24 bit 96khz. whats the deal?

24/96 only works if you have both a 24/96 disc (DVD audio) and player/processor capable of reading 24/96. The sound may differ somewhat when playing a regular CD on, say, a DVD audio player. You will be able to play a "regular" CD on a DVD audio player, but will likely find that it doesn't sound as good as a decent 16/44.1 transport/DA converter. This is just do to the audio quality of the components, and mostly, to the audio quality of the DA chip or converter. Hint: Most current DVD players send a standard 16/44.1 signal on the Digital out, even if they have their own 24/96 inboard capability. Be sure to investigate before buying a new player.

The "Buzz" is that 24/96 DOES make a difference with regular CD's. The filters used supposedly (supposably?) are not as extreme and result in a "less harsh" sound.

Read about it at tweakaudio.com.

An UPSAMPLER that takes the standard 16 bit 44.1 CD digital output and upsamples to 24 bit 96khz which has interpolative algorithms and is then D to A decoded by a 24bit 96 khz can make almost astonishing improvements on standard CDs. Until recently the best known units were from dCS and were five figure investment. Just recently MSB and Perpetual technologies have released much more reasonable products. I'll have them to compare in about two weeks and will report back.