

"considering that 16-bit, 48kHz exceeds the threshold of human hearing even for “golden ears,”
Um, no it doesn’t. 16-Bit dynamic range is 96 decibels, 24-bit is 144 decibels. 96 cuts off quite a bit of an average person’s hearing range. A/B a 16 and 24 bit recording and you can hear it easily over even modest headphones.




That’s why I didn’t mention the sample rate. You aren’t going to get really anything back increasing to 96 khz. But I promise you increasing the bit depth leads to a noticeable change in the perception of the recording. You’re not going to get anything from modern pop since it’s compressed to hell and back, but find a good recording of an album you’ve listened to a lot and find some decent, wired headphones and try an A/B of a 16 and 24 bit mix. You’ll see what I mean.