Why are audiophiles so keen on 24-bit recording?
24 bit recordings are needed for ultra high fidelity recordings of quiet background sounds such as guitar fret noise – or quiet instruments played at the same time as loud ones, or even quiet passages if the music varies considerably in volume – as is common in orchestral music for instance. Normal 16-bit recording will record very quiet passages using small numbers, and so, probably only 8 of the available bits or less, so the quality of recordings for ultra-quiet sounds and passages may be extremely poor in 16-bit recordings. Meanwhile, the old LP is considered by some to still be a superior format to the CD for music with ultra-quiet sections in it.
