1-bit DAC or 24-bit

[MyPoison1 10+ year member]

I'm still not sure if 1-bit equals 16 bits or if its just a type of digital conversion process.

And if 1-bit processing is a different sort, what would be better?

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[Beat_Dominator 5,000+ posts]

It really doesn't matter as long as it's engineered well.

 

[Eugenics 5,000+ posts]

not to mention most '24bit' dacs in aftermarket HU's are simply 1bit units with 24bit resolution.

 

[MyPoison1 10+ year member]

not to mention most '24bit' dacs in aftermarket HU's are simply 1bit units with 24bit resolution.

shit this is starting to sound a lil bit like picture or screen resolution, so what you mean is that these 1bit units process or convert the signal to 24bits either way?

 

[Eugenics 5,000+ posts]

No, i mean that these '24 bit' dacs are functionally 1 bit dacs.

Dont worry about it, what HU's are you considering?

 

[MyPoison1 10+ year member]

I posted this because I read on a earlier thread that digital processing would make a difference to the signal going to the speaker, the better (more powerful) the processor the better the sound?

 

[Eugenics 5,000+ posts]

A quality HU is the sum of many factors besides the DAC. Dont get hung up on one little bit.

 

[MyPoison1 10+ year member]

No, i mean that these '24 bit' dacs are functionally 1 bit dacs.
Dont worry about it, what HU's are you considering?

A cheap Pioneer with a 1-bit dac or a JVC with 24-bit da converter.

 

[Megalomaniac 5,000+ posts]

This thread may clear some gray areas for you:

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40261&highlight=DAC

 

[MyPoison1 10+ year member]

A quality HU is the sum of many factors besides the DAC. Dont get hung up on one little bit.

I understand this and I know this is something that dose not or should not make a big difference but I just wanted to know the differences.

I know I should not get hung up on details like these but I'm just trying to make a more educated choice, although, I know sometimes it dose not matter and it's just a matter of opinion.

 

[MyPoison1 10+ year member]

I'm guessing 24bit Da conversion is best, and I'm also guessing that what ever receives the signal from the dac get a better picture than if it was a 1-bit processor sending it

 

[adam71 5,000+ posts]

I'm guessing 24bit Da conversion is best, and I'm also guessing that what ever receives the signal from the dac get a better picture than if it was a 1-bit processor sending it

For the most part yes 24bit is better but as already stated in this thread it isn't the only thing to consider. I mean for years Alpine used 1bit converters and I don't remember anyone complaining about their sound quality. I would consider build quality and features just as much.

This is an excerpt from a book called "The Complete Guide to High End Audio" by Robert Harley.

The combination of higher sampling rate and longer word length results in greatly improved sound quality. Note, however, that true 20-bit resolution in a digital audio system represents the absolute state-of-the-art. Very few of us have heard real 20-bit resolution, never mind 24-bit. Although DVD-Audio can store 24-bits of information, and some digital-to-analog converters have 24 “rungs” in their resistor ladders, those last four bits do not have sufficient precision to encode musical information. This is a limitation of the analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters. The last four bits in a 24-bit digital-to-analog converter are sometimes cynically referred to as “MARKETING BITS” because consumers assume that 24-bits are better than 20.

Thats why Denon's 20 bit Alpha processing was and IS held in such high regard.