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Gear / Technical Help => Ask The Tapers => Topic started by: timP on December 09, 2003, 10:39:26 AM
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can anyone explain bit-accuracy to me?
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Anything (a digital souncard, a digital converter, a usb device) that is bit-accurate means that the device transfers the digital data perfectly with no alteration whatsoever to the 1's and 0's. Another phrase that means the samething is Bit for Bit.
For example, I know the Soundblaster soundcards have digital inputs, but it resamples the digital info (meaning there is a change to the 1's and 0's) therefore the Soundblaster soundcard is not bit accurate.
In general you want to avoid digital devices that are not bit accurate. Some people will knowingly use them saying only the data is affected and not the sound, but I feel the technology as well as the prices are getting much better and therefore you can avoid such devices.
ps, there are ways of testing the bit accuracy of a device. I am not too familiar with such concepts but I know others are.
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To follow up with Chris, one way to test a device's bit accuracy is to loop it's digital output to it's digital input, play back a file, and record a new copy of that file. Line them up and compare them. If they match, then the device is bit accurate.
You can do something similar by using a known bit-perfect device.
-Matt