Since CD's are recorded at 16bit, is there a huge loss of 16 vs 24bit?
Where can I attain 24 bit rock songs (currently own Pink Floyd and Daft Punk at 24bit, 92kHz)?
Is there a lossless codec that works better than FLAC on the the DX50?
You can buy or "find" hi-res all over the place. Google is your friend.
Is FLAC 24 bit better? That could flame out this thread, so I won't say yes. Or no. While I do I enjoy my "normal" 24 bit hi-res files, I also enjoy my 16/44.
However, there are a bunch of SACD rips in DSD/DSF/DFF 1 bit 2.8 Mhz floating around and I can state that they sound very good indeed, even though I have to down-sample them to FLAC 24/176 to get them to play on the iBasso. They sound better than lower hi-res releases of the same material, and than 16/44 Is it the mix or the quality or...? Can't/won't say. But I compare a "regular" hi-res copy of, say, Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain 24/88.2, with an SACD ISO 1 bit copy that is brought down to 24/176 and boy, can you tell the difference. Big time. Let alone my 16/44 CD rip.
I can also say that I have had some hi-res 24 bit David Bowie and it sounded like crap when compared to a regular 16/44 rip. I guess it depends on source, and method, and your player and your listening device. At least one place selling hi-res material has a reputation of putting out "hi-res" that is sourced from low-res material. Buyer beware.
The majority of my files are 16 bit, but I do "upgrade" to 24 when I can find it. And I have 10 or more albums taken from 1 bit that I am in love with. An incredible sound, strong and delicate and powerful all at the same time. Although the higher the res, the bigger the file. A 16 bit FLAC is about 30mb, a 24 bit can be almost double (or more than) that, and the down samples I am making are in the 250-350mb range. Fills up a 64gb card really quickly.