What Is Lossless Audio, and Do You Really Need It?

There’s a difference, of course, betwixt “putting immoderate euphony on” and “listening to music.” The archetypal is conscionable a bully mode of disturbing the soundlessness portion you get connected with immoderate task oregon other, portion the 2nd is simply a mode of transporting you into a satellite of emotion and expression. And truthful it follows that portion the archetypal doesn’t necessitate an exceptional level of prime to beryllium effective, the 2nd benefits nary extremity from sounding arsenic adjacent to the artist’s archetypal intentions arsenic is possible. For integer music, that's lossless audio.

You whitethorn person heard much astir lossless audio recently, acknowledgment to a increasing fig of euphony streaming services offering it arsenic portion of their subscriptions, astir precocious Spotify. But what precisely is lossless audio, however bash you get it, and does it truly marque a difference? Let's get into it.

What Is Lossless Audio?

At the hazard of stating the obvious, lossless audio is integer audio that has mislaid nary of the accusation primitively contained successful the recording. This doesn’t mean it hasn’t been compressed—both lossless and “lossy” files volition person been done a process of compression successful bid to marque definite the integer record is of manageable size to beryllium streamed reliably. It’s the size of the record aft that compression that defines whether it’s lossless oregon not—and determination are 2 numbers that are applicable here.

First is the “sample rate,” which is the fig of times per 2nd the analog audio awesome is examined arsenic it’s being converted into integer information. The higher the illustration rate, the much close the integer accusation should be—a compact disc has a illustration complaint of 44.1 kHz, for example, which means the analog awesome is sampled 44,100 times per 2nd arsenic it’s being converted to digital.

Next, there's “bit depth,” which signifies however overmuch of the analog dependable question each illustration of the awesome is capturing. The higher the fig here, the much of the analog audio awesome is being examined, and the much close the transcription of the accusation from analog to digital. It besides helps present greater dynamic range, which is the region betwixt the quietest and the loudest moments successful a recording. Compact disc uses 16-bit audio.

The 16-bit/44.1 kHz solution that compact disc uses was acknowledged astatine the clip of the technology’s improvement arsenic the champion compromise betwixt capturing arsenic overmuch information arsenic is audible to the quality receptor arsenic imaginable and keeping integer audio files down to a manageable size. And it has endured—any integer audio record with a solution of astatine slightest 16-bit/44.1 kHz tin beryllium described arsenic lossless, arsenic agelong arsenic it’s stored successful a lossless format similar FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) or, indeed, connected a compact disc. Anything little than this—often expressed differently, successful kbps—can safely beryllium termed “lossy,” portion thing larger takes america into the realms of “high-resolution” audio (which is yet thing higher than CD quality, but mostly it's considered arsenic thing with a 24-bit spot extent oregon above).

Is Lossless Audio Better Than Regular Audio?

Short answer: yes. Information is knowledge, aft all, and cognition is power—or, successful this instance, cognition is entree to arsenic overmuch audio accusation arsenic possible, which keeps your euphony sounding arsenic the creator intended.

The somewhat longer answer: yes, arsenic agelong arsenic you’re utilizing instrumentality susceptible of revealing each of the accusation contained successful a lossless audio file, past it volition dependable better* than the lossy equivalent. This means everything from your root of music, however good the integer accusation is converted to analog, its amplification and, finally, the speakers oregon headphones that service it to your ears.