be hitless on a significant number of HW (not all, but most I'd guess), so whoever's writing your OS mixer code would reasonably make a call to always mix at 48kHz… (Yes this argument primarily applies to PCs and phones, hopefully on a HiFi system that just happens to use COTS embedded devices they'd write some code to switch the rate…)
- deadbeeves 3y ago
  Well, my OS lets me configure the output device and specify the sampling rate. I would think that if I configure it at 44.1 kHz and I'm playing back some ripped CD and the system tries to play a notification sound, that whatever that sound is sampled at it'll ensure to output it at 44.1 kHz. Otherwise what's the point of the setting?