Noise Floor 24 Bit Audio

24 bit audio could theoretically encode 144 db of dynamic range but based on manufacturer s datasheets no adcs exist that can provide higher than 125 db.

Noise floor 24 bit audio.

24 bit audio might be the staple of recording studios but there s a reason it should stay there. For a reference a common lm317 regulator the quality used in most commercial electronics has about 150uv peak to peak noise and the world s lowest noise power supplies we re talking nasa not audiophile have about 5uv of peak to peak noise. 24 bit lsb noise floor voltage 0 3uv. That noise you get as a result of that change in resolution.

Is 24 bit recording any better than 16 bit recording in a home studio given that the only qualitative difference is apparently the noise floor. While noise floor is a signal you want to reduce dithering goes in a opposite direction. Professional grade preamps the h4n pro features high performance low noise mic preamps with recording resolutions up to 24 bit 96 khz. Usually going to 24 bits from 16 is only good for a 10 20 db advantage and sometimes it is as little as 5 db.

In 99 9 percent of home studios this difference will be masked by the ambient noise of the studio and by preamp or mic self noise. 24 bit audio does not require dithering as the noise level of the digital converter is always louder than the required level of any dither that might be applied. 24 bit has a really low noise floor that hum you hear if you turn a silent amplifier up really. Also while the noise floor of real world 16 bit systems is usually within a few db of 96 db very few real world 24 bit systems come within 20 db of 24 bits.

This would make sense if i were recording at 16 bits 6 db per bit but at 24 bits i would expect the noise floor to be closer to the published spec of 117db the theoretical minimum at 24 bits is.