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i am a newbie. whats the redbook means? i has been mentioned lots of times in the threat. thx

I don't know where the name redbook came from but it is a standard cd format. Not high resolution format.

Redbook - in audio - is the name of the digital standard that was set when the CD first came out in 1980 as an invention of Philips, a Dutch company. The resolution is 16 bit with a 44.1Hz sample rate, so equivalent to 1411 kbps.

If you want to know more here is a wikipedia link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Book_%28audio_CD_standard%29

Happy reading!

Mtkhl567, thanks for the link.

so, why people keep coming back to redbook format while there is alot of better format available today, such as HDCD, XRCD, audiophile version, etc?

Milen007, that's because the world today generally is not interested in higher quality sound but more interested in a downloadable, compressed, portable, convenient way to enjoy music. So all these higher quality formats only find their way to hardcore audiophiles. Btw many RBCDs sound as good or better than high-rez recordings out there, it all depends on the label and their recording process. Anyway, all media will be available for a long time to come, however high rez music server systems are the way of the future for the audiophile. But here is just an idea about the quality gap that exists expressed in bits (8 zero's or one's) processed per second:

Downloads = typically 128 or 192 kbps
RBCD 16/44.1 = 1411 kbps
High rez CD 24/96 = 4608 kbps
SACD 1/2822 = 2822 kbps
SACD 1/5644 = 5644 kbps
LP = higher than SACD

HDCD and XRCD are based on 16/44.1, but with greatly improved ording techniques that make them sound better than most standard RBCDs. SACD would be considered the next real step up, but the marketing strategy failed and the world was going to less vs higher resolution...

Go figure!