New subjective test files created by ImmersAV Technology (www.immersav.com) strongly suggest that
the dynamic range and bandwidth claims associated with high-resolution audio
productions do not offer any perception benefits beyond those of the standard CD.
Robert Schulein and Dr. Dan Mapes-Riordan, founding partners of ImmersAV
Technology, have just released to the public three tests files that interested
individuals can use to judge these claims. Details of these tests are presented at https://youtu.be/SQzNPAdF4aI and
include links to the files developed.
Initial tests during the 139th AES Convention in New York and during a presentation
to the Chicago section of the AES in November 2015 suggest that individuals
listening to these files with a capable playback system found no benefit in dynamic
range beyond 85 dB or bandwidth beyond 20 kHz.
According to Schulein, “We welcome interested individuals to evaluate these tests
and offer comments. We are not saying that there are no benefits to high-resolution
audio, however they do not appear to lie in these areas. Other factors such as anti-
aliasing and anti-imaging filters may however have a perceptible influence on
differences heard by some. These are areas of ImmersAV’s ongoing research.’
Looking beyond the CD, Mapes-Riordan commented that, “Audio recording, editing
and mastering can indeed benefit from sampling rates and bit depth beyond those
of the CD due to the DSP processes used, however, once the production has been
completed a standard format CD will offer the bandwidth and dynamic range needed
to enjoy these aspects of the production.
