Why 24 bit audio and anything over 48k is not only worthless, but bad for music.

[gregorio]

I don't know much about electronics, but one thing I find confusing is how some component inputs are capable of certain metrics, and others are different. But they are both connected by a wire. For example, some coax is capable of 96khz, but usb is capable of more.

It’s not really about what the components are capable of but a question of the protocols supported by the gear and, you seem to be confusing the two. Coax is a type of wire while USB is a protocol. Coax cable is used in various aspects of audio applications but most commonly for consumer audio applications it was the wire specified for the S/PDIF protocol. It’s that protocol which limits the data rate, not the cable. For example, stereo 24/96 has a data rate of roughly 2.2Mbps but coax cable is routinely used by cable companies for data rates up to 1Gbps.

And further, even if a vendor makes a better quality coax cable, it still can only transfer the same amount of date as the lesser coax cable on the same device.

Cheap coax can easily handle 400-500Mbps, way more than any audio format requires. Even uncompressed 6 channel surround 24/192 would only require about 26Mbps. Again, the limit is set by the protocol.

G

 

[bigshot]

All you need is enough bandwidth to resolve the signal transparently. You can heap on more and more bandwidth, but the sound isn’t going to be any different. Enough is enough.