An optical digital connection uses the medium of light to transmit data through a cable’s optical fibres (which can be made from plastic, glass or silica). Noise is bad news when it comes to sound quality, but it exists in all AV components to one degree or another. And, in our experience, compared to optical, a coaxial connection does tend to sound better. Probably the least common connection when it comes to modern AV kit, coaxial digital uses electricity to transmit audio. You’ve seen the sockets, you probably own at least one audio cable of each kind, but which digital audio connection should you use?
What’s so good about hi-res audio?
What do all the different file formats and numbers mean? If your soundbar comes with its own automatic calibration software, then make sure you run it, so the soundbar’s audio output is matched to your room’s layout and characteristics. Unfortunately, ARC/eARC can sometimes introduce a slight audio lag resulting in lip-syncing issues that can vary depending on your TV-soundbar combo. Some soundbars come with their own remotes and/or have app control, but if your connection to your TV uses an optical cable, you may fxpcm still be able to use your regular controller. Having both a soundbar and TV from the same manufacturer can help with its interoperability, as most brands allow you to use the speakers from the TV alongside those of the soundbar. Almost every soundbar and TV, no matter its age, will have an optical connection.
- Around the same time, Sony and Philips were developing a replacement for CD, something that ultimately became the SACD disc.
- Most soundbar apps will give you confirmation of the type of audio format that you are currently listening to on the Now Playing page or occasionally on the soundbar’s display (if it has one).
- In PCM, you will hear the audio only in stereo, but sending bitstream means your soundbar will be able to receive those lovely Dolby formats, including Atmos.
- These Triangles offer so much for so little, making them great upgrades on a one-box wireless speaker like the Naim Mu-so Qb.
It can feel aimed at an older audience (there’s a strong focus on jazz, classical and dad rock), which can be off-putting for wider audiences, especially fans of more current, popular music. Pricing is competitive, but if you opt for the hybrid download-and-streaming Sublime service you do get discounts of up to 60 per cent when buying hi-res albums. The sole drawback is that it only offers downloads in the FLAC format. You can easily spot hi-res recordings thanks to a ’24bit FLAC’ badge on an album or song’s thumbnail, and there’s also a dedicated hi-res section. The likes of the Naim Mu-so 2, Naim Mu-so Qb 2nd Generation, Linn Series 3 and Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin are all able to handle hi-res file playback over wi-fi.
What is a soundbar?
It’s royalty-free and widely supported (though not by Apple) and is considered the preferred format for downloading and storing hi-res albums. It is lossless and uncompressed (so big file sizes), but not massively popular. It has poor metadata support (that is, album artwork, artist and song title information), too. Used for iTunes downloads, Apple Music streaming (at 256kbps) and YouTube streaming. Convenient for storing music on smartphones and iPods, but doesn’t support hi-res. They include the popular FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) and ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) formats, both of which are compressed but in a way that means that, in theory, no information is lost.
Although HDMI has taken over as the main socket of choice for many manufacturers, optical outputs are still common on game consoles, Blu-ray players, set-top boxes and televisions. The main downside to a coaxial digital connection is the potential transfer of electrical noise between your kit. Coaxial might not be as widespread as its rival optical connection these days, but you’ll still find it at the back of certain AV receivers, integrated amplifiers and TVs. They look similar and can work, but an analogue interconnect has different impedance values from a digital one (50 ohm versus 75 ohm), so won’t work as well. But don’t be tempted to try and use a standard RCA phono cable in place of a dedicated coaxial digital cable. The connector is a standard, circular RCA connector – the kind that’s found at either end of a pair of analogue audio cables (or ‘interconnects’).
Indeed, this long-awaited sequel improves on its predecessor’s greatness – no easy feat, even for an audio brand as surefooted as KEF. The original KEF LS50 Wireless active speaker system was pretty unique when it launched and encouraged other manufacturers to follow in their footsteps. These Triangles offer so much for so little, making them great upgrades on a one-box wireless speaker like the Naim Mu-so Qb. Of course, the LSX II are also recommendable if you find the wireless link and/or aux input is worth paying a modest premium for. Without really altering the speaker hardware (no bad thing!), it has produced a talented stereo speaker system that sings with any genre of music sent its way.
Unlike high-definition video, there’s no single universal standard when it comes to high-resolution audio. Now that storage is so much cheaper, we’d avoid 128kbps at all costs, though 320kbps MP3s still have their purpose if your storage is limited – and they remain a standard on download stores. But to do that, you have to lose a load of information in the process. WAV was developed by Microsoft and IBM, hence it’s used in Windows-based platforms, and is the standard format all CDs are encoded in. Which falls into which category comes down to how compressed the data is (if at all) and, as a result, how much quality or “loss” you’ll experience as a listener.
For example, the HomePod 2 supports Apple Music’s 24-bit/48kHz streams. These files are labelled as “Studio Masters” in some cases. To illustrate why it should sound better than MP3, for example, let’s compare the relative bitrates. MQA Ltd was recently acquired by Canadian firm Lenbrook (owner of Bluesound and NAD) and has new audio technologies in the works.
