Charles Forsyth wrote: > sorry, i did realise. i'm afraid i just couldn't resist slightly > misquoting Flanders and Swann's `Song of Reproduction' (High Fidelity). > http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Flanders-Swann-Georges-Brassens/dp/B000006T4S/ref=pd_sim_b_1
Yes, marketing in general feeds on "more is better". I don't have a complex audio chain, but there are some with multiple devices mixing audio and digital. I believe their argument for higher sampling rates is because the analog filters have to cut frequencies higher than Nyquist, so the higher the sampling frequency the less of of a "slope" the filter has to work on which reduces the noise from the analog side. Or this can be interpreted as being able to use cheaper analog filters for the same noise requirement. However, this field is beyond my competence. >From a hardware perspective, I could see how a single 192kHz DAC is cheaper to use than four 48kHz ones. Smaller chip die area or less components to attach. Either way I believe it has to do more with manufacturing costs.