Audiophiles! 192 kHz 24bit over optical? Heresy?
 

So I have this "old school" sort of rig with a substantial PC based music library (more than 3tb FLAC) communicating to my Integra receiver via optical "toslink" and broadcast over B & W 804's or Sennheiser 800HD's.

I've always just played stuff, managed my library using Roon - and sort of accepted that the 192/24 part of my library would be closed to me until I get around to doing an HDMI/USB set up.

But I was "radioing" tonight and Nora Jones "Come Away with Me" started to play (I use Roon).

I knew that this album was 192/24 and shouldn't be available over optical but it was totally giving me musical pleasure!

I verified with Roon that the tracks being received were 192/24.

Seems to be at odds with my google research about toslink capabilities.

Any experts out there?

Google says latest toslink bitrate is 125 Mbits per second which can easily suport 196k 24 bit.


Related but maybe not appropriate discussion I am highly skeptical of the bennifits of such a digh data rate. No electronics can get anywhere near the 144 dB dynamic range of 24 bits, and certainly the effective dynamic range of your speakers in room is MUCH less like 70dB in the best case. Certainly cant hear anywhere near 100kHz nyquist either. Would love to see a power spectrum of the album as well, the cynic in me suspects it is encoded at a much higher rate than is actually recorded.

None of these arguments are new I know, probably most who care have chosen their side by now i guess. I am completely fine with 16/44 even though I care enough about audio that my speakers have the same msrp as my daily driver.

I'm not an expert, but here's what I've picked up over the years.

192/24 is possible over optical with the right setup. If both the transmitter and receiver are capable and the cable is of sufficient quality, then it will work.

If you had a "consumer" grade AVR it would likely not be able to handle that bit-rate. Since you're using an Integra AVR it does have higher quality components than its Onkyo sibling. The Onkyo might be able to squeeze 96/24.

If you wanted to upgrade in the future, you could go with a good pre-pro and a dedicated amp.

Every component of my hi fi system was produced before 1980. Glass bottles and copper. Heresy is right. ;)

don't get caught up "in the numbers"

But he could improve the essque by running toslink to a DAC and then to the Integra.

It's possible that it is being reduced down to something else

It is, but a good dac will indicate the bitrate.