New smartphone audio hits the right notes

THE merits of adopting higher quality audio more universally is a discussion worth having in two parts.

THE merits of adopting higher quality audio more universally is a discussion worth having in two parts.

On the one hand, the quality of music that most people store on their smartphones is noticeably below CD quality. Apple’s 256 kilobits per second AAC format is well below the CD 16 bit, 44.1kHz specification, which translates to 1411Kbps for two-channel systems.

The standard smartphone audio quality is “lossy”. By compressing audio to reduce file size, some of the higher frequency sound has been omitted. That’s the compromise for being able to carry around your whole collection on a phone. Many people with average hearing wouldn’t notice the difference, but some claim they do.

But what is sufficient sound quality on your smartphone or tablet can lack vitality and richness when played on high-end systems. Those whose entire collections are low-quality MP3 files may rue the day they threw out their CDs.

The good news for audiophiles is that newer smartphones are capable of playing higher-quality files. Samsung’s Note 3, Sony’s Xperia Z2 and LG’s G2 can play FLAC (lossless) audio files, some at 192kHz/24 bit — the quality to be available with Neil Young’s high-definition audio PonoPlayer. You’ll need to attach your phone to an amp to enjoy the full benefit.

There have been rumours that Apple will eventually supply its music at a higher audio quality. It has been reported that through the years, Apple has stored master copies of albums at high resolution anyway — again 24 bit 96 and 192kHz per second.

The argument against this is that iPhones and iPads aren’t geared to store big audio collections at high resolution.

On the other hand, the argument for buying audio quality beyond CD quality drops off quickly.

That means going beyond 1441kKbps up to 9000Kbps on a PonoPlayer through to Sony’s DSD 128 — 1 bit, 8MHz or about 15,000Kbps.

Some audiophiles rave at the richness of the sound, the tone of instruments and vocals.

But if you can’t detect a difference in audio quality, there’s no point in buying a high-definition audio player.