Best budget soundbar for dialogue
To receive Dolby Atmos, any source device must be set to output bitstream audio. If you are using ARC/eARC to connect to a Dolby Atmos soundbar, check whether you are actually receiving Atmos. However, many brands include controls to adjust the delay on a soundbar’s app, and sometimes there’s also an option to modify it on a TV’s settings. ARC/eARC also allows your main TV remote to control the basic volume and power functions of your soundbar via HDMI CEC (Consumer Electronics Control).
This budget desktop DAC offers as many features and connections as its rivals – but at a much lower price
- Its presentation is fun and lively but also well organised and precise, and we were particularly impressed with how much weight and power on display for speakers so slim.
- There are plenty of increasingly affordable ways to enter the hi-res audio world.
- So it’s surprising how well-featured (HDMI ARC, USB, line/phono, optical, Bluetooth) and decent-sounding they are.
- The resolution of DSD is broadly equivalent to that of 24-bit/88.2kHz PCM and it has a dynamic range of around 120dB.
- The world of audio formats has always been a bit of a minefield, especially in recent decades where numerous companies have launched proprietary technologies specific to their hardware and software ecosystems.
- In terms of connections, the AX5125H has two HDMI ports (one with eARC), plus optical digital, and a USB port.
After all, this is where you would download hi-res files from hi-res download sites if you did want to own your music. But honestly, it could be some time before the wireless playback of lossless hi-res audio over non-wi-fi means materialises. Here are all the ways you can play hi-res music and lossless audio on your iPhone. IPhones, meanwhile, support a maximum 24-bit/48kHz output via the USB-C/Lightning-to-3.5mm adaptors for use with wired headphones, but anything higher (96kHz and 192kHz music, for example) requires plugging in a DAC. These days, you don’t even have to completely abandon your vinyl collection to go hi-res, either; turntables such as the Sony PS-HX500 let you digitise your vinyl collection by ripping your record tracks into hi-res audio files.
In its simplest terms, hi-res audio tends to refer to music files that have a higher bit depth and/or sampling frequency than CD, which is specified at 16-bit/44.1kHz. With significantly higher sound quality than ‘standard’ digital music, hi-res audio is certainly worth exploring. Most soundbar apps will give you confirmation of the type of audio format that you are currently listening to on the Now Playing page or occasionally on the soundbar’s display (if it has one).
What about high-resolution audio?
If you aren’t quite sure which connection to take advantage of, we hope this page helps… All three connections are digital, of course. Those of you with a full-blown surround sound system almost certainly will have… Sony’s Pulse 3D wireless gaming headset conveys this very well, and actually much better than the vast majority of headsets that cost significantly more.
What audio file formats are hi-res?
If you’re looking for a fun music system that also sounds hugely capable in hi-fi terms, and that you don’t have to pay big money for, this system is worth your attention. “It’s an enthusiastic performer, happy to tackle any music genre and recording quality, and simply wants you to enjoy the music being played. All the major streaming services are supported, too, and you can also play internet radio using the excellent app.
There are various different types of sound formats to choose from when selecting your soundbar such as DTS Digital Surround and Dolby Atmos. Meanwhile, for playback from an external device, there’s a USB port (supporting MP3/WAV/WMA/FLAC file types), 3.5mm mini-jack aux and Bluetooth 4.2 for wireless streaming. While genuine overhead sounds are perhaps a stretch too far for this petite TV soundbar, its virtual delivery of the Atmos format outstrips any similarly priced soundbar and even a few that are more expensive.
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The treble could be a bit more refined, and Bluetooth performance is noticeably weaker than the presentation through the wi-fi or wired connections, but there’s no denying the JBL’s presence and talents. It’s here that they trump the KEFs most significantly, even if we find the KEFs slightly more musical overall. The sound they produce is equally large and powerful – able to really convey the scale and size of a recording. For comparison’s sake, they’re perhaps double the size of the KEF LS50 Wireless II above. Active speakers are often designed to save you space, but you’ll need plenty of it if you decide to buy a pair of JBL’s 4329P Studio Monitors.
If it’s a straight choice between coaxial and optical, we’d go for the former. Unlike optical and coaxial, there isn’t really a similar rival out there. Launched in 2002, HDMI is a one-size-fits-all connection for video and audio. Then there’s the threat of damage if an optical cable is bent too tightly.
While the peppy character remains the same, it doesn’t sound as clear, precise or expressive compared with the other inputs or network streaming quality, so we would recommend adding an external budget phono stage for an improvement on that front. It can also be a soundbar alternative for your TV thanks to its optical input. This Triangle system can play just about anything, from Bluetooth streams from your phone to music files stored on your home network (via wired Ethernet or wi-fi) and even your vinyl records thanks to a built-in phono stage. Their closest siblings are actually the older LSX II, which deliver the same sound and cabinet size but don’t require a cable between the speakers (they have a wireless link) and do have an aux input. A network streamer, Bluetooth receiver and amplifier built into a compact pair of stereo speakers – the KEF LSX II LT are great active speakers for those looking for whole-system convenience and musicality from two small boxes. How to play hi-res music and lossless audio on your iPhone